How to Pick Naruto Movies

American Naruto enthusiasts can expect several years of new releases of Naruto movies if the franchise continues to follow its pattern of translating and adapting original Japanese movies for the large and small screens in English speaking countries. These will include full-length movies, anime episodes of TV content and original video anime (OVA) DVDs that fill in "lost episodes" in the Naruto saga.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Pick Naruto Movies and Anime Episodes to Watch in Sequence

1. Watch "Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow," the first full-length movie of the Naruto franchise to be released in U.S. movie theaters.

2. Plan to see the next full-length Naruto movie when it is released in 2008. The working translation of its Japanese title is "Great Clash! The Illusionary Ruins at the Depths of the Earth."

3. Mark your calendar to watch the third full-length Naruto movie, "The Animal Riot of Crescent Moon Island," when it is released in 2009.

4. Pick Naruto anime episodes in sequence on the Cartoon Network or in DVD release. Cartoon Network began showing Naruto in 2005 in the United States, and has so far shown translated versions of nearly half of the over 200 episodes that appeared originally in Japan.

5. Keep a checklist of Naruto episodes and movies that you have seen, or have yet to see, so you don't duplicate your efforts or purchases.

Check For Original Video Animations

6. Keep your eyes peeled for any new original video animation (OVA) to help fill in missing details of the Naruto saga.

7. Pick an OVA like "Mission: Protect the Waterfall Village" to learn pieces of the lost story that are not in the original manga or anime TV series. This 40-minute DVD was released in May 2007.

8. Browse for new OVA releases in the Shonen Jump "Naruto Collector" magazine series or by searching for OVA DVDs on Amazon (see Resources below). Japanese OVA DVDs not yet released in the United States include "Find the Crimson Four-Leaf Clover" and "Battle at Hidden Falls: I am the Hero."

Tips & Warnings

• Learn about the "double role" of actress Yukie Fujikaze in "Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow" before you see the movie so that you won't be confused by the fact that you are watching a movie of another movie at the beginning of the film. Yukie is initially seen playing the heroine Princess Gale before the real action shifts to her original homeland, the Land of Snow.

Resources

• Check for OVA DVDs on Amazon.com.