...i go away for a weekend and...

I still am not sure if I like the idea of someone being able to cast Jutsu with just one finger. Seems a little cheap, and makes me wonder why they go to the trouble of doing seals and all that if there's a different way... Maybe it's rings, maybe it's his nail polish, who knows?

Interesting to hear that Ten-ten's struggling wasn't in the manga. I really was pissed at her weakness. I mean, she's obviously not on the level of Neji or Lee, so she should just stay back and not cause them trouble...

Yes, it's partly the music. I'm convinced the animation isn't terrible; it's decent enough to convey emotion. But the music is just so blaise. I'm also sure there's something going on with the cuts and camera angles, something to do with the earlier discussion about "feeling like DragonballZ". I can't put my finger on it yet... but I'm pretty sure the constant breaks they have, flipping between fights, is actually making it less suspenseful than it should be.