Search - Naruto, Vol. 1 - Enter Naruto on DVD

First Impressions: Wait for the Uncut Version

Antonio D. Paolucci | Beaver Falls, PA | 03/01/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"It's sad that such a excellent anime got butchered so badly by the American distributor Viz. On the advanced copy I was able to see thanks to Shonen Jump, I was instantly able to tell that this was definitely an inferior version of what Naruto the anime could have been. The voice acting stunk (it's great to here those neutral tones in moments of panic), the kid-friendly editing was unneeded (especially since most of the kids who are watching this on TV have already read the manga), and there wasn't a Japanese track. If this is true for the upcoming release of this anime, then it spells instant doom for Naruto the anime, because it just isn't worth watching in the English track.

That being said, I will say that Naruto is possibly my favorite manga. It outranks even the mature manga I tend to read (Berserk, Hellsing, Death Note), which says something about the story of this manga. So all of you fan-boys and girls out there who are going to vote this review as unhelpful because I said something negative about you favorite, Naruto, think again. I'm fighting for Naruto, which was given an ill-luck chance on this side of the world with this anime release. I think Viz was more out to make money than anything, something an anime studio should not do because it alienates true fans of anime. By making it the way they did, they were able to sell it to Cartoon Network, and they could subsequently release the Uncut version after people have already bought the first couple volumes of the cut one.

If I was you, a Naruto fan interested in the anime, I'd wait for the uncut version to be released. If luck is with us, the Japanese track will be on that version, the true version, and we won't have to listen to the terrible American voice acting, plus we'll get the full Naruto the way it was meant to be seen. Don't buy this; it just isn't worth the time and money."

This is the Truth:

K. Goad | Aiken, SC USA | 07/15/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Well, you've probably read by now many of the hate-filled reviews by many die-hard Naruto fans who have loved the show long before it came to Cartoon Network's Toonami a while ago. I'm one of those die-hard fans. But, I'm here to try and give an unbiased review.

First of all let me say that yes, I am with those many that hate what has been done with the Naruto series here in America. I hate Naruto's every-other-sentence, "believe it", I hate Shino's voice actor, I hate the editing, yada-yada-yada I hate a lot about it you get the point and you've heard all of that before. But let me say, that for those who do not have access to the subbed version(particularly now that it is licensed and therefore some people would be deterred because that's illegal) they might find this quite an enjoyable show.

Naruto, at it's core, is good. That point is arguable only by osmeone who has underanalyzed Naruto. Naruto takes the long showcased subject of Japanese shinobi(or ninja) and turned it into something quite original. There are over thirty characters in the show, each with their own UNIQUE skills, personalities, and flaws. Take Rock Lee for example, definitely one of my favorite characters because he is incapable of using magic or illusions in battle, and therefore has relied completely on hand-to-hand combat. But since he has been extremely determined to prove him self on equal standing with the other ninja, he has become quite powerful.

Sasuke is the show's heart-throb, always one-upping Naruto and, though he's on his team, manages to be his friend and rival all at the same time. Up until far later in the episodes(where they start filling in a time skip in the manga with "fillers") the show is consistent and the plot keeps rolling along with new elements and twists, character developments, and pretty important to me, their strength. It isn't a DBZ-like approach where every time they beat an enemy a new stronger one comes, then they get stronger. It is a more realistic approach, witht he main characters and their allies under the shadow of their teachers and their most powerful allies whom they can't even hope to go against at their current levels, training to try and become close to a match.

This series has creativity, originality, great action, great story, great character development, and that all makes it a very good show. However, the flaws in the English dubbing are quite apparent. I've heard many many dubbings in my day, and I really must say that this one is quite bad(I can't say it's the worse when I still remember One Piece). The voices of the original anime help to define the character, they do a good job of suiting each character's personality, but I don't think that's the case here on the English version. It's quite apparent that these voices do not suit the characters, and that the show suffers from the changes made to it.

When all is said and done, I must say that it still manages to be a pretty good show, especially for those who are not so used to the English subtitles. The original Naruto series gets a 5/5, and the English, a 3/5. I suggest, like others here, you check out the original. It's almost a different show. Trust me, you'll thank me.

Dattebayo."

Disappointed

Kamen Rider GATACK | USA | 03/22/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I was hoping that Naruto would NOT be dubbed for a while by any company for about two more years. This will sound biased or downright stupid to some, but seriously, Viz should've at least considered hiring new and young actors to play the voices of Naruto, Sakura, & Sasuke. Or at least have Stephanie Nadolny (the voice of Kid Goku from the original Dragon Ball) play the part of Naruto. After seeing the first episode dubbed, I was just flat out disappointed beyond belief. The voices just sounded so disgusting! That's all I'm gonna say!

And seeing as this DVD is the edited version of the show, I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone, of course except for the kids who are just getting into the hype of Naruto. As for us TRUE fans, we gotta wait for the Uncut version to come out (yes, there will be one)."

~Naruto~

C.S. | QC, Canada | 06/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Naruto is fast becoming one of the best anime ever. It'd be too long to explain the entire story, so this is just the basic outline.
The story revolves around a boy named Naruto (duh). As a small child, he had no parents, no friends and everybody (except for the Hokage and Iruka-sensei) in Konoha vilage hated him because of his terrible secret (which he himself did not know): inside of him was a sealed 'Kyuubi' or demon fox.
Naruto only had one dream: one day, he was going to surpass the level of Hokage (the highest ninja in Konoha village) and make everyone acknowledge his exsitence.
So, after finally graduating from the Ninja Academy, he is put into a three-man team so as to begin his hands-on trainging as a real ninja and to complete missions.
In his team are Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. There's of course the classic japanese love triangle: Sakura loves Sasuke while Naruto loves Sakura. Of course, Sakura thinks Naruto is annoying and Sasuke thinks Sakura is annoying.
They are then assigned a teacher: Hatake Kakashi, a super-cool, strong guy who enjoys reading books like "Flirting Paradise" and "Make-out Violence". Together with his team, they help their village and other villages by completing missions that can range from weeding someone's garden, to a dangerous escort to another village.
The great thing about this anime is that it's as much Sasuke's story as Naruto's. Sasuke wants to become stronger so that he can kill his brother, Itachi, who single-handedly wiped out the entire Uchiha clan, leaving only Sasuke alive to become stronger and kill him. Even though this is slightly screwed up, the story behind it is very interesting and sad.
Through the story, you'll meet other interesting characters.
As Naruto is coming out on Toonami this summer, the only reason I'd watch it is to see how horrible the voice acting will be and to see how much they cut out.
This is an excelent anime, and I'd recommend it for anyone, though younger children should take care as there is violence, blood, some swearing and some very mild sexual humor.
There are currently 138 episodes out from Japan (not on T.V.) and I really love this anime. Any anime fan who likes action, comedy (and a little romance) should check this out. Great ninja action, the will to become stronger to protect those precious to you (or to take revenge for your fallen clan) and the feeling of knowing your accepted are just some elements in the awsome show. The awsome music by Toshiro Masuda is only matched by the great opening and endings from various extremely talented artists.
Total = 5 stars"