Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie Review

Boruto: The Vessel is another exciting and action-packed collection of episodes featuring the Ninja journey of Naruto and his close allies. The anime series comes from original creators Mikie Ikemoto, Masashi Kishimoto, and Ukyō Kodachi. The animation is by acclaimed animation studio Pierrot (Naruto Shippūden, Black Clover). The collection includes episodes 177-189. Boruto was first broadcast on the television station TV Tokyo in Japan. Available on home media in North America by VIZ Media, the set packs a mighty wallop of a punch for fans.

The stakes have been raised as Boruto Uzumaki (Yuko Sanpei) sets forth on a journey with Team 7 to reach the Advanced Technology Lab. Boruto and his allies are determined to reach the lab base and push their Ninja skills to the max with the scientific tools at the lab. Yet these plans never last.

Now thrust in to new dangers ahead, Boruto and the others persevere forward when Konohamaru disappears. Everything turns from fun and games to a deadly fight to survive when the Konohamaru rescue mission starts to unfold. Meanwhile, an airship crash lands. What is in store will be complicated. A new chapter in the Boruto saga begins.

One of the key reasons the series remains such an enduring hit with fans of the franchise is the fact that the series expands on the original Naruto program. The spin-off has elements inherit from the original while adding some new characters and elements to entertain newcomers and established fans alike. Viewers will find the returning cast of characters helps to elevate the material and bring fans back looking for more.

The series has outstanding animation and it makes a huge impression on the quality of the program and the long-term success of Boruto. The series art direction is handled by Ichiro Uno (The World Is Still Beautiful, The Last: Naruto The Movie) and Koji Yabuno (Space Brothers, Naruto Shippūden). The animation on the production is excellent and there is a lot of creative from the art direction. The animators certainly deliver excellent work with the series and find new ways to enhance the series throughout the background art and detailed line art.

Boruto excels with excellent character designs by Tetsuya Nishio (Naruto, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG) and Hirofumi Suzuki (Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom, Naruto Shippūden: The Lost Tower). The character designs manage to seem fresh for the newcomer characters while revitalizing the returning heroes with character designs that remain faithful to the original run while expanding on the aesthetic. The designs showcase the quirky elements of the production as well (emphasizing the comedy).

The action scenes continue to bring audiences back to the threshold. The intense battle scenes are essential to the collection and to the success of the series. The action-anime realm has a lot of fun exploring the ninja fights and the intensity of these sequences continues to impress. The series is certainly aimed predominately at fans of action anime and this collection is no exception to that rule.

The cinematography by Mai Masuno (Boruto: Naruto the Movie, The Last: Naruto the Movie) is visually rewarding. The cinematographic approach to the series is to highlight the animation with bright and colorful cinematography during the comedic scenes and a darker and more vivid aesthetic when the series explores more intense battle sequences. The efforts by Masuno are remarkable and enhance the storytelling. The cinematography strikes a good balance for the production.

Featuring a score composed by Yasuharu Takanashi (Naruto Shippūden, Fairy Tail) and -yaiba- (Naruto Shippūden, New Fist of the North Star), Boruto: The Vessel is a score with an energetic vibe that fits everything from the action to the drama. The score certainly heightens the battle scenes and keeps audiences absorbed. The music has the energy needed to pave new ground for the mega anime franchise.

Makoto Uezu (KonoSuba – God's blessing on this wonderful world!!, Assassination Classroom) serves as the chief screenwriter on the program. The series writing works well at expanding on the original series mythology. Uezu finds the right way to explore Boruto and connect the series to the original Naruto production. The script remembers to emphasize the action while leaving room for character depth, development, and dimensionality. One of the ways in which Uezu excels is in how he tackles the contrasting elements of character development and plot development. Boruto: The Vessel finds the series in new action terrain.

Under the chief direction of Masayuki Kouda, Boruto: The Vessel delivers fans the right ingredients for action-packed fun: intense Ninja fights and plenty of excitement. The direction of Kouda is excellent: providing viewers with a quick pace and level of energy required for the genre. Boruto: The Vessel is certainly another successful collection (expanding on the original Naruto with more adventures for audiences to go on).

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ Media, Boruto: The Vessel is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The animation on the series looks excellent in high definition. Though the series sometimes has an overcast aesthetic and appears a little softer than some anime productions, the series still shines on the format with strong color reproduction and line art detail. The action scenes are fluid and exciting with solid encoding by VIZ Media.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The stereo sound design sounds excellent with superb audio fidelity. Dialogue is clear and crisp on the release. The music comes through on the presentation with a sense of serenity that is rewarding to listen to. A solid effort by VIZ.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

English Cast Interview: Cherami Leigh (HD, 4:52)

Storyboards:

Episode 181 (in 5 click-through illustrations).

Episode 187 (in 5 click-through illustrations).

Art Gallery includes 13 click-through illustrations.

Clean Openings (HD, 3:00)

Clean Endings (HD, 3:01)

More from VIZ Media (HD, 1:36)

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Boruto: The Vessel expands the series with another exciting batch of action-packed episodes in the saga. The franchise continues to be one of the most popular anime sagas. The set brings Boruto back to the forefront. The animation is stunning and the action scenes are well executed. The series has excellent music and production values as well. The Blu-ray from VIZ Media includes a strong video and audio presentation alongside exclusive bonus features. A worthwhile set for Boruto fans. Recommended.