Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie Review

Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 brings back the beloved action-adventure hit for another round of episodes. From original creator Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 includes episodes 138-165. The collection of Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 is from producers Fukashi Azuma (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, Shaman King) and Tomoko Gushima (The Prince of Tennis, Saiyuki: Requiem).

The popular action classic is one of the most beloved in the Shonen genre. Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 features the voices of Junko Takeuchi, Masaki Terasoma, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Noriaki Sugiyama, and Takaya Hashi. Naruto Shippuden – as a continuation of the original Naruto series – remains one of the most successful anime series ever made.

Naruto sets forth on a new mission and faces brand new obstacles on his ever-evolving journey. This go around, Naruto has a lot on his mind. Naruto is busy wondering about the fate of Jiraiya. Naruto finds himself overwhelmed wondering about Jiraiya and the outcome of events. There is even a message written by Jiraiya that Naruto is left to unravel.

Can Naruto resolve the mystery of the message and its mysterious clue? Meanwhile, Sasuke is in full-on battle mode and engages in an epic showdown with brother Itachi. As an epic battle unfolds, Sasuke finds himself bruised and tired – the stakes of the battle causing him to become weak. Now Sasuke learns the tale of the Uchiha Clan. There is a lot more for the characters to encounter as the epic adventures of Naruto, Sasuke, and the rest of the crew continues on.

The anime is beloved – in part – due to the wonderful cast of characters. Naruto is one of the most iconic of all anime heroes. The character has an epic journey as a ninja and his mission forward is something audiences gravitated towards in spades.

There is a clear passion for character-based storytelling within the framework of the ensemble cast and action-adventure genre. The lead characters are a huge part of the charm and ongoing success of the franchise. The results are terrific, with the characters providing pathos, heart, and soul to the series.

Naruto Shippuden features excellent character designs by Tetsuya Nishio (The Last: Naruto The Movie, Naruto Shippūden: The Lost Tower) and Hirofumi Suzuki (Naruto Shippūden: The Lost Tower, Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie). There is a lot of passion in the character designs – the design work staying true to the manga. The designs help to bring out the best in the character artwork. The results are outstanding. The energy and dedication to each character is reflected through the designs. An impressive part of the production.

At the heart of the series is the outstanding animation. Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 showcases more vibrant and engaging art. The animation is something that makes the series all the more compelling and for the fanbase it is an essential ingredient. The art style is bold and ambitious. One of the most fantastic of all Shonen anime series, the art is reflected well through the art direction from Shigenori Takada  (Yu Yu Hakusho) and Norihiko Yokomatsu (Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, Call of the Night). The team of animators bring something special to the table. The animators provide a wonderful sense of vision. Background animation, line art, and fine detail in the animation helps to showcase the artistry of Naruto Shippuden: Set 6.

The cinematography is by Atsuho Matsumoto (Emma: A Victorian Romance). The cinematography plays a key role in the style of the series, too. The visual wonderment of the cinematography is top-notch – something special and worth appreciating. The visuals add a lot to the production. The style well highlighted by the cinematography.

The music is composed by -yaiba- (Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) and Yasuharu Takanashi (Fairy Tail, Tokyo Mew Mew New). The score is one of the main highlights – adding a lot of wonder to the production. The score is exceptional at adding to the series action-adventure elements. There is a lot to appreciate about the music and how it integrates into the production. The score highlights the genre elements and the character moments. The music is an essential ingredient to the journey of the ninjas.

Junki Takegami (Beast Fighter - The Apocalypse, Pokémon: Black and White) is the chief writer for Naruto Shippuden. Naruto Shippuden provides good storytelling and action-adventure scripting. Audiences looking for fun Shonen storytelling, Naruto Shippuden continues the franchise roots, exploring the ninja journey in a compelling way.

Director Hayato Date (Tokyo Underground, Convenience Store Boy Friends) brings a sense of adventure to the series. Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 brings more of the classic style of Shonen action audiences love and expect. The series finds a way to continue forward with great energy – the ninja journey one well explored by Date. Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 offers more high- octane fun for franchise devotees.

Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by VIZ Media, Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release has a high-definition upscale from standard definition. The series has been upscaled from a standard quality source.

The standard definition source is soft and often less robust compared to modern high-definition video. The video quality cannot obtain the same level of crispness as more recent anime productions. Without a true native high-definition video presentation, the release is limited to the standard definition video drawbacks.

Upscaling provides a modest boost in quality to the presentation – offering some improvements. The video still has occasional jaggies, edge enhancement, and other video detriments. The soft visuals are source limited and there is nothing much more that can be done about the presentation or its overall quality.

Color reproduction looks decent on the whole. The colors are reasonably engaging and add to the video quality. The color reproduction spectrum isn't as wide as on a native high-definition release and some aspects seem a bit less robust comparatively.

The element to consider in regards to the presentation – the video source is inherently limited due to the production era. The production era was one where anime series were often animated at lower resolutions and with a more limited range. The digital production cannot receive a true native HD presentation from film scans or from a modern HD master due to the source limitations. Even so, distributor VIZ Media did a solid job with the encoding.

Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes 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 lossless audio provides a nice presentation. The audio offers some slight improvements superior to the video presentation. Decent audio fidelity adds to the presentation quality on the whole. Dialogue is clear and well reproduced. The soundstage capably highlights the sound effects and sound mixing. The score is also a nice component of the release.

Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release includes an o-card slipcover. The release also includes an art card.

On disc supplements include:

Storyboards includes 4 click-through slides of storyboards from Episode #162: "Pain to the World"

Art Gallery includes 17 click-through slides of illustrations.

Opening and Ending Videos:

Opening Credits (HD, 1:33)

Ending Credits (HD, 3:05)

Trailers (HD, 4:23)

Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Naruto Shippuden: Set 6 continues the action-adventure and the journey of the cast of characters. Fans of the popular Shonen anime will appreciate the continuing saga. The set continues to offer fans more entertainment. The Blu-ray release is sourced from standard definition and is a high-definition upscale.

The release includes a slipcover limited to the first print. The box-set also includes a selection of bonus features – including storyboards, an art gallery, and more. The release will be worth a pickup for fans looking to expand their collection of Naruto Shippuden. Recommended.