People might have polarizing opinions about this movie, but for me personally I don't have a problem with how they have shifted the overall narrative of Naruto from action to romance, though this film is not at all short on action. Looking at the chronological order, the events in this story occur after the war just before the final 4-5 episodes of Shippuden which has the Naruto wedding arc. Hinata is a girl I have rooted for since the Naruto season 1 days. She loved the least cared about boy in the class from the very beginning and ends up with the strongest man in the 5 nations and a war hero. I also love how Naruto matures over the course of the movie; being the usual goofball who is too dense to understand Hinata's feelings towards him but realizes it after seeing her dreams and hopes how her love is pure and unadulterated ever since they were kids. Every guy should have a girl like Hinata by his side and this movie is a testament to that! For those who have seen Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, I would definitely recommend this movie and for those who haven't, I would 100% recommend watching Naruto and Naruto Shippuden and this movie! Its a beautiful end to a beautiful saga and even though Boruto in ongoing, I am sad to see this story end!

Since 1999, Masashi Kishimoto introduced to Japan and eventually many outside countries the world of Naruto. With an Anime adaptation debut in 2002 that spanned so many episodes in the last decade, including various movies that have released spawning from the TV show's success, there comes a time for a renowned manga/anime series to have some proper closure. Fortunately, I managed to catch 'The Last: Naruto the Movie' during its limited release run at a local art house theater and I have to say it starts off splendidly with the characters several fans would already know since the show's humble beginnings.

The film takes place about two years after the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War conflict, where Naruto and his former comrades have matured since. While Naruto is now well-liked among his peers and (humorously) many female admirers over his heroic efforts, he has one more mission to take care of when his village is threatened and his love is captured.

Ever since I can remember, I've followed the Anime throughout its first series and have barely caught up on its second series Shippuden, but after cluing myself in plot-wise, I know that the romance subplot between Naruto and Hinata was usually hinted upon frequently and became clear during the Fourth Great Ninja War arc. While the movie gets off to a great start by introducing the characters having matured physically and mentally (even with some funny moments that were pretty laughable), story-wise it felt lacking since the villain felt more like a generic "filler" arc character that is easily disposable and not as memorable as the true villains like the Akatsuki were. For several fans who have shipped for 'NaruHina' since day one, they finally get what's coming to them during the movie's promising climax. The action sequences were pleasantly animated and complex at the same time, but what I found really disappointing was Kakashi and Sasuke not being featured that much in the film, let alone any true Team 7 moments, but I'm undeniably grateful they've given the whole subplot between Naruto and Hinata decent closure, especially when it's accompanied by various audience members loudly cheering and applauding to their romantic ending.

To be fair, I wouldn't call myself an avid Naruto enthusiast, I'm more of a casual fan who likes to see loose ends being tied up and having various conflicts resolved. I'm aware the movie has several flaws and not at all perfect, but after an impressive 15 years, Kishimoto sure tied up one loose end in particular and I loudly applauded the way the movie ended.

Out of all the Naruto Movies that I've seen (I've seen all of them), I rank this one the highest among the "Must Buy" list. Why? Because it's the only one that actually develops the overall story-line. Events that occur in this movie will have direct impact on the overall plot to come in the next movie or manga. You can't say the same about any other Naruto movies such as Blood Prison, The Lost Tower, and Bonds because they offer nothing to the overall story- line. For example, the situation between Naruto and Hinata in this movie will explain the events that happen in the future of the main story. This is not the only example of course, but I just wanted to give you a minor example of what I meant without spoiling anything. In any case, the movie is more like a sequel for the Fourth Shinobi War more than anything. The beginning of the movie shows you the technological advancements after the war as well as how all the characters are doing. The rest of the movie sets up events that happened to Naruto and Hinata while setting up the upcoming movie Boruto that comes out October, 10th!!!