Singapore is 2 months late but I finally watched Naruto's last movie, aptly named " The Last".
Movie synopsis:
The moon is approaching dangerously close to Earth!
Unless something is done, the moon will disintegrate, showering the earth with gigantic meteorites.
As the clock ticks towards the end of the world, can Naruto save the earth from this crisis?
The final chapter of Naruto's story unfolds!
My friends and I caught the premiere release of the movie at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard last evening. Being a premiere screening (with premiere price tag ) , movie merchandise goodie bag was given to every attendee. Check out what's inside!!!
I don't usually paste posters but this poster has officially taken over the only poster space at home hahah!
Be warned that this blog entry is dripping with spoilers and if you don’t like things like that, please stop reading beyond this point.
The story started with a flashback of little Naruto protecting little Hinata from the neighbourhood bullies. Of course we all knew chibi Naruto wasn’t very strong o naturally he didn’t managed to win the bullies. He was beaten up by them instead and totally knocked out. When he came to, the boys had already made a mess of his red scarf and went off, leaving only Hinata behind. Hinata thanked Naruto for helping her and apologised for the scarf but Naruto totally shook it off his shoulder, told her it’s okay and ran off home not the least affected. Man, if I ever have a son, I want a strong and happy -go-luck kid like Naruto!
This will be an important memory for Hinata.
Jumping back to the present, 2 years after the 4th Great Ninja Wars, Naruto had become an international hero/ superstar. Everywhere he went he was showered with attention. Scene after scenes of girls adoring gifts and presumably confessing their love /adoration to Naruto happened. Apparently that's what they do during Rinne Festival.
It was an awkward yet refreshing twist as we all know Naruto had lived majority of his life as an outcast. Suddenly turning into Mr popular and getting showered by attention from girls was just.... weird haha. But good for him though. As an ardent fan of the underdog, I've been rooting for him since forever and to finally see him get acknowledged (actually through out Shippuden, his popularity amongst the village had been steadily improving but still!) is incredibly touching. It's like a friend you know who had been struggling for the longest time finally had people acknowledge him.
Through out the first 5 minutes you see pretty girls give Naruto gifts , selfie with him , random people travelling to Konoha just to meet him, little kids running towards him and him treating everyone ramen (his salary must have increased exponentially haha). And with so much attention lavished on him, Hinata could only feel more distanced.
The first section of the movie showed Hinata patiently knitting a red scarf, obviously for Naruto. When she finally finished it she rushed out of her room to give it to Naruto, only to turn back 2 seconds later 8D. What happened next were just adorable scenes of Hinata walking back and forth trying to decide if she should go to Naruto so late in the night. It was such a cute scene! And I'm sure the whole theatre agreed with me! Hinata was soon spotted and teased by her younger sister Hanabi for her awkward actions; displayed only by a "young lady in love" hahaa.
Hinata did finally made it out of the house with her gift. She even managed to bump into Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, Chouji and Naruto having their dinner in Ichiraku Ramen. Oh a totally different note, Ino and Sakura looked so pretty in this movie! Especially Ino, she exude this really irresistible sexiness xD And I don’t understand why they can wear so little when it’s snowing -_-;;
The Ino-Shika-Cho team!
Sakura spotted Hinata and called out to her, inviting her to join them for dinner and even giving up her own seat (which was beside Naruto) for Hinata. However some random girls suddenly popped up and started clinging themselves (or was it just one girl?) onto Naruto. Naruto being the thick headed nice guy he was continued being who he was and responded back in a friendly way while thanking them for the gifts they gave him previously. While the new girls got chummy with Naruto, Hinata decided to retreat and left Ichiraku. Sakura, being a girl of course understood how Hinata felt and tried to get her to stay. But Hinata told Naruto that she was actually very full (hahah lies!) and excused herself. Sakura then proactively suggest Naruto walk Hinata home, only to have a very oblivious and shocked Naruto ask why He should do that.
Sakura quickly cooked up an excuse that " Hinata is a girl and it's dangerous for her to walk home alone at night". And to her suggestion Naruto's response was "Ehh, Hinata's strong. Nobody in the village will dare mess with her". At this point many giggles could be heard in the theatre as everyone were laughed over the adolescent's simplicity.
This part was probably trivial but so cute at the same time! It just shows how pure (or plain oblivious-_-) Naruto can be !
Eventually it was Sakura who ran after and walked Hinata back. On the way back Sakura asked if the scarf was for Naruto and cheered Hinata on. Hinata asked why Sakura was cheering her on even though Naruto had confessed to her before. The scene switched to the lone silhouette of a man with shaggy hair and big overcoat facing the moon; obviously Sakura's memory of Sasuke.
