Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
「ボルトとミツキ」 (Boruto to Mitsuki)
“Boruto and Mitsuki”
Uzumaki Family’s Mealtime
It always heals me inside, seeing Hinata living the dream life, married to her beloved Naruto and raising their kids. For someone kind and gentle, who never gave up and stuck by the convictions of her feelings, she sure deserved all the good things she got! Oh, and can Himawari ever not be so adorable? The food they prepared together also looked really dapper! Plus Papa Uzumaki finally has the time to eat at home for once, and the evening is shaping up in a fine and dandy way. There’s a disgruntled Boruto, but please ignore that. Deep down we all know he’s just being a tsun.
When Naruto froze mid-meal, I got Vietnam flashbacks to the Boruto movie, where his clone went poof during Himawari’s birthday meal. As you can imagine, the resulting consequence was not nice at all. But this time, I heaved a sigh of relief. It definitely could have been worse.
Boruto’s Ninja Way
Whereas Naruto was a lot more self-centred as a child and less willing to cooperate with his peers, Boruto’s selflessness has already won the respect of many fellows in the Ninja Academy. Boruto is willing to work together as a team, even if this comes at the expense of his success, which we can clearly see when he refuses to abandon a struggling Denki, subsequently failing the assignment. Not saying that Naruto wouldn’t work together with people earlier on in the series. Rather, his unwillingness to cooperate with Sasuke and Sakura for Kakashi’s Bell Test pretty much sums my point up.
While Naruto’s desire for recognition stems from a more universal culmination of his wish to become Hokage, Boruto only wants recognition from a father who no longer has much time for him. Naruto’s inability to juggle his job and family life is sadly having an adverse affect on the young boy. But there was undeniable truth in Boruto’s words:
“The Hokage sacrifices those closest to them for the sake of the village”
May I remind you, that Minato chose to seal the Nine Tail Fox inside of Naruto himself, knowing fully well how badly Jinchuuriki were treated. It caused Naruto so much suffering his life and though he’s certainly come out a stronger person, no doubt he had a really shitty childhood. Therefore, Boruto choosing to utterly reject this notion of a Hokage is actually not too surprising. Neither views are wrong so much as equally valid, and I look forwards to seeing how they play-off against each other in defining this father-son relationship.
Random Thoughts
Mitsuki’s soul searching is actually an interesting way of constructing his character, an innate curiosity driving him towards making intriguing developments. I wonder what exactly he’s supposed to achieve, that Orochimaru couldn’t do. This particular revelation within the episode gives off a very ominous premonition, though I generally trust Mitsuki’s character. I like to think that his affection for Boruto is genuine and sincere.
It was foreshadowed in earlier episodes. But at this point, Sumire is pretty much implied to have some sort of role in the Ghost Syndrome incidents. The flashback looked rather interesting if not creepy, and I wonder how they will play out in Sumire’s backstory and character development. That said, I’m fully expecting Boruto to successfully lay down the undefeatable Talk no Jutsu. While it looks like we’ll be getting a slice of epic action next episode, with the Rokudaime Kakashi finally making an appearance, hopefully Sumire won’t get killed off. She’s a character I’ve come to quite like so far.
Preview
 |
 |
 |
Yeah he is different, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never had a single bad thing happen to him yet still resent his father. Lol!
You can be born with a silver spoon in your mouth, and still feel upset about being neglected as a child. I’m not sure if you’ve grown up with parents that have neglected you, but believe me, it’s a really rough and painful experience.
It’s very important here to keep the details in mind. Naruto only became the Hokage relatively recently. I don’t think they’ve made clear exactly how long before the show, but not more than a year or so.
This is important to Boruto’s character because it’s been established several times both through pictures and now in this episode explicitly that Naruto was an AWESOME father until he became Hokage. It was only after that that he started not having any time for his family.
Boruto doesn’t hate his father, he loves his father. But he loves the father who was there for him and played with him. He hates his father’s new job that has stolen him from his family and, to some extent more importantly, from his mother and sister, who Boruto adores.
Boruto isn’t a bad kid, everything he feels here is right and just and actually shows just how much he loves his family, he’s just immature and doesn’t understand why his father does what he does. Also, Naruto probably could balance his life better (something that was shown in the resolution of the Boruto movie) and learn to delegate a little rather than using shadow clones to be his own personal political staff.
