Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ Episode 73: Invasion of "Akatsuki" ]

Hmm. What can I say here really? Naruto is in training…which I really think should have been completed during the time-skip. Then again that apparently wasn’t enough so I guess he needs it to somehow overcome up Sasuke of the Hax. Still, I did enjoy the episode because of characters like Yamato as well as Hidan and Kakuzu (granted I don’t like either but that’s not the point here). Also, was Chiriku an original character or did he come from the manga? I do remember that there was a guy/monk they took to collect a bounty but I don’t remember if it was Chiriku specifically.

That said, I find Kakuzu’s focus on money rather hilarious. What’s he going to do with it? He can’t exactly walk into villages and spend it. Well, at least not wearing that Akatsuki cloak of his. But then again he probably shouldn’t take that off if his face is any indication of things… Anyway, this and the next episode or two are sure to be build-up episodes since the chapters can be described in the same way. I’m sure Blade has a bit more to say about the episode than I do though. *passes the baton*

Am I the only one who thought that the pillars that Yamato created for the Jinchuuriki taming jutsu looked a lot like giant PEZ candy dispensers? That joke aside, it was another slow episode, but unlike the previous one, it was quite entertaining to watch.

Let’s start with Naruto, I see it a little odd how in 2 years and a half he learned one measly jutsu and yet in a few months he is already going to learn an element. It’s one of the things I have against Shounen shows in general, especially in Bleach: Growth. The main character’s especially. Ichigo didn’t know what Bankai is and 3 days later he learned it and viola, I bet Naruto is going to master an element, something that most ninjas can’t do, at least in that short of a time. I have to admit the scene in which Yamato extended the river to allow Naruto more room to practice was pretty neat.

The episode was good because of the integration of Chiriku, a character added exclusively to the anime. For a filler character, he wasn’t that bad, only lacking in appearance (which he looked a lot like the other monks), but at the very least he was voiced by the same guy who did Solid Snake in Japan. I said “WAS” because despite the awesome jutsu he used against Hidan and Kakuzu, the Akatsuki members, they still manage to not only defeating him, but the entire monk temple as well.

While we already know that Hidan is an obnoxious religious loud-mouth, it was quite ironic to see someone as dark as Kakuzu talking about the importance of money. Really? Money?! I mean an evil organization that uses spirits and he is their financial manager? Why would the Akatsuki need money anyway? Initiation parties? Or is it to pay off those expensive robes. Despite the absurdity surrounding Kakuzu’s role in Akatsuki, you can’t help but to feel a little overwhelmed by the two’s power. It reminded me the first 25 episodes of Rurouni Kenshin about how Kenshin beat all of his opponents in a blink of an eye which established his role as an undefeated warrior. Hidan and Kakuzu are the same, only with a big difference that you don’t really root for those two, but rather irk them.

Other than that, nothing much happened, but the episode served a nice build up to the inevitable battle between Hidan and Kakuzu against Konoha. I’ll be looking forward to see what this arc is going to offer next.

7.5/10

P.S.
I haven’t mentioned it in my last entry, but man I love “Broken Youth” by Nico touches the Walls. It is probably my favorite Shippuuden ending so far, but sadly it was used in a bad time where people were looking away from the filler arc we had not so long ago… *sigh