Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
「魔獣、現る・・・!!」 (Majuu, Arawaru···!!)
“The Demon Beast Appears!”
Sumire’s Backstory
Mother of Hashirama Senjuu! Danzo is an even bigger scumbag than I previously thought, and it seems like his experiments went way too far. By that, I mean to disapprove of the inhumane experimentation involving the Gozu Tennō. It disturbs me how a psychopathic powerhungry maniac like Danzo was able to easily inspire faith and loyalty from many others. From my past familiarity of Sai being a complete tool, my money would be on indoctrination and brainwashing. These are the kinds of people who are hungry for power, but should not be allowed to maintain power, because their own grand designs could potentially interfere with the notion of a greater good by exercising absolute power to exploit vulnerable people.
In retrospect, the actions of Sumire’s father – Tanuki – do not differ greatly from Minato, where both sealed a monstrous abomination within their children. But here, I would distinguish Minato’s heroic intentions from Tanuki’s delusional jingoism. This parallel contrasting Minato and Tanuki can also be reflected between Boruto and Sumire, where they both proclaim about doing what their fathers could not do. Sumire’s sinister delivery heavily differs from the selfless determination exhibited by Boruto, and in both circumstances, evil and good manage to do the same thing for opposite reasons. Such a spectacular juxtaposition serves to highlight the importance of perspectives in regards to personal experience.
A noticeable emphasis is placed upon a recurrent theme in the series of children bearing a heavy burden – living up to the legacy of their parents in addition to the expectations set down by them. Some people are crushed and end up being completely defined by it, whereas others like Boruto struggle against following a path predetermined by others. In this case, Tanuki’s quest for vengeance ends up defining Sumire, causing her to facilitate an attack via the Nue upon Konoha, not dissimilar to a fully released tailed beast.
Nue Subjugation Squad
Naruto effortlessly phasing was super cool, and it feels like he’s come so far from being the lame kid constantly making mistakes, into this awesome guy who is pretty much divinity. Sadly, the moment passed all too quickly due to a logistical issue.
In this instance, his powers were limited in a fairly practical way that didn’t seem like a total asspull. Seeing the introduction of a challenge, where brute force cannot resolve the situation proves to be an interesting test of Naruto’s capabilities as Hokage. Though I’d imagine that Naruto could easily defeat the Nue in a no bars straight on encounter, where the safety of Konohagakure is concerned, he has his hands tied behind his back.
Now, I’m not claiming to be an expert but with a monster that absorbs chakra, where the heck is Rock Lee?!? If Gai could take on the Four Tails with Seventh Gate Release, what’s to stop Lee from perfectly disposing of the situation for the sake of his ninja pals? Then again, it would make the story way too easy. Guess it also allows eye candy moments for fans of the original series. Cue fangasm when Kakashi flew from the heavens, raining down Purple Lightning onto the Nue.
Confrontation
When Mitsuki’s mission turned into killing Sumire, I had to wonder when did Orochimaru start issuing orders to protect Konoha. Feels quite ironic, but I guess it does show he has turned a new hidden leaf for whatever reason. The ensuing confrontation between Mitsuki and Sumire could have had better animation, but the choreography was excellent. Not many things get me stoked like time and space jutsus, and Boruto’s ocular transportation jutsu looks like a totally amped up version of Kakashi’s kamui. I look forwards to seeing how this power will be incorporated in the future, but hopefully it will not become an ability Boruto can spam while still being so young.
Boruto’s ultimate decision actually brings him closer to Naruto, by looking for a third solution where neither the village or the class representative are sacrificed. Watching him jump into the unknown of a dangerous dark vortex spiralling out of control in order to save Sumire, outlines his convictions to uphold his ideals. Success or failure, his character will surely see positive quantities of substantial growth from these events.
Concluding Thoughts
This oncoming whiff of Talk no Jutsu smells more obvious than someone farting after eating some super spicy curry, only its far more potent in turncoating even the most hard stuck ideological extremists. Everyone from Zabuza to Obito fell for its powers, and with the exception of Gaara, pretty much everyone also ended up kicking the bucket soon after. Naruto probably would have got Madara too, if only Black Zetsu hadn’t ruined things. But that’s a conspiracy theory for another time. I just hope Sumire doesn’t die, as I’ve come to really like this newly exposed duplicity in her character.
