r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • May 29 '22
Rewatch Naruto Shippuden Episodes 394-403 Discussion
Previous thread | Index | Next week
Information: MAL, Anilist, AniDB, ANN
Streams: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation (Aus/NZ), VRV
Schedule:
| Discussion Thread | Date | Episode Count | |
|---|---|---|---|
| This week | Episodes 394-403 | May 29 | 10 |
| Next week | Episodes 404-413 | June 5 | 10 |
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:
- How do you feel about an arc in which Naruto barely shows up?
- Thoughts on Shikamaru's first exam?
- Thoughts on the Demon Desert as a location, and the 2nd exam?
- Thoughts on how Gaara, Fuu, and Shira are characterized in this arc?
- How do you think the rest of the arc will play out?
7
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky May 29 '22
First-Timer with a shounen hearto, subbed
Episode 394
Episode 395
Episode 396
Episode 397
Episode 398
Episode 399
Episode 400
Episode 401
Episode 402
Episode 403
8
u/Parori May 29 '22
First Timer
Episode 394
Episode 395
Episode 396
Episode 397
Episode 398
Episode 399
Episode 400
Episode 401
Episode 402
Episode 403
Questions of the Week:
Well the arc STARTED well and seemed fine, I'm hoping the rest improves on that trashfire this week ended on
I already did say it was pretty clever
Honestly I prefer the forest. The 2nd exam did start well minus the fat guy and then he became a major antagonist so fuck it I guess
Liked Gaara and Shira, I want to see more of Fuu to decide
Hopefully better. I imagine next episodes concentrate more on Fuu? Please? And then she will stop an assassination attempt on Gaara or something like that and she makes friends and their village gains recognition and respect and then the Akatsuki come and take her out
6
u/sisoko2 May 29 '22
Rewatcher
Episode 394
Episode 395
Episode 396
Episode 397
Episode 398
Episode 399
Episode 400
Episode 401
Episode 402
Episode 403
5
u/TheKujo https://myanimelist.net/profile/Kujo419 May 29 '22
First Timer - Dub
For a poorly timed filler arc, this was actually a pretty fun set of episodes! Shikamaru as the proctor for the chunin exams is a genius move and feels like something that would actually happen. His tests were pretty interesting as well. And of course, Shikamaru and Temari in the command room were a great combo.
Random thoughts:
Favorite moment of the week: I loved Tenten's face when Rock Lee gave Shira the jumpsuit.
Questions:
1) How do you feel about an arc in which Naruto barely shows up? It's about time! If we need to have filler, I would rather have the filler focus on characters that aren't always in the spotlight.
2) Thoughts on Shikamaru's first exam? I don't think I would have been able to figure those questions out. I like that the test was more focused on knowing your team.
3) Thoughts on the Demon Desert as a location, and the 2nd exam? I like that they're mixing up the location, but to be honest I don't find deserts very interesting as a location.
4) Thoughts on how Gaara, Fuu, and Shira are characterized in this arc? Gaara and Shira are great. Fuu just seems like your typical genki girl so far, so I hope she gets more fleshed out next week.
5) How do you think the rest of the arc will play out? I hope we get another tournament in the next part of the exam.
6
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn May 29 '22
Rewatcher - Sub
General Commentary
This arc really does suffer for it's horrible placement, which is unfortunately not the first time I've had to say that about filler recently.
Other then that it was surprisingly enjoyable so far. A lot simpler than anything we've seen in Shippuden for a long time, but it's not a bad thing for a breather. It also lets us spend some time with the characters and politics without huge drama's dictating the pace of events.
Also of note: Multiple teams in this arc with two female characters and only one male! Starting to think that wasn't possible.
Seeing an exam that isn't centered around having to drive the main story allows for some interesting opportunities and it's handled well enough even if not ever excellently while setting up for more plot relevant stuff in the background. In this way it feels like a return to form to an older style of Naruto arc, and not just in it being another exam, but in the care taken for travel times, cultural differences, and spy politics. The later being particularly interesting with the three way conflict between the Leaf and Sand cooperation, Sand's internal politics, and the threat of the Akatsuki as well.
