To be honest, this was probably my favorite episode in this filler arc so far.
First, it kind of answered something I've been curious about for a while. Konohamaru hasn't appeared in the war thus far, and I can't remember if Kishi ever addressed it. I know he's just a genin, but considering that Konoha was saved by a genin earlier, I'd think Tsunade would bend the rules for him. Especially considering Konohamaru's gotta be heaps stronger than most of the fodder nin that seem to make up the Alliance. So I'm glad the anime did an episode on him trying to join the fight, but realizing he's needed more back in Konoha.
The Konohamaru fight was pretty cool. It seems like he's a mix of Naruto and the Third Hokage in combat (he used Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu against Temari), and maybe a little bit of Asuma thrown in there (I can't remember if that Ash Cloud technique was the same one Asuma used on Hidan/himself or if that was something else). It's a pretty cool mix, since he has Naruto's personality and determination, while at the same time seems to have a bit of the Sarutobi genius. I wouldn't be surprised if he learned Rasengan even faster than Naruto did, though I guess I don't really know for sure, since I can't remember how long Naruto was training in Toad World.
I also really enjoyed Moegi's speech and her flashback to the Pein Invasion. It was very emotional, and really helped put some perspective into that arc. I suppose we saw quite a bit of how horrible the attack was in the manga, but seeing a kid with his leg stuck in a rock with a giant centipede nearby really helped capture the emotion of that arc, at least IMO.
Also, I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to honorifics, so I thought I'd point some of those out, LOL. I saw Konohamaru and his friends refer to both Sakura and Shikamaru as "nee-chan". I thought that was kind of funnny, but I'm guessing it has to do with them addressing Naruto's close friends the same way they address him (big brother/sister). Maybe there's another story to that though.
I also noticed how Konohamaru and Moegi address each other for the first time. Moegi refers to him as "Konohamaru-chan", while Konohamaru addresses her without any honorific. It's like reverse Naru/Saku, LOL.
If every that chick is in the upcoming spoiler where to ask Naruto why he was rufusing her, and he maybe said he already had someone he liked! then maybe...a Narusaku hint? ~_^ well that is a bit farfetched...but it would be AWESOME if the filler animators would take of their Hinata stained glasses for a sec and gave us a Narusaku moment! D:<
Heh heh, that's what I'm hoping for too. Though the preview made it seem like it meant "Kunoichi from Pink Village" or something. But I suppose it's not impossible for Naruto to think of Sakura (or Hinata, grrr) at the thought of marrying his filler fiance. But we'll see, I guess I'm not getting my hopes up for anything pairing related.
Edited by Boom...Winning, 29 October 2011 - 01:55 AM.