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Naruto Gets Special Before The Last -Naruto the Movie- Opens

The December issue of Gakken Publishing's Monthly Animedia magazine will include an interview with Naruto Shippūden television anime director Hayato Date when it goes on sale on Monday. The interview announces that a Naruto anime special will air on December 4. The special will focus on Hinata Hyūga's younger sister Hanabi and tell a story about the siblings.

The interview also confirms that the Naruto television anime will continue and a "new development" will start after the beginning of 2015.

The Hyūga sisters will also appear in The Last -Naruto the Movie- film. A description with Naruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto's character designs for the film explains that "[Hinata's] reserved nature is unchanged!," while Hanabi is "A lively girl who is the complete opposite to Hinata!" The film will open in Japan on December 6 as part of the ongoing "Naruto Shin Jidai Kaimaku Project" (Naruto's New Era Opening Project).

The Last -Naruto the Movie- will be the first Naruto film in two years. Kishimoto is credited with the original story, character designs, and chief story supervisor of the film. In particular, he is drawing new designs for the title character in the movie, as well as for other characters. Tsuneo Kobayashi (The Twelve Kingdoms, Emma: A Victorian Romance, Kurokami The Animation) is directing the film, and Sukima Switch is contributing the main theme song as well as voice-acting ninja.

Weekly Shonen Jump and Jump J Books describe the story of the movie and its novelization:

The moon has begun moving closer to Earth! As it is, the moon will crumble and meteorites will rain down on Earth's surface. As the last days of Earth approach, Hanabi Hyūga is abducted by a mysterious man in Konoha, and Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, and Hinata set off on a rescue mission! Can Naruto and the others overcome this crisis?

Kishimoto's Naruto manga will end in Shonen Jump on Monday after 15 years of serialization. A new mini-series by Kishimoto with "a newly budding Konoha story" will launch next spring.

[Via 0takomu]