Boruto takes place around when Naruto became the Hokage which means that a huge amount of time has passed from when the original series began to where Boruto began. Because of this the technology in the ninja world has greatly advanced and the inhabitants now have TVs computers and video games which was a nice addition to the world. Everything looks more modern to coincide with how the real world is changing which I found to be a nice touch that made the world feel even more alive that it has before. Even if the whole movie takes place in the Hidden Leaf Village which is starting to look like the Hidden Leaf City. Like the original series Boruto: Naruto the Movie tells the story of a boy that feels alone in the world he lives in. While it may seem like a rehash of the original its very different considering that unlike Naruto Boruto has a family to live with. While he does have his mother Hinata and his younger sister Himawari to keep him company he is mainly upset that Naruto doesnt spend enough time with him. This is where most of the problems come from in the story. Because of this throughout the movie Boruto becomes distant from everyone in the village and acts angry at everyone around him much like his father at the beginning of the original. People may see this as a problem but I didnt mind it. It gives a new perspective on the kind of story that was told in the original and is basically what things would be like if Minato was still alive when Naruto was growing up. Especially to someone who was wondering what Narutos life would be like if that happened it was nice to see this movie tackle that kind of plot. The main problems I have with the story are with who the hell the villain is I think hes related to Kaguya but since I havent seen a lot of Shippuden I dont know who she is and what importance she has in the plot. That problem is basically on my end and a somewhat major plot point that goes nowhere. Without spoiling anything theres this device introduced that Boruto uses during the Chunin Exams that gets him in trouble and humiliated in front of everyone. This was all fine except that the whole plot around these things go nowhere and after the final battle everybody moves on like nothing happened and nobodys mad at Boruto anymore. It may be because he helped saved the day in the end but the whole plot surrounding the devices is just forgotten by the end. Its not like thats really a bad thing considering they didnt serve a whole lot of purpose anyway. It still would have been nice if they put some conformation as to what happened with it. In terms of story Boruto does a pretty good job. Much like how Boruto borrowed quite a bit in the story department from its predecessor it borrows even more with its characters. But in the end its not really a bad thing. Of course the characters that you know and love from the original series are back and all grown up and a lot of their kids appear as main characters in this new installment. To start with lets talk about Boruto. Hes a lot like his father hotheaded angry and stubborn. But unlike his father Boruto lives a more normal life than Naruto did when he was Borutos age. Boruto has a lot more to protect since he has a mother sister friends and teachers that all like him. What I like the most is that because his father is busy with being the Hokage Boruto doesnt want to be the Hokage and instead wants to focus on being a strong Shinobi. The Hokage goal is left to his friend and fellow squad member: Sarada Uchiha the daughter of Sasuke and Sakura. From the decent amount of screen time that she gets Sarada seems to be a nice mix of Sasuke and Sakuras personalities mostly borrowing from Sakuras side since she seems to have borrowed her mothers tough personality and signature CHA. Apart from Sarada the only other new characters that we see are Mitsuki who is Boruto and Saradas third team member. Unfortunately we dont see a lot of Mitsuki in this movie but he seems like a cool ninja. Its especially cool when you find out who his parents are at the end of the movie which is hopefully set up for whats to come in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. We also see other new ninja like Shikidai Nara Shikamaru and Temaris son Chouchou Akimichi I think shes Choujis daughter but it doesnt reveal anything Inojin Yamanaka Ino and Sais son I think and some returning characters like Rock Lee Tenten Kakashi Darui Killer Bee and a grownup Konohamaru who is Boruto Sarada and Mitsukis sensei. The worst part of the characters is the extremely bland villains. The two villains Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ootsutsuki are bland boring and seem to only be there to have a plot to this movie. Theyre both descendants of the Ootsutsuki clan and they do some badass things but it is never explained why they are doing what they do and why they want unlimited power. Its unfortunate since they could have made the movie slightly longer and gone into their motives without the movie feeling like a slog. Its 90 minutes anyway so its not like it would have made much of a difference anyway. I only say this because Naruto was always good at giving backstories to minor villains in the series. Characters in the original like Haku Zabuza Zaku and Kimimaro could have been left to just be generic villains but where fleshed out during their fights and it made you sad when they all died. Even one of the earlier filler arcs in the original fleshed out its villain more and that says a lot since the Land of Tea Race Arc isnt that great. This problem could have easily been avoided which is unfortunate since this is a good movie. Hopefully theyll fix it if they bring them back in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. What can I say Yasuharu Takanashi returns to compose the music for this movie since he did the music for Shippuden and as usual he did a good job. Theyre not the most memorable but they get the job done. I watched this movie in Dub and as usual they did a fantastic job with this movie. All the same voice actors return to voice the characters they did in the original and the new actors brought in to voice the new characters do a fantastic job. Amanda Celine Miller does an amazing job as Boruto especially considering she hasnt done a whole lot in the past. Its always nice to see newer actors getting big roles and getting recognized in the community. Cherami Leigh does a great job as Sarada which isnt surprising since shes one of my favourite voice actors. The only other notable performance is Robbie Daymond as Mitsuki who Im looking forward to seeing more of if not only for Robbies great performance. The Ending Song Diver by KANABOON fits perfectly as the credits theme and almost made me tear up when the movie ended. Further proof that KANABOON is one of the better bands doing anime songs for new shows. In the Sound department Boruto does an excellent job. Never has the world of Naruto looked this amazing. All the colors pop the world looks vibrant and lively and the fight animation is breathtaking. Even though the only big fight scene is at the end it is well worth the wait if you only care about watching awesome fight scenes. The whole scene is filled with insane amounts of sakuga and every attack has a nice impact to it that makes you feel every hit that the characters take. The animation is spectacular and is probably the best Naruto has looked. I say probably since Ive only seen the first movie and the first couple of episodes in Shippuden. In the Animation department Boruto does an amazing job. If you are a fan of Naruto and you havent seen this movie you owe it to yourself and to this series to immediately watch it even if you havent seen the whole series. Boruto is a must watch for all Naruto fans but for anyone that isnt you should at least try the series out and start the original series. Naruto proves time and time again that it never fails to entertain and tell a compelling narrative and Boruto: Naruto the Movie is no exception.
80 /100
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