#shippuden the movie

[sunyot]

Cinematic Moments - Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds

[emeraldlupin]

Confused about Naruto Shippuden the Movie Part 1

So...Shippuden: The Movie. The first of the Shippuden movies. I talked about it a bit in my geography essay, but I want to talk about it more, and summarize the really weird things about it.

There were design elements in it that were cool. I'll give you that. The battles were engaging, too. But the story...had issues. Big issues.

For one, why in the world did the gang not leave with Shion once they repelled her attackers? I know they said the guards wanted to assemble, but the world is on a clock here. Introduce yourselves on the road.

Two, Yomi told his henchmen to "go back to the Land of Ogres" to deal with Shion. They were already in the Land of Orges to break out Moryo's soul and his statue army. Why is Yomi only realizing now that they needed to go back and deal with her?

Then there's the issue of Neji. He's a main character in this movie. He, Lee, Sakura, and Naruto are performing the mission to escort and protect Shion. Shion tells Naruto that she can predict the deaths of those close to her and that he will die. This freaks Naruto out. Sakura and Lee rather laugh it off, which seems weird. But what does Neji say? He tells Naruto to not let it bother him.

That's all he has to say about it throughout the movie, really. And that's bizarre. Neji Hyuuga, if you know the character at all, had lived with an extremely fatalistic outlook his whole life, and he had reason to. When Naruto beat him in the Chunin Exams, he started to have hope and think that not everything was determined by fate.

But Neji does not remind Naruto of this, nor does he confront Shion about her fatalism by telling her his story. It's the most obvious thing in the world, if you know the character. Plus, the film is only 95 minutes long. That's not too far over the average run time for an animated film. You could have squeezed something in.

This suggests to me, and pardon me for saying so, that the creative team either did not care to do the obvious, or even that they didn't really bother to learn very much about the characters. Oh, sure, they knew about Lee's drunken boxing skills, but that's as easily as looking up abilities. It does not mean looking up their stories.

No matter the reason, the fact that they missed something that easy is deeply disappointing.

One other thing that confuses me about this movie was a revelation at the end between Shion and Moryo, the demon she was supposed to stop. Moryo tells us that he and Shion...used to be the same person?

Okay, let me back up. First, let me give you this transcript of what Shion says about her precognitive powers.

"Foresight is the power to protect the life of a priestess. When a priestess perceives her own death, the soul of that priestess leaves the body, and shows her past self images of the moment of death. At the time of death, she sees her attendants around her. The priestess tells her attendants about her visions, and these attendants believe that they must take her place in order to prevent her death. That is the set-up for precognition. Sacrificing others, so that I may live."

Writing it out just now, I realize that I actually have to back up further. This quote would tell us that the priestess sees her own death, and then she tells her attendants, and then her attendants take her place in death.

That...makes no sense.

Let's hold off on the past self thing for now. This quote would tell us that the priestess sees images of her own death, and seeing her attendants around her, she tells her attendants, and the powerful devotion of her attendants makes them take her place. That's how those sentences read, correct?

Well, that's garbage. Shion has two visions on screen. We get to see what she sees. And what does she see? She sees Naruto dying near the end of the movie, and then she sees her own body laying on the forest floor dead. That ends up being a fake out. Her attendant used some jutsu to take on her physical form.

She is not seeing the moment of her death, she's seeing the deaths of others, just like the film said earlier.

And yet that paragraph would tell us that she always sees her own death, and that her attendants take her place. The way it says "sacrificing others so that I may live" even suggests her telling her attendants of her visions is an act of conscious manipulation, rather than the reaction of blind loyalty.

That paragraph also refutes the entire fatalism theme in the movie. Characters talk about how her visions are absolutely accurate, etc., etc. But if she is seeing her own death and her attendants are taking her place...then her visions have been defied. Over and over, they have been defied.

This movie can't even get its own facts straight. Of course, if she is sacrificing people to preserve her own life, that makes her a vile and awful person. I get what the movie wants. It wants her to see the deaths of others and feel horrible about it. But that's not what it said. Not at all.

It's a black mark on the movie's record. This isn't just a case of a continuity error with the series at large, this is an internal continuity error, and that's kind of worse.

