The Last: Naruto The Movie (Minor Spoilers)

 (Source: Wikipedia)

Next to Dragonball and the anime adaptation of Pokemon, Naruto ranks highly on my list of favorite anime and manga. Understandably, when the manga adaptation of the series ended, I was saddened but happy as well. However, Kishimoto was not done with the series as there were many loose ends to further explain. One of those loose ends was the relationship between Naruto Uzumaki and semi-romantic interest, Hinata Hyuga. This was the reason for Kishimoto to produce The Last, along with bridging the gap between the manga's concluding chapters. Out of all of the films under the Naruto label, this one is my favorite. I have always enjoyed the "NaruHina" pairing and enjoyed seeing the relationship between the two as the series progressed, and I could not wait for this film to release in English and Japanese. The film is a culmination of the relationship between Naruto and Hinata, and viewers will see the former realizing his dormant feelings for the latter. I always believed Naruto had stronger feelings for Hinata more than he had for his friend, Sakura. His feelings for Sakura were nothing more than a childlike crush in my opinion. Apparently, Masashi Kishimoto (the creator of Naruto) shared the sentiment as well as many other fans in the Naruto fanbase. If you are a fan of the "NaruSaku" pairing, then this film may be one that triggers you. As for the film's plot, all I can say is that it bears a striking resemblance to a certain video game released by Nintendo...

(Source: ZeldaShrine)

From what I have seen in this film, I have noticed multiple similarities to the game pictured above. Two massively noticeable similarities are the plot involving the moon as well as traveling to an alternate world. There is also a time limit to save the earth, along with the final confrontation being set on the moon. One would think that I would be bothered for the lack of the originality in plot. Surprisingly, I am not fazed at all by the film's unoriginal plot. I actually love this film's story, and I find it to be the best in anything related to Naruto. However, I do feel they rushed the development of Naruto and Hinata's relationship. I understand the development happening between the two has been happening in the manga, but I would have loved to see more romantic development as this movie progressed. 

As an animator myself, I cannot complete this review without giving my thoughts towards the animation. It is absolutely amazing for an anime film! The action sequences are fluid and dynamic, and the character animation is solid (once again, for an anime film).

Overall, I would definitely recommend this for fans of animation, Naruto fans, and anime fans. You do not have to be a fan of Naruto to enjoy this film. I showed this movie to a friend of mine (a casual fan of animation, not even an anime fan), and he loved it.