Title: Naruto volume 64
Creator: Masashi Kishimoto
U. S. Distributor: Viz Media
U. S. Release Date: Jan. 7th, 2014
Format: Manga / Paperback / 192 pages
Genre: Shonen, Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Age Rating: T for Teen
Overall Personal Rating: B+
Synopsis:
With Tobi’s identity finally revealed, Naruto will have to summon the strength from within to stand up to him. But as the Gedo statue is used to awaken the Ten-Tailed Beast, it’ll take the entire Allied Shinobi Forces working together to win this war! Naruto and Kakashi continue to battle against Obito and are discovering that his will is very strong. Naruto exhibits some of Obito’s youthful idealism and he uses it against Naruto to try and break his will. Naruto almost sub comes to this strategy, but with the help of his friends and fellow ninja he just might be able to regain his focus.
The real question now is if Naruto and Bee can manage to take on the Ten Tails and defeat it before all is lost. They have a good idea of how to and the only question is if they can pull it off. Will the natural optimism that drives Naruto manage to give them the edge they need or is it possible that Obito and Madara have the power to destroy everything they love?
Commentary:
As we near what appears to be the end of this battle some things are coming to the forefront that are helping maintain the narrative that this series has help too for a very long time. I still have to hand it to Kishimoto for creating such an optimistic series. There is plenty of loss and more than enough reasons for a young man to give up but at the core of this story there is the undying optimism that Naruto exudes that makes this sappy tale worth reading. I have always loved the way Naruto keeps fighting even when it looks like all is lost and in the end he proves that you never give up on the people you care for. This volume goes straight to the core of this sentiment and pushes his beliefs to the edge. I guess that is the best example of why this series is so popular and also why it is a great read for people of any age.
There really isn’t anything new about the way this volume is put together that sets it apart from any other volume and at the same time it doesn’t move the story much closer to it’s finally, but it does manage to reaffirm what Naruto is all about.
Overall Grade: B+
With everything that happens in this volume I think it managed to hold itself together rather well. I could see it becoming a little confusing but it pulled the reins back in and stayed on course. Naruto is a series that people either love or hate and over such a long time it has managed to become somewhat redundant, but Naruto volume 64 reminded of what it was that attracted me and many others to the series initially. I know I am ready to see the conclusion of this battle and eventually the series, but for now I am very content with the idea that Naruto really is a hero for all the right reasons even when it would be easy to be blinded by hatred and the blind delusions others maintain.
I have a feeling that Naruto volume 64 will be a big hit amongst the hard core fans and just might have a positive effect on the ones that are beginning to fade away.
