Title: Naruto volume 65
Creator: Masashi Kishimoto
U. S. Distributor: Viz Media
U. S. Release Date: Nov. 5th, 2013
Format: Manga / Paperback / 192 pages
Genre: Shonen, Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Age Rating: T for Teen
Overall Personal Rating: B+
Synopsis:
The ninja war approaches its climax as Obito and Madara manage to awaken the powerful beast known as Ten Tails. Standing in their way are Naruto and the Allied Shinobi Forces. However, the entire war may be turned upside down when Sasuke succeeds in doing what many thought was impossible!
With Sasuke and Orochimaru returning to Konoha to revive all of the Hokages this take a turn for the strange. Orochimaru is able to bring them back and also give them enough freewill to be able to answer Sasuke’s questions. As the enlightenment follows what comes next is the real question. Will Sasuke decide that Konoha still needs to be destroyed or will he take the power of the Hokage and use it to help defeat Madara and Obito and end the great war?
Commentary:
I know that most Naruto fans dislike Sasuke and over the years he did become even more of a punk than he should have, but now that he is back it looks like maybe his brother, Itachi did have an impact on him after all. This reunion with the Hokages does something that I never thought I would enjoy in this extra long series. That something is the journey back in time and the almost inevitable flashbacks that always seem to drag on and on. In volume 65 history actually makes a difference in the story. No only does it help enlighten us in the motives of Madara but it also gives us insight into what makes the Uchia Clan so different and also the motivation that lead to their destruction. Honestly, I found it rather nice to read about this history. Most of the time the flashbacks and history lessons don’t have much meaning and just muddy to waters and extend the series in a way that is not always desirable.
Masashi Kishimoto does us a big favor her and in the end I think everyone will be happy with what happens. I’m not real sure why it took so long to get to this point other than the fact that the longer the series the more money they will make. I think the movement in this volume just might make all the difference and allow the series to actually bring a few issues to a close. At least that is what I hope to see.
Overall Grade: B+
Just the fact that I didn’t find this volume tedious is a huge plus, but there is also the fact that part of the plot finally turns a corner and allow some light to be shed in a possible closure of a long running plot device. I was also impressed with the speed in which the answers came to Sasuke, I expected it to take several volumes to get to this point and have to live through some rather pointless flashback and history lessons. Naruto 65 should be a huge hit with all of the Naruto fans and maybe just maybe Sasuke can find a little appreciation for the person who he is becoming.
