Director: Masahiko Murata
Starring: Kate Higgins, Chie Nakamura, Maile Flanagan, Junko Takeuchi, Yuri Lowenthal, Noriaki Sugiyama, Ben Diskin, Akira Ishida, Brian Donovan, Hideo Ishikawa, David Lodge, Houchu Ohtsuka
Running Time: 93 minutes
Certificate: 12
When long-running anime shows venture to the big screen, you’ll often find that they are simple filler storylines with no real consequence. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: THE WILL OF FIRE is no different. It will certainly appeal to fans, and may even have enough action for newcomers or just curious folk, but it doesn’t have a profound effect on any of the characters nor the events from the show. For some this will not be a drawback at all; if you enjoy it that’s great, if you don’t you can simply ignore it.
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: THE WILL OF FIRE is the sixth Naruto film and the third in the Shippuden series. It follows the escalation towards a fourth ninja war after the murders of specially powered ninjas. Next on the hit list is one of the shows main characters, Kakashi. Kakashi decides to give into a possession curse in order to be taken directly to the antagonist behind all these murders which leaves our hero Naruto perplexed. Naruto decides he must follow his friend and trainer to stop him from giving in to certain death. From there we pretty much follow Naruto as he tries to stop Kakashi’s plan while other ninjas try and stop Naruto.
It’s very simple, but that’s kind of the point. What the film does do is build on character relationships without leaving marks that may cause continuity problems in the series. Naruto and Kakashi, despite being teacher and student, have very different outlooks on life which leads to some interesting conflict. On the one hand, Kakashi’s plan will seem to limit the number of casualties, but Naruto believes he shouldn’t have to compromise justice in the name of the greater good. This moral conundrum will certainly divide viewers as well as making them more involved with what it going on onscreen. Flashbacks throughout remind us of the bond these two characters share, which keeps an important emotional resonance that makes the simple plot seem more powerful than it actually is.
The animation certainly takes on a darker tone, utilising greys and whites effectively, but when it pushes towards forced melodramatics at the end, it’s more eye-rolling than eyes welling up. The action is every bit as accomplished as you would imagine, but plays it too close to the style of the show. Obviously such consistencies are a necessity to a certain extent, but shouldn’t there also be a push for improvement? It’s a fun hour and a half, and it will certainly keep fans busy while they await the release of the next box-set.
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: THE WILL OF FIRE is released on DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combi on 12th August via Manga Entertainment.
Check out more Anime news and reviews here!
