BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionNARUTO: Shippuuden
MANGA ActionBORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS
MOVIE ActionBORUTO: NARUTO THE MOVIE
SPECIAL ActionBORUTO: Jump Festa 2016 Special
MANGA ActionNARUTO Gaiden: Nanadaime Hokage to Akairo no Hanatsuzuki
ONE SHOT ActionNARUTO Gaiden: Michita Tsuki ga Terasu Michi
NOVEL ActionBORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS NOVEL
NOVEL ActionNARUTO Shinden Series (2018)
NOVEL ActionNARUTO: Konoha Shinden - Yukemuri Ninpouchou
NOVEL ActionNARUTO Retsuden Series
MANGA ActionNARUTO: Sasuke Retsuden - Uchiha no Matsuei to Tenkyuu no Hoshikuzu
ANIME ActionBORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS Part 2
MANGA ActionNARUTO: Konoha Shinden—Yukemuri Ninpouchou

REVIEWS

• 

  AniBlade

  60/100
  It's not that I dislike the Boruto series. I like it but it irritates me a bit too often because of these two reasons.

  So, I watched 74 episodes so far, I was realizing more and more how this series kind of irritates me for certain reasons.

  Firstly, Boruto really annoys me and not just because of what happened in the beginning when he didn't respect or understood his dad, Naruto. I understood the reasons for that. I think it's how they were developing his character. He's cocky and unruly (I know that's a bit harsh to say, but that's how I feel right now). The reason for this is how he doesn't think of the consequences of his actions like time of the chunin exams when he used the ninja tools fully aware that he was cheating and also getting into situations that could have got him killed, but that plot armor protecting him. The recent one when he tries to find Mitsuki fully aware that the Hokage (Naruto) issued an order that anyone who leaves the village is going to classified as a rogue ninja. When Naruto was chasing Sasuke he at least had permission to do so as a mission to bring him back. Boruto doesn't get punished at all from these decisions even though he should have been.

  And this brings me into my other reason, Nostalgia. Naruto chases Sasuke and Boruto chases Mitsuki. Like Father, like Son. Because its essentially a sequel of NARUTO (might as well say remake at this point), I can't help but compare it to the previous season. I keep wanting to see more the old characters again and see them getting some action. While it's a peaceful time, I don't think Boruto and the rest of the new generation are going to be stronger than the old ones because the harsh training they used to have. You have to had noticed that the chunin exams were a joke compared to the previous ones. Genins risk their lives in those exams and this one didn't have an epic tournament arc at all since the only one who seemed to be close to the strength from back then was Gaara's son. They also tried to do similar scenes that happened in Naruto at the end too. And the major upset was how they tried to fit Boruto in the fight with Momoshiki, who wasn't even as strong as Kaguya. Sasuke probably noticed Boruto's special ability to teleport the rasengan, but that wasn't the real reason he would bring him to the fight. Think about it, why would you bring a 'genin' to fight a powerful foe like that and they also purposely lessen Naruto's power at the time so they could find a way to give Boruto some recognition. It's his show now, not this dad's. Not trying to say it was a bad idea, but if Sasuke had said he had planned on Boruto's ability to defeat the enemy then it was going to be a great strategy and reason to bring him, but he didn't.

  There's a bit more, but those are the two main reasons. It's hard to not compare Boruto to Naruto. It feels like I'm trying to find the same sensation of Naruto from Boruto which lessens my enjoyment even though I try not to. So, I decided to stop watching for the time being or until he becomes a teen when the story furthers on and things changed.

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• 

  MistaWinta

  80/100
  You either love it or hate it depending on what you expect from it!

  A lot of people like to complain that it's boring and "doesn't feel like Naruto." What they fail to realize is that the movie, the manga, and the anime all in itself continue to assure you "this isn't Naruto, this is Bortuo, something different." To make the comparison would be a bit unfair, even if it is in the same universe, as when Naruuto had become Hokage he entered the world into an era of peace which is where this anime starts out at. Apparently, according to the populace, everything their favorite main character worked for isn't allowed to last a few arcs before watching it all crumble down and make his efforts over a solid, what, 20 years, all pointless?

  But here's where my pros come in:
  -The characters are actually well designed and look like a proper mix of genetics from their parents.*

  -The gags are honestly pretty hilarious, I always find myself laughing at least once per episode.

  -It's cute. Downright adorable. Character interactions remind of what it was like to be a real kid again.

  -Fight scenes might be far between, but the ones we get are all very well fleshed out and don't disappoint!