Now let's talk about the past life thing. When the priestess perceives her own death, her soul leaves her body and shows her past self images of her death. Her past self. That means she reincarnated, right?

But Shion's not dead yet. She's only seeing a possible death, so how can her soul show her past self the upcoming death of her current self? Why would her soul be showing the upcoming death of her present self to her past self? Entertainment value?

And speaking of reincarnation, let's get back to the Moryo/Priestess thing.

Near the end of the movie, when Shion is in the place with Moryo's body, she finds Moryo waiting for her. Moryo himself has spent the entire movie living inside of the body of Yomi, the guy who set him free and whose clan used Moryo to try and take over the world before.

Moryo: How you've grown...you resemble Miroku. Let us offer our greetings to the young priestess. My name is Yomi. Long ago, your mother Miroku stood in the way of my ambitions. Do you remember that day? We had resurrected Moryo as our leader and the Thousand Year Kingdom was within our grasp. Your mother...if only that priestess had not been there!

Shion: [Being chased by stone soldiers] Stay away....stay away! [Her bell/pin thing puts out a pink light that slices down the soldiers.]

Moryo: Why are you so shocked? Could you possibly...be unaware...of your power? What a surprise. Just what have you been taught all this time?

Shion: Just for this day...each and every day, I...

Moryo: Honed your Sealing Jutsu? Then hurry over here...and seal me. Can you?

Shion: [Walks over]

Moryo: I will tell you. I cannot kill you. And you do not have the power to kill me. Because...originally, we were one and the same entity.

Shion: That is a lie! You are trying to trick me with lies!

Moryo: Is there any reason for me to lie?

Shion: I shall, right at this moment...

Moryo: The seal...refers to you and I becoming one. Your mother Miroku accepted that. Yes, Miroku, your mother...is within me! Because of the enormous power to ensure we did not err in using it, we have separated ourselves into two hearts, two minds, and we have lived remonstrating each other, thinking of each other, staring down each other.

Moryo Continued: Although before long, our names were changed to the priestess and Moryo. Light, dark, good, evil...such words cannot bind us!

Shion: [Puts up magic barrier]

Moryo: A barrier?

[Barrier goes up, but Moryo goes through it to attack Shion]

Moryo: You were too hasty, priestess. You should've waited until this one [indicating Yomi's dead body] decayed to put up the barrier.

Shion: [Thinks] It was to get in here... [Sees the box containing Moryo's body, but is unable to stop Moryo from getting to it. Yomi's dead body is blown back out of the barrier, but Shion cannot pass through]

Moryo: Once a barrier is up, we cannot get out. Yes, until one consumes the other. And that is decided by each other's chakra. Now you shall return it. My flesh and body. You have my thanks. That one no longer had the power to break the seal on the shrine.

By "that one," I'm guessing he meant Yomi. But the barrier on the shrine goes away. So much for neither being able to leave the barrier without consuming one another. If that were true, it should have stayed up.

Are you already seeing the weird confusion here? Moryo and Shion used to be the same being. Or was it Moryo and Miroku? It seems like Miroku was also the same being. But Moryo and Miroku split into two. Two. If that includes Shion, then Moryo needs to learn how to count.

Or is this movie implying that Shion is the reincarnation of her own mother? That's the way I took it when I saw this movie the first time, and I still can't deny that interpretation of whatever this is. I mean, Shion did talk about past lives.

For one, I don't see how that's possible if Miroku is supposed to be a part of Moryo right now. But for another...doesn't that break the rules of reincarnation?

There's far more to the end of this movie than I put down at the moment, far more to disassemble. But I can tell you right now that there were flashbacks showing Shion and her mother being alive at the same time.

Look, I am not a theology student. I do not claim to have an absolute grasp on how reincarnation is supposed to work. But my own understanding of it, from everything I have ever seen or read, is that reincarnation is when someone's soul is allowed to live a new life without memories of their old one.

That being the case, how can someone's past life and next life be alive at the same time? You're supposed to die before you reincarnate.

This confusion of mine actually ties back into the main series with the Indra/Asura mess. Kishimoto said Naruto and Sasuke were "reincarnations" of the two idiot brothers, but so were Hashirama and Madara. But both Hashirama and Madara were reanimated, which you should not be able to do with a soul that has been properly reincarnated.

