If I was a young child in this day and age, I'd probably be obsessed with the world of "Naruto" right now. As I am nearing my mid 20's, however, I can't say that I follow the show. Sure, I've heard about it and know certain things, but that's mainly because it's nearly impossible to avoid. You can't go to the grocery store without catching a glimpse of a Naruto product. When the opportunity presented itself, I figured I'd give the show a shot to see what all the fuss was about. The verdict? "Naruto" is nothing special.

This third box set contains 13 episodes (eps 26-38 to be exact). The main story arc in this batch of episodes concerns Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura taking a test in which they must collect two scrolls in the Forest Of Death. The catch? They must compete against other ninjas-in-training that are also taking the test. On top of that, the Forest contains deadly foes such as the Grass Ninja. As I am jumping into the series starting with episode 26, I was understandably a bit fuzzy about the universe of "Naruto." Granted, I was able to pick up most everything via flashbacks, thoughts, and dialogue, but the world of "Naurto" is unquestionably massive and feels like a bit of a chore to follow. It doesn't help that more and more characters with their own extensive backstories keep appearing throughout the series. Additionally, viewers have to continually keep up with the mythology and the zillion forms of Jutsu (and each character's special style of fighting). Speaking of the characters, I can't say I found any of them to be entirely engrossing (aside from the mysterious teacher Kakashi and the bad-ass sandman Gaara). When all the characters do is scream every word they speak (especially Naruto himself), act selfish and macho, it's hard for me to invest in them. Also, I find the show to be overly goofy at times. It's not that I have nothing against humor in an anime series. On the contrary, I find shows such as "Dragonball Z" to be equally funny and thrilling. With Naruto, I simply find the title character's spastic and supposedly comedic behavior to be too over-the-top and downright obnoxious. I'm talking Carrot Top obnoxious. "Believe it!" Naturally, the strength of the show lies within the action-packed battles. When the characters finally shut their yaps and get down to business, I find myself getting caught up in the show. For instance, the episode "Naruto's Counterattack: Never Give In!" boasts an impressive fight between a pissed off Naruto, a snake, and a powerful Grass Ninja. True, the fights may go on for a bit too long, but at least they are full fledged battles. There's nothing worse than a brief, anti-climactic battle in a show or film.

The fullscreen picture is about what I expected from an animated series. The picture quality isn't going to blow you away like with Pixar or Miyazaki releases, but it's pleasant and clear enough. Viewers can watch the episodes in Japanese with English subtitles or an English dubbed version. Each of the tracks are full of life as they perfectly balance the sound f/x, music (and score), and the dialogue. Both audio tracks are in Dolby Digital.

A 46 page storyboard sketch book for "Naruto's Counterattack: Never Give In!" is included with this set. Disc 1 also contains video game previews for "Naruto Clash Of Ninja 2" and "Naruto Uzamaki Chronicles." The remaining extras are all on disc 3. They are as follows: * Production art * English credits * Volume 4 sneak peek * From sketch to screen, ep 33 * Shonen Jump Magazine information * Shonen Jump Home Video previews for "Bleach," "One Piece," and "Hikaru No Go."

If you're already a fan of "Naruto," you will no doubt buy this set. If you are curious what "Naruto" is all about, I would recommend checking out another anime series such as "Death Note" or "Cowboy Bebop" instead. Copyright NARUTO ? 2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO