Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 1×181 Review – “The Vessel”

Even though the current Boruto anime arc is adapting the events of the manga, I appreciated ‘The Vessel’ featuring non-manga content to better develop the plot.

I think the Boruto fandom, as a whole, can agree that the manga is too fast-paced and doesn’t give enough time to world and character building. In contrast, the anime has been fleshing out certain moments and filling gaps to make the narrative more streamlined. Also, according to particular data, the Boruto manga is just not doing well in Japan, especially compared to the successful anime series.

As far as my opinion goes, the Boruto manga numbers have been weak because it’s just not well-written. And before some of you come at me, it’s okay to like something while acknowledging the faults it has.  

We are 53 chapters in (getting a single issue each month) and the overall plot has gone nowhere. The villains are generic and the continuous focus on Boruto and Kawaki, while Boruto’s teammates are benched, has been boring. The anime, on the other hand, finds the time to not make everything about Boruto.

However, with Kawaki’s introduction in the anime almost here, I wonder if the anime will follow the manga route and forget that characters other than Boruto and Kawaki exist. I hope not!

While the Inner members of the Kara organization are just “meh!” in the manga, ‘The Vessel’ added scenes to give them more personality. I liked how everyone ganged up on Victor. It’s been obvious that Jigen’s lost trust in Victor for quite a while now. It was time for Victor to face the consequences. Seeing Kashin Koji deal with Victor was fun. We also got to see what happened to Deepa after his fight with Boruto, Salad, and Mitsuki.

There have been whispers in fandom about Deepa being alive. Here’s hoping the current episode puts an end to said whispers. Yes, I liked Deepa as a villain. But it was time for him to go. He served his purpose when he motivated Team 7 to grow stronger.

Now, I’m looking forward to seeing what Kashin Koji has planned as he makes his way to the crashed airship. Konohamaru and Mugino are already investigating the site. And you know things are going to turn bad real quick.

As for what Boruto did in ‘The Vessel,’ he finally got to experience a sparring match with Naruto. After getting caught cheating during the Chunnin Exams, it made sense for Boruto to look forward to such a match to prove his worth to everyone. 

There’s no doubt about Boruto’s progress. He’s even figured out how to use Water-Style Jutsu. However, for characters like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, fighting their kids is nothing. Seeing Naruto not even break a sweat during his fight with Boruto made me laugh. Boruto still has a long way to go.

The current episode did feature a conversation highlighting Boruto’s opinions about Scientific Ninja Tools. A person’s intent is very important when using such a tool. Boruto still needs a bit of time to figure out his feelings about using Scientific Ninja Tools during battle.

Science has become a big part of the modern world Boruto’s growing up in. Medical-type ninjas use technology to heal people. So, shouldn’t it be okay for Fighting-type ninjas to use scientific devices during battles?

Such and more questions are what Boruto will need to answer on his way to becoming the kind of ninja he wants to become. 

What did you think of ‘The Vessel’?

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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