  Cons:
  -Remember that star next to the first pro? Shikadai is the problem. Just a straight clone of his dad through and through. While Metal Lee might also seem to fit here, at least that is what you have come to expect from his line of taijutsu only based characters. From Gai to Rock to Metal, the bowl cut green suit wearing lineage shall not die!

  -The plot. What, you expected me to defend the plot because I defended the fact that it's not Naruto? No, no. I watch them both for very different reasons. Now that said, keep in mind this con IS subject to change at any given moment. While the anime itself might actually have strong plot going, as it approaches the manga bits, I can expect this to change, sadly. As this is the review for the anime, I will avoid putting direct manga spoilers in this note, however, as hype as the main plot point is for the manga, the way it's going about it is not. But as I said, that is subject to change, and I actually expect it to as well based off of the first bit from Episode 1 where we see future Boruto already. So take this con with a grain of salt.

  -The inconsistencies. This mostly goes with the older characters (especially Naruto and Sasuke themselves) where we expect them to be full blown badasses based off the end of Shippuuden, but once you hit the Naruto Gaiden arc it's like watching a professional Smash player get their sh*t kicked in by a lvl 1 bot. But then they find another opponent which is much stronger and beat that one with lots more relative ease? I'm not 100% certain what they are doing with this, but it just seems like they have a power scale inconsistency for almost all characters, really. It's only MOST noticeable in the older ones though because we already have a base for them.

  Overall, while I mostly watch Boruto so far simply because it makes me happy and reminds me of better times, the story itself isn't a bother and is at the very least worth checking out. Enjoy!

  EDIT: Fixed a couple typos, added a minor detail about the strength of an opponents in the final con. (Edit date: 01/29/2019)

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• 

  MakotoShishio

  80/100
  Boruto is a great misunderstood anime, here's why.

  Nowadays, It's hard to jump online without seeing hate on Boruto. It's become a trend to do so. It gets you likes, clicks, views, and whatnot. But that's just It. A lot of "gotcha" noise.

  You can't talk about about Boruto without talking about Naruto. I first got into It in 2005 and It's been with me ever since, It's my all time favorite series. I have a lot of love for it - even during the endless fillers I had to sit through on a weekly basis. Kishimoto perfectly created a world divided by hatred and prejudice mixed in with a little bit of hope depicted by both it's my main characters - Naruto and Sasuke - and the journey that unified the Shinobi World at a great cost - human casualties, wars, sacrifices etc. In doing so, Naruto has achieved his ultimate dream of becoming Hokage.

  He's created a world of peace and stability - solidifying himself as the greatest leader. This is where Boruto's story begins. In an era of peace.

  In this review, I'll dissect the series in it's strongest points and weaknesses. I'll also be addressing the usual "complaints" people have with it and debunking them.

  First complaint people have with Boruto that I usually see is that It's too friendly and childish. I don't think that's the case all that much, but the fact that the world is at peace may give off that impression. Kishimoto said this himself prior to the anime's release that he wants Boruto to start off in this kind of manner to showcase the inevitable change in growth in the main characters as they get lost in the journey of life and the battles to come later on. We're beginning to see a shift in tone as well as the characters have gone through a various number of arcs and growth since the early Academy Days.

  In my opinion, I think It's genius to begin the series in such a manner to avoid doing a disservice to the sacrifices we saw in the previous series - Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden - and the Hokage himself.

  We're 155 episodes in. That's a lot on the surface - but if you compare it to It's predecessor of 720 episodes - It ain't all that much for a series in the Naruto franchise. Keep this in mind for the points to come.

  Second complaint people have with Boruto that's factually incorrect is that a lot of folks think the anime is 95% filler.

  It simply ain't.

  It's easy to have this misconception because of the original Naruto series but Boruto is an entirely different case. I'll explain:

  Naruto was a weekly manga that used fillers most of the times to avoid getting into the story for different reasons.

  Boruto is a monthly manga that can only do so much in terms of plot due to it's format and needs the anime to expand on the manga's story by creating Anime Original material supervised by the manga author himself - Ukyo Kodachi.

  I'll give you an example:

  Sometimes the anime would expand on a manga detail or lack of - even characters - by creating an arc around them that tie into the manga events. We've seen this numerous times in several anime original arcs that tie into major manga plot points and characters to make the world more grand and interesting. You'd have to be a manga reader to notice the little subtle details that connect the entire story together.

  So nothing in Boruto is filler. Even the crappy episodes. We've had several of them. Which is natural since this is a long running series. This is confirmed by Kishimoto himself and the Boruto production team (manga and anime). So don't take the word of some troll online.

