Naruto Shippuuden 159 Breakdown.

Hey everyone, it’s Tenrai Senshi here again with another weekly anime breakdown. For many, this last episode was one to definitely look forward to and I know for one thing that I was one of those people who were eagerly awaiting the battle between Kakashi and Pein, even though it was fairly short in the manga.

The episode also serves as a good indication of the quality of the battles we may come to expect throughout the rest of this arc and, to be honest, it was a very enjoyable episode in most respects.

However, the real question is, was it good enough for the fans?

*Notices a horde of Kakahsi fans led by Ahsan moving in this direction and runs away with hands in the air, screaming.*

'Ame Demolition Experts Inc.' now open for business! Don't worry about the hassle of booking with us, we'll call you. 😉

*Catches breath again and stands upright, before adopting a formal, even tone again.*

Every now and again, the anime arrives at a very important episode in the eyes of the manga readers who follow it, an episode that depicts a particular event, scene, chapter, or battle that really grasped us in the manga and one that we hope is equally enjoyable, or even more so, in the anime.

For the most part, these episodes involve some of the more epic battles we have witnessed so far, such as the fight between Sasuke and Deidara, or the engagement between Jiraiya and Pein. I must admit, I always become nervous when such mentioned episodes finally arrive on our doorstep, because I always have this lingering sense of dread that sits in the pit of my stomach and makes me wonder if I am about to be disappointed.

“Will it live up to our expectations?” I always ask myself.

For the most part, many of these episodes have, much to my joy, lived up to our expectations, while others have unfortunately fallen short. Now that we have arrived at what many consider to be one of the most, if not the most, epic battle arcs in the series so far, expectations are running very high and disappointment comes just as easily due to that excitement.

Surprise...

This episode manages to alleviate some of those fears and delivers in both excitement and action, while the animation has been somewhat smoothed out for the purpose of the battle at hand, giving it a slight edge over the last few episodes we have seen. It isn’t quite on the level as we have seen in similar battles in the past, such as the one with Kakuzu and Hiddan, and there are still some moments that seem a bit awkward, but the improved quality is still welcomed regardless.

Of course, the sound production is just as good has come to be expected, with Pein’s theme music really setting the mood for this confrontation, while the more somber melodies really help the more personal or emotional scenes near the end of the episode deliver their feeling in an more tangible way.

GAH!! You jerk! You made me break five nails! Do you know how long it took me to paint them all? Don't even get me started on the costs of a pedicure! X__x

Past that, there isn’t much one can really say for this episode outside of the bounds of what we have already seen in the manga. There are a few brief extra snippets that we haven’t seen before, but they are very short and mostly non-consequential in terms of the bigger scheme of things. However, in their defense, they do help somewhat in adding to the overall pace and excitement of this episode while really giving us an idea of Deva Path’s abilities.

However, even despite the fact that there is little filler content, or the fact that this episode actually only covers about two or three chapters from the manga, it still doesn’t feel slow or stretched out in any way, so much as simply fleshed out. Some may be a bit disappointed in the slight lack of extra content in the battle itself, but it still manages to deliver on almost every level despite that small shortcoming.

In fact, if you only watch the anime, it couldn’t even be considered a shortcoming at all.

Black holes... Make sure you stay far away from them. X__x

Once the other Konoha shinobi, including Choza and Chouji, join the fray, things really pick up a notch. Seeing a group of ninja attacking Pein all together, only to watch the scene shift into something that looks like it came out of the matrix, was a nice touch overall.

Of course, this episode isn’t only just about the battle. It also has a lot of heart in it as well. The sights, sounds and atmosphere help the more emotional scenes carry across that much better, and you can’t help but feel somewhat saddened by Kakashi’s brave sacrifice for the sake of the village.

R.I.P. Kakashi-sensei. At least, for now...

In the end, however, even a great hero such as Kakashi finally finds himself succumbing to Pein’s power, just as Jiraiya had before him.

The ironic part is that they both died trying to fulfill the same purpose, which was to pass on information about Pein so that others might use it to defeat him. Information that would later be used to great effect, which shows that his efforts were ultimately not in vain.

Those who watched the most recent filler arc will understand. <_<

Well, that’s it for this episode. It seems a lot of my steam was taken out of me from doing the manga breakdown just before this, so I apologize if the quality has suffered because of that, but I hope you enjoyed the breakdown.

Here are last weeks Caption Contest winners.

5th) Katz747: Konan and Co. Fine Coffin-makers since…..well….NOW!

4th) Safe Sex. That’s Konan’s shinobi way.

3rd) Nagashikage: … Is it in yet ?

2nd) To63to: Unfortunately Konan’s impersonation of the Alien was not as successful as she thought it was.

Naruruler12: Whoa, lady, you gotta take me to dinner first!

Well done to everyone who entered. I thought this would be a tougher one, but you guys have shown me that you definitely have a lot of… creativity… to say the least.

Here’s this weeks screen.

*Insert caption here*

Well, that’s it from me. All that’s left is the preview for the next episode, followed by this weeks extra motivational poster.

And here is the poster. ^ ^

That missile might just get lost in there... X__x

See you all next time! ^ ^

~ by Tenrai Senshi on May 10, 2010.