Naruto Shippuden Episode 452 "The Genius" Discussion

[ObitoTheSage]

Not as good as last week's and I thought kid shisui looked a little.. Creepy? I don't know definitely strange. This episode made me feel sorry for sasuke big bad fugaku just never gave him the time of day but understandable the dude had a lot going on when sasuke was a kid.

kid shisui did look hella weird

 

[Angelic.]

I was also freaked out by shisui lol
Good episode I guess getting annoyed with the life death speeches

 

[guts2nevergiveup]

12+, he did not graduate from the Academy early. Probably at least 13, since he had been out of the Academy for some time.
----

ot: This was a very nice episode. The adaptation is going well.

So far, SP has been including all of the major canon moments. They've also included transitions (which are needed, since in the novels everything was in chronological order, but events did not tie together directly- there were random flashbacks and skips).

Only differences were:

Ep 1- Itachi cried when he saw the dead bodies on the battlefield and it was raining + he awakens sharingan. (Glad they did not add this, as in anime form it might have been overkill- it was already sad enough, come on. Plus, if they had done this it would make Fugaku look bad- as he brought his toddler there & this would not have made sense in the first place as Itachi did not yet understand life/death 100% enough to cry anyway).

Fugaku did not bother going to Sasuke's birth. (Good he was there, softened him up and made a nice family moment in the anime.)

Itachi was bullied by Senju kids and Izumi stood up for him. (Good for them on not doing this, as Itachi could defend himself and it was mentioned he could use clones in the novel... it was odd to see him hesitate in the books lol. The kids in the novel were trying to bully him because he was an Uchiha, but this did not make sense as a) discrimination of that degree is not present in children, they don't care for such things and b) if Academy members (teachers/kids) discriminated against Uchiha then Sasuke would have endured that as well- he never did so this plot point cannot exist. Plus, in the anime Itachi meets Izumi in a better, more natural way- they were just playing outside and she met him.)

Ep 2- Itachi never meets Izumi during the Kyuubi attack and instead protects his mom and Sasuke by smashing a boulder with his fist (Chakra-enhanced strength) that was coming at them. (I'm glad they just had him protecting Sasuke, since this moment would have embarrassed his Jounin mother... a 5 yr old saving you and your other son from a boulder while you stand there crying is pathetic tbh...)

Izumi sees her dad die during the Kyuubi attack (get crushed by rubble, blood everywhere) and awakens sharingan. (Anime did not include this because it was likely too graphic).

Itachi did not have that many fans. (In the novel, everyone bar Izumi thinks he's a weird kid and his skill does not gain him awe but instead scares people in a way. I think the anime is better in the sense that "skill" alone is not enough to make someone really dislike/hate another- it just makes people admire and envy them.)

When Itachi meets Shisui, he doesn't know who he is- Shisui knew who he was and had apparently been observing him for a while before going to talk to him. (Glad they cut this out, anime made everything seem more natural once again.)

Everything else was canon though and I think SP is doing a very good job. They made some scenes better than I thought they would. And the parts in the novel that were forced, not possible, or awkward, they cut out or fixed in a better way.

Looking forward to the rest. I don't know what is up with Neko!Ita in the next ep though. Looks like they might add a short moment to tie back with an old filler ep in Shippuden. They're probably going to lighten up his missions when he was a kid and use a cat mission instead. I doubt SP is going to include other dark moments (as they cut out Izumi's/Itachi's sharingan activations already) like Shisui admitting he killed his former friend or Itachi's teammate getting slaughtered by Tobi on a mission or Itachi killing his share of the Police Force members.

/End rant

Thank you for this long post lol. I havent read the novel so i'm glad you included so much info. And considering what you said I she with your analysis and the adjustments SP made. I'm actually fairly surprised about how you said things went down in the novel. Like fugaku not even going to sasuke's birth, or itachi crying when he doesn't even understand life/death. Did you enjoy the novel?

 

[Chie]

They removed a part of the novel where Itachi punches a falling rock during the Kyuubi attack . I was waiting for that. Itachi > Boulders > Other Uchiha

I wanted to see that too, but in retrospect wouldn't it have been a little much if his Jounin mother stood by and did nothing and Itachi would have to save her as a 5 yr old?

