Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 1×279 Review – “The Obstacle: Seven”

Boruto anime episode 279, ‘The Obstacle: Seven’, put Boruto and the rest of the prisoners through another experiment. And of course, that led to even more deaths.

‘The Obstacle: Seven’ picked up from where the previous episode ended. We got Batta’s explanation about why she thought Kiseru was working for Ouga. I liked her reasoning, which involved picking up on a lie Kiseru told when talking about the hot springs he used to visit with his grandfather. According to Batta, she grew up near that area and there wasn’t a single hot spring there that would provide a great view of the sunset.

I also liked how Boruto wasn’t quick to agree with Batta even after she presented him with her evidence, including the communication device she swiped from Kiseru. As a character, Boruto’s into giving other people a chance to explain themselves. So, I’m looking forward to seeing our main hero confront Kiseru and give him the opportunity to come clean about what he might be up to.

I don’t think that Kiseru’s an enemy. He could very well be an Outer Kara member. But there’s a chance that he changed sides and had been working as a double agent against Kara. Also, being an Outer member didn’t automatically mean Kiseru should be in cahoots with Ouga. At this point, I’m seriously side-eyeing Yatsume. There’s just something about her that doesn’t feel right to me. Like, what the heck was with her getting all teary-eyed while seeing Boruto fight Rokuro?

Talking about the latest experiment, called ‘Sum’, it involved Ouga teleporting the prisoners to some barren rocky land. Each person was provided with a card with a specific number on it, ranging from 1-8. The objective was to make sure you had cards that totaled up to at least 7 to gain access through a single gate before the 2-hour timer ran out. Ouga wanted the prisoners to kill each other to steal the cards and ensure their own survival.

‘The Obstacle: Seven’ also had Batta finally realize that Fugou had been lying about having enough money to pay her to be his bodyguard. After Batta opened up his briefcase, he came clean about how his company had gone bankrupt and that some sinister group was blackmailing him by taking his wife and kid hostage. Fugou was going to try and save his family by using the contents of a small container he was carrying.

I knew something was going to happen to Fugou when the episode gave him quite a bit of screen time. And sure enough, some unknown person killed him. However, what took me by surprise was Batta getting killed, too. I actually liked Batta as a character and that’s why I’m hoping she didn’t actually die. Some of the gas being held in Fugou’s container did come out. So maybe, just maybe, Batta got knocked unconscious from the gas and didn’t succumb to the wound from her unknown attacker? Hmmm.

The episode made the viewers think that it was Rokuro who had killed Batta and Fugou because he was in possession of their cards. However, after he lost his fight with Boruto, he told the truth about finding them already dead and stealing their cards. Again, I do feel that Yatsume did it.

Rokuro’s decision to want to simply kill everyone off to force the experiments to end made sense for his character. However, I highly doubt Ouga’s the type of person to just let the lone survivor leave without putting them through the final experiment he’s cooked up.

As for the fight, it had some cool moments as Boruto tried to defeat Rokuro without outright killing him. The way Rokuro took control of Namua’s body and had him attack Boruto made for some nice scenes. Poor Namua’s not doing so well mentally. It’s clear that he’s willing to sacrifice himself not only to protect others but also because he’s tired of carrying the weight of all the guilt from his villainous past on his shoulders. He’s wounded by alive for now. But I don’t think that will last for very long.

There’s only one more experiment to go (as far as we know) and I’m looking forward to seeing how that will play out after Boruto’s had a talk with Kiseru about his true motivations.

Coming to what Salad and the rest of Team 7 did during the current episode, on their way to regroup with Mitsuki, Salad and Kawaki found him trapped in a bunch of seals. Turns out, there’s a group out there that’s capable of taking on an unsuspecting Mitsuki. I liked how Kawaki didn’t have time to wait for backup (Salad had put in a request to the Hokage office) and proceeded to handle the situation his own way. His method involved putting himself on fire (wouldn’t be the first time).

Team 7’s all in on pursuing the group that attacked Mitsuki and getting them to answer their questions about Boruto’s whereabouts, backup or not. So, I’m expecting a lot of action in the upcoming episode.

What did you think of ‘The Obstacle: Seven’? Do you think Kiseru’s working with Ouga?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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