Naruto: ''Run, Idate, Run! Nagi Island Awaits!'' Review

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura run into Aoi and take a beating.

So it's that time again. A new season of Naruto, with a brand opening and a new song. The song is pretty nice. The words still don't make much sense, but it at least sounds a lot better. The opening cinema is really awesome and looks so great graphically to the ones before. It would have been a bit better if the opening and song would have came at the start of a new arc, because a new arc with a new opening which would just fit well together.

The last time we left Naruto, he and the gang had just escaped Idate's sailboat that the Rain Ninja had burned down. Unfortunately Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's escape is temporary, because the rain ninja are still following them and they attempt to drown them in the sea. It looked pretty bleak for our Leaf ninja as they put up a fight, but came close to drowning in the water. It was a short fight, but satisfying. Due to another plan by Naruto that once again had to do with the Rasengan (Naruto's pretty fond of that move isn't he?), they were able to escape.

Naruto continues to gradually become a better ninja. The plans he's been coming up with lately prove this. Sasuke can even see this now and some of the moments where Sasuke's face shows this were some of the best scenes in this episode. Sakura still doesn't get Naruto and even though we should be used to her treating Naruto badly, you still can't help but yell at the screen when she does it after Naruto just saved her from drowning.

Sasuke

Idate's reached the shore for what seemed like a really long time before Naruto and the gang and Aoi is waiting for him. Poor Idate tried to fight him off, but just wasn't any kind of match especially since Aoi is a trained Jonin ninja. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura get to Idate luckily before Idate is faced with death. Naruto and Sasuke tried to take on Aoi and they too got quite a beating, but with everyone immobilized and Idate's competitor reaching the halfway mark, Aoi takes off leaving the gang time to recover.

This episode revealed more about Idate's past and how he's very much like Naruto in the sense that they were both Loners and ere able to change, because somebody believed in them. Naruto has never forgotten who he used to be or where he's come from. When he meets someone that is like him, he always seems to understand and sympathize with them. Even though Idate is behind in this race Naruto is able to get him to continue with the race instead of just running away and quitting.

This episode continued the trend of good episodes in this arc. The episode had some decent action and good animation. Dramatic moments in anime usually come off as cheesy and a bit over dramatic, but because we know how hard of a life Naruto has had, these moments come off as making sense and really reflects Naruto's personality and his past. This arc has been good especially considering as how it's not a major storyline. This was a good episode and now all that's left is to see if Idate can win the race or if it's too late.