Naruto is not only one of the most popular mangas in Japan, but it has captured the hearts of millions of people all across the world. Naruto is the 3rd best selling Manga series in the world. Japanese audiences were given The Last Movie. (They weren’t kidding; that’s what the movie is called.) I know it’s the end of Naruto’s story, but this title is treating it like we will never see another movie again. It should also be said that this movie was only out in America for a couple of weeks in Febuary. The only way you will see this movie is if you buy it on DVD when it comes out in the summer; no date has been released yet. Let me just say this, if you don’t know the full story or the ending, you WILL be lost. They do give people some background info before the movie starts, but it can still leave a lot of questions.

The story takes place two years after the Fourth Great Ninja War, and it follows the story of Naruto Uzumaki. He has become very popular due to being the hero of the war. During the movie, Naruto’s friend named Hinata Hyuga is trying to confess her love to him, but she never gets the chance because Naruto is busy all the time. Then an enemy from the past named Toneri, comes to the village and takes Hinata’s sister, Hanabi. Knowing that this is an act of war, the new Hokage (leader of the village), Kakashi Hatake(which is my favorite character) sends Naruto, Hinata, and his old teammates or allies, Sakura Haruno, Sai, and Shikamaru Nara to rescue Hanabi and try to figure out what’s Toneri’s up to.Ii won’t say anything else about the movie, but if you’re familiar to the series, then it’s best to be prepared.

The movie, simply, is beautiful. The artwork looks amazing. Also, seeing all the characters from the series when they’re older is really cool, but the movie does have some faults. First, it’s not a typical action movie. It’s a love story. It sounds lame and sometimes it is. I rolled my eyes at some of the scenes, but when they work, they are actually very charming or dare I say it, cute. The villain is also a huge let down. While his plan in the end is rather cool and where he came from is awesome, they hyped him up to be such a challenge for Naruto but he wasn’t at all. He was all talk and no bite. While he’s not terrible, he just isn’t anything new. (And Obito Uchiha is way cooler. Readers will understand.)

The final verdict for The Last is an 8 out of 10. The details the movie gets right are true to the series, and even the typical love story is full of heart has a weird charm to it. While the villain is sorta boring, he is far from bad and he did have this really cool ability. I’m glad I saw the movie and it is a very fitting ending to one of my favorite stories of all time (sort of).