Anime DVD Review: Naruto Uncut Season Four Box Set Volume 2

The Naruto Uncut Season Four Box Set Volume 2 box set is a six DVD set that contains episodes 192 through 220 of the Naruto anime series; these are the final episodes of the series. The first disc contains four episodes, the second disc contains five episodes, the third disc contains five episodes and bonus features, the fourth disc contains five episodes, the fifth disc contains five episodes, and the sixth disc contains five episodes and bonus features.

All of the stories in this set are “filler,” although the final five episodes of the series bring the story back to where it should have been before the filler material was inserted. Of the stories that are in this set, the best one to me is the story arc about Kurenai and the artist girl named Yakumo. It’s another filler story that provides backstory for one of the characters who hadn’t been developed very much prior to the filler material.

There are a couple of other storylines that span several episodes. One of those stories is a story about a plot to destroy the Village Hidden in the Leaves. During this story arc, we see Naruto and the other 10 ninja from his group trying to figure out of the plot and keep it from happening in order to save the village. While this particular story arc doesn’t really progress anything, it’s still an interesting story to watch. The other longer story in this set is about an amnesiac that Naruto finds and calls Menma; of the longer stories in this set, this one was probably m yleast favorite.

The remaining stories run for either one or two episodes, and in most cases, are simply “thorwaways”: Ino being hired to pose as a princess to attract a prince who looks suspiciously like Elvis Presley during the latter part of his career, Rock Lee opening up his own dojo, Naruto and a couple of his peers investigating a haunted castle, a story about a group of brothers bent on revenge against Guy, a clip show, and a story about an artifact called “the Beauty of Nature.”

Just like the previous seven boxes in this set of Naruto releases, this is a “bare bones” release; there are no booklets or inserts included in the box. When it comes to the actual discs included in this set, they are exactly the same as the discs that were released in the Naruto Uncut Box Set 15 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 16 box sets.

The first bonus feature on the third disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 15 pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. There is a sneak preview of Naruto Uncut Box Set 16, which runs for about four minutes. Next is “From Sketch to Screen,” which contains eight pages of storyboards from episode 193; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. In the “Extras” menu, you can see the English credits, advertisements for Shonen Jump magazine and manga titles that Viz was promoting, a trailer to promote the third Naruto film, and trailers for five Naruto videogames.

The first bonus feature on the sixth disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 20 pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. There is a sneak preview for Naruto Shippuden, the next Naruto series, which runs for about two and a half minutes; however, the audio is mastered a little on the soft side. In the “Extras” menu, you can also see the English credits, advertisements for manga titles Viz Media was promoting, a trailer for the third Naruto film, and trailers for six Naruto videogames.

If you enjoy Naruto and haven’t already purchased the Naruto Uncut sets, this would be an economical way to get the episodes on DVD in order to add them to your collection. You get double the amount of the content of the original sets, but you pay about the same amount as you would have for the original Naruto Uncut DVD box sets. However, if you do purchase this set, just be aware that this is simply a repackaging of Naruto Uncut Box Set 15 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 16. All Viz Media really did to change the discs was to make minor changes to the labels on the physical discs included in the set.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of Naruto Uncut Season Four Box Set Volume 2 that my husband and I purchased.

Anime DVD Review: Naruto Uncut Season Four Box Set Volume 1

The Naruto Uncut Season Four Box Set Volume 1 box set is a six DVD set that contains episodes 164 through 191 of the Naruto anime series. The first disc contains four episodes, the second disc contains five episodes, the third disc contains five episodes and bonus features, the fourth disc contains four episodes, the fifth disc contains five episodes, and the sixth disc contains five episodes and bonus features.

This set begins with Naruto, Neji, and Tenten being sent on a mission to the Land of Birds to investigate a ghost known as “The Cursed Warrior” that’s terrorizing the people. While this is a “filler” story and doesn’t truly advance the overall plot, I kind of liked this storyline; to me, it ranks up there as one of the better filler stories to appear in the first Naruto television series.

There’s a five-episode arc that sees Anko, Naruto, Shino, and Ino being sent to the land of the sea to investigate an ocean demon. This particular storyline provides some backstory about Anko and her time training with Orochimaru. While the main part of the story really isn’t terribly important, these episodes are worth seeing to get a glimpse into Anko’s character.

