Chuunin selection exams- some of the best naruto out (Naruto Vol. 5 - Masashi Kishimoto)

Member Name: timmah10

Product:	Naruto Vol. 5 - Masashi Kishimoto
Date:	07/07/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brings in large amount of characters techniques and plot brilliantly

Disadvantages: leaves you wanting volume 6

If your reading this review then you're probably already familiar with this series and the characters soI wont go into detail here. If you havent read the previous books the I would avoid reading reviews on any book after the first as they may spoil the plot for you.

Warning over.

************************************************* ***

Thus far in the manga all of the attention has been on naruto and his team, this issue is where the other members of the Konoha village begin to be introduced along with some of their intriguing abilities. The Premise of the story is that it has come time for the chunin exams and Naruto's team have entered as rookie ninja, they are rank outsiders for passing and will face fierce competition from older and more experienced ninja from other villages as well as their own.

This is a major turning point in the manga as it introduces the reader to the much wider world in which the story is set as well as introducing some brilliant characters, some good some bad. When reading through future issues it is amazing how much comes back to the events of volumes 5 and 6 and so I would class them as absolutely essential reading for any fan of this manga.

The introduction of the characters is brilliant, I wont give much away but I will mention rock lee. He is a ninja with no techniques other than hand to hand, he is considered by almost everyone to be a fairly talentless ninja but has come to be extremely strong at taijutsu through hard work and practice. Rock lee challenges Sasuke before the exam as he is desperate to test his strength against a genius ninja of the Uchiha clan. This very much annoys Naruto who is tired of being ignored and has an intense rivalary forming with Sasuke. Sakuras position in this is one of disappointment for she is now the object of affection of the fuzzy eyebrowed Rock Lee. What happens next simply must be read.

Overall the way in which new characters are introduced is excellent since everyone from the Konoha village is connected in many ways, something which naruto is searching for. It is also a nice touch to have introduced the characters later once we have bonded with the main 3 so as to not be too hard to follow. Starting as children really allows us to understand these complex relationships and see the friendships and rivalaries that form over time.

The techniques showcased in the volume are done really well. When we are introduced to new ninja they will reveal just a hint of thier style to get our interest whilst saving thier stronger techniques hidden to suprise thier opponents later in the exam. This just makes us want to see more of each of the ninja and is an excellent decision on the part of the writer.

The exam itself is also quite unusual, I will not give away the details here other than to say that naruto will find himself in quite a pickle. The way in which Naruto deals with this first part of the exam shows great character and shows the more confident Naruto that left the fight with Zabuza and Haku in Volume 4.

Overall I would say this is one of the best volumes of the manga released so far. It was a real turning point for the series and is one of those defining moments I still think back to. This issue is excellently written and it only gets better from here, at around £5 on ebay how can you refuse, plus there are always deals on buying a few at amazon and waterstones. Full marks.

Summary: Highly Highly Recommended