The anime, when they fleshed out the story of Indra and Asura, made this worse by constantly referring to "souls," but then again, why wouldn't they talk about reincarnation that way? If my understanding is correct, that's how it is meant to work. But Narutopedia says the reincarnation is "chakra."

I do not know where that "reincarnating chakra" thing came in. Was it in the manga, the anime, the books, I don't know. Honestly, it feels like a cop-out. The realization that you goofed up and you're trying to fix your moment of "You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means."

But I pose this question to anybody reading this: Am I missing something? Is there some nuance to the philosophy of reincarnation that I just don't know about? And when I say that, I mean real world reincarnation, not Naruto Brand Reincarnation. Seriously, am I missing something? I want to know.

More on this movie in another post.

Part 2

[lady-purpleblue]

NaruHina fanarts by sekibeing, NARUTO/BORUTO animator ❤️

[sasucaty]

currently thinkin about how menma from naruto rtn movie is literally sns lovechild🎀

and he's way better looking than 'canon' couples fugly ass kids in boruto!!

[murasaki-cha]

Say what you want about Naruto The Last or NaruHina (actually don't you dare say anything bad about NaruHina here they're adorable and I freaking love them)

But I have to say the funniest and simultaneously the realest moment in the entire movie was when Hinata rejected Naruto a total of ONE times the the one singular time and he decided he would simply die. Like just straight up fall to his death. What even was the point anymore. Hope he explodes completely actually.

And when he didn't die he proceeded to be the most depressed wallowing sobbing pathetic wet cat to ever exist. He really was just:

Shikamaru: Naruto get up dude.

Naruto already crying: Hinata used to call me that

Shikamaru: it's your fucking name-

Literally that was so real of him the only appropriate reaction he should have had.

[bigjeansss]

12th day of #snsmonth24

CONFESSION

[unluckymeat]

THE BEST

[andysaas]

golden retriever black cat

[monikaquinzel]

Naruto and Hinata (NaruHina) hot weather.

by: risuo27

[azuree1733]

wuh luh wuh 🤯

[pfpanimes]

⌕ naruto • hinata.

like or reblog if you save/use.

[emeraldlupin]

Confused about Naruto Shippuden the Movie Part 2

Part 1

Okay, continuing on. So, the barrier goes down against the stated rules, Moryo is free, and a despairing Shion falls into a deep, dark pit which is actually the inside of Moryo's body.

Speaking of which, Moryo's "body" doesn't seem all that different from the mass of black energy that went into Yomi. Sure, he has a bunch of hydra heads, but they look like they're made of the same material, so it's more like it's a hydra made out of magic. Shouldn't his body be more...solid?

As Shion falls, Moryo taunts her.

Moryo: There's no need for tears. As long as that light is there, I cannot absorb you into me.

The "light" he's referring to is the magical pink light coming off of Shion's bell pin. On a side note, the thing always looked like it had a drop of blood inside it, but I presume that's just the clapper, the thing that makes a bell ring.

You know, Shion should be careful with that thing. After all, it is pink energy, and as the internet and certain YouTube comic shows would tell us, too much pink energy is dangerous.

Anyway, moving back to the transcript.

Moryo Continued: But are you sure? [You want to die] You may not like what you see...the end of this world.

Shion: I am alive. Then Naruto is...? If things go as is, Naruto will...Naruto will...

And then we switch to a flashback...if a glowing man with wings? Uh...okay.

Glowing Man: Why do you not understand? If you combined your jutsu with Moryo's power, ruling the world would be simple!

Glowing Woman: Such folly...Why do you not have faith in people?

Glowing Man: Have faith in people?! Are you serious, Miroku?!

Then the flashback ends, Shion recognizes Glowing Woman, and we move to a different flashback with a non-glowing Miroku and a young Shion resting her head on Miroku's lap.

Shion: Mother, your lap is so warm.

Miroku: *laughs* You're such a baby, Shion.

Shion: I want to stay like this forever.

And then it moves to a third flashback, one where Shion is not visibly present.

Attendant: Why would you give such a thing?

Miroku: I will not teach this child any jutsu. That is my order!