Preview
 |
 |
 |
Yep, again the parallelism with the original Kyubi attack, now offering a darker take on Minato’s actions by showcasing how such a heavy burden can be used to twist a poor kid into a WMD.
Also, war on terror parallelisms.
The conversation between Naruto, Kakashi and Shikamaru about the convenience of vetting every citizen’s background in search of radical connections, the kages’ fears that it would have caused paranoia and mistrust, and Kakashi’s description of the Gozu Tennou’s plan (“The user of Gozu Tennou would be sent into enemy territory to go on a rampage, and then he would blow himself up along with everyone in the vicinity”) sound all very familiar to a modern audience. Other people have also pointed out that the decision to turn a blind eye to former Root associates in order not to open wounds after a great war that devastated society is also reminiscent of Japan after WWII. Who knows.
Mitsuki was surprised about it, remembering that the original order was to keep an eye on her, nothing more, so I wonder if that mission is a secret test of character for both Mitsuki and Boruto. This is (possibly) Orochimaru we’re talking about, twisted mind games are part of his modus operandi.
Also, am I the only one who thinks that the teleportation was done by the Nue and not Boruto? The colour of the portal and the fact that Sumire expected it and offered her chakra to the beast make me think so.
Definitely seeing the war on terror parallel here, in the potential for a communal divide to be created, just because of an association with Root. Also seeing the link with post-war Japan. I think it’s a pretty relevant issue that has persisted throughout the ages, tying in with warfare and distrust to become a mainstay of humanity.
Interested to see what Orochimaru’s motives truly are, but at the moment all we can do is guess. If I had to take a stab in the dark, I would be impartial to the idea that Orochimaru got successfully Talk no Jutsu’d by Sasuke towards the end of the original series.
Now that you raise the possibility, I can see how the Nue could have been responsible for the teleportation rather than Boruto. This would also resolve the issue of Boruto having an untapped OP power that lies dormant until time of crises. It would cheapen plot resolutions, so I would be glad if it didn’t even come about as a plot device.
At day, she is called Hinata 2.0. But at night, she is the baddest girl in Konoha!
I wish there were more badass Uchiha females. Imagine how kickass you can be with the combination of edginess and the Sharingan. Hopefully Sarada can start a new trend here.
https://randomc.net/image/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations%20-%2013%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg
She looks nicer with her hair this way.
Anyway, I don’t suppose a kiss, from Boruto, can change things.
That’s not gonna stop the fanworks though. I’m personally looking forward to it.
Don’t think a kiss would happen, simply because we never got kisses in the original Naruto if you think about it. The only ones we got from central characters were never sincere –> Naruto x Sasuke meme + Sakura trying to alleviate the burden she placed on Naruto to save Sasuke. By the way, this would include other pairings like Shikamaru + Temari, Naruto + Hinata, etc.
Also, I especially doubt that romance would be incorporated at such an early age.
It’s difficult to get a balance right, since romance may detract from the messages Kishimoto was intending to provide. e.g. the cycle of hatred, the horrors of war, the eternal brotherhood between Naruto and Sasuke, etc. So I think Kishimoto made a good choice excluding most of the romance stuff in spite of fan wishes.
Practically recycled hinata
Dammit Danzo! It’s been at least TWENTY FUCKING YEARS since you DIED and you’re still causing trouble for everybody!
That aid, I love the parallel this had to Naruto’s own origin, as well as Minato’s decision, and the darker shade to it. Given what Boruto already knows about his dad, this’ll likely enforce his outlook of “those close to me than the masses”
That being said, I still think Boruto’s decision to “save both” stems from said outlook, it just so happens to coincide with Naruto’s. Naruto would have wanted to save everybody for the sake that they’re people, regardless of any and all circumstances; still consistent with his heroic character. The reason Boruto comes to a similar decision isn’t because he cares about Konoha, but because he cares about his family–especially Himawari and Hinata–as well as his friends, which includes Sumire. I suspect even his Talk no Jutsu will e presented differently from Naruto’s, and will be more about defiance than acceptance (Naruto’s TnJ theme).
