Naruto : Vol. 4 (Naruto (Graphic Novels))

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Summary: The story of the Demon Zabuza and Haku
Review: "Naruto vol. 4" continues the fierce battle begun in vol. 3, against the ninja-hunting Demon Zabuza and his deadly assistant Haku. The stage is set with Sasuke slain, Kakashi literally mystified and Sakura learning her own limitations. As everyone knows, when things look darkest for a band of heroes...it is time for a little payback.

Payback is what you get in vol. 4, but not exactly in the way expected. Naruto, full of rage over his friends death, unleashes the power of the Nine-tailed Fox demon. Kakashi shows that he is more than the Sharingan Eye, using an innovative attack to overcome the loss of vision. Sasuke lies on the ground dead, and there is lots of weeping.

The real story, however, is the love and loyalty between Zabuza and Haku. Compared to this, the trials of the four heroes are trivial. Haku sees himself as a weapon to be wielded by Zabuza, and the true test of his loyalty comes when Zabuza's feelings are made clear. Its some powerful, emotional stuff.

Along with the conclusion of this story arc, vol. 4 also sets up the next adventure for the Naruto gang. This time, they head home to face the challenge of the examinations for chunin, the next level of Ninja. Several groups of older kids come into town to face the examinations, and run foul with Naruto and friends. Cue the music and start the fights!

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Summary: doggies? get out.
Review: Death of a friend, breaking of a seal, final confrontation...here it comes, the final showdown!!!! Dogs? Ninja Dogs? Come on. After all that build up, you give us ninja dogs? It's like listening to a joke you know that's going to be good. You are sitting there waiting for the punchline, and you are ready to clutch your stomach because it's going to be a belly laugh. Then suddenly a clown in a cheap custom jumps out from behind the curtain and starts juggling balls; while the comedian takes a break. By the time he comes back and finish telling the joke, you can't get that cheap clown out of your mind. The joke fizzles, and you felt you got robbed.
Am I going too far? Maybe. Masashi Kishimoto did an awesome job of setting up the story in Volumes 2 and 3. Volume 4 was going to be the climax, the punchline that makes you gasp for air. Enters the clown.

Rating:
Summary: don't write it off just yet...
Review: Ok, so maybe this was a bit of an anticlimax following the huge cliff hanger at the end of volume three. However, loads of new characters are introduced in this volume which give rise to a whole new level of story telling and character development. There are currently 22 volumes of naruto waiting to be translated into English and this volume sets the stage for what is to come. It's a really good read, and if you can't wait for the next volume, there are plently that have been scanlated available on the net, so go check it out...it's definately worth it!

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Summary: Contains spoilers (if you haven't read Vol. 3)
Review: This volume is awesome.
It picks up where Vol. 3 left off, with Sasuke dead, mid-battle with Zabuza and Haku.

This whole volume is just...great. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.

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Summary: Insert Title for Review (haha)
Review: When I read this one, I can't say anything surprised me at all. But that's only because I've seen the anime already. I have to say, this manga impressed me even after already seeing the anime. Sure I didn't cry my eyes out like I did in the anime but the shounen-ai scene with sasuke and naruto about sasuke 'dying'... Well lets move onto the blood. The blood was alot cooler than it was in the anime. In the anime, the blood was stupid and purple. In the manga, it was all over the place and dark. Really Dark. Just like blood is supposed to be. And it wasn't drawn out annoyingly like it was in the anime.
The best thing about the manga is you don't have to listen to the annoying music. That made this book so much more intresting, and out of the four I own, I like this one most.
The best thing about this volume is the cover art. If you've seen the cover art on other three, you'll notice SOMEONE is making a stupid face, pose or it just looks weird. The cover art for this volume is beautiful.
Only thing I can complain about is... some of the anime characters are scarey when they're first introduced. The once adorable Shikamaru is now scarey. Very scarey. He looks like evil Betty from Kung Pow. And Temari, once pretty, now ugly. I hope they fix that...