tek's rating:

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
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This movie is awesome. It's the first based on the series Naruto. Wikipedia tells me it's set around episode 101, which is near the end of season 4, after Orochimaru's invasion of the Leaf Village and before the Land of Tea arc. Anyway, it starts with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watching a movie, which Kakashi had said they had to watch before their next mission. It turns out the four of them will be escorting an actress named Yukie Fujikaze, who starred in the movie they just watched, to the Land of Snow. Well, actually they're escorting a whole group of people who are making the next movie in the series, and want to do some shooting there. I think it was Yukie's manager, Sandayu Asama, who suggested the location.

Kakashi, it will turn out, was in the Land of Snow 10 years ago. At the time, there was a coup by a ninja named Doto Kazehana. The leader of the country, Soutetsu Kazehana, had been killed, and apparently his young daughter, Princess Koyuki, was presumed dead. (Oh yeah, I guess Doto was Soutetsu's brother.) But it turns out Yukie is actually Koyuki, which Sandayu has secretly known all along. He wants to get her back to the Land of Snow to reclaim the throne and get rid of Doto and his ninja. She, however, doesn't want to go there, and is constantly running away. There are also flashbacks to when she was young, with her father. And there's this whole thing about how it's never spring in the Land of Snow. But now she's just long since given up. She's a great actress, but she acts like she doesn't like acting and doesn't care about her former country, or anything, really. Which rather bugs Naruto.

Anyway, inevitably there's plenty of fighting. Yukie has a crystal key that Doto wants, which should unlock a treasure. Oh, also I need to mention that the movie director is really liking the fact that they're getting all this real ninja action on film, plus the fact that his lead actress turns out to be a real princess. And um... well I don't know what else to say, really. It's pretty predictable how everything turns out, but that doesn't make it any less awesome, or touching. And funny, too. I'm probably forgetting to say things even though I just watched it. I should get the DVD someday, maybe I'll add something to this review. But it was awesome.


anime films index

TV: Naruto
Films: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow * Legend of the Stone of Gelel * Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom
OVAs: Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village!

TV: Naruto Shippuden
Films: Naruto Shippuden: The Movie

TV: Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals