NARUTO – HOMECOMING (MANGA VOLUME 28)
August 4th 2009 02:23
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Story & Art by: Masashi Kishimoto
Translation: Mari Morimoto
English Adaptation: Deric A Hughes & Benjamin Raab
Touch up Art & Lettering: Mark McMurray & Inori Fukuda Trant
Design: Sean Lee
Cost: AU$12.95/US $7.95
After a two year absence Naruto returns with his mentor, the legendary Sannin and Toad Sage, Jiraiya, to his home village of Konoha. Frankly when this manga volume turned up in the post I have to admit I was stoked in a typically geeky, manga loving kind of way. For me this was now new territory, I was keen to see where the story was going to go, how the plot was going to develop, what new faces we would see and the scope of the action that would unfold over each page and chapter. Getting this volume out of the wrapping after coming home from tech I was fully prepared to sit down and read to my heart’s content, that pleasure had to wait until after dinner, as if I recall it was around after five when I finally got home so a hearty meal was first on the agenda before a good read. Hunger swiftly satisfied I sat down to chill and read, always a pleasant thing to do at any time of the day or night.
Now for those of you not in the know and are wondering just what the heck this manga is all about essentially it involves the ongoing story of a young boy who grows up in the village of Konoha, a Hidden village where ninja are trained and live these practitioners of ninjutsu being the main military force of the various lands and domains in which the story is set. The greatest of the villages are ruled by a Kage who is the top ranked ninja within their respective villages; only five lands have a village ruled by a kage and Konoha is one of those five. The leader of Konoha is known as the Hokage or Fire Shadow and its Naruto’s ambition to one day become Hokage. Of course he still has a ways to go and this driving ambition sustains him throughout the extent of his exploits and misadventures as a genin. In addition to this drive to become the number one ninja and have his fellow villagers respect him there is another aspect of Naruto that is fairly common knowledge to many of the adults in the village, this is the fact that he the vessel for the Kyuubi or Nine Tailed Demon Fox. This monster was sealed in Naruto by the Fourth Hokage after it attempted to destroy Konoha.
Events effectively begin with our erstwhile hero returning to his home, of course his sudden return to Konoha is not only the symbolic prodigal son’s homecoming but the setting of the epic drama that is about to unfold, a drama that has been some time in building. After having seen his good friend Sasuke defect from the village and go to join the villainous serpentine Orochimaru in order to follow his own dark agenda Naruto is psyched and raring to go in order to attempt to rescue his friend. This desire to save the last scion of the fallen Uchiha clan from the clutches of the former Sannin and killer of the Third Hokage has become something of a major cause for Naruto, as much as his ambition to become Hokage. For him a bond of friendship is not something discarded so lightly, probably because he had very few friends initially when he was growing up, so he will not be dissuaded from his efforts and nor will his comrade and fellow team mate Sakura.
Unfortunately darker and more powerful forces than Orochimaru are now beginning to move, waiting in the wings is a group with a truly sinister ambition that aches to be fulfilled and they are now taking steps to bring that ambition to its climax. You see this story is very much like an onion, you peel away one layer only to find another beneath it and thus you keep peeling away to find out what truly exists at the very centre of this vegetable. On the surface there is the story of Naruto’s return and his improvement as a shinobi in skill and strength, then there is the story of his and Sakura’s desire to rescue their friend and former teammate Sasuke from Orochimaru, then there is Sasuke’s own story of his desire to kill his brother and the means in which he will achieve this goal, Orochimaru’s story of how he intends to learn all jutsu and finally the newcomer to the scene, the sinister and enigmatic Akatsuki. All of these individual stories are layered atop the other occasionally intersecting at certain points but never all coming together at once. No doubt they will do at some stage but not in this particular volume.
Now the Akatsuki originally were an organisation of ten shinobi from various villages, Orochimaru was one of the ten and after a falling out with Itachi, Sasuke’s older brother; he left the group to pursue his own agenda. Namely the destruction of Konoha, capturing Sasuke and learning every single jutsu and seal which would in turn see him become the perfect being. Meanwhile though the Akatsuki continued to fulfil their own particular agenda, too which was added the elimination of Orochimaru at some particular stage when time and resources would allow. Known for getting around in black coasts marked with red clouds this group are not some kind of charity organisation doing good deeds for the world at large. No this bunch of ninja are seemingly interested in the Nine Tailed Fox and other similar spirits that exist in the world at large.
One similar such being is the Shukaku or One Tailed Raccoon that has been sealed within the body of Gaara of the Desert, once an enemy of Konoha he has now ended up becoming an ally of the Hidden Leaf village as well achieving the position of Kazekage, the leader of his home village. Unfortunately for him by being the host of Shukaku he has become a target for the Akatsuki and they dispatch two of their number to Sunagakure, the Hidden Sand village to capture Gaara. What no one in the Sand Village realises is that despite having been forewarned about the Akatsuki’s intentions towards Gaara their opponents are well prepared and have an edge on the Sand Ninja that they would least expect.
