Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has gotten a fair amount of criticism for fans as the anime has had to unfold at a much slower pace than the monthly manga series. This means that the anime had a year and several months worth of original anime content before returning to the story told in the manga release with the Mujina Bandits arc. Fans have not been shy about critiquing this aspect of the anime, but why is seeing manga content in the anime such a big deal? If the Mujina Bandits arc is any indication, it’s because the anime makes that manga content better.
Seeing the episodes adapting the Mujina Bandits arc is not only exciting for what’s potentially coming in the future of the anime, but it’s also exciting to imagine just how much the anime will be able to flesh out the content of the manga to deliver a more satisfying experience. Because at the of the day, the anime had the better version of the Mujina Bandits arc.
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The Mujina Bandits arc is one of the shortest of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations‘ original manga, with five chapters under its belt, and it was adapted into four episodes in the anime. But thanks the original content from the Hozuki Castle prelude, the Mujina Gang felt like a much more terrifying threat as it gave us an idea of how far these bandits would be willing to go. And it made the arc even longer as a plus!
This additional danger level added to Shojoji’s eventual debut, which hits a lot harder after we see him not only devour and transform into Kokuri at the end of the Hozuki Castle episodes but we see him attack Yamaoka as well (a scene that was not in the manga version). Shojoji kind of comes and goes in the manga, but the anime had him be a result of a long build up and thus establishes him as a proper villain rather than just some passing by thug.
This also works for Tento as well as there are a few extra moments in the anime that serve Tento better since we get more of an idea of how he changes as a result of working under Boruto. Like Shojoji, Tento seems like a flash in the pan kind of character in the original version of the story. But the extra time of the anime does him wonders when it comes to his eventual growth.
But above all else, the anime simply just looks better. The reason why Boruto fans want to see the manga adapted is because the anime breathes life into each of its fights in an increasingly surprising way. The fight against Shojoji (short as it is) suddenly became one of the best fights in the series, and it’s clear that these manga fights are given more care than the year of original anime fights we had experienced before. There’s just no comparison.
What do you think? Was the Mujina Bandits arc better in the Boruto manga or anime? Which moments from the manga are you most excited to finally see animated? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!
