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「ダブり:留年の危機」 (Daburi: Ryuunen no Kiki)
“Crisis: The Threat of Failing”
Evident in his phobia of failing tests, you can see that Denki is a high achiever. However, Denki’s notion of failure captures Iwabe’s predicament quite well. It already hurts being a warning to others not to be a failure like yourself, but hearing it from a dear friend must cut quite deep. With their ensuing differences, both go about trying to find solutions for their own respective problems of ninjutsu and academics.
Springtime of Youth
Wow, I honestly didn’t realise how much I actually missed Rock Lee. He adds the kind of cheesiness we’ve been needing for a show that is meant to revolve around kids. In addition to rescuing Denki from certain death, trying to sell his brand of ninja clothing was the cherry on the icing. That kind of shameless self plug is something only Rock Lee could pull unawares with a straight face. Speaking of which, given the high specifications of the clothes, ninja technology sure has come a long way.
Reconciliation
It takes two to tango. Setting aside their differences, Iwabe and Denki team up to help each other pass the exam. It takes a special kind of genius to consider adopting a regimen of studying upside down. But somehow, such an unorthodox training method works out, as the flow of chakra boosts Iwabe’s learning retention. My eyes were quite moist from seeing two good friends who would never abandon each other, working together to cross the finishing line. How could you not root for them? However, their friendship and what they learn is put to the test, when a fire breaks out in some apartment blocks, coinciding with the timing of their Genin examination.
Fire Rescue
The new range of burger is too strong, and I suspect it may have instigated our outbreak of fire. I’m surprised there were no water jutsu users in the nearby vicinity of the incident. Naruto barely showed casual civilians, making it easy for an assumption to form that Konoha was purely populated by powerful ninja. Boruto does not shy away from the scale of urbanisation, presenting the plight of some ordinary civilians and demonstrating the existence of an emergency service beyond simply having military and police units flex their might.
I admire Iwabe’s selflessness. Not only would he go save kids, without a second thought for his own safety and the prospect of failing his exams, he also had the best interest of his friend in mind. But he should know that his friend would never abandon him! Rock Lee’s ninja suit even comes in handy, with its fire retardant properties allowing Denki to dash in and join Iwabe in rescuing the children.
My heart sunk when the two missed their exam. Chou Chou took the words right out of my mouth, because they had me worried. But count on Shino-sensei to take a purposive interpretation regarding the Ninja Exam. Though my eyebrows raise at how he went from nil to electrical engineer, Iwabe successfully fixing the water sprinkler circuitry himself is testimony to how far he came along in the span of a week. Scepticism aside, even with Iwabe singlehandedly doing most of the work, Denki’s presence was critical in rescuing all three children as Iwabe could only carry two. Deeming their rescue efforts to have gone beyond what was required to pass the exam, Shino permits a special exception by promoting the two to Genin.
Concluding Thoughts
The friendship between Iwabe and Denki is so eccentric, funny and heartfelt. I just can’t help but care a lot for this odd pair. While I was disappointed we weren’t getting the Sarada Gaiden straight away, I actually ended up being significantly emotionally invested this episode. Definitely far more than I could have expected. That said, I think it would have made for a really interesting and dark twist if they punished Iwabe and Denki for making the right choice. If Iwabe really turns out to be Kawaki from the first episode, his subsequent disillusionment at the shinobi system would have set up a fitting backstory to justify the decision to destroy Konoha.
Looking forwards, everyone has now graduated from Ninja Academy. We can expect some content fleshing out characters, between now and the Sarada Gaiden starting in Episode 19. After that, we’ll be getting down to Genin squad assignments, which is where the fun and missions finally begin!
Preview
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This episode felt VERY Shonen.
That said, those two and Sumire will probably definitely be on the same team indeed.
Can we all just appreciate Denki for filling in a role Shippuden Naruto had: being the one clueless guy who needed explaining to so newcomers could also understand the principles.
I couldn’t help but feel Boruto and Kakashi making a sort of parallel. Both are gifted at doing what they do–won’t be surprised if he can walk on water in the same hour he’s taught. But at the same time, he’s a terrible teacher of passing on a craft, just like Kakashi.
And Rock Lee was a refreshing sight… though I’m surprised that somehow, the jumpsuit actually looked better on a glasses boy than bowlcut men.
It’s confirmed: Shino-sensei is my favourite version of Shino in all Naruto stories. He still has problems to keep his students focused during class, but when push comes to shove, he knows how to make the right call.
Ok, this basically sets in stone that Denki and Iwabe will team up from now on. And who’ll be the third member? Because we know that graduation is coming, and from now on it seems that the anime only characters will become a common sight in the story, probably to make the numbers get closer to an alternative Konoha 12 (Boruto, Sarada, Mitsuki, Shikadai, Inojin, Cho cho, Metal Lee, Denki, Iwabe, Sumire… and who knows who else will join).
I only have one question: 7 year old? I’ve been asking about their ages in other places, but no one seems to point out to a source for that age beyond the parallelisms with the academy in the original series.
And yet, nothing will change the fact that Shino is still Shino xD
And I heard somewhere that Boruto is 8 when he first started… but he feels more like 10
Their source was chapter 700 where the kids were confirmed to be around 7 years old, but a recent Light Novel came with an official timeline confirming that ch700 takes place years before ep1. Knowing Japanese educational system, Academy will probably last for 3 years so, all things considered, the characters should be around 10 years old at least.
Speaking of which, seems liek the first yera of Academy is over. I wonder if each year will encompass one arc.
https://randomc.net/image/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations%20-%2016%20-%20Large%2014.jpg
The best surprise is to discover that these two are related…
And we all know who the mother is…
Many people guessed Tenten, but she was never shown with Rock and Metal, not even in the new ED. I doubt they’d keep her excluded if she were the mother, they never hid other parents.
At least during the beggining, when he decided that Rock Lee had a son named Metal Lee, the creator said that he had not thought about who the mother was. For all that we know, his mother could have been some unknown someone.
Although, it would be kind of fun to see Rock Lee and Tenten together.
“…and possess a control of chakra fine enough to walk up walls at the tender age of 7, it’s no wonder that kids are at risk of repeating a year.”
For the record, they are actually around the tender age of 10. The Light Novels revealed the official timeline, and it notes that chapter 700 (which is where most people got their age numbers from) is said to take several years before episode 1. True, ch700 was said to take place in academy, but it was seemingly softly retconned to preschool (I don’t really mind the retcon, as it makes more sense to star tthe actual training later, especially in these times of peace).
Milk no jutsu.
https://randomc.net/image/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations%20-%2016%20-%20Large%2035.jpg
Wow, a teacher that understands that knowledge is useless unless you can apply it to real life. My type of teacher, if only real life teachers were like this.
https://randomc.net/image/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations%20-%2016%20-%20Large%2029.jpg
And jesus, I know this is fiction but that is a peculiar curriculum, to make kids learn such things. Shinobi sure are getting more advanced.
I’m one 😀
My colleagues, unfortunately, enforce that standardized stuff are still necessary and unavoidable :/
And to be fair, it’s the modern age. A lot of tech comes around, and ninjas have to keep up.
Also, ninjas seem to have become more than special ops forces. Like the firefighters using ninja techniques to put out the fire, so more advanced and more varied knowledge makes sense for a wider range of future careers.