Boruto: Naruto Next Generations’ last episode aired on March 26, 2023, bringing a temporary conclusion to the ninja saga to follow its parent franchise, Naruto. While it has been met with mixed reception, the series was a welcome continuation of a beloved shōnen during a time when many juggernauts were announcing a return to form. When it halted, it not only closed the book on Boruto’s story but on one of the last remaining anime that followed the production style of airing weekly releases.
Annual anime has become a bit outdated now with filler episodes no longer as forgiven as they once were. With the introduction of seasonal releases, quality has sky-rocketed expectations to a whole new level given the success of franchises like Demon Slayer, Solo Leveling, and many other shōnen. Now, this could be an issue that Studio Pierrot is facing, after receiving backlash for the drop in consistency in Tokyo Ghoul, Boruto, and Black Clover. The model for annual or weekly releases can no longer sustain fans’ expectations after seeing what other studios and seasonal anime can perform.
Boruto Concludes the Trend of Annual Releases
Only One Piece Remains the Largest Annual Anime Still Running
Cases like Boruto go to show a lot of the negative connotations with producers running weekly releases. Not only does this force the studio to work under extreme time restrictions, but when the source material runs out, filler episodes can only carry the show so far until fans get annoyed. Coupled with poor story executions and a drop in animation quality, this model can kill an anime’s chance for success. But it isn’t entirely all bad.
One Piece has been running since 1999, taking multiple opportunities to take breaks and allow the source to catch up during hiatus, expanding upon chapter cover art to fledge out full side stories occurring during the main action of the series. Now not every arc scores a 10 out of 10 with the best example being Skypiea and its infamy for stretching its warm welcome over one of the longest storylines to date. When setting that aside, the series has some profound, heart-warming, and plot-relevant filler episodes in a world that exists outside of just the Straw Hat crew.
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Clearly, there are still some anime that can run weekly releases without demanding too much from its artists and animators. One Piece has been receiving praise for its return to art form in recent chapters, especially with the remake of the Fishman Island Saga. The strain of annual anime may have hit some studios harder than others, and Boruto happened to be one of the next giants to fall under the weight of the ever-changing anime industry.
Can We Finally Admit Boruto Had Some Great Moments?
Boruto Was Making A Name For Itself
While Naruto can best be described as a martial arts fantasy, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has taken its own creative liberties to separate itself from its predecessor and carve out a new identity for itself. While the beginning of the series does lend itself quite a bit to the original franchise to help build up the new world setting, there are always stark differences between the two. Boruto was already beginning to cement itself along the lines of a science-fiction martial arts fantasy.
Throwing in the mix of technology and advancements helped not only to bring about drastic changes in the world setting but also the abilities later characters would be revealed to have. Eida and Daemon still stand out as some of the most mysterious and out-of-pocket characters come from something tied to Naruto. But it makes perfect sense when Code and the Divine Trees are released as the newest antagonists. This cast no longer resembles what most Naruto fans associate with the original ninja anime, it’s all uniquely Boruto.
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The sequel branches off quite heavily from the concept of clones reappearing in modern science and fantasy settings, as in the case of the Divine Trees, to the overall aesthetics that the show has taken with characterizing its cast. While Naruto focused on shinobi and kunoichi designs stemming from traditional Japanese ninja attire, Boruto‘s is accentuated with a grunge punk fashion that resembles the Akatsuki’s first portrayal back in the original franchise. Even down to its stylistic choices, Boruto stood out as an outlier, further outcasting itself from the original.
The only times I ever happen to be disappointed with the sequel is when it uses characters from Naruto since I personally believe that not many of them are utilized well or characterized correctly. The series shines when it allows for its new cast to take hold of the narrative and become its driving force, such as the case of Boruto and Kawaki leading the charge on two different warpaths to see to the destruction of the Divine Trees and the safety of Konoha.
With Boruto’s Hiatus Comes An Awkward Pause in the Story
Return to Seasonal Anime is Going to be Interesting
One of the biggest benefits of having an annual anime is that fans could look forward to an episode every week, but after Pierrot halted Boruto’s production, it left the series in an awkward spot with major arcs left unfinished. Once the series is announced to return to a seasonal roster, we’ll likely see them finish Naruto Next Generations and finish up the Code and Prophecy Arc since it decided to end right in the middle. With more time for labor and production, there’ll also be plenty of action scenes to look forward to if Pierrot takes its time with it.
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Naruto Fans May Not Like It, But Boruto Ending Its Anime Was the Right Thing to Do
After years of filler and unnecessary padding in weekly releases, there couldn’t have been a better time to cancel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
Although the gaps between seasonal anime aren’t always fun, it’ll give the same sense of time passing whenever the Boruto franchise switches from Naruto Next Generations to Two Blue Vortex. The timeskip will undoubtedly be felt more once fans have to wait months or years in the worst-case scenario for the next season. But as evidenced by Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Black Clover, and Demon Slayer, anime that is given time to be nurtured performs better when its quality is assured. One-Punch Man is an example where fans would prefer to wait rather than be rushed to another unattractive season.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
- Created by
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Masashi Kishimoto, Ukyo Kodachi, Mikio Ikemoto
Summary
Boruto is the sequel to the Naruto franchise, created by Masashi Kishimoto and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto. It follows Boruto Uzumaki, Naruto’s son, as he navigates the challenges of being the Hokage’s child while forging his path as a ninja. The series explores the evolving world of shinobi and introduces new generations of characters while maintaining the franchise’s core themes of friendship, perseverance, and legacy.
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