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Hey guys~ Hope everyone is enjoying the new simulcasts that we've launched! I think its a great to increase the variety of shows that represent the different genres in the anime world. So I hope that everyone out there has a chance to check it out . Also, please check out and congratulate the final winner of the "Write about Naruto" contest: Diana Uchiha! Thanks to everyone who participated and contributed such great articles! Don't forget to look out for more exclusive contests right here in the CR Takeout. |
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Written by D.Uchiha
 Sasuke Uchiha is quite possibly the best character in the entire Naruto series. Although many fans seem to view him as "emo," "angsty," "uncaring," "conceited" and such, he is actually quite different from that on the inside. The sheer complexity of his personality is what makes him such an amazing character.
When Sasuke was younger, he was a nice, shy child. Unfortunately, the whole family only paid attention to his big brother, Itachi. Sasuke idolized Itachi and he trusted him with his life. Sure, his family did love him too, but he felt alienated in a way. Itachi always came first, and even though Sasuke did idolize him, he felt alone without his brother. This is what has made Sasuke the broken character he is today. That powerful, beautiful bond of trust he had with his brother was shattered when Itachi betrayed him by massacring the Uchiha clan. Sasuke loved his family, so his depression today is partially based on that, but I believe that more than anything it was Itachi leaving him alone that hurt him the most. Big brother was the person for him to count on, and then he was gone. Everyone was gone. He was alone.
Alone.
This has twisted his mental condition to be unstable, and he's stuck in the past. He still has the mind frame of an eight-year old. Sasuke has a major inferiority complex, and that is why he always tried to make sure he was the most talented of Team 7. He argues constantly with Naruto, and he just has to be better than him. He would be a disgrace if he wasn't. However, as he spent time with his teammates, he healed. With Naruto and Sakura, he slowly started to leave his past behind. He didn't "want to see his precious comrades die before him." He cared for others, but he just had a hard time showing it. However, when he met Itachi again, he was reminded of all the guilt deep within his heart for not being able to save his family. His idolization of his older brother turned into a sick obsession, and he left everything behind to train to kill him. He definitely did appreciate his teammates though; he thanked Sakura, something he never did, and obviously he admitted to Naruto that he considered them best friends.
"I'm still more special than you!"
 That line seems totally uncharacteristic of the stoic, mature Uchiha. That line is the key to uncovering at least a part of what lies within; how he really is still like an eight-year old, just traumatized. He can't let go of his family, so he hasn't really moved on. He needs to be better than Naruto in order to be able to surpass his brother. After all, if he wasn't able to defeat such a fool how could he conquer his idol, the person most important to him?
After the time skip, it seems that Sasuke reverted to a person apathetic towards everything but his older brother. To say that he wouldn't have killed Naruto during their reunion would be a lie; I think he really would have. Sasuke once said that he needed to sever his bonds in order to concentrate on killing Itachi. He definitely had the strength to kill him, and he would have, but why didn't he? If he really wanted to, he could have killed Naruto when Naruto was unconscious at the Valley of the End/The Final Valley two-and-a-half years ago.
He chose not to. So, why did he want to when they next saw each other?
So he wouldn't have anybody to go back to.
Indeed, Sasuke cared for Sakura and even Kakashi, but Naruto was his best friend.  They were each other's firsts (first kiss, first real friend, first rivalry), and they always would be. Naruto has a special place in Sasuke's heart for this reason, and he needed to dispose of him as to not want to go back to Konoha. Some of you may have noticed how he jumped down and put his arm around Naruto. This is not a normal pose to kill people. What reason could he possibly have for almost hugging him like that? Maybe he just wanted to touch him once more like they always did during their fights (they fought so much of the time, meaning they had so much physical contact) and whisper in his ear once more before he had to dispose of him. Sasuke fed him horrible words to make sure that he could leave with a feeling of hatred, and nobody would want him to go back to Konoha anymore. That hatred would fuel him to kill Itachi, but what he never realized is that he will have nothing left once he kills him.
Once again, Sasuke Uchiha is quite possibly the best character in the entire Naruto series; despite his stoic exterior, he is just a mentally traumatized boy with a hard time moving on. He wants friends, but he thinks he doesn't need them. He wants to stay in Konoha, but the guilt is driving him insane. When you think about it, he isn't the rudest and worst character; he's the most human out of all of them.
 
Written by Rikun
July has come and gone, summer is still in full swing, and Shippuden’s bringing the PAIN! Ok, bad joke, but you get what I mean.
 That’s right. July’s got all kinds of goodies for your Naruto fans, especially since now that the fillers are finally over! Tired of keeping track of characters that are probably never going to show up again? Sick of all the long, stretched-out battles? Afraid that Naruto is becoming the next DragonBall Z in terms of sheer length and redundancy? Well... while we can’t promise you that you’ll never see Naruto filler again, we will promise you that the next few episodes will get back to the story that matters: the fate of the remaining Akatsuki members, the anime debut of their leader Pain, and the continuing path of darkness of Sasuke Uchiha.
