As the battle for the Hashirama Cell heats up, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations turns in another eventful installment. With every thief and mercenary in the Land of Silence out to get them, the gang makes every effort to shake their pursuers, but when our heroes find themselves hopelessly surrounded, it seems their only option is to fight. However, thanks to some timely assistance from Katara (the boy-thief Boruto helped out a couple of weeks back), the Leaf shinobi are able to escape into the sewers, where two familiar faces await: Mitsuki and a fully-cured Kona, the Hashirama-afflicted girl from Yubina's clinic, who's also revealed to be Katara's sister. Upon being briefed on Boruto and company's situation, Katara hits up his underground network of sewer children for info on the earring-wearing lookalikes. After learning their location, the boy leads his visitors to the edge of the country's border, where they hope to head off their targets. The gang then splits up, with the adults and children opting to track the lookalikes separately. Shortly thereafter, Team 7 is attacked by a shadowy trio of Lightning Style users, setting the stage for what will presumably be a high-stakes skirmish. Further complicating matters, the sinister figure with whom Victor was conversing last week has just arrived in the Land of Silence, and he appears to have a penchant for indiscriminate homicide.
Since Boruto and Mugino have very different personalities and approaches to missions, an entire episode in which the two are forced to work together in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds seems like an entertaining twenty-four minutes. While this unlikely pairing initially appears to be this week's main focus, very little time is actually devoted to the duo. In fact, outside of a humorous scene that involves Mugino kicking Boruto into a drainage ditch to remove his scent, the two don't really clash all that much. Ultimately, the episode opts for plot progression over character building, which isn't necessarily a bad thing—and it's entirely possible that Boruto and Mugino will clash in a more meaningful way before the arc is over.
Though the prospect of an all-out fight in a trap-laden castle is never realized, episode 162 does manage to provide us with an impressive action spectacle: the crash of the giant airship the Hidden Leaf ninja manage to commandeer. Still, in order to make the arrival of the airship a surprise, Boruto and Mugino aren't shown perpetrating this theft, and the gang doesn't get to revel in their escape very long before it's blown out of the sky. (Fortunately, Mugino is able to pilot it, though Boruto wouldn't have known this when he came up with the plan.) In addition to being a visually arresting sequence, the downing of the airship is a great illustration of how dangerous and dedicated the Land of Silence's residents can be when money is at stake. However, despite their predicament, it's a little strange that the Leaf shinobi show no concern for the people in the dwellings into which the ship crashes.
While there isn't quite as much action as the episode's premise would suggest, this week's installment contains enough humor, spectacle, and story progression to make for a fast-paced, enjoyable watch. It's great to see Mitsuki back in action, and the existence of a community of savvy children living beneath the surface of the Land of Silence is a fun, if narratively convenient, element to toss into the mix. Furthermore, with shinobi from other villages out to claim the Hashirama Cell and the arrival of the Victor's pierrot-like colleague, things are unlikely to slow down for Team 7 any time soon.
Rating:
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.
Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.
Lynzee and James welcome Richard Eisenbeis onto the podcast to discuss the first episode of the weird sci-fi series Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction!― Why You Should Watch Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Lynzee and James welcome Richard Eisenbeis onto the podcast to discuss the first episode of the weird sci-fi series Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, plus NEW revelations in Yata...
The best and worst thing I can say about Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is that it feels like an 80s movie.― The best and worst thing I can say about Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is that it feels like an 80s movie. This track as this anime is an adaptation of the quietly seminal Garōden martial arts novels written by Baku Yumemakura, the first of which premiered in 1985. If you like shows ...
From Aqua to Yunyun, we tried all the KONOSUBA drinks at The Hub to find the most delicious!― If there's one thing many adults worldwide enjoy doing, it's getting an alcoholic beverage with some friends. Be they beers, ales, spirits, wines, cocktails, among other beverages, adults have their drinks of choice. And one of the best places to enjoy your drink is your local pub or bar. In Japan, though, ...
Production delays cited for anime slated for continuous half-year run― The official website for the television anime of Moto'o Nakanishi's Sword of the Demon Hunter Kijin Gentosho novel series announced that the anime's production committee has postponed the anime's broadcast due to production delays. The staff had planned to air the anime in July after a one-hour special on June 27. The production ...
Mysterious Disappearances' first volume probably won't blow you away. But how it plays with urban legend and classic Japanese literature hopefully hints at more interesting usages to come.― What does the original manga version of Mysterious Disappearances offer that the anime does not? Nipples. Specifically, Sumireko's nipples, in both adult and child forms. (Notably, in her youngest form, they're l...
We're taking the age-old argument and updating it for the simulcast era! Is getting a dub now a mark of an anime's overall quality? Are sub-only fans gatekeeping?― We're taking the age-old argument and updating it for the simulcast era! Is getting a dub now a mark of an anime's overall quality? Are sub-only fans gatekeeping? Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this c...
Manga's 424th chapter released on Monday― Editor's Note: The second paragraph of this article discusses spoilers for the previous chapter of My Hero Academia manga. Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia manga entered its "epilogue" with the 424th chapter in this year's 27th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on Monday. Horikoshi additionally mentioned in the author comments for this latest...
Zekkyō Gakkyū creator launches Poppy Playtime Forever ~Shinobi Yoru Ashioto~ manga― This year's July issue of Shueisha's Ribon magazine revealed on Monday that Emi Ishikawa (Zekkyō Gakkyū) is launching a new manga based on Mob Entertainment's Poppy's Playtime game titled Poppy Playtime Forever ~Shinobi Yoru Ashioto~ in the magazine's next issue. The magazine teased a picture of the series' character...
On the surface, there's nothing remarkable about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special, but somehow, the execution manages to rise above all its basic tropes and clichés.― Writing off A Returner's Magic Should Be Special would be very easy. On the surface, there's nothing remarkable about it: a standard magic academy, a basic time loop story, and characters whose names are way too on the mark. But so...
Manga launched in November 2013, final arc started in November 2020― The July issue of Shueisha's Jump SQ. magazine revealed on Tuesday through a comment by manga creator Yoshiaki Sukeno that his Twin Star Exorcists manga will end in three chapters. If there are no delays, the manga will end in September. Sukeno had stated in October 2020 that the manga was starting its final arc in November 2020. S...
Inside this massive new area are locations pulled straight out of Ghibli films.― Late last year, we went down to Ghibli Park in Aichi prefecture to explore its recently opened Princess Mononoke area. This year, we see the addition of a new area to the experience-driven theme park: The Valley of Witches. Inside this massive new area are locations pulled straight out of Ghibli films Howl's Moving Cast...
T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime.― I adore classic sci-fi, especially when it involves time travel and grand adventure. T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime. Based on a 1978-1986 manga by Doraemon co-creator Fujiko F. Fujio, this ultra-shiny modern adaptation from studio BONES and director M...