Jan 14, 2022
I recently caught up to episode 231 (I did skim through the filler arcs which were truly boring). I came here to rate the show only to realize I had already given it a 1/10 a few years ago after dropping it on the 64th episode.
I was so angry with myself for giving it such a terrible rating simply because "it wasn't as good as the OG Naruto". In some aspects yes, it wasn't up to par with original.
For example:
- Animation was average until some major fight scenes
- Story was just a mash up of some untied loose ends from Naruto Shippuden and The
...
Last. The adventures the new gen kids went on were, in a word, "cutesy". Whereas in Naruto, there was no telling how gruesome the fights would get and who would end up dead.
- Debuffing the old heroes wasn't cool but I guess necessary to let the new gen shine.
- Some of the new ninjutsu logic bothered me. I just accepted it as something the higher powers were able to do. It was a bit like the final fights in Shippuden. I guess randomly giving the heroes powers is something I can't critique Boruto on since it happened in Shippuden too.
All that aside, there were many things I did like about Boruto. I got into Boruto again after watching episodes 128-136. I feel like this arc was made to appease old Naruto fans like myself. I slowly got curious about Boruto as an individual (separate from Naruto) after this arc and went through the show again. I began to understand (and even like) the new story. Of course, I still like watching Naruto and Sasuke fight more than Boruto's gang, but I don't exactly hate the new kids either.
An episode I feel like many old fans will like is 204. You will start the episode wanting Naruto, but continue watching the next episodes for Boruto. This was one of the points I realized that the show didn't necessarily need the old gen to still be good.
At least, that's how I felt. I ended up watching every episode after 204 because of the reason above.
Things Boruto did better than Naruto:
- Soundtracks were God-tier, especially near the end. At some points, I only finished watching a fight because the score was so good.
- The power balance. Yes, Boruto will likely be stronger than most characters since he's the protagonist. But it isn't as obvious as it was in Naruto (as in, Naruto and Sasuke were the only two who could save everyone). The other characters have their fair share too. In particular Sarada. I assumed she'd be stripped of her glory and cast aside like Sakura was, but she wasn't. She's the first girl in the Naruto universe I actually like because of her strength, brains, and nice personality. In Naruto, Tsunade, Hinata, and the Mizukage were strong, but the fixation on their sex ruined their characters for me. And the ones without sex appeal like Sakura were made to be hated. Speaking of Sakura, that leads to my next point:
- The grown up characters are refreshing to see. For example, we get to see Sakura for the amazing person she really is, in particular when it comes to the strong mother-daughter relationship she and Sarada have. Naruto and Sasuke having to take responsibility as leaders and parents is also nice to see.
I understand why many don't like this show. It's not Naruto. But to be frank, comparing Boruto to Naruto isn't very fair. The older sibling is bound to be perceived better since they were first. But the youngest has good qualities about them too.
Anyway, Boruto has enough uniqueness to it to be given a chance. At least try the episodes I mentioned above. There's a better side to Boruto than what was presented in the first 60 episodes. It's really not as bad as one may think. And to the old Naruto fans, try to be a little more open-minded~
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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