Naruto Shippuden Episode 395

While seeing what familiar characters were up to between the original series and Shippūden gives some additional insight into their overall nature, none of these characters grace the screen long enough to really offer anything new. (This may change with Fuu in future episodes, but Pain and Konan are more likely to prove brief cameos, like most of the Kage in the previous episode.) Plus, it's hard to celebrate what strides a character like Sakura has made with her self-image when we're essentially back to square one for a few weeks.

Naruto Shippuden Episode 395

Still, the latter half of the episode is better served by choosing Sakura as its focus. She rejects the idea of taking the exams with Ino and Choji because she's afraid of proving a burden to them, as she thinks she was to Team 7. (The girl has self-esteem issues.) When the episode initially meanders from one village to the next, it's hard to get invested in any of their concerns about the exams. Following Sakura as she wrestles with her inadequacies may be a well-worn path in the show, but at least it makes the build-up for the exams more personal. The only mistake is interrupting her story to briefly show Naruto training with Jiraiya just because she's wondering what he's up to. Yes, we know it's his show, but we also know he's not a chūnin even in the present timeline, so there's no chance of him playing an integral role in this story. It reeks of the producers attempting to pad out this storyline as much as they can. 041b061a72