Episode 21 *spoilers*

[ffl]

No sub yet, just the raw, but...

It was a very good episode. Cloud + close manga adaptation animation = win. Simple formula.^_^

[Cow]

OH
MY
GOD

Sasori4lyfe
It looks like they will animate my favorite battle of all time correctly in a summer special, if not;
GOOD BYE NARUTO

[DarkSeraph]

What he said... :D :D

[ZeroRyoko1974]

Granny was pulling Sakuras strings. I thought that Sakura was being way to useful against Sasori. Looks like Sasori must have helped Orichimaru create the eternal life technique

[Gaara88]

was VERY happy with this episode, a lot better than the straight on run up and punch tactics that have been used lately :)

[Woooh]

Fricking terrible episode. Doesn't get much worse than that one. On the bright side...it can only get better...hopefully. Looks like this fight is going to take 7-8 episodes though, meaning it's going to be massively dragged out and slow. Just what I was looking forward to!...

[lav2k4]

it can only get better...hopefully.

That's a bold statement after seeing "**** terrible episode".

[u_nick]

Good episode. Good show from both the Sasori fight and the Team Gai fights.

[Woooh]

That's a bold statement after seeing "**** terrible episode".

Meh, the only way I can keep watching this is if I pretend to have high hopes for the next episode...it doesn't seem to be working.

[appletini]

no one seems to care about the episodes anymore... it has strange pacing and weird way of things happening.. imo the old dude shopuld have talked about the third kazekage a couple of episodes ago and then they would be lik eoh that dude said about that kazekage lol

[Brill]

It's been foreshadowed plenty in the anime especially in the first two episodes of Shippuden. This point was highlighted much more than it was in the manga. I think Naruto fans are going to have problems with the pacing from now on, it's no longer hyper-active fighting like it was in the past. I don't think the audience want fillers so the staff is explioring other aspects that Kishi didn't bother to develop. As for Sakura's fight it's going pretty fast-considering it's 10 manga chapters.

[Dj_Saito]

The sakura/chiyo fight was done well but I wish they would either finish up the fights that gai and the rest are having or progress them. The whole "ah we are still having trouble" gag is worthless just dont cut to them if nothings going on and give us more sasori!

[GDB]

My only complaint about this episode (and likely future episodes) is that the Sakura/Sasori fight is one of my favorite in the manga, yet they keep interrupting it with the Naruto/Kakashi/Deidara chase or the Team Gai shenanigans.

[ffl]

They're trying to keep up with things simultaneously to give a feeling of continuity. I can see how some viewers might be turned off by Shippuden, since it doesn't contain as much action as they've become used to during the final arc of Part I and... much of the fillers, but now it seems to focus more on the interaction between characters with bursts of action.

The only real thing that's missing is music by Toshiro Masuda. The music is what helped to make the anime what it is. This new music is just "meh" except for a distinct few that I've heard.

[Cow]

Oh see I love the new music.

[Jack_Bauer]

The mood and the music of Shipuuden is much more serious than it was in pre time skip. I also love the Toshiro Masuda music (ie; strong and strike, beautiful green beast, raising fighting spirit, avenger, etc) and I wish they would bring them back. But at the same token, I like the shipuuden music as well so I cant really complain.

[kt-san]

does anyone know anything about the third kazekaze? is it possible to summon him as well or was it just for that scroll?

[Alice Catherine]

Woot. That was an episode of teh awesome proportions.
Sasori was freakin perfect.

[ZeroRyoko1974]

does anyone know anything about the third kazekaze? is it possible to summon him as well or was it just for that scroll?

from what they said in the episode, Sasori killed him and turned him into a puppet. It seems that the puppeteers can summon puppets in much the same way that Naruto and Kakashi summon animal toads and dogs. If there was a corpse, they could probably be reanimated (i imagine Sasori knows that technique as well since he was partnered with Orichimaru)

[Cow]

If you really want to know...

Sasori uses the body's of people he has defeated to create puppets. He drains the bodily fluids and creates a 人傀儡, Hitokugutsu aka human puppet. He can summon them at any time using scrolls. Its kind of like Summoning Jutsu but not really, some what of the same concept but they are not completely alike. The Hitokugutsu can use all the techniques of the victim, so in essence, Sasori possesses all the 3rd Kazekages techniques.

So if you haven't figured it out by now Sasori is the strongest ninja to come out of Sand.

[Tidusauron12]

The only real thing that's missing is music by Toshiro Masuda. The music is what helped to make the anime what it is. This new music is just "meh" except for a distinct few that I've heard.

I liked Masuda's works, and I believe they should be incorporated into the new series as well...

[ffl]

I liked Masuda's works, and I believe they should be incorporated into the new series as well...

Indeed. Gai could've used a more rock theme like "Green Beast of Konoha". There were and are parts that can definitely be enlivened with "Strong and Steady", which is the theme that usually pops up when the character that we're watching is about to kick some butt, IIRC.

The new music is okay and some of it fits its respective scene fairly well, but it doesn't come close to evoking the sort of feeling that hearing the old BGMs would do. The few new BGMs that I've heard and liked were the ones that sounded similar to Masuda's work by including a rock-like theme. They also need more taiko drums.