Attendant: B-But...

Then it moves to a fourth scene.

Miroku (in voiceover): Here. Hold onto this [the bell] all the time.

Shion: So pretty! Is it a good luck charm?

Miroku: Yes, this will protect you from now on.

And then the rest of Miroku's words are done in voiceover, while the scene shows Shion still floating in the dark...but naked. Why the hell is she naked?! Why does she need to be?! Ugh. Let's move on.

Miroku Voiceover: No matter what should happen to me, keep your heart true. Even if Mother should fade from your presence, know that all things in this world are ephemeral.

And then it moves into a fifth flashback showing a young Shion watching as her mother is confronted by a released Moryo.

Shion: Mother!

Moryo: Do you insist on getting in my way, Miroku? Enough! I will not borrow your power. But you realize what that will mean?

Miroku: Shion! Your bell?

Shion: [Does not have it and gets attacked by Moryo, only to be blocked by Miroku]

Moryo: What?

Miroku: Do not underestimate the power of a priestess!

Moryo: I see...you will risk your life and pass...

And then the dialogue gets a tad confusing. The next words are spoken in a woman's voice. They say "through time." But this dialogue is said on a flashback of Naruto from earlier in the movie, and is then immediately followed by some of his inspirational dialogue. So...who said "through time"? Shion? Her mother? This is not good.

And Shion is glowing in this flashback and her dialogue is different, so I'm guessing this is the Shion of the present? This is just weird. In this flashback, Shion takes the bell off of her jacket, but she doesn't pin it on Naruto.

Back in the present, Naruto is fighting, and Shion's voiceover commands him to live. There is a flare of pink light, and Naruto's death at the beginning of the movie is prevented by a magical pink energy bubble in the shape of a bell that appears around him. It even rings on contact. Naruto survives, and the demon hydra head that tried to skewer him pops.

Moryo: *laughs* I have seen that power once before. Are you sure? Giving up your priestess amulet to a man? Fine...if that is your wish, I shall grant it. And watch as my body becomes one with yours, and those who tried to protect you perish! Yes! As the world of humans rots away.

Shion: *crying* This would have been fine...If I had know this from the start, all those people of my homeland wouldn't have had to die! Isn't that so, Mother?

And then her mother's voice appears in a glowing patch of pink light, wishing that Shion could have lived a life of peace and calm. An then it moves to a flashback of Miroku and an attendant and the bell on a pillow.

Miroku says that Shion's power...even one mistake and she could become a menace greater than Moryo. And the child would be unable to control it. In that case, they have to seal the power in "this stone," and suppress what would awaken should she die, even at the cost of their people's lives.

And then an image of her mother hugs her and apologizes for not being able to protect her or have faith in her. But Shion doesn't blame her. She loves her.

And then Shion realizes how she must use her power and she glows with pink light and...takes on some weird angel form? What the hell? She can see all the priestesses that came before her, even those that died young.

Moryo is shocked by this and says "So that's it. That bell holds this power of yours." And then she gets ready to sacrifice her life and take out the demon once and for all, protecting all those that fought for her...only for Naruto to ruin the dramatic moment. Shion loses her super mode, and Naruto tells her she's stupid and asks her if she really wants to die.

Shion says she doesn't want to die, and Naruto goes on about how you don't need to accept a destiny you don't like, and together they use the power of her bell to, what else, make a special Rasengan to finish the enemy. Oh, and destroying Moryo inadvertently make a new volcano in the Land of Swamps.

The volcano's light can be seen from Konoha, implying that it is near Fire Country, but let's ignore that and how it screws up the map. In the post credits scene, Naruto says to Shion that her priestess days are over.

Shion says they aren't. She must continue on. When she was inside Moryo, she realized that it was the evil in people's hearts that gave rise to Moryo, and who knows when a second or third will appear. She says she will no longer curse her fate, that being a priestess is her mission, and the power must be passed on to the next priestess.

She asks Naruto if he will help her do that, basically propositioning him to father her babies, and like an oblivious fool, Naruto says yes, though Sakura, Kakashi, and even Might Guy catch on. And that's the end of the movie.

.......What?

