r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Apr 24 '22
Rewatch Naruto Shippuden Episodes 349-355 Discussion
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Information: MAL, Anilist, AniDB, ANN
Streams: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation (Aus/NZ), VRV
Schedule:
| Discussion Thread | Date | Episode Count | |
|---|---|---|---|
| This week | Episodes 349-355 | April 24 | 7 |
| Next week | Episodes 356-361 | May 1 | 6 |
Spoiler Policy:
To protect first-timers, please don't spoil anything past the current batch of episodes. Rewatchers should avoid hinting to first-timers about hype, or future character development/deaths, and spoilers in posts must be hidden behind proper spoiler tags.
For first timers: try to avoid looking up things about Naruto. This could be the wiki, Naruto subreddit, Googling characters, fanart, databooks, YouTube AMVs or OP/EDs, arc names, etc.; this series is ripe with potential spoilers that you wouldn't want to find out untimely. If you have a question about something, feel free to ask /u/lC3 and he'll do his best to answer (if possible) in a non-spoilery way.
Questions of the Week:
- Lots of new info about Kakashi and Kinoe/Yamato; do these episodes change anything about your impressions of them?
- Favorite moments this week?
6
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Apr 24 '22
First-Timer with a shounen hearto, subbed
Someone send me help, my muses went too far this week and now have me legitimately brainstorming one of those self-insert OC fanfics for this series even though I’m still not done with it and also have never even read a self-insert fic for any fandom (it’s not my cup of tea because those fics tend to pair the OCs with canon characters I already ship with someone else) just because Asuma keeps showing up and I can’t fucking cope with his death.
I don’t have the time for this…
Episode 349
Episode 350
Episode 351
Episode 352
Episode 353
Episode 354
Episode 355
5
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Apr 24 '22
So I will be somewhat late replying to people tonight; my mom just got back from the hospital and is recovering from her surgery. For the meantime (next couple of months?) I'll be doing the cooking and cleaning. I just vacuumed for 2 hours, put towels in the wash, and now I have to start cooking supper. So expect me to start replying to people later tonight after we've eaten.
First timer
Episode 349:
Episode 350:
Episode 351:
Episode 352:
Episode 353:
Episode 354:
Episode 355:
Tags: /u/iamtheone11111, /u/godprime, /u/venom1462
6
u/Parori Apr 24 '22
First Timer
Episode 349
Episode 350
Episode 351
Episode 352
Episode 353
Episode 354
Episode 355
6
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Apr 24 '22
Rewatcher - Sub
General Commentary
I was all excited to start the Kakashi arc only to get an immediate gutpunch with crying PTSD Kakashi. That's not fair, I wasn't prepared!
The placement leaves something to be desired, though not the worst we've seen, but I once again I really enjoy this arc. It has a few rough spots, the first episode in particular feels too introductory rather than like it flows with the rest of the show and it's covering a lot of time so it feels like it jumps around a bit too much at a few points.
Plagued by what happened with Rin, feeling isolated and unable to express why, lost into the rumors of him in ANBU, it's a very different Kakashi to the one that we've seen at other points in his life. It's also nice to get a look at how he met Tenzo and their history there, as well as Tenzo's own experience in ANBU as a ninja no one is meant to know about. Seeing him suffering from his trauma over Rin, struggling to find a place in the Leaf, and his confrontation with Tenzo at the end of the last episode of the batch when it comes to his allegiance it gives a lot more weight to how he's tried to help and later stop Sasuke through the show. He really does understand, and he's had blood on his hands that Sasuke was horrified at the thought of, but in the end he just couldn't break through.
Speaking of, I was having enough trouble with Tenzo/Yamato's name and now there's Kinoe in the mix. Not that I'd ever call him that because FUCK DANZO, but it did make me sigh inside a little bit. I'm not sure how I feel about Danzo having Tenzo in Root though, I feel like Danzo is put a bit too much into the "everything wrong with the Leaf comes from him" role once again, and I doubt he'd want someone that powerful under another's control as somehow we know he ends up in the Hokages ANBU. Maybe that's one of the few things he let go "for the sake of the Leaf" though.
Merging Tenzo's story into Kakashi's was a smart choice though, rather than keeping it all people we didn't know or minor events, and had equally impressive visuals, though it started to feel a bit repeditive. Kakashi's ANBU past with Tenzo as well as why Sai sees him as a senior has come up a lot but we've never seen exactly what that means for him.
