Trapped in another dimension, the only way for Naruto and Sasuke to save humanity is to defeat Kaguya. However, will Naruto's loyalty to his friends put the world at risk?
The Good
It's nice that Kishimoto has started to mix some action in with his story telling. For months it's been one or the other. People are either fighting intense battles or standing around talking about the situation they're currently stuck in. This certainly improves on the pacing, but that hardly excuses the flashbacks found in this issue.
The revived kage have returned to the story, but I don't quite understand how they could help. They didn't influence much of the battle before. How can they do anything when the current fight is happening in another dimension? That's a wait and see sort of situation.
The Bad
For as long as this war has been going on -- coming up to the four year mark later this year, did we really need a chapter that just seems to be dedicated to reminding the audience that Naruto is a nice guy? Isn't that what the past ten or so years should have been about? This is hardly the time to be rehashing the past. This does sort of explain why Kakashi and Sakura are along for this ride. They're here just to be damsels in distress.
I think it's about time we discuss Kaguya, and why she's a terrible choice for a the big bad. Firstly, we had Obito. Sure, his motivations were completely childish, but I understood what he was aiming for. I didn't have to agree or sympathize. He also tied into so many events of the main cast. Murdering Naruto's parents, he helped in the slaughter of the Uchiha, and basically manipulated much of the world into war. He was replaced by Madara, but what was he really trying to accomplish in the end? Kaguya is even more of a mystery. Only in this chapter do we get some hint about her wanting to nullify chakra.
It's also sort of hilarious how Kaguya only attacks in sporadic waves. She's suppose to be this near godly terror with unfathomable levels of chakra, but she always gives the heroes enough time to collect themselves before every attacking again. Sure, it's nice of her, but isn't she aiming to defeat them?
Verdict 2/5
This was actually a difficult ranking to make. I almost wanted to give this a 3 out of 5 for the improved pacing, but the flashbacks between Naruto and Sasuke were just dragging it down. There literally is no reason to have to remind the audience of who the hero is of this series. This far in is the time for action. Get me excited or worried. Don't treat me as if I have long term memory problems. Leave this sort of expositioning for the anime.
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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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