Naruto's latest theatrical anime "Naruto Theatrical Version: Boruto" has been released nationwide in Toho since last weekend (August 7). This work, which depicts the story of a new generation of young ninjas in Konoha Village, is the 11th theatrical anime released in the Naruto series, and it is also the first work to be written by the original author, Kishi Kishimoto.

After 15 years of long-term serialization of manga, how did Kishimoto feel about participating in the production of this theatrical version of the anime? Let's take a look behind the scenes of his time writing the script for this game.

The theatrical version tells the story of a new generation of ninjas

──In this work, which features children such as Naruto, it is impressive to portray young ninjas such as Boruto and Sarata as beings with values that are completely different from those of the previous generation. They go to hamburger joints and play handhelds, and they look more like ordinary children than ninjas.

Kishimoto Kishimoto (hereafter, Kishimoto): That's right. When Naruto and the others were children, because their hometown was in a state of instability, even if it was not explicitly stated, the common goal of the ninjas was to become "Hokage", "Kamishinobi" and "Nakashinobi".

But Boruto and others live in a peaceful modern age, and it is difficult for them to find meaning in becoming a middle ninja or a upper ninja. Playing with friends or enriching relationships is more of a way to arouse their interest than a distant goal like "becoming a ninja".

-- In this sense, you can think of Boruto as "modern ninjas," but there is still a part that makes you smile, "It's really like your parents." For example, when Naruto was a teenager, he felt lonely because he didn't have parents, so he played pranks everywhere, while Boruto felt lonely because he didn't get the care of his parents, and he would also play pranks.

Kishimoto: After all, they're still a father and son, so of course they'll be similar. I'm in a different environment, but in the end it's the same thing (laughs)...... For children of Boruto's age, they are too shy to say things like "It's so lonely, let's play together", so they do whatever they do.

The birth of that "unexpected couple".

──Not only Boruto, but also the next generation of children who appear in the theater have personalities that are on par with their parents. The unexpected couple's combination in the final return of the original work should also surprise many readers. Especially the shocking combination of Ding Ci and Jia Luyi, how did the couple group come about?

Kishimoto: There are still many people who write from readers, "Why did you put those two together?" I don't know what to do! "All in all, I had to create the character of Pig Deer Butterfly to create the next generation, so I thought "Isn't it a bit far-fetched?" and decided to combine Ding Ji and Jia Luyi.

- In the original work, Dingji's father, Dingza, refers to "women who like obese men like herself" as having "special fetishes." Jia Lui must have this special fetish too, right?

Kishimoto: No, it's not so much that Karui has a special fetish, it's just simple. Because you can make a decision very lightly in the face of something, it is easy to get married. "Okay." Something like this (laughs).

Reflections from a short intensive serial

――Before the theatrical release, you depicted the story of Sarada, Sakura-chan, and Sasuke in a short episode of "Weekly Shonen Jump". But I was surprised by the way I used to like Sasuke's Kaori so much, but now she is guarding Sakura and Sarata from afar. How has her mindset changed?

Kishimoto: Actually, when I was painting this part, I allocated a lot of pages for Kao to narrate in my memories. But after careful consideration, it was decided to cut it out.

-- What was the reason for cutting out the memory footage?

Kishimoto: When you describe the situation and the scene in your memories, you feel unreal no matter how you explain it. Like Sakura, Kao Pho had the experience of being almost killed by Sasuke, and Sakura treated Kao Pho at that time. In fact, while maintaining a hostile relationship, those two people are also confidants who know each other's hearts...... That's what I set for them in my heart. Therefore, I chose not to write much, but to let the reader imagine the change of mood of Xiang Phosphorus for himself. Or should I say that the key part I focused on portraying was the final scene of Saroda, Sakura, and Sasuke, and I focused on it.

Naruto who is portrayed as a father based on himself

── Over the past 15 years, as Naruto has grown, your own environment has changed. In the past, you said that "you project your inferiority complex in the role of Naruto", so does Naruto, who has become a father in this work, also have your own shadow?

Kishimoto: Sure enough, my real experiences and the things I think about are reflected in my works anyway. Naruto and Boruto, it's just a copy of me and my son. There was a time when I couldn't finish the manuscript on time, and I received a text message from my son: "Your manuscript should be finished at the appointed time, right?" "(laughs) There were times when I was too busy to care for my children, and this is the part I wanted to show in this theater version.

-- Like Boruto, your child is at an age where he wants to play with his busy dad (laughs). By the way, has your child read the entire Naruto?

Kishimoto: Looks like I've seen half of it. But when the theatrical version of "Dragon Ball" was released before, I stopped reading "Naruto" and went to watch the full version of "Dragon Ball" instead (laughs). Recently, he finally finished reading the full set of Dragon Ball, and I thought that he would come back and continue watching Naruto, but he started rereading it from Dragon Ball Volume 1 (laughs). Sure enough, Mr. Toriyama is amazing.

- That being said, you still want your children to watch this theatrical version of the anime, right?

Kishimoto: To be honest, there are some places where zuò is really made for "wanting my son to see". I also talked about this topic to my wife before, and I also reminded her: "It's so embarrassing, you must not tell anyone else!" ”

-- But what about you now? You're excited to see how your son will react, right?

Kishimoto: Yes. When the theatrical version of the anime is released, I'll take him to see it privately (laughs).

Naruto Theatrical Version: Boruto

【STAFF】

Original, Script, Character Design, Production Commander-in-Chief: Kishimoto Kishimoto

Supervision: Hiroyuki Yamashita

Script cooperation: Yakyo Kotaito

Character design: Tetsuya Nishio, Hirofumi Suzuki

Film Distribution: Toho

制zuò: The theatrical version of the Boruto system zuò committee

【CAST】

Three bottles of Yufuko, Kikuchi Kokoro, Junko Takeuchi, Noraki Sugiyama, Ryuichi Kijima, Atsushi Abe, Kensho Ono, Saori Hayami, Daisuke Nanikawa, etc.