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Yep, it’s happened - Naruto has crossed the 200 episode mark in Japan, and it is still putting out filler. For those who are watching the excellent early episodes on Jetix at the mo it will be depressing to read but Naruto does slip in quality later on. The problem is the same as that which affects many long-running anime series - the story caught up with that of the manga it was based on. With no source material it has been treading water for some time, waiting until the manga has progressed far enough before returning to the original story. Unfortunately it has been doing this for about a year.

The most recent story arc hasn’t been too bad though. A mysterious old man had set up a string of traps and bombs around Naruto’s home town of Konoha before blowing himself up, or so it seemed. In fact the man had faked his death to commit a grand act of terrorism in revenge for a past injustice. All that stands in his way at the start of this episode is Naruto (shock!) but he is soon joined by his fellow classmates for an unforgiveably cheesy ending. Compared to a lot of the storylines since the anime veered from the manga’s storyline this one has been very good. There’s been a bit of intrigue and some clever plot devices used, as well as a lot of twists and tension. This episode closes the story arc satisfyingly but in a cringeworthily cheesy fashion - emphasising the power of friends, teamwork and nationalistic pride. I may be a cynic, but in my opinion the series has frequently done similar themes a lot better.

There is hope for the future though. Many have been praying for a return to the manga story, which has recently shifted the action three years into the future and has been superb throughout. The anime is shifting timeslots soon and an advert at the end of this episode promises a feature length TV special at the start of October. If this will prompt a return to the proper story only time will tell, but here’s hoping…

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