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Wednesday, June 30, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: NARUTO Volume 71
NARUTO, VOL. 71
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
CARTOONIST: Masashi Kishimoto
TRANSLATION: Mari Morimoto
LETTERS: John Hunt
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8176-7; paperback (August 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.
Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The series is based on two one-shot manga by Kishimoto: Karakuri (1995) and Naruto (1997). Naruto was serialized in the Japanese magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, from 1999 to 2014. VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the manga as a series of paperback graphic novels from August 2003 to October 2015, under its “Shonen Jump” imprint.
Naruto tells the story of a young shinobi (ninja) named Uzumaki Naruto, in two parts, first his pre-teen years and then, his teen years. Naruto has an incorrigible knack for mischief, and he is the biggest troublemaker at the Ninja Academy in the shinobi Village of Konohagakure. He is an outcast because there is something special about him. When he was a baby, his parents (father Minato and mother Kushina) imprisoned a nine-tailed fox spirit (Kurama) inside his infant body. Now, 16-years-old and incorrigible as ever, Uzumaki Naruto is still serious about his quest to become the world’s greatest ninja and the Hokage (leader) of his village.
The Akatsuki villain, Uchiha Madara, was the true instigator of The Fourth Great Ninja War. Reviving the monstrous tailed-beast (biju), Ten Tails, was just the part of his plan.
Naruto, Vol. 71 (Chapters 680 to 690, entitled “I Love You Guys”) opens with Naruto and his former teammate/now teammate again, Uchiha Sasuke, facing the prospect of fighting the revived Kaguya, the creator of all chakra. That will be difficult as this mother of all can traverse time-space.
Her partner, the creature who has been plotting Kaguya's revival since time immemorial, Black Zetsu, has information to share. He explains who he is, what Ten Tails really is, and how Kaguya will reclaim all chakra. Also, he says that his opponents are the reincarnation of Kaguya's two sons, with Naruto being Ashura and Sasuke being Indra. Plus, the Sage of Six Paths returns, and Cell Seven reunites to save the world.
Some of you may know that the Naruto manga came to an end in Japan last November (2014). Here, in the states, we are just catching up to that finale via VIZ Media's graphic novel format publication of Naruto. Naruto Graphic Novel Volume 71 is the penultimate volume of the series (which I incorrectly thought was Vol. 70). Vol. 71 is big... big... big, but still the same size. It is not that the battles contained herein are any more epic than the battles in previous volumes. It is simply that Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto puts everything or almost everything in context. He explains basically who the “bad guys” were and are, and why they were and are.
SPOILER ALERT: I don't yet know what happens in the final graphic novel (Vol. 72), but the good guys win in Vol. 71. However, I think we are the losers because Naruto is gone too soon. Still, the 72 volumes that comprise this series are so packed with narrative that we have likely forgotten much of what has already happened by the time we get to the end. Naruto is worth reading again.
A+
10 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Monday, March 1, 2021
Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 3, 2021
DEC201937 AKASHIC RECORDS OF BASTARD MAGICAL INSTRUCTOR GN VOL 11 $12.99
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Friday, December 11, 2020
#IReadsYou Book Review: NARUTO'S STORY: FAMILY DAY
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
AUTHORS: Masashi Kishimoto and Mirei Miyamoto
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
DESIGN: Shawn Carrico
COVER: Shawn Carrico with Masashi Kishimoto
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1342-4; paperback (August 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
164pp, B&W, $10.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £7.99 U.K.
Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. Naruto was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, from 1999 to 2014. Naruto eventually became a media franchise, yielding anime television series and films, video games, various print and audio publications, and a wide range of merchandise.
Naruto focuses on the mischievious young shinobi (ninja), Uzumaki Naruto, from the shinobi Village of Konohagakure. When he was a baby, Naruto's parents (father Minato and mother Kushina) imprisoned a nine-tailed fox spirit (Kurama) inside his infant body, making him something of an outcast. Determined to gain the recognition of his peers, Naruto fought and eventually became “the Hokage,” the leader of his village. Now, he is a husband, married to Hinata, and they have two children, a son named Boruto and a daughter named Himawari – also called “Hima.”
Naruto also yielded a series of light novels (a Japanese form of the short novel), which furthered the adventures of Naruto and also of Naruto and his family after the ending of the Naruto manga. VIZ Media recently released the fifth Naruto novel, Naruto New Story: Family Day, which was originally published in May 2018, in a paperback, English-language edition. VIZ's release is entitled Naruto's Story: Family Day, and it is published under the “Shonen Jump” imprint.
Written by Masashi Kishimoto and Mirei Miyamoto, Naruto's Story: Family Day opens in the office of the Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. Advisor to the Hokage, Nara Shikamaru, has just handed Naruto a document that he must read. The village of Konohagakure (or “Konoha” for short) has had an influx of new residents. These new townspeople want to give an official name to one of the village's standard holidays, in which the villagers enjoy a day off from work.
Thus, “Family Day” is born. But how is a workaholic and very busy Hokage going to celebrate Family Day? Is Naruto even going to have the day off? Well, Naruto, three other wayward fathers, and one teacher will learn the true meaning and spirit of Family Day.
[This book includes a two-page, illustrated list of characters.]
THE LOWDOWN: Naruto's Story: Family Day is comprised of four short stories and four interludes, one appearing after the end of each short story. There is also a prologue and an epilogue.
The first story is “Racing Through Konoha,” and it stars Naruto and his daughter, Hima. The father-daughter pair race through Konoha looking for the latest hot toy, the “Kuraa-ma.” It does not matter that it is based on “Kurama,” the nine-tailed spirit inside her father, Hima really wants this toy. Feeling guilty because he is so often busy at the office and not at home, Naruto believes that he has to obtain this almost impossible to find toy for his child.
