Just 574 days after their theatrical release, the home media release of Boruto: Naruto The Movie finally hits the UK. Manga Entertainment have made this title available on both Blu-ray and DVD. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie when I saw it in the cinema twice back in 2015, but is the movie as good as I remember, and, more importantly, is Manga’s blu-ray worth picking up? Keep reading to find out.
It’s a shame it has taken so long for a home media release to be made available, but at least we did get theatrical screenings back in 2015. Boruto: Naruto The Movie, hereafter referred to as just Boruto, is set many years after the original series, with Naruto and Hinata now married with two children, the titular Boruto, and Himawari. Naruto is now the Seventh Hokage, and this movie sees Boruto dealing with his father’s absence due to the demanding role he plays. He decides to ask Sasuke, in town to warn Naruto of an impending foe, to train him, who agrees when Boruto is able to perform a Rasengan, meagre though it may be. Boruto takes advantage of his position as son of the Seventh Hokage and uses some new-fangled magical ninja technology in order to cheat in the Chunin exams, with the aim of impressing his father and spending more time with him. Naruto realises he is cheating, however, and disqualifies him during the third phase. It is at this point, the powerful foe appears and destroys the arena. From here on, Boruto has to quickly learn what it means to live in the world of ninja, and what a shinobi truly is, in order to aid in defeating the foe. This experience brings father and son closer together, with Boruto deciding on what his Ninja Way is, and choosing to support the dream of fellow Team Konohamaru member Sarada going forward
When I saw it in the cinema, I was blown away, and I’m glad that I can now say that the movie has impressed me once again after a year and a half of waiting patiently. It’s incredibly satisfying for the focus to be on a younger generation once again, after so long being stuck in what was close to a floating timeline. Going into the movie, I was worried all of the new characters would be carbon copies of their parents, but, thankfully, this movie makes it apparent that is not the case, especially with its conclusion. The greatest part, in my opinion anyway, of this movie, lies in the post-credits scene; the reveal of the parent of the third member of Team Konohamaru, Mitsuki.
This movie is the best the Naruto series has ever looked, and it really puts the currently airing Boruto anime series to shame, with detailed art, prominent lines, and a sharp, vibrant image. I haven’t tried the DVD version, but this movie deserves to be seen on blu-ray. The subtitles are white, and easy to distinguish throughout the entire movie. Much like their Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Side of Dimensions release, this movie features both English and Japanese audio tracks in both 2.0 and 5.1, with an English subtitles track. I chose to stick to the Japanese audio track I know and love; the 5.1 track mostly just takes advantage of the rear channels for loud noises during action scenes. The English dub still features the same awful voice for Naruto, and I still question why.
In terms of bonus features, this release is somewhat disappointing. Included are a 90-second trailer and a 30-second trailer, alongside The Day Naruto Became Hokage OVA. Unlike the Viz blu-ray in the US, there is no art gallery, storyboards, or clean ending. Worst of all, the OVA is dub-only, despite the movie being dual audio. I avoid the Naruto dub usually, as the voice actor for Naruto provides the worst instance of voice acting I have ever had the misfortune of being subjected to. Let me put it this way, some ADR direction from Kyle Jones could potentially improve Naruto’s dub voice. I attempted to watch this OVA, and had to eject the disc once Naruto began to speak; how the voice actor has been able to retain this role for so long is beyond me. I’d blame the dubbing studio, Studiopolis, but they’ve proven themselves with another beloved franchise lately by providing the dub for Digimon Adventure tri, a dub which is easily one of the best I’ve heard.