With this single volume you are suddenly aware that the scope of the story has begun to expand dramatically and the stakes have become considerably higher as a result. Granted the focus is still very much about Naruto but the reason for that focus has changed, his growth as a character and as a ninja still plays a predominant role but now other aspects are driving along the story in conjunction. As I said earlier there are more and more layers being added and yet still we are no closer to finding the heart of said onion, still that’s part of the fun, when you have a saga as good as this and its action remains fresh and intense you develop a sense of expectation in wanting to see that eventual point where everything finally merges and is tied up. The other thing I have to say is that for entertainment value manga is in my mind a far superior medium than comics or graphic novel from a price perspective – for thirteen dollars you get one hundred and eighty two pages of story in comparison for eight dollars for about thirty pages in your average comic. Perhaps the major western comic producers should have a look at the manga format and consider adopting it, it would certainly be better value for the buyer – something to consider. A great story filled with moments of pathos, humour, tragedy and action galore, what more could anyone want? Well worth tracking down at your local shop or library...Believe It!
Story & Art by: Masashi Kishimoto
Translation: Mari Morimoto
English Adaptation: Deric A Hughes & Benjamin Raab
Touch up Art & Lettering: Mark McMurray & Inori Fukuda Trant
Design: Sean Lee
Cost: AU$12.95/US $7.95
After a two year absence Naruto returns with his mentor, the legendary Sannin and Toad Sage, Jiraiya, to his home village of Konoha. Frankly when this manga volume turned up in the post I have to admit I was stoked in a typically geeky, manga loving kind of way. For me this was now new territory, I was keen to see where the story was going to go, how the plot was going to develop, what new faces we would see and the scope of the action that would unfold over each page and chapter. Getting this volume out of the wrapping after coming home from tech I was fully prepared to sit down and read to my heart’s content, that pleasure had to wait until after dinner, as if I recall it was around after five when I finally got home so a hearty meal was first on the agenda before a good read. Hunger swiftly satisfied I sat down to chill and read, always a pleasant thing to do at any time of the day or night.
Unfortunately darker and more powerful forces than Orochimaru are now beginning to move, waiting in the wings is a group with a truly sinister ambition that aches to be fulfilled and they are now taking steps to bring that ambition to its climax. You see this story is very much like an onion, you peel away one layer only to find another beneath it and thus you keep peeling away to find out what truly exists at the very centre of this vegetable. On the surface there is the story of Naruto’s return and his improvement as a shinobi in skill and strength, then there is the story of his and Sakura’s desire to rescue their friend and former teammate Sasuke from Orochimaru, then there is Sasuke’s own story of his desire to kill his brother and the means in which he will achieve this goal, Orochimaru’s story of how he intends to learn all jutsu and finally the newcomer to the scene, the sinister and enigmatic Akatsuki. All of these individual stories are layered atop the other occasionally intersecting at certain points but never all coming together at once. No doubt they will do at some stage but not in this particular volume.
Now the Akatsuki originally were an organisation of ten shinobi from various villages, Orochimaru was one of the ten and after a falling out with Itachi, Sasuke’s older brother; he left the group to pursue his own agenda. Namely the destruction of Konoha, capturing Sasuke and learning every single jutsu and seal which would in turn see him become the perfect being. Meanwhile though the Akatsuki continued to fulfil their own particular agenda, too which was added the elimination of Orochimaru at some particular stage when time and resources would allow. Known for getting around in black coasts marked with red clouds this group are not some kind of charity organisation doing good deeds for the world at large. No this bunch of ninja are seemingly interested in the Nine Tailed Fox and other similar spirits that exist in the world at large.
One similar such being is the Shukaku or One Tailed Raccoon that has been sealed within the body of Gaara of the Desert, once an enemy of Konoha he has now ended up becoming an ally of the Hidden Leaf village as well achieving the position of Kazekage, the leader of his home village. Unfortunately for him by being the host of Shukaku he has become a target for the Akatsuki and they dispatch two of their number to Sunagakure, the Hidden Sand village to capture Gaara. What no one in the Sand Village realises is that despite having been forewarned about the Akatsuki’s intentions towards Gaara their opponents are well prepared and have an edge on the Sand Ninja that they would least expect.
With this single volume you are suddenly aware that the scope of the story has begun to expand dramatically and the stakes have become considerably higher as a result. Granted the focus is still very much about Naruto but the reason for that focus has changed, his growth as a character and as a ninja still plays a predominant role but now other aspects are driving along the story in conjunction. As I said earlier there are more and more layers being added and yet still we are no closer to finding the heart of said onion, still that’s part of the fun, when you have a saga as good as this and its action remains fresh and intense you develop a sense of expectation in wanting to see that eventual point where everything finally merges and is tied up. The other thing I have to say is that for entertainment value manga is in my mind a far superior medium than comics or graphic novel from a price perspective – for thirteen dollars you get one hundred and eighty two pages of story in comparison for eight dollars for about thirty pages in your average comic. Perhaps the major western comic producers should have a look at the manga format and consider adopting it, it would certainly be better value for the buyer – something to consider. A great story filled with moments of pathos, humour, tragedy and action galore, what more could anyone want? Well worth tracking down at your local shop or library...Believe It!
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