  We gotta talk about the pacing. It's simply not for everyone. Boruto can be really slow sometimes. It can be really frustrating too. It takes it's time with different arcs and has quite a few transitional episodes in between them. This is a legitimate critique that I have with the anime - but this isn't anything new when you compare to the likes of Naruto, Bleach, One Piece etc. On a binge, It can be a quick breeze though.

  Third complaint people have with Boruto is that It should've been seasonal. This is a preference. I don't think it's a problem for people to want it seasonal - but I don't think It's fair to undermine what we currently have. I've mentioned this earlier, considering the manga is monthly, there's really so much It could do. So It focuses on the main plot and very little outside of it. This is why I really enjoy Boruto being a long running series.

  Where the manga fails to do in developing a proper side cast, the anime excels at. Just think of how Shippuden neglected a lot of our beloved Konoha 11. Sadly, the Boruto manga has the same issue. This is where the anime really does a wonderful job building a wide array of supporting characters - even in the major plot lines.

  So think about the last few points in this manner.

  You can either enjoy your favorite seasonal anime - like My Hero and wait a year or more in between seasons -

  Or

  Enjoy seeing your favorite characters from Boruto on a weekly basis in between different anime canon arcs that sometimes develop the world, the characters, Introduce future manga concepts, that connect to the manga plot-line and manga arcs - supervised by the creator himself.

  World Building is also something the manga and the previous Naruto series struggled to do. This is something the Boruto anime excels at - So far we're able to see Konoha's Growth, The Hidden Mist, The Hidden Stone, The Sand Village, Ryuchi Cave, Otsutsuki's etc.

  Fourth Major Complaint people have is one I find silly. Technology. Just think of yourself as the reader of this review - how are you reading it? On your laptop, phone, iPad, or the many other options you have? Look around you and look how much the world has changed in our modern times compared to just 10 to 15 years ago.

  This is the natural growth that we've seen in the Naruto world. It's technologically advanced. It's a modern civilization. With that comes dangers, just like in our own lifetimes.

  You have Scientific Tools that can boost characters and villains to become greater than normal but it's about how the user utilizes it. This is a great way of creating more conflict in the series.

  Final complaint people have with the anime is the main character himself - Boruto Uzumaki.

  He doesn't have a goal. He's a brat. He's overpowered at a young age etc etc

  1) He does have a goal. He wants to be the supporting shadow like his idol Sasuke to help the village.
  Unlike his Dad and Grandfather.

  2) Boruto may seem like a brat cause of the movie events or the early episodes but that was the point of his character growth very early on. He doesn't know what we know about his Dad. All he see's is his Dad being away all the time and he misses him. This is a character arc that he goes through early on for the sake of the story. It also develops Naruto as a character.

  3) He's the son of Naruto and the Hyuga, student of Sasuke, you bet he's gonna be strong early on. This can be applied to all the new gen. All of them are kids of the greatest era that won the Shinobi War.

  Boruto is a wonderfully flawed character with a burden of a future looming over him that'll shatter the Shinobi era. These are little subliminal details that have already been addressed all throughout the anime.

  The Boruto anime is a reverse story of Naruto. It's a journey of having everything early on to nothingness at the end. Little by little, you'll miss the lighter tone and the academy days, and you'll miss the supporting cast being the focus.

  It is really quite unique compared to most Shonen people tend to gravitate to. It is by no means perfect. It has its flaws, a lot of them, but what anime doesn't? I have issues with the villains in the series as they tend to be underwhelming but not all are bad. Besides, there's a specific Organization from the manga that's behind the scenes so far in the anime that are edging closer and closer to their introduction. Villains worthy of the Naruto franchise.

  It has decent to great animation to legendary animation when needed, the soundtrack is beautiful, the new gen characters are great as are the old generation who play a great vital role, the action is there when it needs to be, the story is there, the drama and tension is there when it needs to be, It truly is a next generation series that exists in the Naruto franchise.

  When deciding on whether you should watch Boruto or not, just give it a shot and keep an open mind. Ignore the misconceptions I've pointed out. Boruto isn't for everyone, but It is by no means bad.

  It's incredibly popular in Japan and the Rest of the World outside the West, the manga is one of the best Jump has to offer, the anime is surely heading in that trajectory albeit in its own route. It has a lot to offer for new fans and the old fans.. as long as you keep an open mind and ignore the clickbait noise surrounding It.

  Boruto is a great heavily misunderstood series that focuses more on the endgame, than the now and the journey of getting there. I hope I was able to contribute just a little to those who look to delve into it.

  If anyone has a question about Boruto, please feel free to message me. I'm happy to help ^^

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