Rumors about Boruto: Naruto Next Generations going on an indefinite hiatus have been circulating on Twitter for the past few days, gaining more traction with each passing day.
Fans of the series were just as shocked to hear the news because it would be the first time in a while a serialized anime like Boruto will go on hiatus.
The rumors have been met with support from fans, with many of them reasoning that a hiatus might be the best thing for the anime in the long run. They have argued that weekly releases have dragged down the show's quality and that a hiatus will be able to fix a lot of the problems the show is currently facing.
Why a move like a hiatus is beneficial for the Boruto anime?
Boruto anime has been criticized for a long time for its low-quality animation, increased use of filler episodes, and slow pacing. All these issues are tied to the lack of content and weekly deadlines that animators have to meet at any cost. Going on a hiatus will help ease the pressure off the animator's back, giving them an adequate amount of time to work on the quality of the series.
Boruto episode 287 finally kicked off the highly anticipated Code arc, pushing the anime into the final phase of the story. Thus, it makes sense for the show to go on a hiatus after the end of this arc, keeping fans on the edge for the events that will occur after the manga timeskip.
The anime can pull off what Naruto Shippuden did by implementing a timeskip during which Naruto and Jiraiya were away for two and a half years of training. This will not only increase the hype fans have for the Boruto manga timeskip but also help improve the pacing of the anime.
The upcoming events in the Boruto manga are exciting and need to be covered by the anime with better pacing and without implementing fillers in the middle that always make fans lose interest in the story. The old Bleach anime fell into this trap, damaging the overall quality of their show with the use of incessant filler arcs.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War was released following a decade-long hiatus in a four-cour format, helping Studio Pierrot release episodes with better animation quality and pacing. Studio Pierrot is also in charge of animating Boruto, so there could be a possibility that the anime receives this same treatment going from being serialized weekly to a four-cour format.
Another major issue that the Boruto anime has faced since its inception is its lack of content. It was released within a year of the manga's release, giving animators very little to work with. This resulted in the show being riddled with fillers, breaking the immersion of an impactful story and affecting the show's animation quality.
Code's Assault Arc is the only complete arc left in the manga, with five chapters of the ongoing Prophecy arc having been released at the time of writing this article. Thus, the anime could once again fall short of content by the time the Code arc comes to an end, resulting in more fillers to be added. A hiatus will save the anime from taking this route, giving the manga time to put out more chapters.
In summation
Boruto anime has the required potential to be as good as Naruto Shippuden and even surpass its predecessor. However, the anime needs to make some solid changes in its execution to really cement its position as one of the biggest anime series of this generation and a natural successor to a big three anime like Naruto.
Hiatus will be a step in the right direction as it will help the anime improve its overall quality, giving fans better animation, faster pacing, and a lot fewer filler episodes.
The anime is at a crucial stage in its development and everything following the Code arc is going to be a make-or-break for the show.
Studio Pierrot has implemented hiatus on many of its popular shows like Bleach and Black Clover to help with pacing issues, animation quality, and reducing filler episodes. The decision to take a hiatus has worked in favor of these anime series, helping them improve in quality and being held in higher regard by the fans.