CATDOLL: Masashi Kishimoto talks about Boruto: I made it because I wanted my son to see it

"Naruto: Boruto Next Generations" has been released for a week, and some sneak peek videos of "Boruto Next Generations" have been leaked in China; but for friends who love "Naruto Next Generations", these news are obviously not enough; for those who are still looking forward to the plot of "Boruto Next Generations", you might as well take a look at the author, Mr. Kishimoto's thoughts on the work;

After finishing the 15-year long serialization of the manga, how did Masashi Kishimoto feel when he participated in the production of this animated film? Now let's listen to the behind-the-scenes story of his writing the script for this work.

The movie tells the story of a new generation of ninja

——In this work with Naruto and his children as the protagonists, young ninjas such as Boruto and Sarada are portrayed as having completely different values ​​from the previous generation, which is impressive. The images of them going to hamburger shops and playing handheld games look more like ordinary children today than ninjas.

Masashi Kishimoto (hereinafter referred to as Kishimoto): That's right. When Naruto and the others were still children, because their hometown was in an unstable state, even if it was not stated explicitly, the common goal of the ninjas was to become "Hokage", "Jonin" and "Chunnin".

However, Boruto and others live in a peaceful modern world, and it is difficult for them to find meaning in becoming a Chunin or Jonin. Compared with such a distant goal as "becoming a ninja", playing with friends or enriching interpersonal relationships are more interesting to them.

──If we understand it in this sense, we can regard Boruto and his friends as "modern ninjas", but there are still some parts that can make people smile knowingly, "As expected, they are similar to their parents." For example, Naruto felt lonely in his youth because he didn't have parents, so he played pranks everywhere, while Boruto felt lonely because he didn't get the care of his parents, so he also played pranks.

Kishimoto: They are still a father and son after all, so of course they are very similar. They are in different environments, but in the end they do the same thing (laughs)... For children of Boruto's age, they feel shy and can't say things like "I'm so lonely, let's play together", so no matter what they do, they are rebellious.

How the "unexpected couple" came into being

──Not only Boruto, but the next generation of children appearing in the movie have personalities comparable to their parents. The unexpected couple combination in the final chapter of the original work must have surprised many readers. In particular, the shocking combination of Choji and Karui, how did that couple combination come about?

Kishimoto: Even now, readers still write to me and ask, "Why did you put those two together? It's really nonsense!" Anyway, I had to create the next generation of Ino-Shika-Chou, so I decided to put Choji and Karui together while thinking, "Isn't this a bit far-fetched?"

-- In the original work, Choji's father Choza called "women who like fat men like him" "special fetishes." Garui should have this special fetish too, right?

Kishimoto: No, rather than saying that Jialui has a special fetish, it's just simple. Because it's easy to make a decision when faced with something, it's easy to get married. "Okay." Something like that (laughs).

Thoughts on short-term concentrated serialization

——Before the theatrical version was released, you described the story of Sarada, Sakura, and Sasuke in a short-term concentrated serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump. But I was surprised that Karin, who loved Sasuke so much in the past, now protects Sakura and Sarada from a distance. How did her mentality change?

Kishimoto: Actually, when I was drawing this part, I allocated a lot of pages for Karin to narrate in her memories. But after careful consideration, I decided to cut it.

──What was the reason for cutting out the flashback scenes?

Kishimoto: If I describe the situation and the scene in the flashback, it feels unreal no matter how I explain it. Karin, like Sakura, had the experience of being almost killed by Sasuke, and Sakura treated Karin at that time. In fact, the two of them were confidants who understood each other's hearts while maintaining a hostile relationship... This is how I set them in my mind. Therefore, I chose not to write too much, but let the readers imagine the changes in Karin's state of mind. Or should I say that the key part I focused on was the last scene between Sarada, Sakura and Sasuke, and I put the focus there.

Naruto, who became a father, was portrayed based on himself

──During the 15 years of serialization, as Naruto grew up, your own environment also changed. In the past, you said that you "projected your own inferiority complex into the character of Naruto", so does Naruto, who has become a father in this work, also have your own shadow?

Kishimoto: As expected, my real experiences and thoughts will be reflected in my work. Naruto and Boruto are just like my son and me. I once failed to finish the manuscript on time, and I received a text message from my son: "You should be able to finish the manuscript by the agreed time, right?" (laughs) There are times when I am too busy to care for my children, and this is what I want to show in this movie.

──Your child is also like Boruto, and has reached the age where he wants to play with his busy father (laughs). By the way, has your child read the entire "Naruto" series?

Kishimoto: He seems to have read half of it. But when the Dragon Ball movie was released, he stopped reading Naruto and read the complete version of Dragon Ball (laughs). Recently, he finally finished reading the complete set of Dragon Ball. I thought, "This way, he will come back to read Naruto", but he started reading Dragon Ball again from Volume 1 (laughs). As expected, Mr. Toriyama is amazing.

──Having said that, you still want your children to watch this animated film, right?

Kishimoto: To be honest, some parts were made for the sake of "wanting my son to see". I also talked about this topic with my wife before, and I also reminded her: "It's too embarrassing, you must never tell others!"

──But you said it now (laughs). You are looking forward to your son's reaction, right?

Kishimoto: Yes. After the animated film is released, I will take him to see it privately (laughs).