Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 Blu-ray Movie Review

Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 is another fine entry in VIZ Media's ongoing series of Naruto Shippuden Blu-rays, featuring the early portion of the Fourth Great Ninja War, in which Naruto, Killer Bee, Gaara, and the other Allied Shinobi forces fight to stop a seemingly insurmountable foe. With episodes spanning 277-304, Set 11 includes nearly 11 hours' worth of content in 1080p high definition, with the majority of the episodes included providing a satisfying mix of character-focused storytelling even in the midst of the larger-than-ever-conflict. Set 11 isn't without its filler, but it is definitely worth pursuing by die-hard fans and completists.

There was a point where Naruto Shippuden stopped being a standard long-form shojo/shonen series and instead began to evolve into something greater, and the beginning of the Fourth Great Ninja War was definitely that point. What was once a coming-of-age tale about a young ninja named Naruto trying to earn his village's respect has since expanded into a full-scale war involving nearly every shinobi in the known world.

Set 11 finds our heroes very much at the center of that war. The eleventh set contains episodes 277-304 of Naruto Shippuden, continuing the story of the Fourth Great Ninja War. Akatsuki continue their plans, Naruto and Killer Bee continue to be important to the war effort, Gaara leads an entire contingent of allied shinobi including some re-animated dead foes, and Naruto himself comes face-to-face with Itachi, one of the most talked- about figures of the series.

There's a certain chaos to the proceedings, given the sheer number of characters involved, but it's also a welcome sight to see so many familiar faces, as well as a number of long-awaited relationship beats, come together in this part of the series. Part of that is due to Naruto's growth as a character, but another part is due to the sheer number of long-standing characters getting their turn on the battlefield.

Gaara, in particular, serves as one of the most interesting parts of the set. The young kazekage has grown by leaps and bounds since his introduction, and the change is fascinating to witness. He's still a strong, independent fighter, but now he has the position and power to lead others, including an entire company of shinobi.

The other big relationship beat, of course, is the re-introduction of the various re-animated Kage, who serve as villains in their own story arc due to being controlled by the villainous organization. The use of the Edo Tensei is a thoroughly evil technique, meant to use the corpses of the dead to do the bidding of the living, which is a serious taboo in the ninja world. As such, the Fourth Great Ninja is actually a war being fought on two-fronts, one against the villains of the moment and another against the very idea of using the deceased in combat.

Another big relationship beat comes in the series' long-awaited look at Itachi, one of the most popular characters of the series. Itachi Uchiha has had a complicated relationship with almost everyone in the series, but the most important of those relationships was the one with his younger brother Sasuke. Set 11's inclusion of Itachi is vital to the continuation of that bond, which is one of the most vital parts of the series as a whole.

It's important to note, however, that none of this would matter if the larger-scale action didn't live up to the hype, and in this regard, the set is successful as well. The Fourth Great Ninja War is the kind of battle that makes one appreciate the smaller moments even more, as nearly every character in the series is brought together for the purposes of one, united cause. It's in episodes focusing on this conflict that the true themes of the series are shown, as the large-scale action allows for the series to focus on exactly what matters to each character involved.

That's not to say that Set 11 is all good news, as the very thing that makes Naruto Shippuden great can also be its undoing. As mentioned, this set contains a lot of episodes, with the majority of them spanning the larger conflict of the Fourth Great Ninja War. It's easy for such a long-running series, particularly one with as large an episode count as this one, to have a few episodes that seem to drag on, and Set 11 definitely has its share of them. There are some episodes that feel more like necessary additions to the overall story than exciting episodes on their own, especially when contrasted with the earlier set which contained the Third Great Ninja War.

Even with the potential for filler, the vast majority of the episodes in Set 11 are ones that Naruto Shippuden fans will enjoy watching, and the set as a whole is one that collectors will want to own. The Fourth Great Ninja War episodes provide enough spectacle that viewers of the series feel as though they're getting their money's worth, and the war's inclusion is only made better by the character moments, as already-established relationships are shown to be growing, evolving, and, in some cases, being re-established. Naruto himself seems to be taking on a bigger role in the war, as do many of his allies, which is exciting to watch for those who've followed the series since its beginning.

It's definitely one of those rare cases of a series that gets better and better with time, a show that has only gotten more epic in its later seasons while also retaining its initial charm and heart.

Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by VIZ Media, Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series presents the episodes in 1080p high definition, and spans four discs, with the 28 episodes listed on the box running for about 675 minutes according to the disc's retail specs. The improvement over the previous DVD releases is difficult to overstate.