This movie made Sakura a lot more likeable as it showed her genuine care for friends and her wholehearted love for Sasuke despite all he did. Sakura would prove to be a lot more important in getting the couple together as the plot proceeds. And yes, if it’s not clear enough yet this movie is going to solidify the entire Naruto x Hinata pairing OFFICIALLY!!!
I've only watched the movie once so my memory is hazy. But somehow Hinata managed to pluck up enough courage to attempt to confess her love to Naruto again (that same night O_o) by giving him the scarf she made. The scene begun with us looking at Hinata practise confessing under Naruto's place LOL! Before she had the chance to practise another time, she was coincidentally disrupted by a Naruto who was on his way home ahaha! SO MOE!!! And while Naruto was asking what she was doing here, Hinata's stomach growled LOL! Naruto kind heartedly offered instant cup ramen at his place but Hinata was so embarrassed she ran away! Don't worry guys, Naruto went after her haha. The two of them are so cute together!!
I'm not going to type the entire script out here but what happened next was the bad guy appeared and tried to kidnap Hinata who was sitting depressingly on a swing , crying and soiling the scarf. Somehow Naruto was nearby and jumped in to stop Toneri (the bad guy). The fight sequence here were really nice and you get to see Naruto matures as a Ninja and the smart use of his Kage Bunshin no Jitsu. Btw, why is such a powerful jitsu considered forbidden?
Somehow Hinata was numbed and fell down a tall building. Thankfully the red scarf she made hooked onto something and she managed to hold on for a while. But the scarf eventually ripped apart and she fell many floors down. Don't worry, Naruto caught her *grin*.
Before Toneri left, he told Hinata he would be waiting for her answer. At this moment, Hyuuga Hanabi (Hinata's younger sister) was also kidnapped by Toneri's puppets.
Soon a 5 man group consisting of Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru , Sai and Hinata was formed to save Hyuuga Hanabi. At this moment, the 6th Hokage, Hatake Kakashi also informed them that the Moon was going to fall and destroy the world. Kakashi's involvement in this movie is miniscule and appearing only to say lines that doesn’t quite deliver any punch. So Kakashi fan girls might be a little disappointed haha.
Anyway let me quickly jump to the interesting parts! Naruto and Hinata spending time alone!
So the mission to save Hanabi started and the 5 of them had to enter Toneri's domain. The first trap for them were this body of water that traps them in a Genjitsu (illusion) of their memories. This is where we see Naruto's jumbled memories of his childhood and teen hood. It featured scenes of himself interacting with Hinata during the Chuunin exams and the scene of Hinata jumping in to protect Naruto from Paine. The memories slowly took on a more psychedelic twist as they started merging haphazardly with Naruto finding himself in different sections of the dreams he either wasn't supposed to be in or he was in the wrong age. As we see the ninjas float asleep in the water, we also see the red scarf slip out of hinata's bag and symbolically weaves itself around the couple; signifying the red thread of fate.
One particularly realistic and cute memory was of Sakura and Hinata having sweet dango and shaved ice desserts in a small traditional store. Sitting across each other, Sakura exasperately lamented to Hinata about Naruto's block headedness as she wondered how anyone could not have known the difference between telling someone you "like him" and telling him you "like" azuki beans. Apparently Naruto was that dim =_=;
Hinata looked so beautiful in this movie. I've always been a fan of Hinata but I always thought she looked a little plain, white skin with white iris is well, plain. But the more detailed artwork in the movie introduced more lashes and well, just generally focused on Hinata's beauty a lot. She is so cute I'd wanna have a girl friend like that if I was a guy! Is it creepy if i say now I want a Hinata plushie so I can cuddle her xD??? *gets punched*
Anyway, mighty Sakura who was better at countering illusions managed to wake everyone up and she pulled Naruto awake. Sai cheerfully thanked Sakura for destroying the happy dream he was having with his older brother while Shikamaru bluntly remarked that Sai's comment doesn't seemed like a thank at all. I'm happy the movie kept Sai's blatant sarcasm intact as it really provide many unexpected laughter's throughout . Without his sarcasm, Sai will turn into a really forgettable character.
Naruto woke up totally aware of Hinata's feelings for him and started to look at Hinata differently. Hahah it was very cute.
The team then venture off ahead leaving the 2 behind. Naruto attempts to talk to Hinata about his dream but cuts himself short and jumped into the next body of water. However at this point Toneri appeared again in front of the lone Hinata. Toneri addressed Hinata as the Princess of Byakugan and asks him to marry her. He was soon disrupted by naruto who had noticed Hinata falling behind. Naruto then engages Toneri in a fight but it turns out he was only fighting Toneri's puppet. Toneri ended the sequence by haughtily telling Naruto that his punches will never touch him while he disappears.