I shouldn’t say not more than a year or so, it could be longer. But we do know from pictures, flashbacks, and comments that Naruto was still not Hokage when Himawari wasn’t much younger than she is now, so it wasn’t too long.
An official timeline would be appreciated by the fans, I think. Between chapter 700, Naruto Gaiden, The Day Naruto Became Hokage and now the anime, it’s difficult to pinpoint when the events happened. It doesn’t help that the children’s heights change in the different sources.
Here’s what my psychiatrist once told me about how our single mother raised us: she needs to know that what her children need aren’t just financial. When you fail to attend to your kids emotionally, devote time and get to learn them, it’s as good as neglect, still a sign of bad parenting.
And, to add, Boruto looks at the situation not just because he wants his father’s love, but because he is concerned with his mother and sister. He sees his mother always working alone to do the jobs of two people and young Himawari shouldn’t be growing up with a dad. Ideally, a good environment for a child would be to see both his parents helping out each other, being there for the family. I’m sure Boruto understands Naruto’s position, but that doesn’t make it easier. In fact, it just makes things harder. Because I was the third child in the family, I had to bear my own problems because my mother already her own fair share. She expects us to raise ourselves and use the opportunity she didn’t have, appreciate what we have, as if her money alone is enough to make us happy. So, yeah.
We cannot just write off Boruto’s resentment as immaturity. The consistency of Boruto’s argument has always been more for his sister and then his mother and lastly himself as priorities.
Well said Dude. Dattebasa.
Then again his admiration for Sasuke is also misguided. Wait till he realizes how much time he actually spends at home versus wandering the lands.
So in a sense, Boruto is still a kid in some areas. When he hears from Sarada her own story with her parents I’m sure his tune will change.
@Dude We know from the previews that they will end together in the same team. As they got closer, Boruto will eventually realise that he is not in the worst of the worst in terms of father absence. However, I somehow sympathise with him. Seeing a father drown in work as he drifts away from his family, must be rough. Sometimes, it’s harder to have something and lose it than to never have had it at all.
That line by Boruto gave me the chills because the current situation starts feeling like the Kyubi attack when Naruto became an orphan, and because that view goes in direct opposition to Naruto’s. Naruto came to terms with his parents’ sacrifice and even lampshaded it in the Road to Ninja movie.
The original series certainly sided with “the needs of the many” instead of “the news of the few”. The most disturbing example must be how Itachi was suddenly painted in a positive light when it was discovered he committed genocide on his own clan to avoid a civil war. I also saw someone quoting Hashirama in that regard:
“No matter what happens I will protect our … no, my village. I still believe that protecting the village is the best way to protect people, shinobi, and children … Anyone who tries to harm it, whether they are my friends, siblings or my own children … I won’t forgive them.
All in all, I appreciate how Boruto is painted as very, very similar to his father, yet fundamentally different in some essential aspects.
Great comment as always Mistic. I can always expect to check out the comment section, and find an insightful piece of thought that is well-written out! Boruto does seem to follow Naruto in many respects, then markedly diverges at a particular point that paints his own character away from being a carbon copy of his father, particularly on what is entailed with the role of Hokage. I feel Boruto willl eventually go down a development similar to Asuma Sarutobi of respecting the role, while personally staying away from it.
While it was disturbing that Itachi suddenly became a good guy overnight (I have to confess he’s my favourite character in the franchise), people were probably awed by many things – his power, humble attitude towards wielding said power, and possibly guilt over misunderstanding Itachi’s motives. This is actually one of the moments where I will praise Shippuden for inserting necessary filler in the Itachi Gaiden, which gave him substantial fleshing out that may have helped win over the community’s heart.
I think this episode was absolutely brilliant.
Right off the bat, they showcase Boruto (and Mitsuki) as already capable of gunning for Genin of the Year if he was even halfway motivated (1 whole minute left on the clock compared to an average of 20 secs left is no small measure), yet he’s different from other geniuses in the series in that he sticks by the one who’s easily Dead Last, even if he does have his own form of ambition.
