Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 1×122 Review – The Puppet Battle

‘The Puppet Battle’ ended up being more enjoyable than I expected. While certain writing choices in the current Boruto arc still don’t make sense to me, the action sequences do make up for a whole lot.

The puppets under Urashiki’s control were powerful enough to give (puppet master) Kankuro a tough time. Seeing Kankuro use his puppets to try and defeat his enemies was fun. It was revealed he didn’t have all his puppets with him, though. Not having Kankuro at his best during such a battle was another example of the writers making certain plot choices to raise the stakes. I was waiting for him to summon his Sasori puppet. But, alas, the writers had other plans.

‘The Puppet Battle’ also showed Temari and Shikadai become part of the story. I was waiting for Temari to go and protect her brothers. So, even though I have issues with the anime writers, I’m glad they granted one of my wishes.

I don’t know about you, but I’m here for Urashiki vs. the Sand Siblings. I don’t know if Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro will be able to defeat Urashiki. However, seeing the three work together to bring down a powerful villain will definitely be awesome. We might not get it in the upcoming episode due to Kankuro and Gaara being injured, but I still have my fingers crossed.

As far as Shinki and Boruto are concerned, the episode had them argue over whether or not they should go back to help Kankuro. While I understood Boruto’s need to go back and help, he still has a lot of growing up to do. I liked how Temari made Boruto understand that Shinki’s worried about Kankuro, too (in his own way). The puppet master is Shinki’s uncle after all.

Again, having Boruto separate from Shinki was another plot convenience to have Shinki and Shukaku be alone and vulnerable. I’m not saying it didn’t make sense (it did because of who Boruto and Shinki are as characters). But still, the entire conflict came across as too predictable.

With Urashiki having escaped Gaara’s sealing jutsu, it will be interesting to see how our heroes will be able to stop him. Sasuke should be returning soon, right?

What did you think of ‘The Puppet Battle’? 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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