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Parallels: Kishimoto has been criticized for his abuse of this device, especially lately when he appears to be using it as a substitute for genuine development. This one takes the cake, however.
This chapter is a very obvious parallel to the events of 181 and everything that occurred. Why he wants to repeat that is uncertain. I get wanting the battle to be at the VOTE, which is fine. But outside of that, I do no understand it. It's lazy, it developed nothing, and it basically did a massive reset to several relationship that make more than one person look bad.
Naruto: I don't have anything to add that has not already been said. I agree: where is the righteous indignation? However, for me, Naruto's character has been on a downhill slide since Pain, with his 'cool guy" speech about Obito shattering what respect I still had for him. It's not hard to imagine a guy calling a mass murderer a cool guy, just simply whining about Sasuke. I'm not that upset though because I quit taking him seriously after Obito. I hate that the series holds this guy up what it means to be a Hokage. Bleh.
Sasuke: Sasuke and Kakashi's portrayal in the chapter don't bother me. What bother's me about Sasuke is the long and extensive list of people who just refuse to hold him accountable or see him for what he is. Sasuke doesn't even encourage it either. Is there nothing he can do that would allow anyone to ask them selves and say...is it really worth it?
Sakura: I just don't understand why Kishimoto went through this is. First, he removes her from the fight. Second, he does with a declaration of love that just kind of whizzes on previous development in this arc alone. What is the point of Kakashi talking about changing feeling only to do this? What about her rather tardy revelation that he doesn't care? It should have been evident prior to that, but nevertheless it was made, so why this now?
If she was to move on from Sasuke this should have been something that was occurring throughout Part 2. It appeared to be happening toward the end of the war arc, but then we get this. So, from a NS point of view she is going to have to move on from an open declaration like that to unequivocally toward Naruto? If that movement hasn't been made by that point, then how easy it to believe it now? She was repeatedly given signs that maybe, he just didn't give a kitten. She appeared to get the message, but then...I guess not.
Moreover, as has been mentioned, the parralell events in 181 and Naruto nearly getting killed at the end of Part 1 were the motivating factor for her transformation. So why is she repeating that desperation plea of love again, getting KO'd, while Naruto talks about a promise he earlier said didn't matter as he goes to fight alone? Isn't this precisely the kind of thing she resolved to move past. I sincerely hope she comes too and has some involvement in Sasuke v. Naruto part 2, or she may join Naruto in the character abyss.
From an SS point of view this should be equally ba, because SS would require accepting Sasuke suddenly caring when he has over and over shown he just doesn't feel that way. This chapter craps on both pairings.
Finally, that plea was about "me, me, me." It appears to her feelings and really nothing about Sasuke. I understood for 12 year old Sakura doing it to prevent his exodus. I don't get the sudden repeat of a tactic that failed miserably once from a character who was supposed to be developing throughout Part 2. What was Kishimoto thinking?
I agree with tricksie. This chapter basically slammed the reset button on the Team 7 relationships. So what were we doing for nearly 400 chapters?
so now 675 no longer has a platonic meaning to it?
Perhaps not, but that also presumes that there is a logical cohesion to this and that's a leap I'm not sure I can make anymore.