Okay, let's start tearing this apart. Reading through this, do you see the cracks? The reincarnation thing is already confusing, plus this plotline about Shion and the demon being one being, and now we've got Shion's mysterious power?

And that power was sealed in "this stone"? What stone? You mean the bell? That's not a stone. Or did you mean the clapper? And what's this about her being a danger? I want to make a joke about her really have too much pink energy, but I am still legitimately confused. Her only "power" so far is sealing and precognition, and limited precognition at that.

Why did that man in the first flashback have wings? The glowing effect might have been symbolic or a way to hide the characters, but who was that man? Yomi? Didn't sound like him? One of Yomi's family? Why did he have wings? Was he a tengu? What is this about uniting powers to rule the world?

I suppose that was what Moryo was doing in the beginning, but now it feels kind of out of left field because the Moryo backstory is on shakier ground now than it was at the beginning of the movie.

How many times has Moryo been sealed exactly? And what's this about "other priestesses"? Moryo said he was split between him and Miroku. What other priestesses? And if Shion saw her mother die sealing Moryo, why didn't that come up before in her motivations?

If Shion's power was in her bell and she gave it to Naruto, how did she get Super Special Angel Form? And why was Moryo surprised by the fact that her power was in the bell. He already remarked on the power it had!

What is this about Moryo being born from the evil in people's hearts? What about Miroku? Was she evil? Gee, it would have been nice to establish that or something.

The problem with this movie is that despite the impressive fights, the story is rotten. It's internally inconsistent and confusing in just what it's saying or what the plot really is. Plot elements thrown in without any build up or cohesiveness.

This was the first of the Shippuden films, so let me briefly compare to the first of the Naruto era films.

As I said in another post, the plot of Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow is not terribly complex. It deals with no complex themes, and is pretty straightforward. But for what it is, the plot is solid. It has the proper amount of intelligent thought and polish to make it work, remembering character motivation and story cohesion.

Princess Koyuki's motivation and characterization are clearly presented to us with proper establishment and no unfounded surprises. the loss of her father resulted in hopelessness and a cold attitude. And while there is a moment that hints at even more trauma (falling in the ice) that is not commented on, it does not create confusion or contradiction in the understanding of events.

But this movie? This movie only produces a series of questions.

Did Shion have a dangerous power? When was that established? It cannot be precognition, as that is not a public hazard, and only applies to her attendants, anyway.

Why does Moryo's body look so much like Moryo sans body?

Was Shion always part of Moryo?

What about her mother? How can Shion be apart of Moryo too if Moryo said he was split in two?

Is there reincarnation going on? How can that be if her mother didn't die in childbirth?

Is it the power that's part of Moryo?

Why was Moryo surprised about the bell containing the power?

Why is Shion's emotional breakdown, the moment we're actually meant to sympathize with this brat, full of contradictions?

Does this movie really have a fatalism theme going on or not, because those contradictions call that into question.

What is with that line about "other priestesses?"

Why is Neji's life story thrown aside when it could have easily added depth?

Why is no one all that concerned about Shion's predictions?

Why didn't they get going at once after the attack?

Why did the henchmen have to make a U-turn back to the Land of Ogres?

Why did the barrier go down when it was not supposed to?

What was with the angel form?

Why was Shion naked in that one scene?

How can you have flashbacks to things where Shion is not present if, presumably, Shion is the one remembering?

The worst part is that I'm not sure the plot point about the priestess and Moryo being one even made a real difference. What point did it serve in the story other than to be a mental curveball? Everything around that revelation is just headache inducing. Couldn't they have just gone for a simpler plot?

This movie is steeped in stereotypes and tropes. It throws in potentially complex plot threads, but fails to build them up or think about them.

Even a simple plot can be great if it is solid, keeps characters in character, and gets us emotionally invested in said characters and their plot. More complex stories require greater care to get right. There are more twists and turns, and you need to look it over to make sure it all works correctly. That's just a fact of life.

And that's not to say simple plots don't have any care put into them at all. An author can still examine every nut and bolt of a simple story to make sure there aren't any issues. But the more complex the story, the more work involved, the more you are required to get this straight.

Shippuden the Movie did not do so. When you look beyond the fights and the animation, and look at the story, the true foundation of its existence, it falls apart.

