Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 1×136 Review – ‘Crossing Time!’

With the time-traveling ‘Boyhood’ Arc coming to an end with ‘Crossing Time!’, I think I should let you know what I thought about the plot. As far as my opinion goes, even though the premise was interesting, the entire arc was disappointing because it was poorly written.

The writers ruined Urashiki as the villain. Even though he wasn’t the best villain to pop up in the Naruto and Boruto franchises, I still kind of liked him. He was a troll. But plot conveniences made his character a laughing stock. I don’t care how weak he’s supposed to be compared to the other members of his clan, having him be defeated by two (very young) Genins was just wrong.

If I were in charge of the writing, I would have had Boruto, Naruto, and Jiraiya offer support while Sasuke faced Urashiki head-on. I would have also made sure the battle didn’t occur inside the Hidden Leaf Village. All of the explosions not alerting anyone made no sense. Again, as I said, the premise was interesting, but it was handled poorly. The writers casually glossed over many plot holes, and as a viewer, I found that to be quite disrespectful.

At least, the ‘Crossing Time!’ writing team had Sasuke erase memories before he and Boruto traveled back to their timeline. However, even then, I didn’t like how Jiraiya handled the situation involving kid Sakura. His answer could have made sense if kid Sakura hadn’t seen Urashiki while she was healing Sasuke. Again, the writer glossed over a plot hole and had Sakura not mention Urashiki at all when she confronted Sasuke about the note he dropped. Also, did Sasuke erase kid Sakura’s memories? I’m not sure he did.

Now, even though you can tell I had a lot of issues with the current episode, as well as the entire arc, I couldn’t help but feel emotional because of the interactions Boruto and Sasuke had in the present timeline.

Seeing Sasuke return home and notice Sakura waiting for him was too much for my heart. The two of them have numerous responsibilities on their shoulders. They have sacrificed spending time with each other for the greater good. Sakura is needed by the Hidden Leaf Village as well as other medical units in the Great Five Nations. Sasuke has to continue his mission (away from the Hidden Leaf Village) to ensure the world remains safe. The two try to make the most of the few moments they can share, and I always get emotional whenever they’re on the screen together.

‘Crossing Time!’ gave us a beautiful little moment between them. Sasuke has a lot of regret about not being with Sakura more, but she also understands why he can’t be with her and tries her best to assure him that there’s no love lost between them.

Here’s hoping the anime team decides to do an adaptation of the Sasuke Retsuden novel. The story is set during the Boruto manga and showcases Sakura and Sasuke going on a dangerous mission to prevent Naruto’s death. The novel dives deep into the dynamics of their married life and what both feel for each other while also trying to raise their daughter.

As for Boruto and Naruto, I liked the scene where they eat ramen together.

Anyway, with the current arc concluded, I guess we should get ready for more filler content as this series enters 2020. I don’t think we had the Boruto anime adapt anything from the manga for an entire year now. And that’s weird.

What did you think of ‘Crossing Time!’? Did you enjoy the ‘Boyhood’ arc? 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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