Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 Blu-ray Movie Review

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 – Kawaki Goes Undercover continues the action-packed adventures of the series with more exciting installments. Based on the manga series by Masashi Kishimoto, Mikie Ikemoto, and Ukyō Kodachi, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 – Kawaki Goes Undercover includes episodes 256-273. Produced by Koichi Machiyama (Boruto: Naruto the Movie), Makoto Hijikata (Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War), and Takehiro Toteno, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations features animation produced by Pierrot (Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Naruto Shippūden). Broadcast on TV Tokyo, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations continues as a spin-off from the popular Naruto anime franchise. Boruto: Naruto Next Generation features voice performances by Yūma Uchida, Yūko Sanpei, and Saori Hayami.

Kawaki finds himself on a new and exciting journey by joining the prestigious Ninja Academy. Kawaki (Yūma Uchida) takes some of the spotlight from Boruto Uzumaki (Yūko Sanpei). Himawari Uzumaki (Saori Hayami) joins Kawaki as a new enrollee at the Academy and with this change comes a lot of changes for Kawaki.

Kawaki finds the Academy life is a complicated one with a lot of new obstacles he never imagined when he first set out on his Ninja journey. Experiencing a lot of different obstacles, including an undercover mission, Kawaki befriends the princess Kae Yukiwari (Inori Minase) while at the Academy. Friendship makes a big difference for the life of Kawaki.

Things are looking up when suddenly Himawari gets kidnapped – and then Kae gets kidnapped as well! Can the kidnapped students be rescued by Kawaki? Can Boruto come to the rescue to help save the day? Kawaki got more on his plate than he ever bargained for!

The characters are of vital importance to the series. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 – Kawaki Goes Undercover continues that trend with a great cast of characters. Boruto remains a wonderful character with a great personality to be the focal hero of the story. There is a lot of charm to the character and his enthusiasm.

In Set 17 – Kawaki Goes Undercover, the emphasis on Kawaki is something that allows for Kawaki to shine a light as a quality character, too. The supporting cast is also rounded out more with Kae and Himawari. The set explores these characters more and gives them more time to be explored in the storyline.

The character designs by Hirofumi Suzuki (Naruto, The Last: Naruto The Movie) and Tetsuya Nishio (Boruto: Naruto the Movie, Naruto Shippūden) are excellent and remain true to the vision of the franchise. The designs capably showcase the characters and their personalities. This helps the production to bring out the best in highlighting these characters sense of style and self, too.

The animation is outstanding and the art style plays a big role in the success of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The animation is colorful and creative – showcasing a vibrant sense of artistry that is established by the team of animators. The series features art direction by Hideyuki Ueno (Ace of Diamond, Kaiji: Against All Rules). The animation capably highlights the ninja world and all that landscape entails.

The cinematography by Nobuo Kimura (Naruto Shippūden: The Lost Tower, Naruto Shippūden: The Will of Fire) is one of the highlights of the series. Kimura is a good cinematographer and there are a lot of excellent elements on display with the series. The visuals play a big role in the success of the anime. Bright, visually rewarding, and immersive cinematography helps the series achieve its aesthetic.

The score composed by -yaiba- (Naruto Shippūden, Boruto: Naruto the Movie) and Yasuharu Takanashi (Naruto Shippūden, Fairy Tail) is one of the greatest things about Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. An enjoyable and fun score, the music is pivotal for the action scenes. Without the score, the action on Boruto: Naruto Next Generations just wouldn’t be the same. The action music is fun as are themes befitting the cast of characters.

Written by Yasushi Shigenobu (Classroom of the Elite, Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace note), Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is a fun and adventurous anime series with a great sense of energy. Shigenobu has a lot of fun with the characters and with bringing the story to life. There is certainly something to be said about the sense of fun the writing brings to the table and that is undeniably part of the appeal that keeps the greatest fans coming back for more.

Directed by Masayuki Kouda (Naruto Shippūden), Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 – Kawaki Goes Undercover brings more spectacle to the table. One of the fun things is how director Kouda handles the action and manages to showcase it in a compelling way. The action-packed energy is essential. Fans of the franchise won’t want to miss the latest installment in Set 17 as the series continues its winning formula. Kouda delivers a fun ride with great characters and exciting spectacle.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by VIZ Media, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is excellent on the release. The series is presented in native high-definition. The native HD encode and widescreen presentation helps the series to achieve a more cinematic style.

The widescreen helps the cinematic aesthetic. Earlier Naruto series provided a full frame presentation. The widescreen expansion on Boruto helps to showcase more animation on the sides. The widescreen aspect ratio makes the series more immersive. The presentation quality looks excellent.

 Colors are especially robust looking – wonderful color reproduction allows the animation to shine and look its best on the release. The presentation is also somewhat soft, though. The series animation is naturally soft looking. This presentation quality is inherent in the source.

The Blu-ray presentation allows for the series to look its absolute best in high-definition. Physical media remains superior to streaming for presentation quality. The Blu-ray disc format provides a superior presentation option compared to streaming video platforms by offering a more robust bit-rate in comparison to streaming services. The higher bit-rate allows for a less compressed image (whereas streaming services provide a more compressed image with lower bit-rates).

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The sound direction by Yasushi Nagura (Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon) is capably reproduced on the release. The lossless audio encoding helps handle providing the music composed by -yaiba- and Yasuharu Takanashi in the best possible quality. The sound effects are also well implemented on the release. Even with only a stereo audio design, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 – Kawaki Goes Undercover sounds impressive with a good soundstage.

Blu-ray disc provides superior audio quality compared to streaming. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality. For audiophiles who expect the best possible viewing experience, with the best audio quality, Blu-ray remains a superior option. Blu-ray provides a significantly more immersive option in the form of lossless encoding.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with an o-card slipcover on the first print run. The release ships in a standard Blu-ray case. The release does not include a digital copy code.

On disc extras include:

Storyboards includes 5 pages of click-through storyboards.

Art Gallery includes 19 pages of click-through sketches.

Cover Translation Gallery includes 4 click-through sides.

Clean Opening (HD, 1:31)

Clean Endings (HD, 3:02)

More from VIZ (HD, 1:44)

While it is nice to see VIZ Media provide Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 – Kawaki Goes Undercover with more supplements than simply a standard creditless opening/ending, the set nonetheless seems lacking in the supplemental department. More in-depth extras may have improved the score given for the extras. The release would have benefited by including behind-the-scenes extras such as featurettes and documentaries. Cast/crew interviews would also have been appreciated. Audio commentaries would have added some extra value to the set.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Set 17 – Kawaki Goes Undercover adds more entertaining adventures with Boruto. The set explores the journey of Kawaki as he undergoes trials and tribulations at the Ninja Academy. The set provides beautiful animation and more fun ninja- storytelling for fans of the franchise. Enthusiastic fans who have been following along can't get enough. The Blu-ray release provides a worthwhile high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The first print run of the set includes an o-card slipcover.