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plhawking
Reviews
Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015)
A pleasant surprise for a quitting reader.
It's been a long time since I've stopped reading Naruto, around the shinobi war but I knew some of the outcomes of the manga though : Naruto and Hinata ended up together and had children, obviously. Sasuke and Sakura as well. Some characters I knew had died, some others I didn't. Still, if you come back after some years, it's okay, the movie is pretty good at welcoming long time fan and newcomer. And the people in between.
As for the movie itself the animation and fight scenes are gorgeous, you'd expect that much. Character wise, it does quite a good job at depicting Naruto as the Hokage but mostly as an adult and parent. Being, the most powerful ninja in the world has made him into a responsible man burdened by his tasks. As a result, the boy once a ball of goofiness and exuberance has become a stranger to his own family and son. Naruto grew up, and it ain't pretty.
In a sweet mise en abime, Boruto also wants to be acknowledged, by his father. Naruto who during his youth wanted the whole world to notice him, is now the one incapable of showing his feelings to his son.
The irony being that Sasuke, aka Brooding/Cool Ninja, seems to be the most capable father and mentor. A shame we didn't get to see more of Sakura, the forever left behind member of Team 7.
The movie spends a long time building its two main characters so the ending feels a tad rushed. Of course, things unfold nicely for the Uzumaki men. In a big fight against an okay villain whose motivations are textbook villain.
To conclude, it felt so nostalgic diving in this world again. Things have changed but a lot have stayed the same. The excitement was as high as when I read and watched Naruto for the first time. It made me want to go back and finish what I gave up some years ago.