Naruto Volume 10

Politics suck, and politics are the underlying purpose of the Chûnin (Journeyman Ninja) Selection Exam, as was revealed in the last volume. But that's not all that sucks, the incredible story and stylized art by Masashi Kishimoto sucks readers in to the manga world of Naruto, immersing them in everything ninja. (You didn't think I was going to say anything bad about the manga did you?) The most explosive, extreme, and exciting match of the preliminary round is underway, Gaara versus Rock Lee. Punch-happy Taijutsu practitioner Rock Lee faces off, for 86 enthralling pages, against the ruthless 'sand' (pun intended) dangerous killer Gaara. Who will survive this brutal match up? Will one of the combatants suffer a fate worse than death? Do Rock Lee's eyebrows serve some tactical ninja purpose?

The amazing thing about the Naruto manga series is that its still going strong, even after ten tankobon volumes. Masashi Kishimoto's talent and skill are brilliantly revealed through his masterful composition of volume 10. Somehow he exceeds himself each time with every volume 'out-cooling' the previous.

The amount of care and attention to detail that's been put into the Naruto manga by the Viz staff is always apparent. The series has been devoid of noticeable spelling errors, the text usually fills the bubbles well, and the translated and inserted sound effects blend with the art. While there have been some complaints by "critics" (the ones that complain about everything not the respectable ones) about the names of the Ninjutsu moves. Most of those complaints are senseless because Romanized Japanese wouldn't mean anything to most people while a skillful translation does.

Before the tenth volume, Rock Lee could have been easily been viewed as an odd-looking annoyance, but this has changed with the development of his character through back-story and his perseverance. The new depth given to him has evolved him into a character that can be respected as much as Naruto.

Due to the revelation of a new character and a bit of insight into Gaara's state of mind, the next few volumes should be monumental. Don't miss this and the following volumes.

Naruto volume 10 by Viz Media was released June 2006.