The Boruto anime debuted April 5, 2017 to mixed reviews from Naruto and general anime fans alike. While diehard Naruto fans gratefully accepted the news, other anime fans had almost no hopes for the series and its longevity.
Over four and a half years later, Boruto is still going strong by alternating canon/anime canon arcs. Anime canon is a classification of content which makes the events canon within the anime, but not the manga or original source material.
Yet even with Boruto going strong for four+ years, Twitter anime fans are still arguing about the series' quality. Such was the case when Twitter user @CodeineWaifu decided to Tweet out a dig at Boruto, getting Boruto fans and others involved.
Twitter user @CodeineWaifu sparks heated debate with an attack on the Boruto anime's quality
The Tweet
Twitter user @CodeineWaifu tweeted the above on the morning of December 6, 2021. In response, many general anime fans and specifically Naruto/Boruto fan accounts stated their opinion on the above take.
While nearly every Boruto fan invalidated the take and praised some aspect of the series, other accounts came back with genuine criticism. One person brought up the plethora of fillers Boruto has so far, opening the series up with roughly 50 episodes of either true filler or anime canon material.
This is a fantastic point, as one of the main problems with the Naruto series was how much filler was made. Naruto was also a weekly shonen, whereas Boruto is a monthly shonen meaning the amount of material to adapt is released at a much slower pace.
If Naruto skips a chapter, the series release schedule normalizes after a two week gap between chapters. If Boruto skips a chapter, the series goes nearly two months without any new material.
While some are engaging in genuine and open conversation about the Boruto animation, most are taking the opportunity to make memes and make fun of the series’ defenders and oppressors. While typical of Twitter users, those who do discuss the series in a serious manner, do at least provide meaningful insight to both opinions.
WARNING: The writer's personal opinion follows.
While the Boruto anime does have its problems, calling it generally trash is a little much. The series has some fantastic moments already, and while most of those moments are from the source material, the anime pitches in with fantastic adaptations when needed. The overall quality of animation is somewhat inconsistent like with Naruto, but that critique should be directed to Studio Pierrot rather than the series.
Although boasting a promising future, the Boruto anime unfortunately doesn’t have much going for it, as they wait for the Code arc to build in the manga. While delaying a catchup to the manga with anime canon is preferable to true filler, it's still adding in events outside of the source material.