Wasted Potential So Far...

I have studied Boruto for months, read both consistently per release for about 1-2 years and binged the other chapters when I was ready to give the third saga a go. I have committed more of Boruto to my mind than I have Naruto [which isn't that hard, to be fair. 80 monthly chapters vs 700 weekly chapters is not a good enough match-up] and know several chapters front to back. I have watched most of the anime, skimming the light novel adaptations I already was aware of like Sarada's arc [adapted from Naruto Gaiden, the supposed extra 10 chapters after 700] and Sasuke Retsuden. I read chapter 80 hours after it was released. That is my dedication.

I have been through the awkward phase of hating it once I saw the film adaptation, then choosing to love it when I got to the manga then slowly watching that love die bit by bit by the same manga and now I have approached a level of indifference and acceptance that I would not wish upon my enemy. Boruto has its moments and honestly gets hated more than it should but when it fails, it fails hard. And so it is with a firm conviction I can say this;

I do not believe Boruto succeeds at a being a good enough sequel to warrant its existence.

A common issue I noticed a lot of Naruto fans kept being warned against was the idea of dismissing Boruto without giving it a fair shot and for me, that meant that I needed to go into each chapter with neutral expectations but while the first 30 chapters did have some charm to bypass the nasty taste in my mouth that Boruto: Naruto the Movie left, something I personally defended a while back on my own thoughts, the next 50 or so chapters introduced me to a level of disrespect I did not think a series could do to its source material. Do not get me wrong. Boruto is not a garbage tier story. Far from it, it is very much above average. But it's not an up and coming series, it is the third saga to one of the highest selling manga of the 21st Century, a story that spent 16 odd years building a legacy that Boruto may have respected on a surface level but deeply erodes on a much deeper level.

Uzumaki Boruto is actually a good shounen protagonist and in a series that didn't have to deal with Naruto as the previous protagonist, could make for a very cool sci-fi story about the perseverance of humanity in the face of unrelenting forces of the supernatural. But that's not the case here. The series bends over backwards to accommodate both him and a revival towards Taijutsu in Naruto by introducing new concepts that fit into the story about as easy as a mouse fits into the eye of a needle.

Following the events of the film, Boruto is cursed with a fate of losing every single thing he's ever had, leading the audience to the expectation of a great tragedy the likes of which Naruto may have never had. That was a promise that ended up being stronger than the set-up implied because rather than organically place events in such a way that Boruto and his inner demon would slowly erode with time, it settles for a series of mediocre reminders throughout of his fate that are sandwiched in the most awkward of moments and finally leads to a plot twist at the end that basically translates all of the mistakes another character intentionally made transferring to him without his input whatsoever, making him a scapegoat who does even less to tarnish his name than the person he looks up to. Now look, there is no problem with maintaining Boruto's innocence and to a degree, having him framed for something he didn't do might sound intriguing...

But this was framed in such a way that there's no way it couldn't be disappointing. There was no reason to give this moment that much hype if the payoff was nothing short of convenience. That remains Boruto's biggest problem.

It's not that it is bad or terrible to read. It is that it constantly dances with great ideas that it refuses to give you resolution on. It baits you with the idea of something better going to happen and then it slaps you in the face for trying to think too hard about it. It is no wonder the fans have had to basically write the missing links on behalf of the writers each time. There is a desperate feeling that if even one concept is given enough time to 'cook', it will bring results and everyone who has always hated Boruto for trying will look foolish for opting out at the wrong time.

I will keep reading Boruto because I honestly do like some of the characters and I respect Kishimoto's earlier work enough to be okay with Boruto. In fact, I think the characters both old and new are the reason the story remains above average. I don't have any expectations of Part 2 being good but if it does end up being great, then obviously that means the Boruto fanbase has something to be as proud of as other shounen fans. Unless you're either a big Naruto fan who just wants to genuinely read Boruto or you're someone who couldn't care less about quality like me, you'd be best looking to spend your time elsewhere.

My Anime Rating System 2.0

90-99 [Balanced]

Entertainment, thematic value, worldbuilding, character development, animation, sound value, art style, expert direction, emotional sweeps and logical falls, the story has it all and is well balanced. Rewrites are virtually unnecessary.

70-89 [Compromise]
Small sacrifices to one or more important elements in the interest of upgrading others, elevating a story to more than the sum of its parts. Small rewrites can salvage plenty if not all of the project.

50-69 [Entertaining]
Deep sacrifices to one or more important elements in the interest of upgrading others, ending up with a half-baked project. Rewrites to more than half of the project if it is to get a stamp of approval.

30-49 [Effort]
Entire deletion of components that deserve the respect of being made and nothing more. Entire story rewrite at minimum.

10-29 [Indifference]
Life would have been better if such a project did not exist. Rewrites to the core of the project cannot salvage it.

1-9 [Eldritch Horror]
Project abandons logical pursuits in favor of cursing the very eyeballs that dare to consume it.