Naruto Shippuden Episode 316 : The Reanimated Allied Forces

Naruto: Shippuden Episode #316 Anime Review

Naruto Shippuden Episode 316

When some new reanimated shinboi arrive, it’s time for the two sides to catch up on events a bit. What They Say:
Kabuto reanimates an army of unknown shinobi led by Danzo’s former bodyguard Torune to retrieve the ones he lost to the Allied Forces. But aside from Torune, the reanimated shinobi are all weak and are quickly sealed away.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the excruciating three part arc behind is of filler material involving Yota, the show moves on to a whole different set of filler. The show moves painfully through these seasons of material in a way that obviously frustrates many, it’s certain that the general fan reaction to it is something that gets to the production team as well, but they seemingly have their hands tied and just end up going through the motions. With the fight going on in the present, we’re seeing that Kabuto is starting to run a bit low on the reanimated shinobi that he’s brought to his game so far, and that’s got him pulling out a few bodies that he didn’t think he’d have to resort to using at this point. That has the Allied Forces dealing with yet more varied personalities, some of which may have been seen before but are mostly just another array of self-important people that have no real connections to the present that have been established in previous episodes.
While that sets up things in the present, the show delves into the distant past once again as well as we see how Kabuto, working with Orochimaru, honed their skills and had connections to some of those that have been pulled out in the present to fight. Naturally, there are those within the Allied forces and the new reinforcements that have connections to those on the reanimated side. This even leads to an out of place bit of comedy where they charge at each other, realize who they are and that there’s family there, and start to catch up on events since their deaths. There’s even a bit of shaming going on in some ways as well, but also some moments of forgiveness on each side with what they’ve done. The end goal is still there that the reanimated shinobi must be sealed, but it’s just a strange and really out of place sequence as they just start talking.
The episode does some of the expected back and forth moments with past and present, including some decent ones with Kabuto as I always do enjoy seeing him when he was less creepy looking but knowing that he was going to go this route eventually. His plans have been in the works for ages going by what’s exposed in the series as a whole, and having some additional time with him and Orochimaru in the “good old days” has a certain flair to it. Of course, the episode goes only so far with what it does in terms of actual story since it’s playing with a few different things, but it definitely works better when it focuses on the past, and on Kabuto, than anywhere else.
In Summary:
Sometimes this show can just hit some strange and surreal moments – particularly true for filler episodes – and it does it with this one in a strangely big way. Having the two sides going into a fight and then recognize each other and opt to just have a chat is quite comical, but in some ways something you’d expect more of since what Kabuto is controlling isn’t exactly just an empty shell. But there’s just way too much ambiguity with these things for it to be nailed down tightly enough to make sense episode after episode. Which is an unfortunate aspect of having so many filler episodes along the way. Though the show doesn’t win me over with what it does here, I liked certain aspects of it and just the surreal nature of certain scenes. It’s certainly not as mind numbing as the Yota arc and for that I’m thankful.

Naruto Shippuden Episode 317 : Shino vs Torune

With the side stories continuing on, Naruto: Shippuden again keeps Naruto at arms length and instead focuses on other characters. Interestingly, this one delves into Shino, a character that in some ways feels like he gets the short end of the stick more often than not. Shino’s been there since the start, but because of the way he carries himself and the appearance side of it with the sunglasses and often other parts of his outfit obscuring him, he’s been the type that’s been harder to connect with. There’s a natural distance that comes from those that hide themselves in this way, though they can exude a certain cool feeling that allows you to engage with them in other ways. Such is the case here as Shino ends up coming across Torune, one of those orchestrating events under Kabuto’s control.
Unlike some of the past filler stories where we’ve dealt with characters who haven’t had too much of a presence, Torune was previously seen in the show with his first appearance coming way back in episode 198. With his adopted relationship with Shino, the two certainly have a history with each other and we get a greater exploration of that here with the flashback side of things. Torune’s had some decent arcs in the manga and anime previously and while he’s not been instrumental in some ways, he’s definitely someone that has left an impression on Shino and how he operates. The two of them also have their ties to Danzo, which has caused enough problems along the way as well with how that particular elder operates.
That becomes part of the focus here as it goes back to a time with the Aburume clan and how Danzo approached them for particular missions with the ANBU. Danzo’s intention to draw in Shino is something that his father certainly disliked, and made obvious even as Danzo made it an order, but it’s Torune that actively steps into things which makes its own impression on Danzo. With the mix of the past, where we see more of the two young men and their relationship, and the fight in the present between them, the episode does a really good job of making a pretty engaging story. Part of this comes from how Torune was created to be unlike others in the series, more of a superhero in a sense because of his costume design, and that works well to let him stand out with a different kind of power, something that is made apparent with how he moves and how he and Shino fight.
In Summary:
While Naruto puts in a token appearance here as he continues on with his journey, the show is pretty much all about Shino and Torune. And while there have been other episodes that have done similar kinds of things in these overly long runs of filler episodes amid the war, this one actually does a good job of making the characters compelling, fleshing out more of their pasts and dealing with characters that have been introduced before rather than come up with original ways, which is always frustrating because you know their impact will be weak to non-existent. The time here between the two, whether past or present, is well handled and makes for some good storytelling, both in the character drama and the action. Definitely one of the better kinds of anime original stories that I wish we had more of.