‘Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds‘ is a 2008 anime ninja film directed by Hajime Kamegaki. Like its predecessor, it was made by Studio Pierrot, distributed by Toho Studios, and later dubbed into English by Viz Media. This review is based on the dub.

After ninja from the Land of the Sky attacks the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto (Maile Flanagan), is sent with Sakura (Kate Higgins) and Hinata (Stephanie Sheh) to protect Doctor Shinno (Jamieson Price) and his apprentice Amaru (Michelle Ruff) to safety. Meanwhile, Sai (Ben Diskin), Shino (Derek Stephen Prince), and Kakashi (Dave Wittenberg) are keeping the enemy busy so they can stop the Zero-Tails from being released upon the land. Will they be able to defeat the enemy before Sasuke (Yuri Lowenthal) outsmarts them all?

Naruto and his friends are back. Along with his comrade Sakura and his friend Hinata, he goes along on a mission to stop the Land of the Sky from destroying the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It seems like a straightforward plot, but sadly, it does not do a good job of explaining its importance.

The “Zero-Tail” creature and its host are never described as Jinjuriki as Naruto and his fellow hosts of tailed beasts are described. It sort of felt jumbled, especially with the involvement of some of the supporting characters. Also, Sasuke’s appearance felt forced and not at all organic to the story. As much as I like his character, even I can understand that it did not meshHiggins with the overall plot. I also wanted more from Hinata, but she was clearly there for a name drop.

That being said, I still thought the plot was interesting. I thought that it had a lot of thrills and had a lot of surprises along the way. Naruto is always an interesting character to follow and his unending optimism never fails to make you hooked to his story. The show does a good job of establishing his origins, but this movie acts complementary to that.

Bottom line, sure Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds has its weaknesses, but it is a fun and interesting expansion into the story of Naruto.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Minor foul language, Ninja violence

FAVORITE QUOTE: How can you understand the feelings of someone who is all alone?

Check out the trailer below:

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This article has been updated from a previous version.