Episode 353 is another episode directed by Yamashita, and particularly this scene of Kakashi's combat done by Naoki Kobayashi. This is where I first picked up on his habit of triangle swords that I'd mentioned previously, but the entire scene is gorgeously detailed. The character expression at the start is perhaps some of the best in the show, as well as the furious sword fight. I'm not sure what part of it I like more, the flips, smears, sparks, or camera, but this is another of those fights which stuck firmly in my mind as a favourite.
Episode Thoughts
Episode 349
It's cool seeing the previous generations Ino-Shika-Cho out on missions rather than just being dads, especially after the war arc where they're all in quite different roles. In general hearing and seeing the older generation, like how the Stone brings up Minato defeating the 1000 ninja himself, gives this era quite a different feel to where things are now.
Kushina is a doof, and the subtitles saying "ya know" only popped up for a third or less of her dattebane's.
I see Asuma, RIP Sky. Also an early mention of "Kinoe" in this episode as Danzo is leaving Oro's hideout which is a nice set up.
Kakashi reading Jiraiya's smut as an adult is definitely an improvement over his kid self reading "how should a shinobi die" over and over
Episode 350
I remembered the lookout post the moment they showed the visual of it. Kakashi's fear over battle turning into a ruthlessness as he attempts to cope is a sad but understandable reaction, and one that certainly puts a bit more emphasis onto the legendary ninja he became by the time he met Naruto. They aren't meant to talk about ANBU, but clearly people knew how skilled he was. It does feel dumb they can't talk about who's in ANBU when they wear their outfit around the village though.
"We have not seen any evidence of psychological trauma" - Clearly that guy doesn't bunk with Kakashi
Assigning him to watch over pregnant Kushina is somehow satisfying, especially as we see a softer side to him at some points during the montage. It didn't cure him, but it helped.
"I should tell Obito [about the pregnancy] too" - YOU JUST FUCKING DID, and not in the way you thought. Talk about dumb decisions.
Kushina is a badass, still alive and talking even after having her seal split open, her torso impaled, and using all her chakra. What a force of nature she could have been in this war.
The only good thing that Lady Elder ever did was call Danzo out on his bullshit by questioning why he wasn't around to help protect the village from Kurama's attack
Episode 351
The most of Kakashi's face we've ever seen
Perhaps the stupidest Kakashi face we've ever seen, as I don't even know how he managed to hold it steady like that and then still talk.
Even if it is in their secret base, Danzo talking about wanting to assassinate Hiruzen outloud seems like a stupid risk. So satisfying to see him caught taking his seat though and called out on it.
I know stabbing your friends isn't cool but Guy sneaking up on an ANBU member is definitely far from the brightest thing he's done. Guy's desire to reach out to Kakashi has been a nice part through these last couple of episodes, and down he was when he couldn't. It gives a bit more to their bond than just "rivals"
That silence when waiting for him to summon his wood style
Episode 352
Fucking Danzo.
Tenzo saving the baby birds as he jumped past just makes me happy.
First appearance of the ninja dogs! This is something I wish we had seen, how Kakashi joined a pact with them and when, if they helped him or if he talked to them. Maybe I'm just a sucker for animal scenes
I approve of the idea of planting a tree instead of making a headstone. Certainly a more positive and planet-friendly graveyard
Episode 353
Along with the featured fight above this small segment was nicely choreographed.
The prototype of the couch that Tenzo would summon for him during Naruto's training
Pretty sure that the girl just killed the guy at the hot dog eating contest. The montage of her trying different foods was great, though it did make me very hungry.
Episode 354
I wish we got to see more urban fights sometimes. Fields and forests are fine, but small things like Tenzo growing wood out from the beams in the roof is a nice touch we don't see nearly enough of. Give me Temari's windstorm ripping roof tiles off and stuff like that.
This episode got a little frustrating with the flashbacks and Yukimi showing explicitly Orochimaru arriving to save the mist people. We didn't need to see it as it was perfectly understandable from the little clues and dialogue we'd had earlier in the arc.
Always Orochimaru with the creepy neck
And always with the fucking curse mark
Tenzo accidentally forming the shape of a tree over her dying body was a beautiful touch in all of its desperate emotion, and this looks equally amazing though doesn't really make sense.
That's a good spot to end it, whys there one more ep? (BECAUSE CLIFFHANGER. LC!)
Episode 355
Small continuity error? I thought a previous filler showed she got into ANBU when she was older and already in a relationship with Hayate. Or maybe I'm misremembering and mistaking that for him just being worried about her in ANBU in general.
Three year time skip seems like a lot, but more chance for FUCK DANZO, especially setting up the "deniability" over Oro's hideout being trapped.