The increase in quality is, first of all, apparent in the character animation, which looks far sharper than it did on the DVDs. The backgrounds are also more detailed, and the effects that would tend to lose detail on standard-definition television have far more clarity and definition.

The colors are also apparent, not least of which is because the series makes very liberal use of color with its chakra effects and attacks, which stand out sharply against other objects and the background in general. Black levels are also nice and deep, allowing the many scenes set in dark interiors or at night to retain their detail without looking murky. Overall, the image looks fantastic, having retained that nice, crisp look of early HD programming.

It should also be noted, however, that this is not a native digital piece made specifically for HD presentation, and thus the image isn't going to look as good as a show that was specifically made for that kind of presentation. There are some minor instances of things looking too soft or otherwise out- of-focus, which is to be expected given the production values of the show. Still, Set 11 looks great.

The sheer scale of some of the battles really helps the image, as explosions, chakra effects, smoke, fire, and even characters' movements all benefit from the extra resolution, and the show's style remains apparent, with the image not being overly manipulated in the transfer.

The biggest benefit for those who own the earlier sets on DVD, however, is apparent in the sheer difference between this transfer and the earlier DVDs, which will almost certainly look much softer and less detailed by comparison.

Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Presented with a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The North American release from VIZ includes both the English and Japanese audio, with the specification for the release noting the stereo 2.0 tracks.

The audio sounds good due to the fact that it's very clean and doesn't have distracting artifacts, which allows the dialogue to come through clearly, most notably in the many conversations that make up the series' episodes. The Japanese voice track, in particular, is great, with Junko Takeuchi providing her usual energetic performance as Naruto. The English voices are also very good, as the entire ensemble has returned for this portion of the series, retaining much of the charm and appeal that longtime fans of the English-dubbed version have come to expect.

Another big part of the audio's appeal is the music, most of which is provided by Yasuharu Takanashi. Music has always been a strong part of the Naruto Shippuden soundtrack, and Set 11 features a number of pieces that take advantage of the show's dynamic range, using heavier instrumentation in the larger-scale battle pieces while retaining subdued pieces for quieter character moments. The music, like the rest of the audio, is clear and easy to hear, with no complaints about dialogues being masked by sound effects or the music overpowering the rest of the track.

A lossless, multichannel version of the track would have been nice for those with home theater systems that take advantage of such features, especially considering how much of the show takes place in large-scale battles, but the lossless stereo track is nothing to complain about.

Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There aren't many special features to speak of, which is to be expected for a set of long-form anime episodes, but what few there are is actually pretty nice, and should be appreciated for what it is. VIZ's Naruto Shippuden releases have always leaned towards bare-bones releases rather than indulging their North American audience with special features, and Set 11 continues this tradition to the dismay of some fans. What there is, however, is mostly nice features to enjoy, including storyboards, clean openings and endings, and an art gallery, along with some promotional material for the release itself.

The most interesting of these, at least for this reviewer, were the clean openings and endings, which allowed those who enjoy the series' animation and music to enjoy them without the distractions normally present in an episode's credits.

The rest are mostly standard, if enjoyable, anime-related features, the existence of which shouldn't be taken for granted, especially for a region- locked show with a long production history. Collectors will probably find little reason to complain, although those who wanted more may find themselves wanting more than what the set has to offer.

On disc extras include:

Storyboards –

Episode 277 includes 5 click-through pages.

Episode 291 includes 5 click-through pages.

Art Gallery includes 6 click-through pages.

Clean Opening (HD, 1:33)

Clean Ending (HD, 3:05)

Trailers promoting other releases available from VIZ Media.

Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 is definitely a welcome addition to VIZ Media's ongoing release of their flagship franchise. Naruto Shippuden: Set 11 is not only a great way to continue watching Naruto's adventures, but also a great way to enjoy the series in the best possible quality on home video. With VIZ Media's recent campaign of the series, it's more important than ever for Naruto's fans to own a copy of the set.

Those who've purchased sets 1-10 will almost certainly want Set 11 as well to enjoy the story's next chapter, with those who've bought the first ten sets in the Blu-ray format in particular having no excuse not to purchase Set 11, as it represents a continuation of that high-quality presentation and further establishes the legacy of one of the most iconic anime series to date. After all, it's always important to preserve the legacy of such a series, and with the help of home video, it can be done one set at a time. Recommended.