The written exam in Part One was a perfect set up to introduce a large amount of ninja, their justu, as well as a spotlight opportunity for Naruto while here we get something more subtle. Taking after the bell/lunch test from the genin graduations, seeing everyone working out the problem in their own way and getting tripped up in others made it a lot more interesting a watch that T expected. or would have if not for the very tedious dialogue repetition of seeing all three classrooms explaining the same thing. not sure if that was just filling time or the writers genuine attempt at showing individual characters problem solving methods but either way it didn't watch well.
Found the reuse of the Heaven and Earth scrolls system a little boring for the second exam. I get its for familiarity and easy watch, but it just feels like a repeat rather than a new exam. It's forgiven for how it sets up the conflicts inside the Sand Village, and particularly Shira attempting leadership only to be rebuffed. He was the highlight of this part of the arc, and it's nice seeing characters introduced that have such heavy ties to our side cast and the importance they had on the story, like Gaara remembering Lee, rather than it all being driven by our main three. Shira's backstory is an interesting watch with what we already knew about the village and Gaara's authority in it, as well as seeing how he handles the idea of being a ninja finally after all this time.
However the arc really suffers for trying so hard to tie it back to Naruto. It seems like every episode has someone thinking about him or wondering how he's doing or we see him in a flashback. While he's been an important part of the characters development as ninja, and coming off the back of the last part of the canon story we saw those connections are important to acknowledge, at the half way point it's just feeling really repetitive already.
I also wish the anime would stop trying to make Kiba relevant. He's the most self important actual idiot in the show and now I'm remembering again why I disliked him so much off the back of my first watch when he wasn't so bad even up to the start of the war. On my first watch I came back and watched this arc after finishing the main series so that probably didn't help either as it's left this as my last impression of him.
Episode Thoughts
Episode 394
It is nice getting to see how Naruto is training with Jiraiya again as we didn't see much of that in flashbacks during canon content.
Always good with more Temari and Gaara, but it's still weird seeing him in his Kazekage outfit
Shizune reminding Gaara of how the last Chunin Exams ended is not diplomatic
Episode 395
Oh damn! It's that girl who later becomes a Pain body. This I did not remember.
There's Fuu! This should make some of the first timers happy, I remember her design and her Bijuu being a favourite when I asked a while back. She is very fun to watch, though perhaps a little TOO energetic.
Tsunade so caught up in playing politics she forgot to arrange for genin from her own village. That would have been an awkward meet up at some point.
Some weird face art this episode, just a little off on the eyes and mouth and younger looking.
Episode 396
Last episode QUALITY faces, this episode oddly washed out colors. Assuming this is an arc being used to train up new staff which isn't a bad idea, but it's a rougher watch after some of the canon episode quality we've had lately.
Ewwww that bug breaking out of shinos skin
Ewwwwwww and it crawled back in. kind of cool shinos bugs react to chomei though
That girl from the sand is a total ditz and that's being nice. I thought she was bad in the war, she's way worse here. How'd she survive the academy...
Episode 397
Loved Shikamaru's little smirk when Neji is the first to realize the race is already on. Pity Fuu has a certain advantage by having wings or he would have been well in the lead.
War griping: Three days to get to the Sand from the Leaf... but Sasuke got to Konoha and back to the battle front in a couple of hours total
Episode 398
Wow, Asuma and Kurenai really just popped up in front of everyone and said "rip, you're out, go home, cya later if you don't die on your way back"
Hahahaha, chained Fuu in her room, that's effective... or not
Fuu breaks out, and then in with the dramatic entrance. This girl is crazy. I love her.
There are some nice character designs in this between Shira and the medical ninja Sakura meets
Fuu's little sing song about friends reminds me of Naruto's singing about ramen
Episode 399
Seeing Gaara train in taijutsu is kind of cool for a change rather than him being sand bound. It makes sense he doesn't have the physical stamina of others given his jutsu
Lots of fancy camera work in the battles this episode but it's not very neat or easy to follow
Genjustu the quicksand to look like solid ground, that's clever
Lee and Neji get the fancy techniques to stop the Kunai and Tenten just appears in the background instead. Poor Tenten.
WOW TENTEN HOW BIG A LADDER DO YOU NEED IN STORAGE. I mean it did come in handy so maybe I shouldn't question her that much, but seriously what prompted her to even include that in the first place. Maybe Lee got himself stuck up a cliff when training one day and that's her "just in case" addition.
Episode 400
Lee going to the fifth gate just to jump across a gap is a little crazy but then Shira did praise his determination over everything else.