Him having chakra-enhanced strength at that age is still canon though (he can do most other basic things anyway).

Thank you for this long post lol. I havent read the novel so i'm glad you included so much info. And considering what you said I she with your analysis and the adjustments SP made. I'm actually fairly surprised about how you said things went down in the novel. Like fugaku not even going to sasuke's birth, or itachi crying when he doesn't even understand life/death. Did you enjoy the novel?

Yeah, just Mikoto and Itachi were there when Sasuke was born. Fugaku was at some meeting instead. There's not even a single moment where he thinks of Sasuke in the novels- just his clan, Mikoto, Itachi, and the village. The only interaction he has with Sasuke is when the latter laughs as a baby when he sees him and Fugaku nods at him before heading out the door of the house.

In the novels, it says that Itachi was crying because he was upset that human life was so pointlessly wasted (anytime he cries, it's not because he's scared but because he is angry at how poorly things go down and his lack of ability to fix it). Then, he gets resolve to change it immediately by stopping all conflict when he's older after he stops crying (he formed an exact goal too quick imo). Then he goes on to contemplate life and death (like in the anime). It was a good scene for the novel, but I just think the anime was more realistic.

Traditionally, crying when one sees death is the accepted response. But if one is four years of age in a ninja society, I actually think it is more realistic for them not to cry (as they cannot even comprehend the gravity of the situation 100% at that age) and have resolve to get better then. They just feel upset at the time by it, but it causes them to wonder about the meaning of life. Then, after knowing the meaning of life they decide they want to end fighting. Like SP did. This was better progression and more true to the character.

I am pretty critical in general, so be warned.

I read all of the novels and actually enjoyed the ones by Takashi Yano the most. Which were both the ones for Itachi and the other for Shikamaru- I found him to be the truest to the characters out of the novel writers while still giving interesting new information.

However, there were moments where some things felt forced in order to make things more dramatic. I think this was because it is more difficult to create a sad scene in a novel (where there are only words) in comparison to the anime (where a little can go a long way as there is animation, dialogue, music, etc to put the scene together).

Everything was very dark in Itachi's novel (from the war scene he saw as a 4 yr old, to him having PTSD flashbacks, his friends getting slaughtered, to sharingan activations, etc). I liked the novels, but some things are just better left in literary form instead of anime. The Naruto series should not be Berserk. xD The novels were still a good read, though (in comparison to the rest, Itachi's/Shikamaru's were more interesting).

I'd give Shikamaru's novel a B+, Itachi's novels together an A-, and the anime an A right now. If things end off on a great note until May, maybe the anime can get an A+.

 

[123fire]

They removed a part of the novel where Itachi punches a falling rock during the Kyuubi attack . I was waiting for that. Itachi > Boulders > Other Uchiha

If you read the novel , was it good overall?

 

[123fire]

I wanted to see that too, but in retrospect wouldn't it have been a little much if his Jounin mother stood by and did nothing and Itachi would have to save her as a 5 yr old?

Him having chakra-enhanced strength at that age is still canon though (he can do most other basic things anyway).




Yeah, just Mikoto and Itachi were there when Sasuke was born. Fugaku was at some meeting instead. There's not even a single moment where he thinks of Sasuke in the novels- just his clan, Mikoto, Itachi, and the village. The only interaction he has with Sasuke is when the latter laughs as a baby when he sees him and Fugaku nods at him before heading out the door of the house.

In the novels, it says that Itachi was crying because he was upset that human life was so pointlessly wasted (anytime he cries, it's not because he's scared but because he is angry at how poorly things go down and his lack of ability to fix it). Then, he gets resolve to change it immediately by stopping all conflict when he's older after he stops crying (he formed an exact goal too quick imo). Then he goes on to contemplate life and death (like in the anime). It was a good scene for the novel, but I just think the anime was more realistic.