The only other story arc worth much of anything sees Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Naruto going on a mission to the Land of Greens to protect a star belonging to the Hidden Village of Star. While the main character that is introduced in these episodes is never seen again, his backstory is kind of riveting; this makes this particular filler story more interesting than a number of the filler stories that appeared in this portion of the series.

There’s also a story arc about Naruto, Choji, and Hinata helping peddlers move out of the Land of Greens. Unbeknownst to the peddlers and the Genin, there is someone in their midst who is more than what they seem; unfortunately, this person is being pursued. While it’s a longer story arc, I didn’t like this one as much as some of the longer arcs that appear in this set; this is probably due in large part to the fact that the person who is hiding their identity comes off as rather unlikable for most of the story arc.

The rest of the episodes are either stand-alone stories or are two episodes long: coming up with an ultimate ramen recipe, Naruto babysitting a rich brat, Naruto and some of the other Genin going on a treasure hunt, Naruto and Jiraiya trying to get something back that was accidentally mailed out, Akamaru being infected with a biological weapon, Naruto becoming a “mother” to a creature called an Onbaa, and Naruto and Shino helping a chief mourner so he can receive his inheritance. Of these stories, the only one that’s really worth much is the one about Akamaru being infected with a biological weapon; this episode gives Kiba a chance to be in the spotlight and gives the viewer a chance to see Kiba’s relationship with his trusted companion.

This DVD set is just like the previous six boxes; it’s a “bare bones” release, and there are no booklets or inserts included in the box. When it comes to the actual discs included in this set, they are exactly the same as the discs that were released in the Naruto Uncut Box Set 13 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 14 box sets.

The first bonus feature on the third disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 15 pages of model sketches for some of the Naruto characters. There is a sneak preview of Naruto Uncut Box Set 14, which runs for four minutes. Next is “From Sketch to Screen,” which contains eight pages of storyboards from episode 173; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. In the “Extras” menu, you can also see the English credits, advertisements for Shonen Jump magazine and other manga titles that Viz was promoting, trailers for two releases that Viz Media was promoting, and trailers for five Naruto videogames.

The first bonus feature on the sixth disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 15 more pages of model sketches for some of the Naruto characters. There is a sneak preview of Naruto Uncut Box Set 15, which runs for four minutes. Next is “From Sketch to Screen,” which contains eight pages of storyboards from episode one 182; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. In the “Extras” menu, you can also see the English credits, advertisements for Shonen Jump magazine and other manga titles that Viz Media was promoting, two trailers for releases that Viz was promoting, and trailers for five Naruto videogames.

If you enjoy Naruto and haven’t already purchased the Naruto Uncut sets, this would be an economical way to get the episodes on DVD in order to add them to your collection. You get double the amount of the content of the original sets, but you pay about the same amount as you would have for the original Naruto Uncut DVD box sets. However, if you do purchase this set, just be aware that this is simply a repackaging of Naruto Uncut Box Set 13 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 14; all Viz Media really did to change the discs was to make minor changes to the labels on the physical discs included in the set.

When it comes to the filler material in this set, it’s a mixed bag of decent filler material and filler that’s a waste of time. However, if you’re wanting to acquire all of the Naruto anime series on DVD, then you’ll need to purchase this set to help you achieve that goal.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of Naruto Uncut Season Four Box Set Volume 1 that my husband and I purchased.

Anime DVD Review: Naruto Uncut Season Three Box Set Volume 2

The Naruto Uncut Season Three Box Set Volume 2 box set is a six DVD set that contains episodes 136 through 163 of the Naruto anime series. The first disc contains four episodes, the second disc contains five episodes, the third disc contains five episodes and bonus features, the fourth disc contains four episodes, the fifth disc contains five episodes, and the sixth disc contains five episodes and bonus features.

This is the set where the long stretch of “filler” stories for the first Naruto series begins. The first story arc sees Jiraiya, Naruto, and Sakura going on a mission to the Land of Rice Paddies. While this was an OK filler story, it’s not one that I would really go out of my way to watch.

Next is the Mizuki Strikes Back arc, which is a filler story that sees Mizuki, the traitorous academy instructor that tricked Naruto into stealing the sacred scroll, return to the series. I kind of like this story arc, because it helps provide some back story for Iruka, a character who seemed to almost all but disappear after the Chunin Exam arc.

