Naruto Anime Profiles, Vol. 1: Episodes 1-37

This book arrived on time and in beautiful condition. my son LOVES it and looks at it ALL day:)

With anime being a part of our culture for some time now, I'm surprised that a guide book for a series wasn't made sooner. In a nutshell, one could call this book an encyclopedia companion for the first 37 episodes of the Naruto anime. Similar to daizenshuu (Japanese guide books to anime), this book covers a good number of facts about the series until episode 37. This includes character profiles (current age, zodiac sign, blood type, etc.), overviews of each anime episode, and even interviews with the American voice actors of several main characters. There are even character designs and sketches of certain areas in the Naruto Universe, drawn by creator Masashi Kishimoto himself, not to mention a page or two with some cheesy little puzzles or quizzes. Although the book is meant to cover what happens in each episode, don't expect in depth summaries. The book relies a lot on vibrant drawings as well as screencaps from the corresponding episode with bits of character quotes and a sentence or three describing what happened in that episode. So in that sense, this book is really a companion to watching the episodes and not a replacement for them (which is really what the manga is for, since it came before the anime anyways). Regardless, it's still fun to flip through the pages just to look back at all the adventures the gang of ninjas have gone through so far. That's what it is, essentially--a picture book with a couple of captions here and there. Don't get me wrong, though, there is plenty of information to keep a fan of the series preoccupied for some time. And since it's a guide book, it doesn't even have to be read in order, unless you seriously forgot what happened in the series so far. To make a comparison, this book is a lot like those DK titles that published guide books on everything from countries to Star Wars, except the price is a little more affordable, especially when keeping in mind how much information is actually covered in the book. You should also keep in mind that the screencaps are as they are seen in the edited Naruto anime, changing all the kanji into romanized English, and removing some of the excessive blood loss by some people. For the most part, though, that's for the benefit of the reader, who's most likely not going to understand Japanese. It's not a problem, it's just something I noticed. Although not covering every nook and cranny of each episode, this book is a great companion to the series and I can't wait for the next release to cover another chunk of the series.

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for my daughter, who is now a big fan of Naruto. Since I just started really watching the show with her, I flipped through the book myself to learn more about the program. I recommend it to new fans as it will give you a good background on the characters and a brief description of the episodes. Plus, the copy I purchased included a poster of a grown up Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto that my kid loves.

Okay I admit it. The Naruto anime is awfully awesome ! There's loads of action and lots more in this impressive show. And this book has more than enough information on the TV series to go around. Inside this book, there are charater introductions and profiles, episode listings and descriptions, interviews, concept art, and even a full-color pullout just for you. This book is even jam-packed with screenshots and colorful pictures from the show, too ! Every little description has quite the nitty-gritty on what's what within the anime series - inside the world of Naruto and outside in real life with the creator, voice overs, and show staff. If you're a current, or uppencoming (like me) fan of all things Naruto, this book is a real must have. And look for new episodes on Cartoon Network on TV and the new Toonami Jetstream on cartoonnetwork.com. (As I may borrow a phrase from Naruto himself...) "Believe it !"