Anime Here at the end, we find our salvation...
My opinion of Naruto is well-established: once one of the greatest shonen manga of all time, it descended into absolute rubbish by the end, atrocious, appallingly-written tripe that shamed all that had come before it by association. The one bright spot left, the one thing Masashi Kishimoto hadn't managed to crap all over, was the Hinata/Naruto relationship (even if he did so by mostly neglecting it). By the end, the only thing I was reading for was to see these two kids get together.
You can imagine my reaction when I heard about this movie.
And you can imagine how I felt once I saw this film (at a cinema screening no less) and found that, unlike most of the disposable filler crap that had comprised the Naruto films, it was actually a really good movie! The NaruHina stuff in the film is absolutely beautiful, that goes without saying, but the film built around it is well worth your time as well. Toneri is actually a serious villain- tied to the bigger picture of the ninja world through his peoples' connection to the Sage of the Six Paths (while also providing a good answer for "if this guy's so powerful, where the hell was he when the battle for the fate of the world was happening?" dilemma) but not shackled to the goddamn Uchiha or Senju like every other thing at the end of the manga had to be, and his plan actually poses a level of threat appropriate to what really is Naruto's REAL grand finale after the damp squib that was Kaguya. Sasuke makes a cameo and nothing more (thank god), underused characters like Sakura and ESPECIALLY Sai get another chance to shine, and the plot has more than its fair share of genuine twists.
There are a few flaws here and there. Hinata comes off WAY too weak in the opening action scene (it's almost like she forgot she's a ninja), Naruto's Love Epiphany happens in an appallingly contrived Dream Sequence that borders on Narm and what happens to Toneri in the final battle looks absolutely absurd (like he's fallen into an overflowing dishwasher). But the film's strengths drastically outweigh them. While Naruto's realisation that he loves Hinata happens too quickly, the build-up between them leading to his Love Confession is paced wonderfully, with the montage of the two of them exploring the ruins of the moon civilisation a special highlight. The action scenes are exceptional, going a long way to reminding you that these characters are superpowered NINJAS, not just cut-price Super Saiyans, and the animation is just top-notch across the board. And yes, this film will melt the heart of anyone who ever shipped Naruto and Hinata, which should be everyone- everything that makes their relationship work is on full display here, and the result is beautiful.
The Last is the ending we truly deserved, a magnificent apology for the farce that the manga became. It's everything I hoped it would be. Wonderful.
Anime A Thrilling Conclusion to Naruto and a Solid Beginning for Naruto and Hinata's Relationship
Warning: The review, by virtue of discussing a post-series movie, contains spoilers.
The last Naruto movie plays a special role in Naruto's canon; showing how the Official Couple came to be. It serves as a fitting conclusion to the series, and a must-watch for Naruto fans.
The plot involves a new villain named Toneri, who kidnaps Hinata's sister and has his eyes on Hinata herself. A five-man squad with Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Sakura and Sai sets out to rescue Hanabi and thwart Toneri. Toneri isn't especially memorable, but he presents a credible threat and it's nice to see him tied in with the worldbuilding later on in the series
Of course, that's only part of the plot; essentially the main point of the story is Naruto realizing and returning Hinata's feelings for him. The moments that the two share on their mission nicely develop their relationship.
There was one flaw I noticed in Naruto's changing perception, which could be a matter of personal belief. I found the theory that Naruto pursued Sakura to compete with Sasuke to be unconvincing, though, and found it easier to accept that his crush on Sakura was one that he could give up when he realized that she loved someone else, not him (a bit like Jiraiya and Tsunade, except he finds someone else).
While Naruto and Hinata are the main focus of the movie, and the roughly 100 minutes of screentime limits how much the others can be developed, there are some nice moments. Sakura comes off quite well as a good friend to both Naruto and Hinata, and it's also quite touching to see that the Hyuga sisters are quite close.
The action is generally quite well done and exciting. From Naruto's group fighting Toneri and his puppets to ninjas all around the world deflecting fragments of the moon, the entire cast gets moments to shine, including some you might not expect to see.
All in all, it's quite enjoyable. Unlike other films for anime series, it doesn't give off "bad fan fiction" vibes, but feels at home in the canon, effectively telling the untold story of Naruto and Hinata falling in love, and thus being well worth a view.
Anime Not bad, but could have been better
OK, I've been literally thinking about the film for a very long time, pondering pros and cons. I could write a full-blown review, but since there is a word limit, here's the bullet point version.
Nedless to say... SPOILERS:
GOOD:
- Naruto and Hinata's moments. They're just adorable together! They really captured why this couple works: because their personalities complement each other perfectly.
- The action scenes are quite a view, with some awesome choreography. Bonus points for the kaiju-like fight between Kurama and Toneri's giant golem.
- The supporting cast is handled magnificently. They made all the right choices regarding which characters to use, how to use them and for how long.
- Good soundtrack. It doesn't stand out much, but when it does, it works perfectly. Special mention to the "Naruto and Hinata" theme.
MIXED:
- The film makes a great effort to earn Naruto realizing his feelings for Hinata, but using as few words as possible. It's admirable, don't get me wrong, and you can really see what they're trying to achieve, but I think it falls a bit short. Which is a shame, this is the part that the movie needed to get right the most.
- Toneri. He presents a decent, believable threat, but his motivation for kidnapping Hinata doesn't make any sense.
BAD:
- Hinata reduced to a damsel in distress in the second half of the film. As a matter of fact, I think there's as much screen time of Hinata kicking ass as Sasuke appearing in the whole film. Seriously, WHAT THE HELL?! I'm not saying she should have been a total badass the whole time, but she had already proven that she's a more competent fighter than she shows in this film. She deserved better than this! This is my only major gripe with the movie, but unfortunately, it's a big one.
- The final battle gets rapped up pretty badly. It's too sudden, and Toneri's change of heart is completely forced and unearned.
Overall, is it good?
Well, I wouldn't say it's bad, but it's definitely not the best the "Naruto" franchise has to offer. I'm glad I saw it, but I think it could have been handled better.
Anime Isn't Hinata supposed to be the hero of prophecy?
(Beware Late-Arrival Spoiler below)
They go out of their way to establish that she's this amazing Byakugan Princess and the ONLY ONE who can possibly stop the Tenseigan, so why is she so useless in this movie? Let's run the list:
I'm not asking for Hinata to upstage Naruto completely, but when they spend so much time shilling her character her uselessness gets pretty hard to swallow.
The film's treatment of Hinata is my biggest gripe with this movie, but other than that its fairly decent. They do a passable job of showing Naruto's growing affection for her and the two sequences at the end between the two (first of them running, then of their marriage in silhouette) are beautifully animated. I also like a lot of the cameos from fan favorite characters that show up periodically to do something awesome briefly.
Fair warning though - there's also a lot of hate about this movie. Toneri is kind of wasted as a character. They only briefly touch on his history and motivation, which makes his redemption at the end feel hollow.
The only real fight sequences besides Naruto vs. Toneri are against a Giant Crab, and some faceless puppet army that doesn't really put up a fight. The Genjutsu sequence is pretty hackneyed, the Hanabi search drags on a bit, and most of the coolest moments from Shikamaru, Sai, and Sakura happen off-screen.
Still, this is far from the worst Naruto movie. If you're a Naru Hina shipper, and you don't mind how the series treats its Action Girls, this movie may be for you.