Naruto Unleashed - Complete Series 3 [DVD]

This boxed set sees the complete series 3 of phenomenomally popular anime series Naruto released in its entirety. It contains another 26 episodes of this brilliant anime about the leaf villages number one knucklehead ninja.
This series continues right where series 2 left off with the conclusion to the preliminary rounds of the chunin exams. The series begins with Naruto, having survived the ordeal of the preliminaries, being taken under the wing of the Toad Mountain sage Jiraiya for some special training. This causes the start of the series to be less action orientated, which is kind of a good thing as it gives us a it of a break after the intense action packed nature of series 2. You will also find that there is more humour in these training episodes due to the clash of extreme personalities of Naruto and Jiraiya. An example being that Naruto wants to buckle down and get on with his training, but Jiraiya just wanting to drink, gamble and perve on women (Hence his nickname 'pervy sage', kindly given to him by Naruto). However, although Jiraiya seems like an old idiot, he is actually a powerful and famed ninja and soon teaches Naruto a cool new move.
After these more lighthearted training episodes, comes the highly anticipated final exams and its conclusion and then the beginning of the invasion of Konoha arc. A story arc which proves to be the most action packed and most violent yet. As ninja from both sides clash, it becomes evident that not everyone will make it out alive...

So as a complete series, this 3rd installment has it all - comedy, action, suspense and of course great characters. Overall, Naruto continues to shine as a series that creates very likeable characters. I'm sure that everyone can epathise with at least one of the Naruto cast. It is this trait that makes Naruto a series that continues to hit home, even after 78 episodes.

The animation continues to look gorgeous, which is to be expected from acclaimed studio Pierrot who also worked on 'Bleach' and 'E's otherwise'. The music also continues to be a high point of the series, with most of the classic tunes from earlier episodes present, as well as some new ones. I was particularly impressed with the new choice of opening and ending theme music, as they some seriously catchy J-rock songs.
Most people prefer the Japanese voice over for this series. I agree, that the jap dub is exceptional, but I tend to watch anime in english. The english voiceover has recieved a lot of critisism but I person ally really like it. Some great voice actors present are Liam O'brien (who provides the voice of sinister sand ninja Gaara) and Steve Staley (who voices Neji). I also think that Naruto's voice actress deserves a mention; Maile Flanigan's voice of the blonde haired, knucklehead ninja is superb. Some people may disagree, but to me, she is the perfect voice for him.

So if you have seen series 1 and 2 then you need to pick this one up as as it contains some of the most memorable bits of the entire series. And at a price like this, its a steal. The same goes for the previous series boxsets, they're going for under £20 each!! So if you're new to this series, what are you waiting for, you need to get them now because you're missing out on one of the best long running anime series out there. Then you need to get this boxset afterwards.
Put simply - Naruto rules! Watch it!

oh and if you get the chance, read the manga too ^^

Well worth the money, but still has some problems with the dvds.

FROM THIS POINT ON THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS, MOSTLY FOR PREVIOUS SEASONS, BUT SOME FOR THIS ONE. CONTINUE AT OWN RISK.

In my review of season 2 I mentioned several problems with the DVDs. Some of these have been solved. There is now a set of proper subtitles, although the translation is a little idiosyncratic in places. The opening and closing themes are all subbed, although not in the karaoke style that I like, but you can't have everything.

The sponser spots are still there, however, which is annoying, but not so much that it truly bothers me.

Now onto the actual episodes. The prelimary rounds are over, and the third round of the chunin exams are approaching. Our hero Naruto is matched up against the mysterious and seemingly invincible Neji Hyuga, who almost killed his own cousin Hinata in the preliminaries. Naruto is out for blood, but he'll need some serious training before he's ready to fight Neji. Meanwhile there are sinister rumblings of conspiracy in the background, and the rogue ninja Orochimaru has made his presence known. The action explodes to a head, and battle is joined.....

...and then the final two episodes of the story arc are in the next season box set.

I understand that they wanted to keep it to exactly 26 episodes a season, but this is a bit ridiculous. All of the build-up in this season leads to a dramatic climax, where important lessons are learned, and important battle fought. But if you want to see the end, you have to buy season 4, where the last two episodes are to be found before it moves onto a new story arc entirely. I can't help but think it might have been best to put those episodes in this season. That way, season 4 could jump into the new storyline straight away, instead of mucking around with wrapping this one up.

The chunin exam arc (Which starts towards the end of season 1, and only ends in the second episode of season 4) is the high-point of Naruto. The storytelling is tight and compelling, the show introduces a host of new and interesting characters, and the fights are some of the best. This season does not deviate from that. Two fights in particular stand out. Naruto vs. Neji is my favourite fight in the entire series, and Sasuke/Naruto vs. Gaara is intense, so why chop the end off and stick it in a different box set just to maintain the rigid 26 episode format? Funimation's Dragonball Z boxsets did this the right way. The boxsets differed massively in episode totals (Season 1 had 39, season 5 had 26) and it didn't suffer in any way for it.

It isn't a huge issue, but it's an annoyance for anyone who buys this hoping for resolution, and is forced to wait to get the next one. I still recommend this highly, but be aware that you'll need to buy the next as well.

Still, season 4 is also fantastic, so that may not be so much of a chore!

This series is the best so far it is suspencful,gripping and compelling a must see for all Naruto fans. Epic storyline mixed in with epic battle sequences.