The Chunin exams conclude on a somber note as the story heads into its climax. With only three examinees remaining, Boruto, Sarada, and Shinki face off in an action-packed battle royale. Realizing the threat posed by Shinki, the remaining two-thirds of Team 7 decide to temporarily join forces against their common enemy. However, Gaara's adoptive son proves too strong for their best efforts, and Boruto must once again use Katasuke's device in order to eke out a victory. Unfortunately for the young shinobi, he overplays his hand this time. Watching his son defeat Shinki with Kakashi's signature Purple Lightning confirms Naruto's suspicions about Boruto's performance, prompting him to expose Boruto's trickery in front of the entire audience, disqualify him from the exams, and bar him from being a ninja. Before Boruto and his friends have time to fully process this, Momoshiki and Kinshiki arrive on the scene as Momoshiki declares that he's finally found Naruto.
Although only one fight is covered this week, the proceedings never drag and the characters' emotions are more palpable than ever. A force to be reckoned with, Shinki refuses to give his opponents an inch as he effortlessly counters everything they throw at him. Much like his father at that age, the young Sand ninja is brutal and direct, though he appears to have more restraint and a better understanding of his power. As has become customary, Boruto holds off on using the Shinobi Gauntlet until the eleventh hour, and as usual, he clearly has some reservations about relying on it. (Admittedly, his post-exam endgame is unclear. Did he think he'd keep secretly using it forever or that no one would ask him to reproduce those advanced techniques outside of the test?) His friends' reactions to his cheating are particularly poignant, especially Shikadai's, as he was the one friend whom Boruto used the tool against. If things are ever to return to normal, Boruto will have to make some serious amends for his actions throughout this arc.
Naruto disqualifying his own son from the exams and barring him from ever becoming a ninja is harsh, and Leaf residents and fellow Kage would be hard-pressed to accuse the Seventh of nepotism. Boruto is clearly in the wrong and ought to have known better, but he's still a child demanding his father's attention, and Naruto's lack of presence at home certainly isn't helping matters. Of course, before the father-son duo can continue their very public disagreement, the Otsutsukis show up at the perfect time, finally bringing their role in this story to a head—although the TV-original Urashiki is nowhere to be seen.
The Chunin exam arc continues to be one of the highlights of the series, and this week's Boruto/Sarada/Shinki brawl serves as another welcome expansion of the film's narrative. With the exam over, Boruto's long con revealed, and the Otsutskis finally revealing themselves, the ninja world's first joint Chunin exam is about to get a whole lot stickier.
Crystal Kay previously sang themes for 2004's Fullmetal Alchemist and Nodame Cantabile― Recently, Anime News Network was able to sit down with singer-songwriter Crystal Kay and talk about not only her involvement with anime over the years but also what it was like to grow up in Japan as the child of a Korean-Japanese mother and an African-American father. Anime fans likely know of Crystal Kay throug...
The plot is excellent in the romance camp. Everything that happens is to get Eui-joon and Gunwoo together, and it works pretty well.― You can read The Dangerous Convenience Store in English two ways. The first is to read it on the manhwa site/app Manta, which has all seventy-five chapters and four bonus stories available. The second is to read Seven Seas' print (or ebook) edition, which, as of this ...
Some older mysteries inch closer to resolution as the true nature of the Abyss slowly comes into view, and long-posed questions start to be answered.― Sometimes, being a fan of Akihito Tsukushi's acclaimed Made in Abyss series means acclimating to suffering. Like many Western devotees, I was introduced to this bizarre, squishy, disturbing world via the 2017 first season of Kinema Citrus' fantastic a...
Anime premieres in 2024― Adult Swim's YouTube channel began streaming a first look video for the Rick and Morty: The Anime series on Saturday. The show will premiere on Adult Swim and Max in 2024, and will also run on Adult Swim Canada. The anime will be an original work, with adapted themes and events from the main Rick and Morty animated series. Takashi Sano (Tower of God) is writing and directing...
As Slam Dunk reached its final stretch, I can see why this series is considered the sports classic that it is today.― This is the largest batch of Slam Dunk episodes that I've reviewed thus far. Originally, I wanted to review the show in more even seasons, but given its overall pacing and release, it wasn't easy to find a moment where it felt right to stop and start again. However, as we approached ...
2nd part opens in Japanese theaters on June 7― The staff for the four-part Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture (originally titled Gode Geass: Z of the Recapture, or Dakkan no Zetto) anime project revealed a trailer and a visual on Saturday for the second part in the project. The below video previews MIYAVI's opening theme song "Running In My Head." The anime's first part premiered in Japan on Friday. ...
James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY.― Yatagarasu Gets Violent! James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu, in which Wakamiya plays his hand to find out the truth behind his older brother's scheming to obtain the throne. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY; Hunter x Hunter manga is on its ...
Making a sequel to Code Geass is a daunting task. But with its fantastic main character and a story that doesn't undercut what came before, Rozé of the Recapture is on the right track.― Making a sequel to Code Geass—especially one set close to the end of the series—is a daunting task. Any story that involves an ongoing war massively undercuts both the finale of the original anime and the sacrifices ...
The Switch sequel console is finally happening! The details are scarce, but you can find out more in this week's column. Also: an interview with El Shaddai's Sawaki Takeyasu, Microsoft layoffs, and more.― Welcome back, folks! What a wild week this has been for the gaming industry. We'll go further into it, but jeez. This past week also saw the disappearance of Capcom's Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. ...
The Code Geass creator discusses his new project with Web3 company Azuki, Enter the Garden, and his hope that this new path could help the medium evolve.― Los Angeles-based Web3 anime-styled brand Azuki and advertising conglomerate Dentsu debuted the first nine-minute episode of their joint anime endeavor, Enter the Garden, on April 30. The episode, which has already racked up a quarter of a million...