Review: Naruto Manga 578: A Weakness of Despair!!

Chapter Summary:

• Madara is still kicking butt
• Kabuto vs. Uchiha brothers 
• Excessive use of cool phrases
• Poor dialogue 

The Good:

This chapter we get no major progress concerning the Kages vs. the ages. It was revealed that Tsunade was not killed by the attack, but it wasn't much of revelation seeing Tsunade had released her yin seal and is a high rank medic ninja. Although what does surprise me is how long the jutsu has lasted after healing such a large wound. The last time we saw the technique was during the fight with Kabuto and it didn't seem as powerful.

Now that the Kages get to face clones rather than the actual Madara we may get to see some of the other Kages getting some screen time and showing off some cool new skills. (I always get a laugh from Madara's comebacks and cocky remarks.) 

The last scene is dedicated to the Uchiha brothers vs. Kabuto. I liked that we were able to see Sasuke acting somewhat normal (or maybe the fact that he is acting so normal after vowing to destroy Konoha literally moments ago makes him an even bigger troll). Kabuto did not look phased at all when he realized that it would be him vs Sasuke and Itachi. It's possible we are underestimating Kabutomaru and we may get to see a good battle. (But on the other hand, I had high expectation for the Kages facing Madara...) The final thing I liked about this chapter is what I believed to be a little foreshadowing with the first page showing the dead crow with a broken neck. I have my guess as to what it might mean for the upcoming chapters but I will save it for later.

The Bad:

Although, seeing the  Madara vs the five Kages was pretty exciting at first, having Madara summon clones to fight the Kages is an obvious ploy to lengthen this already stale fight. This whole war is starting to bring back memories of the DBZ days when whole episodes were dedicated to watching characters powerup.  Another issue I had with this chapter was the overuse of cheesy catchphrases and the poor dialogue. (It's possible the poor dialogue could be due to the engrish translators, but seeing as how I cant do any better...) I also find Itachi's personality really awkward, he has never been shown to talk so much and all of a sudden he has spilled out his plan to Kabuto and making small talk. Sasuke sudden change in personality is also a bit creepy, he seemed pretty determined to destroy Naruto and Konoha a few minutes ago.

Final Thoughts:

Overall there wasn't an plot advancement this chapter. I was a little disappointed at how the whole ninja war was orchestrated and felt it could have been better. I have lost interest in Madara and Kages and am hoping that the battle ends sometime soon, possibly with the Kages retreating to think up an actual, plan. (Seriously, how do high level ninja who have all experienced war rush into battle without thinking of a plan on how to defeat Madara?) I liked seeing Sasuke act normal and am excited to see a fight that won't be complete one sided beatdown.

Score: 7/10

Note: Here's a download link to Naruto Chapter 578: Naruto Manga 578