That being said, Denki, I know you’re Dead Last, but you wasted like 15 seconds holding the other two up by talking to them. That’s early Naruto-level incompetence :/
Interestingly, with Boruto’s much, MUCH higher talent, social skills, and especially INTELLIGENCE compared to his dad even by Shippuden, I kept getting the feeling that the others weren’t kidding when they said Boruto does have Hokage potential–not unlike Itachi. The one thing he lacks is an actual desire for it, which is perfectly fine. Having the capability doesn’t mean it’s your calling.
What really struck me though, I agree that the dialogue Boruto had with Mitsuki about “The Hokage sacrifices those closest to them for the sake of the village” was what really sets him apart from Naruto. It’s not him being bratty and being a daddy’s boy. We’ve seen time and again that he doesn’t mind if it’s just him, but it also affects his beloved mother and sister. But it goes deeper than that. It’s the VERY PRINCIPLE of what Naruto and the Hokages would do for the many, rather than those really important, but that’s already been mentioned.
As my contribution, I’d like to instead parallel it to Fate/Stay Night, and Unlimited Blade Works Shirou Emiya and Heaven’s Feel Shirou Emiya (screw Saber-route Shirou Emiya and his unrealisticness and wimpyness). One has his convictions challenged and he pushes through anyway, whatever the cost, for the sake of his dream, enduring evermore alongside the one he loves. The other abandons his ideals for the sake of the one closest to him, deciding that even if he condemned the world, he would, if it meant saving the ones he loved most.
Faceless strangers or those close to your heart.
Neither one is any more correct than the other.
And just because you’re correct doesn’t mean you’re right (couldn’t resist).
Denki has no ninja background. These kids can definitely ask their parents to show them a thing or two, while Denki has no one to turn to. You sure are right though, Boruto won’t abandon a friend even if it means coming dead last. As far as I can tell, his only stimuli at the moment comes from wanting to prove things to Naruto.
Boruto inherited his intelligence from… errr… his grandfather Minato??? He is what I would imagine Minato to be, if we took away docile and pasted on Naruto’s liveliness. Completely agree that you can have the credentials for a role, and turn it down. Power is a not a burden or responsibility that should be lightly taken on.
I can see the Fate/Stay Night analogy working, and it’s definitely a contrast of firmly sticking to a flawed ideal for the many by thinking an attempt will make the world a better place, as opposed to utterly rejecting the ideal for the sake of the few you care about. I will refute your point about Saver-route Shirou by saying they’re all realistic. Not a lot of people can step up to the mantle if they were thrust into a predicament that most anime protagonists face.
On the other hand, most people would be inclined towards selfishly protecting their loved ones. It takes something to sacrifice even those you love for the greater good, so UBW Shirou is probably the least realistic one, the point being that endlessly chasing his flawed ideal is a thing of respect and beautiy in itself.
You do raise a very good point in regards to Saber-route and UBW :3
Though I admit I’m kind of biased towards UBW route simply because of two reasons: Tohsaka Rin and the titular Unlimited Blade Works. That, and I kinda relate to it the most somehow XD
On a side-note, I do think Denki is pretty interesting even if he’s as cut out to be a ninja as Naruto was. In a modern world, hackers are scary dangerous–if he ever got to Anonymous status…
PS: Mitsuki is totally gay for Boruto. Like, it was as if all the Ho Yay from the previous generation manifested in–well, if it’s Orochimaru’s kid it makes absolute sense.
Edited: Inserted HTML for TV Tropes
Lmao. I have to agree on the Ho Yay. Hopefully it won’t spawn too many doujins.
Pretty cool that you can edit words to link to tropes 😀
In regards to doujins… they might already be underway. Within a day of Boruto + Hanabi’s moment, we already got a doujin of them on top of a bunch of H-level fanart
Won’t Hinata do the same thing as Itachi, like cooking too many perfect Sunny egg all over the place.
https://randomc.net/image/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations/Boruto%20Naruto%20Next%20Generations%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
That is some juicy kaarage in the background. Fried chicken is my ultimate comfort food!
I can’t believe my prediction, from the previous episode, was correct
Boruto in a nutshell! The only real surprise so far was the introduction of Hashirama’s cells.
Hey Kiritsugue. I wouldn’t go as far as that, considering most of your predictions from last week were pretty off. Then again, I’ll agree that Sumire being the masked assailant was pretty telegraphed.