The team then reached this weird island within the cave where there was even a sun and ocean. The team then split up to search for Hanabi, flying gallantly on Sai's massive ink birds. The teams then split up to look for Hanabi amidst this huge plane with massive ruined cities.
This is where the cute parts commence; naruto and hinata teams up and searches the massive ruins together while the rest split up into 2 teams! Here we get to see them interact in a very nature manner. Such as hinata getting caught in cobwebs and then naruto teasing her that even though she had the Byakugan she was still clumsy enough to walk into cobwebs in front of her. This part had Naruhina fans like myself wincing together as you see Naruto gently help her get cobwebs off her fringe. Kyahhhhjhh massive naruhina feels >\\\\\\<!!!
One particularly sweet scene was of Naruto freshening his face and hands in this small fountain of water (probably rain water). He then cupped a handful of the water into both hands and placed it in front of Hinata like it was the most natural thing to do. And Hinata though surprised, drank from Naruto's hand. Squeals could be heard in the theatre and some of them came from me hehee . Although on hindsight that was probably kinda unhygienic but let's not mind the details LOL.
This was also where the scene with naruto looking at an absolutely stunning hinata happened. It was such a sweet and romantic moment ! Hinata looks ahead at the ruined city as the wind gently teased her beautiful long black hair. Naruto looks to his right and unexpected found himself mesmerised by this used-to-be plain looking classmate who had blossomed into a ravishing young woman. The mesmerised look on naruto's face was priceless!
Then they had cup ramen lunch, probably courtesy of naruto, inside the ruins. I'm always extremely amazed by the amount of things Shinobis carry inside their tiny bags, it’s like Doraemon’s pouch, it doesn't make sense lol. As Naruto finishes his ramen and walks off, he walks face front right into a cobweb too. It was very funny to see him wimble around somersaulting and all, only to fall back down a flight of steps.
The next scene was Hinata lending Naruto some ointment. The ointment was the very same one Hinata gave Naruto during the Chuunin exam and Naruto remarked that too. However naruto soon realise the wound on his back couldn't be reached by himself and HINATA HAD TO APPLY IT FOR HIM! MAJOR NARU X HINA MOMENT YOOOOO!!!!
It was such a sweet and awkward moment for both the adolescent hehehe. Just as hinata was about to tell Naruto something , she was cut short by Sai who popped into the room asking for them.
So the team meets up and camped together. As the night withes away, you see Hinata quietly knits alone in a room. Naruto, unable to forget Hinata's intention to say something in the day went to her again asking her what it is that she had wanted to tell him. I wonder if he was wondering if Hinata would confess to him again haha.
But Hinata responded unexpectedly and gently told him she just wants to be alone as she continues to knit without looking up. A slightly dejected Naruto walks away unable to say more. I wonder if Naruto started being unsure of Hinata's feelings for him then hehee.
The night fell again and Hinata continued knitting alone. Naruto walked up towards her and tried to reassure her that Hanabi would be alright; I honestly think naruto was just trying to find a chance to stick around Hinata HEHEHEHEH >////< b
Up till then I've found Hinata to be way too calm for someone who's little sister had just been kidnapped and found it puzzling why she was still knitting even during the mission. Then Hinata started letting her emotions out by telling Naruto that he must think she's an awful sister who is not doing anything useful but just knitting while her little sister's life is in danger. Naruto quickly tells her that that's not true and Hinata started tearing, reprimanding herself for not being home the night Hanabi was kidnapped.
Naruto quickly assured her that Hanabi is going to be alright as his love for her slipped his tongue.
" It's not just because I like you that I'm concerned about Hanabi" .
EVERYBODY SAY KYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH <3 !!! *FIST PUNCH* WAY TO GO NARUTO !! HERE'S A BLOCKHEAD BUT EVER SO TRUTHFUL CONFESSION FOR YE!!!
I had thought Hinata will take it only as a passing comment but I was wrong! Perhaps due to her intense love for Naruto, she picked up that little slipped immediately and even directly confront Naruto about it. AHhhHHHHHH they are so cute!!! I'm not going to describe every detail here but yeap, Naruto confessed!
However the bad guy turned up again and this time, Hinata went with him willingly. Pushing the knitted scarf into Naruto's hand before she walks to the arms of Toneri and levitated away in Toneri's puppet. Of course Naruto fought to bring Hinata back but Toneri was one level up and completely overwhelms the hero. He executed a Jitsu that took almost all of Naruto's chakra away from him before burning and plunging Naruto to the ground. I found it a little mweh that being one of the major hero of the fourth Ninja War, Naruto would be taken down so easily. I suspect it had something to do with the despair and disappointment he felt after being rejected by Hinata. 英雄难过美人关阿 (Even the biggest heroes cannot overcome the temptation of beauties)！Hinata worriedly asked what Toneri was doing (hurting Naruto) and Toneri simply said he was trying to get some pesky bugs off without engaging in a fight and endangering her.
