This week - no episode
Next week - episode
Next next week - no episode
Next next next week - 1 hour special

I also thought it's going to be this way but the the preview in episode 5 confirms that there will be an episode next week. So good news.

Episode 5 was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. The pace didn't pick up yet but I think they did pretty good job with this episode. The art looked kinda weird at some parts though. But this time nothing really bugged me except that Deidara hardly reacted when he lost his arm.

Hmm... they seem to have this thing where this big fight is going to happen. So instead of adding new parts (apart from all the other parts they added in the Anime from the Manga), they decided that they would recycle animation and waste precious time with Gaara looking at Deidara for half the episode. This fight was WAY quicker than this, so I believe the pacing is HORRID. they are stretching out some things that shouldn't be stretched... AND they're stretching them out without filling them up with something other than static staring or flying around...

And about that Rasengan, that move that's still overused (even tho it's naruto's finishing technique). But why after 85+ episodes of fillers, why is it the rasengans awesome power is still being used like a typical drill. They F'ed up the Rasengan by making everyone hit with it "spin" outta control, when you look at Kabuto animation compared to everyone else in the fillers. Maybe I must check the movies again (if they are considered canon), but the rasengan engulfs the target in chakra and rips them up with spinning charkra energy and carries them away. Why is it this technique still being used to mow down trees (it can probably cut grass too... ).

And besides, Naruto is a pretty ok ninja. He has two techniques, Kage boushin and Rasengan. For someone who uses most of his life using the same technique but developing new ways to use them, Naruto is pretty good. I mean look at the chidori, manga readers know what it can do in the hands of a master. So if the Kage Boushin works the same way, then Naruto is going to survive. I mean his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu is pretty good, he just sucks at genjutsu. But that's just my take on it.

Neji for hokage

Actually, there is no episode this week. It was DB's mistranslation.

Guys, did you read what I said. There is no episode this week, it's just another one of their pranks. Makes me wonder if they mistranslated the date on purpose.

I think episode 6-7 was pretty much as good as 4 although the pace was really slow. I mean really. Double episode and covering only one chapter? At least some of the filler scenes were pretty nice (like Deidara dodging exploding arrows) but this pace just ruins so much of the potential part 2 has. Episode 6 was especially average but 7 was already better. The end was nice.

I was bored for 80% of this week's double ep. The remaining 20% was good though.

Ep 6-7 was like ep 4, which happens to be my least favourite episode of Shippuden. Although there were a few things I liked (like the scene where Deidara dodges the arrow), everything moved way to slowly.

Yeah, I really want to know what's up with the double episodes. This is the first time ever we are getting two double episodes in a row. I hope it will end after this.

Three double episodes within 10 first episodes = weird.