This is followed by Naruto accompanying Shino, Kiba, and Hinata on a search for the Bikochu Beetle. This is a beetle that only lays eggs once every few years during a particular breeding season. The first scent the Bikochu detects after its metamorphosis stays in its memory, so it’s hoped that if they find a Bikochu and have Sasuke’s scent be the first thing it smells, that the Bikochu can lead Naruto and the others to Sasuke. Knowing that this particular story was simply filler, it was hard for me to really get too much into this one, because you already know that things are not going to go as planned.

The next story arc focuses on a swordsman named Raiga. Naruto, Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten encounter him and his partner, Ranmaru, during this story arc. This is also the story arc about “the curry of life.” This arc does absolutely nothing to even try to appear to progress the overall storyline, and it’s another story that I really don’t go out of my way to rewatch.

There are a couple of standalone episodes: one about a survival challenge, and one about a pair of intruders trying to impersonate Guy and Rock Lee in order to infiltrate the village. There’s also a two-episode story arc where Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba encounter a bounty hunter while they’re out on a mission. These are all definitely filler stories and really don’t do anything to try to give the appearance of advancing the characters or the story.

Ultimately, the only episodes I was truly interested in that appeared in this set were the episodes that comprised the Mizuki Strikes Back arc. At least this filler story provided some backstory for both Iruka and Mizuki, and it gave the appearance of trying to advance the character of Iruka. To me, the other episodes in the set just come off as stories to fill time until the series was ready to continue with the “canon” storylines from Masashi Kishimoto’s manga series.

This DVD set is just like the previous five boxes in this set of Naruto releases; it’s a “bare bones” release that doesn’t include booklets or inserts in the box. When it comes to the actual discs included in this set, they are exactly the same as the discs that were released in the Naruto Uncut Box Set 11 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 12 box sets.

The first bonus feature on the third disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 15 pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. There is a sneak preview for Naruto Uncut Box Set 12, which runs for roughly four minutes. Next is “From Sketch to Screen,” which contains eight pages of storyboards from episode 137; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. In the “Extras” menu, you can also see the English credits, advertisements for Shonen Jump magazine and manga titles Viz Media was promoting, four trailers for releases that Viz Media was promoting, and trailers for four Naruto videogames and one Bleach videogame.

The first bonus feature on the sixth disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 15 more pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. There is a sneak preview for Naruto Uncut Box Set 13, which runs for roughly three and a half minutes. Next is “From Sketch to Screen,” which contains eight pages of storyboards from episode 150; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. In the “Extras” menu, you can also see the English credits, advertisements for Shonen Jump magazine and other manga titles Viz Media was promoting, four trailers for releases Viz was promoting, and trailers for four Naruto videogames and one Bleach videogame.

If you enjoy Naruto and haven’t already purchased the Naruto Uncut sets, this would be an economical way to get the episodes on DVD in order to add them to your collection. You get double the amount of the content of the original sets, but you pay about the same amount as you would have for the original Naruto Uncut DVD box sets. However, if you do purchase this set, just be aware that this is simply a repackaging of Naruto Uncut Box Set 11 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 12. All Viz Media really did to change the discs was to make minor changes to the labels on the physical discs included in the set. Also, this set marks the beginning of the filler stories for the series, many of which really aren’t terribly important in the long run. However, if you want to own the whole series on DVD, then you will need to acquire this set in order to help accomplish that goal.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of Naruto Uncut Season Three Box Set Volume 2 that my husband and I purchased.

Anime DVD Review: Naruto Uncut Season Three Box Set Volume 1

The Naruto Uncut Season Three Box Set Volume 1 box set is a six DVD set that contains episodes 107 through 135 of the Naruto anime series. The first disc contains four episodes, the second disc contains five episodes, the third disc contains five episodes and bonus features, the fourth disc contains five episodes, the fifth disc contains five episodes, and the sixth disc contains five episodes and bonus features.

All of the episodes in this disc are part of major story arc that appears during the first Naruto television anime series: Sasuke’s defection from the Hidden Leaf Village to go train under Orochimaru and the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. During this set, we see some of the battles of the Sasuke Retrieval Squad with the Sound Four; we specifically see Choji’s battle with Jirobo, Neji’s battle with Kidomaru, Shikamaru’s battle with Tayuya, Kiba and Akamaru’s battle with Sakon and Ukon, and Rock Lee and Gaara against Kimimaro.

