Actually, I liked Shikamaru's fight in this ep. He's weaker physically than his opponent, he doesn't have any special abilities like a bloodline or a seal, and no animals or special tools to help him. His one ability should be easy to counter once his opponent knows to avoid his shadow, yet his was the only clear victory in this arc so far. Choji and Neji's fights were ties at best, and Kiba did ok but had to run in the end. Well, I guess there was a reason he was the only one promoted... And yeah, I'm looking forward to the next ep too.