After making a big crevasse in the earth, Toneri flew away with Hinata. The rest of the team managed to catch Naruto (I think it was Sai with his Super Beast Imitating Technique) before he plunged straight onto the ground.
The next scene was the team back in the ruins and Sakura healing a comatose Naruto. In his unconscious state, Naruto muttered Hinata's name repetitively. This scene was unexpectedly sweet as just like Sakura, the rest of us felt happy for Hinata that this blockhead Naruto had finally understood her feelings and reciprocated it.
This must be the worse movie review any blogger has ever wrote but I don’t care and I’m going to jump to the summary now because seriously, who wants to read the entire plot?!
Overall, I rate this movie a 8.5/10.
The animation quality is smooth and pleasing to the eye. You can tell even the childhood scenes and the battle with Paine has been freshly redrawn to fit the movie quality. It is not the best animation quality I’ve seen but it’s definitely good. The background and characters have been given more details and a more realistic touch.
A lot of action sequence have been weaved into the movie. In it’s own right, the action sequence are attention grabbing and a feast for the eye as you see all the characters mature in their skills. Fighting on the moon was also a battle environment like never before. But it is hard to compare the climax to the 15 year of Animation where time was a luxury and fight scenes could be fully expounded.
The focus of the movie is about the realising of Naruto’s affection towards Hinata. Being an ardent fan of the pairing since Season 1 of the Anime, I was understandably excited over the movie plot. Every little sweet and sour moment of their budding romance was such a joy to partake in. Watching it in the theatres and hearing fellow Naruto fans squeal at those moments was an experience like no other. However for fans who aren’t that keen on this pairing, this movie might be a little dull to watch. A lot of the action implied from the trailer was not seen in the movie.
In the trailers, it was given the impression that a great evil was attacking Konoha and Shikamaru was vowing to protect the memento from his Mentor (Asuma Sensei’s child). Gaara, Kakashi and the whole world was fighting with all they’ve got to protect the world again. And while that was technically true in the movie, the lack of an evil personification and the chance for the individual shinobis to showcase their Jitsu made the show a little lacklustre. Not that it’s bad, it just wasn’t what most of us signed up for.
As I mentioned above, Kakashi along with all the other Kage’s had really little involvement. Their screen time were laughably little.
Another main character that had laughably little screen time was Sasuke. His screen time could be counted by the seconds! I was expecting the movie to show him back in the village or at least somehow weave him into the main battle and reunite him with Sakura, but sadly all that didn’t happen =/ I guess another movie is required. It’s okay Kishimoto-Sensei just take my money!!!
The ending credits showing monotone line arts of Naruto marrying Hinata was so beautiful and touching. I wish I could better express that feeling in words but it really felt like 2 of your best friends were getting married (And I’m not even the biggest Naruto fans around!) and you knew everyone at the wedding banquet. I was staring earnestly at the screen , silently pointing fingers and putting a name to each character on screen.
I feel delighted that the couple’s relationship have progressed to such an intimate stage whereby they both solemnly vow to remain faithful to each other for as long as they live. And for Shinobis like Naruto and Hinata, that meant they will sacrifice their lives to protect the other; like how Hinata has proven multiple times.
photo credits: http://spoadicdeviance.tumblr.com/
It’s a really weird feeling to see all the kids you watched when you were also a kid , suddenly grew up and form families of their own. And I guess that’s the power of a series that have ran for 15 years; the emotional attachment the fans have for it is so painful yet delightful. And if a kid had been following it since 10, the young kid would be a full fledged Adult by now, the progression of live and the impact of pop culture always amazes me.
The Last Naruto the Movie - NaruHina Wedding and Sasuke feat. Hoshi no Utsuwa with Lyrics [Eng Sub] [HD] from Anime Continuum on Vimeo.
There is a short clip of the couple along with their 2 children at the end of the credits so remember to stay for it!
If I wasn’t such a big Naruhina fan, I’d probably give this movie 7/10 due to the lack of focus on the much loved side characters and lack of depth on the main Ototsuki plot . But because I’m a sucker for romance and I’m a huge NaruHina fan, I’m giving this movie 8/10! And when the movie opens officially island wide, I shall look forward to watching it again !
Before I end the entry, I’m leaving the movie OST with you guys! Enjoy! If you’ve watched the movie already, comment and share your thoughts with me !
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