Naruto catches up with Sasuke during this set, and the audience is rewarded with some backstory for Sasuke’s past. While some things about Sasuke and why he’s as driven as he is for his revenge are hinted at earlier in the series, this backstory finally makes all of Sasuke’s motivations clear. The set concludes with the climactic battle between Naruto and Sasuke.

This is basically the most pivotal plot point of the series, and as a viewer, I was very satisfied with how it transpired. Unfortunately, most of the episodes after this point in the series are “filler” material.

When it comes to the DVD release, it’s just like the previous four boxes in this set of Naruto releases. It’s a “bare bones” release; there are no booklets or inserts included in the box. When it comes to the actual discs included in this set, they are exactly the same as the discs that were released in the Naruto Uncut Box Set 9 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 10 box sets.

The first bonus feature on the third disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 15 pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. There is a sneak preview for Naruto Uncut Box Set 10, which runs for roughly three minutes; it should be noted that the audio for the preview is mastered lower than the episodes on the disc. Next is “From Sketch to Screen,” which contains eight pages of storyboards from episode 112; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. In the “Extras” menu, you can also see the English credits, promos for Shonen Jump magazine and other Viz Media manga titles, and trailers for six releases that Viz Media was promoting.

The first bonus feature on the sixth disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 15 more model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. There is a sneak preview for Naruto Uncut Box Set 11, which runs for roughly three and a half minutes. Next is “From Sketch to Screen,” which contains eight pages of storyboards from episode 128. For each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. In the “Extras” menu, you can also see the English credits, promos for Shonen Jump magazine and other Viz Media manga titles, and eight trailers for releases that Viz Media was promoting.

If you enjoy the Naruto television anime series and haven’t already purchased the Naruto Uncut sets, this would be an economical way to get the episodes on DVD in order to add them to your collection. You get double the amount of the content of the original sets, but you pay about the same amount as you would have for the original Naruto Uncut DVD box sets. However, if you do purchase this set, just be aware that this is simply a repackaging of Naruto Uncut Box Set 9 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 10. All Viz Media really did to change the discs was to make minor changes to the labels on the physical discs included in the set.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of Naruto Uncut Season Three Box Set Volume 1 that I purchased for my husband as a gift.

New York Times Manga Best Seller List: June 2-8, 2013

Here are the top ten selling manga in the United States for the week of June 2-8, 2013, according to the New York Times.

1. Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Volume 3 by Shin Yoshida and Naohito Miyoshi
2. Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 1 by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima
3. One Piece Volume 67 by Eiichiro Oda
4. Pokémon Black and White Volume 10 by Hidenori Kusaka
5. Skip Beat! Volume 31 by Yoshiki Nakamura
6. Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar’s Game Volume 2 by QuinRose
7. Pokémon Adventures: Diamond and Pearl/Platinum Volume 8 by Hidenori Kusaka
8. Naruto Volume 61 by Masashi Kishimoto
9. Soul Eater Volume 14 by Atsushi Ohkubo
10. Sailor Moon Volume 11 by Naoko Takeuchi

Some Toonami Shows Rank #1 in Their Time Slots

Anime News Network is reporting that that the ratings for Adult Swim’s Toonami block for the second week of June were released on June 11, 2013. According to the report, several shows in the Toonami block ranked #1 in the adults 18-24 and 18-34 demographics, in addition to all male demographics, during their respective time slots.

Episodes of the following series ranked at #1 for their respective time slots:

• Bleach
• Naruto
• One Piece
• Soul Eater

Anime DVD Review: Naruto Uncut Season Two Box Set Volume 2

The Naruto Uncut Season Two Box Set Volume 2 box set is a six DVD set that contains episodes 79 through 106 of the Naruto anime series. The first disc contains four episodes, the second disc contains five episodes, the third disc contains five episodes and bonus features, the fourth disc contains four episodes, the fifth disc contains five episodes, and the sixth disc contains five episodes and bonus features.