Sumire is still bae, loli or not. And while I’m sad to see the cute braids go, you gotta love the backless outfit.
Wishful thinking on my part is Boruto helps her escape Konoha forces and/or she gives him a kiss anywhere for his troubles. Because while I liked BoruSara, this is just cuter.
Boruto’s Proto-Tenseigan (yes, I’ll call it that because it seems to be something either in-between or more ancient in design or a different version of it) really surprised me with the warp thing. I didn’t expect that from a Byakugan-related Dojutsu (while the I’d expect it from Sharingan), then I thought about it:
All Otsutsukis have the Byakugan. Only people like Hamura ascended it to Tenseigan. What if the Nue is related to the Otsutsukis just as Boruto’s naturally combined genes are connected to it? That would explain why he could summon a weaker Nue.
On a side note, I cheered when we finally got to see a visual of Purple Lightning! It looks like a practical, slashing-instead-of-thrusting version of something between Chidori and Raikiri. I’m hoping the manga stat page didn’t call bullshit, because I wanna see Boruto be able to use it too eventually.
Danzo. tsk.
But yeah, definitely was a parallel with Naruto’s origin, and you can even see the empathy he extends out towards Sumire. He got pretty worked up saying that children without parents should not be discriminated from entering academy and whatnot.
Hopefully we can see Boruto’s TnJ will be markedly different from Naruto’s. It would present an interesting dynamic to the series, and vary up the way in which it is used to resolve conflicts. Wouldn’t it be awesome if Kishimoto officially recognised it as a Jutsu? Though I suppose one could call it an extension of the Will of Fire.
I think I have to back Sumire on this one. There hasn’t been enough Sarada yet for me to form a solid opinion backing her up. Again, like I said before, don’t think a kiss would be likely unless it was for the laughs –> Naruto x Sasuke.
That’s an awesome way to refer to Boruto’s dojutsu, but I think I’ll wait for the creative team to decide on a name for it in the future.
Think Sumire might have summoned the Nue on that roof the one time, rather than Boruto. We’ll wait and see, but I don’t think the Nue has a significant link with the Otsutsukis.
Actually, kind of miss Kakashi and his signature Chidori. But it made sense to wind him down after the final grand battle. It would have been too ridiculous if Kakashi kept Obito’s upgraded Sharingan, and Konoha may as well never be in trouble ever again provided Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke were all alive.
Is there an episode count attached to this series yet? Or is it a case of it continuing until they stop making money off the Naruto/Boruto brand? I was considering dropping for a while until a good number of episodes have been released. Mostly because Shonen anime is typically best watched a few episodes at a time.
Presumably, it’s tied in with the concurrent Boruto manga. But I also do believe they have a greater goal in mind, beyond continuing to make money off of the Naruto brand.
You know this shit was lit when the eye of boruto makes a raikiri
https://randomc.net/image/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations%20-%2013%20-%20Large%2033.jpg
I have to hand it to Boruto. They managed to turn one of the most boring build ups in the Naruto/Boruto history into an amazing thing.
Slow clap to the terrorism references, with the Danzo idea of super-amped suicide bombers, a brain washing indoctrination that aimed solely for the continuity of Konoha, despite cost and sacrifice. Even the side effects of terrorism were approached with the suspicion control tactics put into practice by Naruto and his staff. That was both relevant and well written.
Even if you refuse to dive into deeper interpretation, the end stretch of this ark is still surprisingly good, posing the always splitting need of sacrificing one for the greater good. Of course, this being an anime not too interested in diving deeper into oceans of unfathomable blackness – at least for the time being- Boruto, still the optimist, chooses to save everyone.
I’m pretty sure that he will do it too. In the opening sequence, Sumire is a part of Chocho and the tailed girl’s team; so the until now most interesting character will be pulled back into the warm shores of hope and friendship 🙂
I saw it less as “Save everybody” and more “Save my mom, my sister, my classmates–including Sumire”
It just coincides with “saving everybody”
He’s more about the relationships closer to hand than people in general
PS: Fitting name you got there
Interesting.