Naruto Shippuuden Kakashi Gaiden
Well, [Naruto Shippuuden] is as good as dead to me now. I think we've been flogging that dead horse for QUITE a while now where Naruto is concerned. However, on a whim, I still download the episodes. I'm OCD that way - once I start earnestly collecting a series, I feel compelled to finish downloading it.
At any rate, on the same whim, I watched [Naruto Shippuuden] episodes 119-120, because these cover the Kakashi Gaiden, something which I've been wanting to watch...since years ago. ~__~ Anyway, I just feel like I have to watch the story of Kakashi, as well as finally see Yondaime in action. You know, the MAN himself.
So I watched it. Interestingly, Yondaime is voiced by Morikawa Toshiyuki, a seiyuu that we ALL KNOW. His voice is actually really recognisable by now. But anyway, there really is not enough coverage on the MAN, but hey, it's great that you even see and hear him. For whatever little screentime he gets, it's put to good use. You do see why he becomes the 4th Hokage, and you do see shades of Naruto in him - they have the same sheepish laugh.
But really, the star of the special is of course, Our Kakashi. There's some good material covered in this special regarding him. The tragedy of his father, Kakashi's blind insistence on following rules as a result, and of course, his rivalry and friendship with Obito. But that, we all know. What I enjoyed the most are the little bits and pieces that are not the focus. The way Kakashi looks upon Obito with both respect and disdain, the irony that Obito is more like Naruto than any member of the Uchiha Clan, Rin's emotional anchoring of the story as both the girl that Obito loves AND the girl who loves Kakashi, the anguish that is reflected in Kakashi's normal/Sharingan eyes after Obito dies.
The pacing and action are smooth and nifty, without sacrificing any bit of the story. You know, in short, this Gaiden special is probably the kind of excellent standard that THE WHOLE NARUTO ANIME SHOULD BE. Or should have aspired to. Yet in the end, we get laughable fillers, incessant repetition of scenes, painful and thoroughly unnecessary flashbacks, super-lame angsting, and the shit goes on.
Would I return to watching the anime? Probably not. However, for what it's worth, the Gaiden special is good and I'm glad I bothered to watch it.