Angry Boruto fans label it a 'kids' show, and the Internet agrees

Since the Boruto anime was done with the Kawaki arc, the anime-only fans have been dumped with a series of filler arcs. The worst part about this situation is that the anime lists most of these events as anime canon. However, they totally miss the mark.

While Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is categorized as a shounen, watched by someone as young as 12 years old, the story has never been truly catered to just kids as their target audience. However, with the type of anime canon episodes Studio Pierrot has been pushing out, it isn’t doing itself any favors.

Critics have always found their way into condemning the Boruto anime; however, after the beginning of the Kawaki arc, it had died down. But now that the filler episodes are back, the anime-only fans’ wounds have been re-opened.

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Why is the Boruto anime so childish?

The main reason why the Boruto anime may seem like a kids’ show is because of its timeline when compared to Naruto. The latter show was set at a time after the Third Shinobi World War when the villages weren’t on good terms with one another. Moreover, at the time, each of the villages had a major weapon in the form of a jinchuriki.

However, since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the world has been at peace with no threats from the tailed beasts. As the nations are at peace with one another, there is no need for bloodshed. Subsequently, the only events that could shape a character’s personality are narrated when the anime follows the manga story.

This is where the anime falls behind. The manga chapters for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations are scarce, due to which Studio Pierrot has to rely on anime canon or filler episodes. But considering their time of peace, any mission that is shown during a filler arc cannot have our heroes face major adversaries that could mortally wound them.

This is why the only good moments we have witnessed from the anime have been the ones that have followed the manga. Naruto, as well as its sequel Naruto Shippuden, had their fair share of filler episodes. However, the hostile timeline allowed its episodes to have some guile.

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What do Boruto fans think about the anime?

The fanbase is divided between manga readers and anime-only watchers. As for the anime, a major portion of the fans agree that the series is a kids’ show.

While some point out that it is a kids' show because of its shounen genre, others defend the manga by saying that it is more mature and aimed at a higher demographic than compared to the anime fillers/canon episodes. According to them, the studio isn’t doing justice to the story through its stale and often childish storyline.

Some fans are in a neutral position, saying how Boruto and even Naruto are aimed at kids, as it was broadcast in the morning in the children’s viewing time alongside Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha, Digimon, etc.

However, fans also agree that while both Boruto and Naruto were targeted at kids, the former's storyline is more childish. But it must also be noted that the storyline is set at a time of peace.

This can also be seen in its latest episode. Episode 264 titled The Seven Mysteries Investigative Team Forms! has Himawari and her classmates investigate the ninja academy for ghosts, while Kawaki attempts to act as a ghost to keep the sparkling wonder intact in Himawari’s eyes.

While this episode did allow Himawari to use her Byakugan, there could have been better ways to bring out such a situation rather than following a common slice-of-life trope.

Moreover, if all that weren't enough, the animation in some of the episodes would have the audience leave sooner than one can imagine. The most notable ones are the one mentioned above and the iconic crying Boruto.