Madara has absorbed the Divine Tree to become virtually immortal. However, Naruto and Sasuke have a new new tricks that may put that supposed immortality to the test.
The Good
The story of this Shinobi World War has been going on for very nearly four, real world years and several pseudo-finales. Only to be drawn out even further by numerous last second twists. This looks to be the best possibly opportunity for a true ending to the overextended madness that Kishimoto has concocted. Uber-Madara has somehow managed to become even more...uber-ish, Naruto has reached Six Paths Level, and Sasuke has the ultimate in Sharingans. The only thing that could make this setting more outlandish is if this battle suddenly went into space.
For all my bluster, I still thought this was a fun chapter. It had some nice action and Naruto showed off an interesting ability. Being the new home of all the Biju gives him access to their various chakra. So much for chakra affinity, but that can be forgiven for the "Child of Destiny". Be prepared to see more of that in the comic weeks.
The Bad
I hate to say it, but I'm sort of unimpressed with the Six Paths Sage form of Naruto. Kishimoto has had Naruto go through so many of these transformations within a single arc that this incremental change has little effect on me. While I'm on the topic, what's with Sasuke just being handed the Rinnegan? It's as if the Sage of Six Paths just gave him this gift for no other reason than him being yet another reincarnation of his son. That seems to be the extent of the logic there. No sacrifice or training. Just, here ya' go.
As predicted, Naruto arrives to save Might Guy before he can pay the price for his reckless/heroic sacrifice, but was it the right story decision? I may have personally found the act kind of pointless, but I would have honestly felt sad to see him die here. All those weeks of flashbacks were rendered completely pointless. It reminds me so much of what turned me away from most Western comics. Everyone is so free of consequence. Why is Kishimoto -- and most other writers -- trying to protect the reader from ever feeling anything?
Although, when I often hear about how protective DC is with how their intellectual properties are used in other media (games, movies, ect.). I start to wonder how much of this is Kishimoto's will, and how much it may be the publisher.
Verdict 3/5
This was a substantial improvement over the past few weeks. Things get moving and we have what looks to be our best chance to an end. I just hope this chapter of action doesn't mean we're in for two more of talking. Ultimately, I honestly enjoyed this one, but had some reservations.
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About the Author
 | Kristoffer Remmell (FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek. Follow for news updates: @AnimeVicers / @FoxxFireArt / http://kristofferremmell.tumblr.com/ |
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