Director: Hiroyuki Yamashita
Studio: Pierrot
Creator: Masashi Kishimoto
Format: DVD & Blu-Ray
Audio: English, Japanese
Subtitles: English
Number of discs: 1
Classification: 12
Release Date: 5th June 2017
Licensed by: Manga Entertainment UK
Naruto and Hinata have grown up and started a family together. For Naruto, however, his job as his home town’s Hokage takes him away from his young kids more than he would like. His son Boruto acts out and strives to outshine his father in every task. With the Chúnin exams approaching, Boruto teams up with his fellow ninja pals. Wanting to prove his skills, Boruto seeks out his own Sensei. With troubled times in the Uzumaki household, will Naruto be able to change the tide and become the father he always wished he had growing up? Amongst all this, Sasuke returns from a scouting mission in order to report some disturbing news on a new enemy.
Like in other Naruto movies, Boruto is much like his father when it comes to being both loud, energetic and a bit on the dense side. His eagerness and skill, however, are among his best traits. A nice addition to the story that makes it much more relatable to newer/younger fans, and one that comments on modern society, is Boruto’s mild obsession with video games. As for the older fans, it is a chance to see how Naruto’s life progressed and how he finally reached his childhood dream of being the next Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. The focus of the film was more on the strained relationship between Naruto and his son, whilst bringing Sasuke back both as Naruto’s friend and Sakura’s love interest.
Sasuke has returned to the village, but he does venture out on missions for long periods of time for Naruto, gathering information, even in this time of peace amongst all the ninja clans. Still the aloof character he always was, Sasuke is closer to Naruto than ever before. Having both put their pasts behind them, they matured into fine men that have both settled down into family life. Both having children in the same age group, they watch their kids join up together in order to compete in the Chúnin exams. Even when Boruto aims to get stronger and focus on perfecting his ninjutsu, it is to Sasuke he turns, knowing he is the only man to go toe to toe against his father in a battle of strength. Although many years have passed in the show for the characters, we still see how our favorite ninjas have since grown up, battled and fought one another over the past 15 years of the anime.
The villain in this film is a Godlike entity called Momoshiki, who hails from an unknown dimension, and is seeking out a new energy source to sustain his powers, youth and lifespan. To do so, he seeks to absorb all the chakras, a big no-no in Naruto’s world. Although he was a somewhat interesting villain, he didn’t add any real excitement to the film or have any long-term impact after it had ended. This did however keep my focus on Naruto and Boruto.
The fact that this storyline was created and adapted into a film has really been amazing. This is truly a film for the lifelong fans of the show. It does not end there, however, as the franchise lives on in the Boruto: Naruto Next Generation anime which just started in April. This has some more family drama, as well as watching Boruto and his little sister Himawari grow up in the Hidden Leaf village.
As from Day One, this Naruto/Boruto film was animated by Studio Pierrot. Ever since its debut back in 2002 with the first Naruto episode, the quality of the animation and story has progressed into this well-directed feature. Not only does it reconnect with old fans, but gives us the next generation of shinobi in the show, who have grown up in a time where the Hidden Leaf has transformed into a city of technology. Boruto realises how important it is to live in the moment and to train, by knowing when to limit his time on his obsession with video games. Each child in the show was designed in accordance with their parentage in mind; Boruto’s sister Himawari has her father’s’ whiskers and mother’s hair, for example, and other children have various inherited traits too. This film was directed by Hiroyuki Yamashita, of which this was his first directorial debut. He is also directing the Boruto anime series as well. He has also worked on The Last: Naruto, Bonds, Blood Prison, Lost Tower, Road To Ninja and The Will of Fire. This film has top-notch, high quality animation with a story for all the fans to enjoy.
A fitting continuation to the Naruto franchise, Boruto: Naruto the Movie gives us a full feature length films worth of insight into the lives of Naruto, Hinata and their pals in the mid of their adulthood. It is a rare and insightful glimpse, and a must watch for all fans. Finally, the added OVA, which takes place before the film, captures the day in which Naruto reached his dream of becoming Hokage. But of course, it wouldn’t be truly Naruto if something didn’t go horribly wrong…
Bonus Features Include:
OVA episode – The Day Naruto Became Hokage
Trailers
Overall: 8/10
