Naruto Uncut - Box Set Vol. 1 (DVD, 2006, 3-Disc Boxed Set)

Features:

* Japanese 2.0 Language
* English 2.0 Language
* English Subtitles
* Production Art
* From Sketch to Screen Art

Audio :

Audio:
For this viewing session I began with the Japanese track. Unfortunately this series does not posses a 5.1 for either language track, for it would have benefited greatly with all the fighting scenes. The balance though is a small problem since there are points when the battle music comes on and drowns out the dialogue, especially on disc 2. There are no drop outs in either of the three discs. I also did a spot check on the English track on episode 9 Kakashi the Sharingan Warrior.

Video:
This group of episodes aired in the last quarter of 2002 and the transfer is pretty clean. The background of the forest show up exceptionally well bring the feeling of being there. The flashbacks come out with an old television feeling with the constant “snowy” black, white and gray dots. They only problem that is visible is during the mist scenes there is some spottiness especially as the mist crosses the characters.

Packaging:
This 13 episode box comes in a flimsy, metallic gold casing which holds a fold out for the three discs. On the front it has in orange Shonen Jump’s logo over the Naruto title and Uncut box set in orange paint with volume 1 inside chakra mark on Naruto’s palm. The fold out box has a single picture of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi which was the original R2 art (volumes 1-4). The box is also large enough to hold the storyboard book of episode 8 without crushing either the book or the DVD foldout. The LE box also comes with a Konoha cosplay headband.

Menu:
Each of the three discs have their own menu and particular piece of background music. Disc 1 is orange with three rotating pictures of Naruto, while disc 2 is indigo with three rotating pictures of Sasuke including a awesome image of him with weapons a blazing and his sharingan out and finally disc 3 has a soft rose background and the rotating stills of Sakura. The menu responds extremely quick with the curser being a throwing star.

Extras:
There is a five minute trailer for box 2 but all the scenes stay with the end of the Wave Arc even not giving any images off the characters to come. Also Shonen Jump Home video trailers for Hikaru no Go and One Piece Alabasta arc DVDs. A flip through page of Shonen Jump manga images from both regular Jump and advance series lines as well as the complete monthly Jump too. There are also English credits on an orange background with no music. Eight pages of production art of eight different characters from Naruto to Sexy Ninjutsu. The highlight of the special features is the eight sketch to screen clips from episode 1, where you can see the story boards on the screen and then activate the clip itself to see it in motion.