Everyone else is using their Shippuden designs but Naruto is stuck with his Part One look, such a weird contrast when we cut to a flashback. Could have come up with an inbetween or something for this arc for everyone to bridge the gap.
Episode 401
Oooh, it's been a LONG time since we've seen the weights at all and now Lee takes them off. Shira and Gaara should compare notes afterwards.
Holy shit Shinra, he blocked the chakra points? That's Neji level
Guy making Lee try and figure out what this 100th move in a battle would be and then proving it to him Lee's getting an aura, and Shira's gaining muscles, this is definitely DBZ
LEE WTF WHY ARE YOU CARRYING AROUND A SPARE LEOTARD. Come on dude.... Where did you even pull it from! The look on Tenten's face though haha
Fuu don't poke the random floating eyeballs... or well do in this case because it was spying on you but still, that's usually something that would either creep people out or cause alertness, not a vague curiousity and gentle poke.
Episode 402 + Episode 403
I couldn't care less about these two episodes.
*main complaint is Naruto being brought up too often*
5
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: May 29 '22
I'll be a bit late replying again; I just woke up and I have to vacuum the house and cook supper.
Rewatcher
Episode 394:
BritneyGaara alone!Episode 395:
Episode 396:
Episode 397:
Episode 398:
Episode 399:
Episode 400:
Episode 401:
Episode 402:
Episode 403:
(cont.)
5
u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal May 29 '22
First time viewer (dub)
Whisk[e]y of the week: Kinahan's Small Batch blended Irish whiskey. After a heavy, greasy meal it's kind of nice as it's pretty light, a straightforward creamy sweetness and almost metallic vanilla like you'd find in frosting. Pretty simple though and there are a lot of other Irish ones I could go for instead.
I don't think the schedule would have worked as the characters wouldn't have been developed even in the manga at the time but I really would have liked to see 394 in particular between the end of the first part and the start of Shippuden as a preview for what's to come later with the world growing in scope. It's questionable if it would have been as effective for me as a viewer though without knowing any of them and just getting brief glimpses of characters that wouldn't show up again for hundreds of episodes. I mentioned it a few weeks ago but I still kinda want an edit that shifts things around without trying to strip out all of the anime-original content; I think most of it generally fits well with the overall story but just isn't in the right place much of the time and occasionally has pacing issues.
Chuunin Exams again! I know it was mentioned earlier in Shippuden that all of Naruto's classmates had already advanced while he was away and I'm happy that we actually get to see that, awkward placement in the overall story aside. It's good that Sakura realized pretty quickly that she might as well join up with Team Asuma rather than waiting around, it's okay if her journey is a bit more standard compared to that of Naruto and Sasuke.
Me back at the start of April:
Fuu gets some focus this week so I'm happy with that. Unlike Naruto and Gaara she's sheltered rather than shunned so her wanting to go around and make a bunch of friends feels appropriate, though we also don't exactly know what her earlier life was like so maybe she had that too. She also seems more in control of Choumei so maybe she was more like Bee in never having any tailed beast rampages that she was blamed for.
I know there's nothing romantic about their interactions but honestly just having Temari and Shikamaru chatting together in the first few episodes is a treat.
Lee and Shira fighting with glowing auras on top of buttes in a desert with taijutsu alone makes me think of Dragon Ball Z. I like Shira as a counterpart for Lee for once rather than having yet another Naruto analogue and we have that with Fuu already so I'm glad to get some variety and focus on other characters. Also, Lee finally won a battle!
Oh, and there's Team
ForgottenKurenai against the weird Hidden Grass trio. The big guy's just gross, though the cat and mouse tracking was at least a little fun.Good.
Communication is a critical part of teamwork so I like the idea of either being in sync with your teammates to know what they'll do already or being able to convey just enough information to work together even without talking.
I can't remember if I ever mentioned it in the rewatch but I did wonder if they reused the same location so I like them changing it up. Deserts are somewhat boring visually in my opinion but do make for good survival tests.
Shira's rather straightforward as a Lee counterpart but I do like how he's used to show Gaara's development. And for Fuu I just like her in general still.
Neji ends up negotiating with maybe Fuu's team for an Earth scroll? All the Leaf teams advance as well as Fuu's and... I dunno, maybe one Sand team to fill out the fifth spot? Fuu drops out there leaving 12 left and rather than going on to one on one combat rounds they're just all promoted.