“Racing Through Konoha” is the most straight forward of the four tales, and its message is simple. Fathers should make time for their children, especially for their daughters. In fact, the father-daughter relationship is the subject of all four stories, and “Racing Through Konoha” is the most heartfelt.
The second story is “Forms of Happiness.” It stars Naruto's wife, Hinata, and her younger sister, Hanabi, and their elderly father, Hiashi Hyuga. Hinata reluctantly joins Hanabi and Hyuga on their father's quest to make a legend of himself as a ninja, although his ninja mission days are long over. Hyuga's quest seems to hinge on his need to impress his grandson, Ninata and Naruto's elder child, their son, Boruto, who is a big fan of the card game, “Extreme Ninja.” Ninja legends are the subjects of these cards, and the bigger legend a ninja is the more rare his card is within card packs.
Cards featuring Hyuga's image are not particularly rare, and he believes that he if completes a new and important mission, his card rarity will be upgraded. “Forms of Happiness” might seem to be about grandparent and grandchild relationships, but it is really about adult children and their elderly parents. Mortality and the fact that both parent and child are aging hang over the story. I like the story, and I admire Kishimoto and Miyamoto's willingness to discuss themes of aging and mortality in what is really a juvenile novel.
The third story is “Table for One.” It stars Boruto's friend, Akimichi Cho-Cho, and her father, Akimichi Choji, who is known for being a fat ninja... who is constantly eating. Choji's wife and Cho-Cho's mother, Karui, also stars in this story. Cho-Cho and Choji enter an eating contest held at Family Day. The story is good, but not great, and it is a kind of comic relief version of the father-daughter themes of this novel.
The fourth story is “Cold Flames and Roiling Fire,” and its stars longtime Naruto rival, Uchiha Sasuke, and his daughter, Sarada, and, in a lesser role, his wife, Sakura. Sasuke, who is usually away from home on secret missions for Konoha, returns for a (very) short visit and discovers that his daughter, Sarada, is estranged from him. Because of a series of mishaps and bad advice, the estrangement increases. So what can Sasuke do to improve his relationship with his child? Hopefully, his wife, Sakura, who is also a bit miffed at him, has the answer.
“Cold Flames and Roiling Fire” is a surprisingly edgy story. The tartness between Sasuke and Sarada is unexpected, but what the authors offer the readers is a story in which the father has to work hard to repair and to build his relationship with his daughter. I think this story was the best choice as the final entry in this novel.
The “Master Shino!” interludes star Ninja Academy teacher, Aburame Shino, and each one is also surprisingly heartfelt. Not one of the four reads as if it were filler material. All in all, I have to admit that I enjoyed reading Naruto's Story: Family Day much more than I thought I would. I heartily recommend it to fans of Naruto.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Naruto and Boruto manga will want to read the “Shonen Jump” novel, Naruto's Story: Family Day.
7.5 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
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Sunday, June 14, 2020
#IReadsYou Review: BORUTO: Naruto Next Generations: Volume 8
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
CREATOR/SUPERVISOR: Masashi Kishimoto
ART: Mikio Ikemoto
SCRIPT: Ukyo Kodachi
TRANSLATION: Mari Morimoto
LETTERS: Snir Aharon
EDITOR: Alexis Kirsch
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0879-6; paperback (April 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
176pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is a Japanese manga series written by Ukyo Kodachi and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto. Boruto is a spin-off and a sequel to the shonen manga, Naruto, which was written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. Boruto was first serialized in Shueisha's shonen manga magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, beginning in May 2016, and then serialized in Shueisha's monthly magazine, V Jump, in July 2019. VIZ Media began publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump” imprint beginning in April 2017.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations follows the exploits of Naruto Uzumaki's son, Boruto Uzumaki. Naruto was once a young shinobi (ninja) who lived in the shinobi Village of Konohagakure. Naruto went on to become the world’s greatest ninja and the Hokage, leader of his village. But this is not Naruto's story. This is the story of Boruto and his ninja team: leader, Konohamaru Sarutobi (Naruto's protégé ); and teammates Sarada Uchiha (the daughter of Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha) and and Mitsuki (Orochimaru's artificial son).
As Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Vol. 8 (Chapters 28 to 31; “Flowers”) opens, the mysterious boy, Kawaki, slowly begins to open up to both Naruto and Boruto. He joins the Hokage and Sarada for a visit to Yamanaka Flower Shop, but on the way, Kawaki, reveals a little of his dark side. Kawaki is burdened by a traumatic past, and it is about to return to him. Kashin Koji and “Delta,” two leaders in the the mysterious Ohtsutuski-connected organization, Kara, attempt to retrieve what was once their cargo, Kawaki.
[This volume includes bonus manga, “The X Cards' Dark Side” and “The X Cards' Dark Side 2.”]
THE LOWDOWN: The Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga has turned out to be a great replacement for and sequel to the classic shonen manga, Naruto, which is one of my all-time favorite comics. Boruto's creative team of artist Mikio Ikemoto and script writer Ukyo Kodachi are making their own way with this manga, although Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto supervises this series.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Graphic Novel Volume 8 focuses on Kawaki. The creators use a drip-drip approach to revealing his past, but in revealing his personality, they move quickly – sometimes in spurts. Vol. 8 also gives readers some Boruto vs. Kawaki sparring and training, and if that were not enough, readers see Naruto the Seventh Hokage in a really intense and violent battle against a most formidable opponent. That alone is worth the cover price of Vol. 8.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Naruto will want the Shonen Jump title, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
A
9.5 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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