Traditionally, crying when one sees death is the accepted response. But if one is four years of age in a ninja society, I actually think it is more realistic for them not to cry (as they cannot even comprehend the gravity of the situation 100% at that age) and have resolve to get better then. They just feel upset at the time by it, but it causes them to wonder about the meaning of life. Then, after knowing the meaning of life they decide they want to end fighting. Like SP did. This was better progression and more true to the character.

I am pretty critical in general, so be warned.

I read all of the novels and actually enjoyed the ones by Takashi Yano the most. Which were both the ones for Itachi and the other for Shikamaru- I found him to be the truest to the characters out of the novel writers while still giving interesting new information.

However, there were moments where some things felt forced in order to make things more dramatic. I think this was because it is more difficult to create a sad scene in a novel (where there are only words) in comparison to the anime (where a little can go a long way as there is animation, dialogue, music, etc to put the scene together).

Everything was very dark in Itachi's novel (from the war scene he saw as a 4 yr old, to him having PTSD flashbacks, his friends getting slaughtered, to sharingan activations, etc). I liked the novels, but some things are just better left in literary form instead of anime. The Naruto series should not be Berserk. xD The novels were still a good read, though (in comparison to the rest, Itachi's/Shikamaru's were more interesting).

I'd give Shikamaru's novel a B+, Itachi's novels together an A-, and the anime an A right now. If things end off on a great note until May, maybe the anime can get an A+.

How does itachi's novel end

 

[guts2nevergiveup]

I wanted to see that too, but in retrospect wouldn't it have been a little much if his Jounin mother stood by and did nothing and Itachi would have to save her as a 5 yr old?

Him having chakra-enhanced strength at that age is still canon though (he can do most other basic things anyway).




Yeah, just Mikoto and Itachi were there when Sasuke was born. Fugaku was at some meeting instead. There's not even a single moment where he thinks of Sasuke in the novels- just his clan, Mikoto, Itachi, and the village. The only interaction he has with Sasuke is when the latter laughs as a baby when he sees him and Fugaku nods at him before heading out the door of the house.

In the novels, it says that Itachi was crying because he was upset that human life was so pointlessly wasted (anytime he cries, it's not because he's scared but because he is angry at how poorly things go down and his lack of ability to fix it). Then, he gets resolve to change it immediately by stopping all conflict when he's older after he stops crying (he formed an exact goal too quick imo). Then he goes on to contemplate life and death (like in the anime). It was a good scene for the novel, but I just think the anime was more realistic.

Traditionally, crying when one sees death is the accepted response. But if one is four years of age in a ninja society, I actually think it is more realistic for them not to cry (as they cannot even comprehend the gravity of the situation 100% at that age) and have resolve to get better then. They just feel upset at the time by it, but it causes them to wonder about the meaning of life. Then, after knowing the meaning of life they decide they want to end fighting. Like SP did. This was better progression and more true to the character.

I am pretty critical in general, so be warned.

I read all of the novels and actually enjoyed the ones by Takashi Yano the most. Which were both the ones for Itachi and the other for Shikamaru- I found him to be the truest to the characters out of the novel writers while still giving interesting new information.

However, there were moments where some things felt forced in order to make things more dramatic. I think this was because it is more difficult to create a sad scene in a novel (where there are only words) in comparison to the anime (where a little can go a long way as there is animation, dialogue, music, etc to put the scene together).

Everything was very dark in Itachi's novel (from the war scene he saw as a 4 yr old, to him having PTSD flashbacks, his friends getting slaughtered, to sharingan activations, etc). I liked the novels, but some things are just better left in literary form instead of anime. The Naruto series should not be Berserk. xD The novels were still a good read, though (in comparison to the rest, Itachi's/Shikamaru's were more interesting).

I'd give Shikamaru's novel a B+, Itachi's novels together an A-, and the anime an A right now. If things end off on a great note until May, maybe the anime can get an A+.

Very interesting. Once again thank you.

I'm not gonna address the Shikamaru novel cause idk enough about it but it does seem like the itachi novel was over the top on certain things, which is not completely a bad thing bc like you said it was probably necessary for the novel form. Anyways I agree with everything you said even tho I haven't read and I'm happy SP made some nice adjustments. Hopefully they execute the entire arc perfectly

 

[Nick01]

Pretty good. 4/5.