English Dub Review: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations “Proof of Oneself”

Get your eyes checked, Boruto.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Boruto wants to prove that he has the power of the Byakugan, but in order to do so, he needs to see if the power can be drawn out of him through combat. Initially, he sets his sights on fighting his grandpa, but Hanabi serves as his Hyuga opponent instead. He promptly gets his ass whooped, but asks Hanabi for another fight to determine his worth. He tries again but finds himself defeated once more. Realizing that he doesn’t have the Byakugan, Boruto concedes failure and stays the night with his Hyuga family to rest and recover after his fight.

That night, Naruto discusses Boruto with Hiashi, and explains that he’s still proud of his son for not lying about believing he had the Byakugan. Even though he doesn’t have the gift, that’s not a problem for Naruto. The two discuss their family and the going-on’s of their children, while Naruto plays the good dad.

Boruto, meanwhile, feels disappointed in himself but is comforted by Hanabi, who offers him counsel as his aunt. Later, Boruto returns to the city, where he runs into Sarada. Boruto sees a mysterious figure run off towards a construction site and goes off after him with Sarada in tow. The figure reveals himself to be the movie character he’s been pining over, Kagemasa, only much fatter. It would appear to be the same actor, only having put on more weight, which seems to be the work of a chakra spirit possession. He fights Boruto and Sarada, and while initially, they seem outmatched, the two of them manage to best Kagemasa and purge the chakra spirit from his body.

Having saved the day, Boruto feels satisfied with the power of his eye, even if it isn’t the Byakugan. He spends the day out in the sun with his friends and doubles down on his confidence.

Our Take

So this is just something of a “Nothing” episode that finishes up the plot initially brought to us last week in another episode that felt rushed and unnecessary. Once again, I find it hard to have any patience for Boruto, who’s the biggest complaint as a popular, well-liked youngster with nothing but opportunity ahead of him is that he doesn’t have more superpowers. This whole Byakugan business felt like a waste of time from start to finish, and that’s exactly how this episode felt, too. A pointless episode for a pointless story.

A major issue here is that before Boruto even goes into battle to test for the Byakugan,  the audience already knows the outcome. We know from our vantage point over the story that Boruto definitely doesn’t have the Byakugan, but the episode tries to pretend like its some matter of tension and mystery what Boruto’s secret eye power could be. While it is a little bit mysterious, watching Boruto try in vain to prove that he has eye powers which we already know he doesn’t have is not terribly entertaining.

The fighting itself in the episode is competent, but still doesn’t really capture like the stuff from the original series did. Boruto’s moves are acrobatic and exciting, but they all feel very choreographed and unrealistic. Boruto is just too damn good at fighting to be the kind of underdog character that this show needs him to be, and that’s very evident here. Not to mention, the fight against Kagemasa seems to come out of nowhere. I would have rather had Boruto develop his character with his family more instead of having to go up against this villain of the week loser who doesn’t offer anything more to the story than “I’m an ass, now fight me.” Also, this may be a bit nitpicky, but isn’t it strange how casual Naruto is as Hokage with everyone he meets? I mean, I know Naruto is a casual guy, but shouldn’t he have some level of pomp and circumstance to clarify him as a ruler?  He doesn’t feel like the Hokage, he just feels like some guy who has to work late and do lots of paperwork, and guess what? That’s boring.

There isn’t much to see here. Just another troubled episode in an already troubled series that is proving itself to be more trouble than its worth. While its producers are content to keep shoving out this show week after week, that doesn’t make it worth watching.