The plot is good. The characters are good. But the animations seems to be keeping the expectation of fans going up and down. They say consistency is the key to great achievement. Is this the reason why Boruto: Naruto Next Generation hasn’t been topping the charts? The sequel of the famous Naruto series has been gaining a lot of attention, and fewer fans as the animation continuously dismay some if not most of its viewers.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generation is a spin-off of the Seventh Hokage’s, Naruto Uzumaki, story. The Naruto series has been a fan-favorite since the early 2000s, and many new anime fans still watch and appreciate Kishimoto’s masterpiece to date. Although a new Big Three is established by fans in every era, the term came into light in the early 2000s due to the success of Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach.
As one of the Big Three, Naruto has sold more than 250 million copies and is listed as one of the best-selling manga of all time. Boruto: Naruto Next Generation may truly be a sequel to Naruto’s world. However, fans refused to put it alongside Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, and the still ongoing story of One Piece. The reason for this is that Boruto is having a hard time reaching the expectations of some Naruto fans.
Will Boruto Live Up to Naruto’s Success?
Based on the current standing of the Boruto franchise, it may require a lot of time and effort for it to reach the success of the Naruto series. In the beginning, fans were excited to see what the Boruto series has to offer. But things change and so with some fans’ perspectives when the animation wasn’t good enough to justify the story.
A lot of Boruto readers and watchers came from the Naruto series. Because of the OG fans wanting to see more of their favorite characters, such as Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10, they binge-watched the show. In the Naruto series, the adult look of Naruto has been foreshadowed in episode 155 of Naruto Shippuden which is all about Jiraiya’s book. Fans saw a future version of Naruto; hence they expected that in some way he will look like it in the Boruto series. But this didn’t happen.
The Boruto series had a different version of the legendary shinobi. Although it’s good and still lives up to some fans’ expectations. Many still questioned it and sorta made it a laughing stock on various social media platforms. The picture above isn’t actually how Naruto looks in most of his scenes in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation.
In fact, the Seventh Hokage looks pretty decent and cool in some of the episodes. However, this doesn’t seem to stick with fans as they only want to remember how badly he was treated due to its inconsistent animation, for which we cannot blame them.
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Moreover, it is not only how Naruto looks that’s been getting a lot of attention. In episode 255 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, the inconsistency of its animation was again very evident. Fans immediately took to social media to share their outburst for badly treating the characters, Sarada, Mitsuki, and Naruto. One of the trademarks of the Naruto series is the iconic Naruto Run; however, it was put to shame in episode 255.
The Naruto Run is supposedly used by most shinobis in Naruto’s world as it helps the person balance his body allowing him to run faster. Sadly, the Boruto series may not have gotten the point of it as episode 255 made fans so confused about the Naruto Run, again because of its poor animation.
There’s more though! It is not only in these scenes, but one of Boruto’s animations has been widely spread across social media platforms for laughs. The iconically uniconic crying face of Boruto Uzumaki is probably the scene that directly shows that people are not happy with its animation. Boruto Uzumaki looks cute, handsome, and cool just like his mother and father. However, the crying face was just not it.
After losing his great friend, Kagura, in a battle against Funamashi. Boruto cried his heart out as Kagura was one of his closest friends in the series, and he didn’t deserve to die. The death of Kagura should have been the focus of this episode, not Boruto’s crying face.
But, it was too much to handle for fans and it ended up with a lot of online memes. Different anime sites have also made articles about it due to it being famously criticized across media platforms. This specific scene could have been better and more emotional to watch if not for its improper animation.
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Lastly, the most recent and probably the one that beats Boruto’s crying face. Naruto is one of the most significant characters in the series, and probably one of the most iconic characters in the industry. However, another inconsistent animation has fallen to the legendary shinobi that called out all of his fans.
Sasuke Retsuden had some good animation with it. Ignoring the dinosaurs, we cannot deny that Sasuke Retsuden Arc is one of the best arcs of the series. Hence, many people expected that the introduction of the awaited Code Attack Arc will be more remarkable, which they surely reassured.
Episode 287 of the Boruto series introduced to fans another significant character. One of the villains, Eida was awakened at the end of the episode. To the surprise of many, the animation of Eida was top-tier. However, in the middle of this episode, another scene was also noticed by fans. Yes, Eida’s debut was something, but Naruto’s look was not something that fans would let pass.
The inconsistency of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation‘s art style is significantly making a negative impact on the show. Although these are just a few poorly animated scenes, they can still affect how fans perceived the series. Its inconsistency might even lead some fans in turning their back on the show, which is something that we do not want to happen.
Why Consistent Animation Is Significant?
The success of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is because of the story it relay to its fans. One of the major factors in its success is its amazing animation. By watching the series, fans will conclude that Ufotable Studio knows the importance of perfectly conveying the story through its animation.
This shows that consistent animation is highly significant. Because it not only helps in gaining the fan’s attention but also helps in effectively conveying the plot. Inconsistent animation can sometimes divert the attention of fans from the story. Instead of focusing on the masterfully created plot of the franchise. Fans tend to criticize it if the animation is not that good.
Consistency in animation will undoubtedly make any story come to life and will make sure that the series will not be a laughing stock for fans on various media platforms. Of course, who would want that to happen?
So many animes aside from Demon Slayer have taken their animation to the next level, for instance, the newly released anime, Chainsaw Man. Hence, to not fall behind it is imperative to take into consideration its importance, be it the smallest scene. Indeed, not all animes need to achieve perfect animation. However, it must also be noted that one scene can badly ruin an entire series’ reputation.
Is Boruto: Naruto Next Generation Still Good?
A big YES! Even with the inconsistently created animation in some episodes. We cannot deny that Boruto: Naruto Next Generation has also produced episodes that featured God-tier animations. Episode 217 of the series made sure that fans would feel the excitement of watching it by not making it your average animation.
From this episode, we were able to remarkably see how the Seventh Hokage would fight in his full power. The battle between Isshiki and Naruto surely did not disappoint the fans, and it actually gained a lot of praise from them.
The public just needs to be aware that although it has made a few animation mistakes, the series have also incredibly animated episodes thanks to its creative and hardworking staff.
In fact, the story is just getting started. The most awaited Code Arc is finally here, which means that the Time-skip Arc we all have been waiting for might be sooner than we think. Besides, instead of focusing on the poorly animated Naruto in the recent episode. We should appreciate the efforts the staff has put into the debut of the awaited villain, Eida.
Hence, the Boruto series still got it. There is more to it which needs to be looked forward to by fans. Turning your back on it now may cause some regrets later. As I’ve said it might just need a little bit of time.
With that said, the series is rumored to be going on an indefinite hiatus in March or April after the first part of Code Invasion Arc. This might be able to do good for the anime for it will definitely make the fans anticipate more the Time-skip Arc.
Yes, the series had some of its lowest moments due to low-quality animation. However, it is not fair to judge it too quickly because it still has plenty of potential. Therefore, if ever the unconfirmed hiatus is true, let’s all hope that Boruto: Naruto Next Generation will come back stronger than before.
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