One of the biggest manga series “Naruto†finished in 2014. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more “Naruto stories.†The newest incarnation is “Boruto: Naruto the Movie,†one of the first “Naruto†movies actually written by Masashi Kishimoto. This new movie will leave all viewers beyond ecstatic.
It is a time of great peace among the ninja village. At this time, a new class of shinobi is getting ready to take the Chunin exams. Among them is Boruto, Naruto and Hinata’s son. Sadly, Naruto is super busy being the Seventh Hokage and Boruto takes this as him not caring about his family. Meanwhile, a new evil approaches who is set on absorbing all the Bijuu.
The plot itself is pretty cliché. It’s the typical plot of the super busy absentee parent who has a child that hates them. It even gets to the point where Boruto decides to get trained by Sasuke. In fact, Hinata and Sakura, formally kickass characters, are now made into the typical housewife/mother figures. However, the story is handled so well where these clichés are forgiven. This is due to the strong writing and likable characters. The events of the story don’t feel rushed, overblown and even the cliché moments are handled well.
The new characters are also handled well despite being clichés themselves. They go above and beyond what you’d expect from them to the point where you want to follow them for 700 chapters just like their parents.
Visually, it’s the anime on the big screen. The only difference is the artwork is much approved. The best aspect of the movie is the fight scenes. Take the fight scenes from the anime and multiply those by ten and you have this movie. The highlight of these scenes comes from something that hasn’t happened in ages in the series: Naruto and Sasuke teaming up. The visuals are will leave your jaw on the floor and only a forklift can lift it.
The only complaint about the visuals is how Konohagakure looks like. Apparently in the years after the series’ end Konohagakure has become modern day Tokyo with TVs, video games, fast food restaurants and even computers. In fact, the houses look exactly like a typical Tokyo house. This is either due to Konohagakure changing or the animators were too lazy to draw a medieval Japanese village.
All the original Japanese voice cast has lent their voices so fans need not worry. The voices of the new characters are rather nice. The problem with adding new characters is how to make them not annoying. Thankfully, none of them are. The music is also spectacular. The soundtrack makes an already great scene and brings it up to eleven. These tunes will stay stuck in your head long after the movie’s over.
“Boruto: Naruto the Movie†may have some things to nitpick about, but the overall package makes this movie stand out. With great writing, animation, music and memorable fight scenes this may go down as one of the, if not the, best “Naruto†movie. It also sets the stage nicely for a possible new series.
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