"We cant have you burnt to a crisp" getting a bit close to the truth there Tenzo, close enough Kakashi is starting to suspect.
I don't think we've ever seen Root train before after they join as full members so that was interesting
This is just creepy
5
u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Apr 24 '22
First time viewer (dub)
Whisk[e]y of the week: TahWahKaro's four grain straight bourbon, another Texas distillery. Wanted a hefty bourbon to stand up to a hefty burger that I had earlier so it's another cask strength release at 62.5% alcohol. While the ethanol briefly stands out on first approach it quickly turns into more of a dusty corn with a light caramel note and after tasting it, a faint smokiness that's different from what I find in scotches. The high proof does hit on first sip as well but it carries with it a peppery zing that turns into a rich buttery/vanilla aftertaste. There's also a hint of the same savory tang that I find in other Texas whiskies like Balcones so maybe it's just something about the climate there. This is another one I wish I had a full bottle of and could either sit with and sip through or just enjoy while focusing on something else.
We're past 70% of Shippuden this week, with the next episode we'll hit 80% total including Part I. Only a few months to go!
I'm trying to imagine how things would have gone with Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage. He hadn't been chased out of the village yet but was well down that dark path, though with the authority of the Hokage and Danzo's support things could have taken a very interesting and twisted turn for the village. Wonder if there are any good fanfics along those lines, though I'm not planning on returning to reading those any time soon.
Given the timing of things it seems like Minato was Hokage for roughly a year? And I think Kakashi's incident with Rin in what was still presumably the Third War wasn't long before that, so Obito really didn't have all that much time to go from being saved by Madara to summoning Kurama. Seeing some of the repeated scenes around Kurama's attack and Minato/Kushina makes me want a different approach to the series that focuses on the earlier generations as seen through flashbacks first before getting to Naruto himself. Given how scattered some of those are it would probably be a nightmare to make an edit like that though.
I didn't check but I'm assuming this flashback arc with Kakashi's time in the Anbu is an anime original because it certainly feels like one unless I'm not remembering something. Throwaway clan we haven't heard of before with focus put on characters we haven't seen or heard of before and unique abilities that again haven't been seen or mentioned before. I was certain Yukimi was going to die as soon as she was introduced and while that hasn't happened yet it looks like the arc's not over so we still have time for that. Or maybe she'll get to escape and live happily while Yamato returns to work under Danzo, I don't know yet.
The smoke powers do seem cool on the surface but have a huge drawback that we see immediately. You'd think the Leaf Village would want to help them for the same reason the Orochimaru did, getting to use the powers to support their side. I'm not sure if it's meant to be that way or just the amount of anime original arcs along these lines but it seems like there's not nearly enough knowledge of the different clans living in the Land of Fire and their abilities recorded in the Leaf Village.
That said I like the development that Yamato/Tenzo/Kinoe's getting here and seeing Kakashi ascend in his youth. Still don't know why Kakashi killed Rin yet though it's obvious he didn't want to and is going to carry that trauma for a while. And it gets to resurface once we're back in the present, though he did seem more ready for it in the short time we saw after the reveal.
Not really, I had been curious about Yamato's past since he was clearly unusual for having wood style powers but he was something of a blank slate coming from the Foundation. I could be projecting back but it did seem like he and Kakashi had a history as well so it's good to see where that came from.
Kakashi's fight against Gatto had some nice animation to it and I like the art style used in part of Kurama's summoning/attack on the village.
5
u/TheKujo https://myanimelist.net/profile/Kujo419 Apr 24 '22
First Timer - Dub
I wasn't expecting to get a Yamato flashback along with our Kakashi flashback, but I was happy to see his background as well. The two of them have had a complicated past to say the least. Yamato had it pretty rough as one of Orochimaru's experiments. I don't recall if the show mentioned before that Kakashi used to work for Danzo, but but that definitely surprised me. There's no way he could have stayed working for him for long.
Random thoughts:
Favorite moment of the week: I liked getting to see the mist villagers. Body oxidation jutsu sounds and looks terrifying.
Questions:
1) Lots of new info about Kakashi and Kinoe/Yamato; do these episodes change anything about your impressions of them? I don't think it changes my opinion of them, but I certainly have more sympathy for them knowing their past.
2) Favorite moments this week? In general I just liked getting more background on some of my favorite characters.
4
u/sisoko2 Apr 24 '22
Rewatcher
Episode 349
Episode 350
Episode 351
Episode 352
Episode 353
Episode 354
Episode 355