Now that Orochimaru is no longer a concern for Sasuke (check Episode 114 to see what I mean),  he’s going to be forming his own team of ninjas to take down his brother Itachi. Yes! It seems that Sasuke is finally getting around to accomplishing his life dream and avenging his clan and we’ll get to see the anime debut of team Hebi! Not only will Sasuke be wreaking havoc with his newfound power, but his new companions Karin, Sugetsu, and Jugo will be adding new personalities and abilities to the mix. I’m sure you manga fans of these characters have been waiting for these guys to show up. As for what will happen once they reach Itachi…let’s just say that in the Naruto universe, circumstances are never as simple as they appear. Though I should not say too much in order not to spoil everything about him, Itachi may not be the spawn of all evil that you might think he is.
 We’ve also seen in Episode 114 that Pain will be making more of an appearance in the series, which means an epic battle will not be far off. To the very few fans that may be lost as to who exactly Pain is, you have no doubt noticed the mysterious shadow that has been commanding the Akatsuki from the very beginning of Shippuden. Now that the mysterious leader has shown his face, it will only be a matter of time before Naruto and company will reach him and the Akatsuki’s last stance will commence. What happens will be anyone’s guess, but we promise you that it will be an exciting ride, and surely a good change of pace from the fillers.
Now there are some of you out there who have already read the manga and thus have a fair idea of what will be coming in the next several episodes. Others of you might have even dropped off the anime altogether due to sheer amount of fillers. Well now that the story is back on track you will finally have a chance to relive all of your favorite moments of the manga in full motion and color. There will be enough action and excitement to keep you Crunchyrollers happy for the entire summer, so be sure to tune in every weekend for the latest episode of the Shippuden saga!
And the best part is that you won’t pay nearly as much as a trip to the movies, now will you?
Written by deathserv
 Welcome to a new addition to the Crunchyroll Takeout - “Monthly R&R” session. This segment of the newsletter will focus on the artists and the music that accompany your favorite anime here on Crunchyroll. Japanese animation and manga have essentially crossed the Pacific Ocean and taken over the Western world, to the point where American schoolchildren are walking around with Gundam backpacks. However, Japanese pop music seems to be less appreciated to an extent, and my impression is that many anime fans may not even know who is providing the soundtrack to their favorite shows! I hope to remedy that (at least a little bit) through this column.
You may be wondering where the title “Your Monthly R&R” comes from. R&R is commonly known to be shorthand for “rest and relaxation,” and, if you are reading this newsletter, hopefully you are spending a decent chunk of your R&R time after school or work with us!
In the case of this column, the title was the result of a brainstorming session involving various Japanese words that could possibly serve as part of the title. Thinking about words that might relate to music brought the Japanese words for rhyme (韻 or in, pronounced: ee-n) and reason (理由 or riyuu, pronounced: ree-oo) to mind. Lyrics usually rhyme, and there are reasons why a songwriter is writing those lyrics (there are exceptions, but songs with gibberish for lyrics do not usually rise to the top of the charts). Using the first letters of the Japanese words to arrive at I&R doesn't sound very catchy, so I stuck with the English words. Anyway, now that you have had a glimpse of my incredibly detailed analytical process, it's time to move on to the show!
* * * * *
 For fans of Naruto Shippuden, Joe Inoue (井上 ジョー) is already a well-known musical commodity. Our first column will focus on the young pop-rock star and his single “CLOSER.” “CLOSER” is featured as the fourth opening theme for Naruto Shippuden, starting with Episode 78, “The Judgment.” In Japan, musical tie-ins with anime series and commercials (known as “CMs”) are a very effective means to popularize music for record companies, and Joe's single is no exception. Having his song featured as the opening theme in such a popular series such as Naruto Shippuden is quite a feat, especially when you consider Joe's career is only in its very early stages.
Joe was born in Los Angeles in 1985. Despite growing up in the United States, he became fluent in Japanese by “reading a crapload of mangas and watching Japanese TV shows,” according to his official English-language website. The influence of both languages can be heard in “CLOSER,” where he sings both Japanese and English lyrics flawlessly. Compared to some popular Japanese rock bands such as Beat Crusaders (who did the opening theme “Hit in the U.S.A.” from the BECK anime adaptation) or MONGOL 800, whose English pronunciation is sometimes hard to pick up on through the music, Inoue's English lyrics are extremely clear and well-phrased.
"CLOSER” was first released on a five-song single on Ki/oon Records on December 17, 2008, along with a karaoke version and the edited Naruto Shippuden version of the song. At first it seems like a simple, catchy pop-rock tune that could have been created by anyone, but it is quite impressive when one realizes that Joe wrote all of the lyrics and music and also arranged the song himself. Look closely at the opening credits: Joe is credited as sakushi (作詞 – lyricist), sakkyoku (作曲 – composer), and henkyoku (編曲 – arranger). Quite impressive, considering according to his official website, he only launched his musical career in 2005 when he sent demo tapes - that he created entirely by himself, playing all of the instruments - to Japan and was signed by Ki/oon Records.
-S.C.
Did you know? That the first issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, making it one of the longest running manga-magazines in Japan!
Naruto & Naruto Shippuden ©2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2007 SHIPPUDEN All Rights Reserved., La Maison en Petits Cubes © Robot, Joe Inoue image used courtesy of © 2009 Ki/oon Records Inc. All Rights Reserved., Kanamemo © Shoko Iwami ・Houbunsha/Kanamemo Committee, Aoihana ©T,O/A, Hayate no Gotoku !! © Kenjiro Hata/Shogakukan, Hayate project, TV Tokyo 2009
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