The episodes in this set start off with the conclusion of Naruto’s battle with Gaara and the end of the invasion of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. From here, the series moves on to Naruto doing some training with Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, as they go out in search of Tsunade in order to try to convince her to become the Fifth Hokage of the village.

I really like the introduction of the character of Tsunade. She’s such an interesting character, and a lot of development is done on her character during the course of the episodes that appear in this set. Tsunade really adds new elements and dimensions to the story, and it was nice to see a noticeably strong female character added to the cast.

After Tsunade’s storyline ends, the remaining episodes in this set are “filler” material that takes place in between Tsunade’s storyline and the next major story arc for the series. Fortunately, the filler material at this point in the series is a lot more tolerable than the filler that appears later in the series.

Just like the previous three box sets, Naruto Uncut Season Two Box Set Volume 2 is also a “bare bones” release; there are no booklets or inserts included in the set. When it comes to the actual discs in this set, they are the exact same discs from Naruto Uncut Box Set 7 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 8.

The first bonus feature on the third disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 10 pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. The next feature is a preview for Naruto Uncut Box Set 8. This is followed by “From Sketch to Screen Episode 85,” which is eight pages of storyboards; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. In the extras, you can also see the English credits, trailer for four releases that Viz Media was promoting at the time, as well as promotion for Shonen Jump magazine and some of the other manga titles that Viz was promoting. This disc also has a “sneak peek” that promotes Viz Media’s release of the Buso Renkin anime series.

The first bonus feature on the sixth disc is “Production Art,” which includes 10 more pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. The next feature is a preview for Naruto Uncut Box Set 9. After that is “From Sketch to Screen Episode 93”; like the “From Sketch to Screen” on the third disc, this feature has eight pages of storyboards, and you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. You can also see the English credits on this disc, a set of trailers for other releases that Viz Media was promoting, and promotion for Shonen Jump magazine and some of the other manga titles that Viz was promoting.

If you enjoy Naruto and haven’t already bought the Naruto Uncut sets, this would be an economical way to get the episodes on DVD. You get double the amount of content of the original sets, but pay about the same amount as you would have for those original sets. However, if you do purchase this set, just be warned that the only effort Viz Media went to when combining Naruto Uncut Box Set 7 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 8 was to make changes to the labels on the physical discs included in the set.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of Naruto Uncut Season Two Box Set Volume 2 that I purchased.

Anime DVD Review: Naruto Uncut Season Two Box Set Volume 1

The Naruto Uncut Season Two Box Set Volume 1 box set is a six DVD set that contains episodes 53 through 78 of the Naruto anime series. The first and second discs contain four episodes, the third disc contains five episodes and bonus features, the fourth and fifth discs contain four episodes, and the sixth disc contains five episodes and bonus features.

This box set opens with Naruto doing some training under Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. The humor that appears in these episodes helps to lighten the mood the series before reaching the conclusion of the Chunin Exam.

The final test of the Chunin Exam also takes place during the episodes on this set, but the test is interrupted when the Hidden Village of the Leaves is under attack by Orochimaru and his allies. Gaara and the other Sand Siblings escape from the village during the confusion, but end up being chased by the members of Squad 7.

The set ends in the middle of the battle between Gaara and Naruto. But during this battle, the viewer is provided with backstory for Gaara; to me, it’s at this point in the story where Gaara becomes a much more sympathetic character than he had been previously in the story.

Just like the previous two box sets, Naruto Uncut Season Two Box Set Volume 1 is also a “bare bones” release; there are no booklets or inserts included in the set. When it comes to the actual discs in this set, they are the exact same discs from Naruto Uncut Box Set 5 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 6.

The first bonus feature on the third disc is labeled as “Production Art,” which consists of 10 pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. The next feature is a preview for Naruto Uncut Box Set 6. This is followed by “From Sketch to Screen Episode 56,” which is eight pages of storyboards; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. The extras also include the English credits, trailers for four releases that Viz Media was promoting, as well as promotion for Shonen Jump magazine and some of the manga titles that Viz was promoting.

The first bonus feature on the sixth disc is “Production Art,” which includes 10 more pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. The next feature is a preview for Naruto Uncut Box Set 7. After that is “From Sketch to Screen Episode 78”; like the “From Sketch to Screen” on the third disc, this feature has eight pages of storyboards, and you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. The remaining extras are the English credits, three trailers, and promos for Shonen Jump magazine and other manga titles published by Viz.