[sasukesofficiallawyer]

hear me out when I say Sasuke x Naruto and Elphaba x Glinda are the same ship in different forms

[spacealligator]

I just watched the movie bonds and shino single handedly destroyed like three warships, avenged the attack on Konoha and then he just he just walks out of the water like a goddamn bond girl in an episode of ex on the beach and i was like ???????? well i guess the movie ends here ?????????

after that I didn’t even wanna know what happened to naruto, i just enjoyed me some badass shino and sai, some mild badass shikamaru and some lazyass kakashi that did nothing the whole time, sasuke's and naruto's sexual tension was on the background after that

[martialartslover7]

My main reasons, why, even with the facts, I STILL don't like The Last

Like, even with me keeping in mind, all the things I may end up getting wrong about the movie itself (I already had that experience here), outside of all this, I still would not like the movie. And here are my main reasons why:

Look, man, NaruHina scenes or not, the story, is frankly a glorified mess, like, in all seriousness, I cannot even pretend, an alien invasion (alien tropes, in this day and age, are highly unwelcome in general to me, due to how redundant and overused it has become over the years)? Overabundance of flashbacks to fuel the protagonist's strength? Hinata becoming a damsel in distress for a 3rd time (this isn't the first time, by the way)? The Otsutsuki inclusion as a whole, which frankly breaks the lore on downright biblical proportions, becoming Dragon Ball, if you ordered it on Wish? With a villain as lame and one-note as Toneri? No, thanks.

Are you seriously fine with Hinata being nerfed into the ground, just so the romance plot itself can advance? This point still frankly pisses me off, like, do you even like Hinata? I do, and I am not fine with the girl being made weaker, just so the plot, or especially the romance portion can advance, I know why she couldn't properly use her chakra, because Toneri was messing with her chakra, bla bla bla. It's a fact, that it happened. But I still should be allowed to call it, for what it is: BULLSHIT. Hinata trained her whole life, just to be accepted as the heiress of the entire Hyuga clan, and yet, you are telling me, that, even with all this mumbo-jumbo garbage, she officially becomes less useful than a boil on my bum, and can't channel ANY chakra to stick to the wall? Literally, hanging by a thread, and NEEDING to be saved by Naruto? I dunno about you guys, but I am just so salty over this. EVERYTHING has to hinge on Naruto, because, of course, it's not like, Hinata trained her whole life, having managed to master a technique that not any other Hyuga managed to unlock, having the most the potent of Byakugan with the widest radius in existence, and became a master of the Gentle Fist... ...yeah, pffft, great job. All achievements, off-screen, and we barely even get a glimpse of that in the movie, and for a secondary protagonist, she gets reduced to a jobber, who either gets kidnapped 24/7, or gets easily overpowered, way too quickly, that's just pathetic, man. It ALMOST makes you want to say, "Maybe Hiashi was right to never pick her", and I want to hit myself for saying that.

The romance portion itself, even if, I can somewhat accept the explaination of Naruto being "slow on the draw", or maybe, having been too traumatized to talk to Hinata about this entire debacle with her confession during the Pain arc, because he was still processing all of it, it still doesn't explain how this movie got away with deadass LYING. STRAIGHT TO OUR FACES. ABOUT NARUTO'S INFATUATION WITH SAKURA. Trying to write it off as "Naruto was always in love with Hinata, and he only loved Sakura, out of a desire to compete with Sasuke", WHERE THE FUCK DOES THIS COME FROM? That's just straight up false. Naruto never loved Sakura, just to be in a "competition" with Sasuke, he was just irritated at how Sasuke got all the attention from the girls, while Naruto was left with nothing. It's just a fact, Naruto always had feelings for Sakura, that's literally one of the corner stones that defined the series, and the main characters, especially at the very beginning. Whether you like it or not, Sakura was always part of Naruto's journey, in becoming a better person, and I am saying this as someone, who is a conservative NaruHina shipper. Sure, it was shallow, one-sided, and based entirely on lust, on Naruto's end, but it still happened, you cannot ignore that away. The facts don't care about personal feelings. And mind you, I would have also preferred Hinata to be part of the main cast too, but, it is what it is. This "competition" nonsense, was never once implied in the original material, let alone Hinata "always having been there". That never happened. And look, hear me out, before you sharpen your pitchforks, yes, I get the point, rewrites or reimaginings can happen, I am also guilty of this, I will freely admit it. The vision can sometimes shift, when you get the feeling that, you could have written it better. But to have a whole ass movie dedicated to a whole ship, just to make the ship canon, and in the process having to gaslight everyone watching into thinking "Hinata was always there", is just so... it screams desperation to me, like, "Hmmm, oh god, Hinata is very popular, and NaruHina is super popular too, but they just lack on-screen chemistry, it is there, but it just isn't enough, and I suck at writing female characters on top of everything else, what do I do? Hinata was absent for the majority of the manga, and yet I put so much singular focus on Naruto's bond with Sakura, that can leave a path open for interpretation, which shouldn't even be a thing, if Sasuke exists, so... Let's just retcon everything in one whole movie, because, fuck consistency.". On that note, let me bring up another point that bothers me:

WHERE. THE FUCK. ARE KIBA. SHINO. AND KURENAI? For a movie, that is all about Naruto's and Hinata's bonds, the concerning lack of screentime for Hinata's own teammates, really rubs me the wrong way, on so many levels. Instead of investing all your budget in trying to justify the existence of aliens in the Narutoverse, or relying on cheap and contrived flashbacks, just to fuel a drama, that shouldn't even really BE that dramatic to begin with, why not give me some of that good ol' relationship angst with Hinata's teammates? In the series, she spent way more time with either Kiba or Shino, and there, the interpretation window for romance keeps persisting too, yet, they never got truly closed up, because they weren't present for the endgame, except, flashbacks, and Shino was omitted entirely. And where is Kurenai? Wasn't she like, Hinata's foster mother for half the series? And yet, she isn't deserving of the mere courtesy of talking to her own disciple and daughter figure, maybe even giving her advice about Naruto's behavior, maybe even motivating her to never give up, which is exactly what Naruto would have wanted? But nope, let's just instead focus on style over substance, by having yet another world-ending catastrophe on the horizon, where Naruto has to save everyone's bacon, yet again, because screw everyone else that Hinata ever had a connection to. No, she is just there, to have the ship become canon, so we can shut our mouths, and be happy about it. Guess what, I am not. And I never will be. The disrespect here, is on a monolithic scale, and no one should be so accepting of this level of mediocrity.

Also, since Hanabi is the main driving force for this movie, where she is said to be suffering the worst kind of torture imagineable, because of Toneri wanting her eyes, why is Hinata more focused on knitting that damned scarf, being jealous over the one Naruto has, and trying to get Naruto's attention? Shouldn't she be on edge? Shouldn't she be angry and impatient? And instead of saving her own fucking sister, on her own terms, she eats L after L, as if, Hiashi had always been right about her not deserving to be the heir. ...You have no idea, how much I hate myself for even IMPLYING this, Hiashi is a garbage human being, end of story. There is a time and place for everything, but this... this just feels weird, man, in hindsight, the whole thing with the scarf feels so random and out-of-left-field, and once again, it just plays into the argument that, they only wanted to cater to the shippers, not the characters themselves.

TL;DR. I still love NaruHina. I will never stop loving it. I am just mad, that the compromise for this movie being made, had to involve making Hinata as weak and laughable as a mug. This movie sucks the soul out of me, for how much it ruins Hinata as a standalone character. All the progress, all the lessons she learned, all the buffs, amounted to pretty much nothing, because all she is now, is either just a jobber, or a mere EXTENSION to Naruto, no longer much of her own thing. Go on, get all smart on me, telling me that my opinion really doesn't matter, yet you still feel the need to respond to this post, telling me that I am a "NaruSaku apologist", or whatever the fuck. I am done. Case closed. Your reactions will be more telling of you, than me.

PEACE.

[moldy-flowers]

Sasuke and Itachi in canon:

Sasuke: I'm going to kill you, Itachi.

Itachi: Whaaaat? Oh no don't do that...

Road to Ninja Sasuke and Itachi:

Itachi: Sasuke please stop telling everybody that I'm the ugly brother.

Sasuke: Get ratioed NERD.