If you enjoy Naruto and haven’t already bought the Naruto Uncut sets, this would be an economical way to get the episodes on DVD. You get double the amount of content of the original sets, but pay about the same amount as you would have for those original sets. However, if you do purchase this set, just be warned that the only effort Viz Media went to when combining Naruto Uncut Box Set 5 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 6 was to make changes to the labels on the physical discs included in the set.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of the Naruto Uncut Season Two Box Set Volume 1 box set that I purchased.

Naruto Is Top Selling Graphic Novel in the U.S. for May 2013

Naruto Volume 61 by Masashi Kishimoto came in at number one on Nielsen BookScan’s list of top 20 graphic novels in American bookstores for May 2013.

Other manga titles that appeared in the top 20 for May 2013 are:

• Sailor Moon Volume 11 by Naoko Takeuchi (#4)
• Black Bird Volume 16 by Kanoko Sakurakouji (#9)
• Sailor Moon Volume 10 by Naoko Takeuchi (#10)
• Black Butler Volume 13 by Yana Toboso (#12)
• Dance in the Vampire Bund Volume 14 by Nozomu Tamakiana (#14)
• Naruto Volume 60 by Masashi Kishimoto (#17)
• Naruto Omnibus Volume 5 by Masashi Kishimoto (#18)

The BookScan rankings include sales from Barnes & Noble and other book chains, independent bookshops, and online purchases; however, sales at comic book stores, Walmart and some other venues are not included.

Anime DVD Review: Naruto Uncut Season One Box Set Volume 2

The Naruto Uncut Season One Box Set Volume 2 box set is a six DVD set that contains episodes 26 through 52 of the Naruto anime series. The first disc contains five episodes, the second disc contains four episodes, the third disc contains four episodes and bonus features, the fourth and fifth discs contain five episodes, and the sixth disc contains four episodes and bonus features.

This box set begins with the second test of the Chunin exam, which is a survival test in the Forest of Death. It is during this section of the story that Orochimaru, the main antagonist of the series, is introduced. Not only that, but a major plot point takes place during these episodes that ultimately sets the stage for the rest of the series.

After completing this test, preliminary battles are held to determine who will advance to final test of the Chunin Exam. It’s during these preliminary battles that several of the new characters who are introduced in this arc have their backstories given. To me, this is the point in the series where the audience really comes to care more about the characters that inhabit the Naruto universe.

This set also includes the dramatic battle between Rock Lee and Gaara in the preliminary battles. The last two episodes of the set take place after the preliminary battles, and they introduce a new character: Jiraiya, the Toad Sage.

Just like the first box set, this is also a “bare bones” release; there are no booklets or inserts included in the set. When it comes to the actual discs in this set, they are basically the discs from Naruto Uncut Box Set 3 and Naruto Uncut Box Set 4, with minor changes made to the bonus features included on the third and sixth discs.

The first bonus feature on the third disc is labeled as “Production Art,” and it consists of 10 pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. The next feature is a preview for Naruto Shippuden. This is followed by “From Sketch to Screen Episode 33,” which is eight pages of storyboards; for each storyboard, you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for.

In the extras, you can also see the English credits. There are also three trailers to other releases that Viz Media was promoting, as well as promos for Shonen Jump Magazine and other manga titles released by Viz.

The first bonus feature on the sixth disc is “Production Art,” which includes 10 more pages of model sketches of some of the Naruto characters. The next feature is the exact same preview for Naruto Shippuden that appears on the third disc. After that is “From Sketch to Screen Episode 40”; like the “From Sketch to Screen” on the third disc, this feature has eight pages of storyboards, and you can choose to see the clip that the storyboard is for. The remaining extras on the sixth disc are exactly the same as what appeared on disc three.

If you enjoy Naruto and haven’t already bought the Naruto Uncut sets, this would be an economical way to get the episodes on DVD. You get double the amount of content of the original sets, but pay about the same amount as you would have for those original sets. However, if you do purchase this set, just be warned that Viz Media didn’t go to a lot of effort when combining Naruto Uncut Sets 3 and 4 together to make this set.

I wrote this review after watching a copy of the Naruto Uncut Season One Box Set Volume 2 box set that I purchased.