By definition, "Utopia" is simple in context, but every individual has their take on what their Promised Land truly is. How far must we reach to obtain tranquility, and what must we sacrifice to reach that goal?
Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru find themselves embroiled in a power struggle between a hypocritical faction forging their road to peace and the outside world in a nation where hopelessness and despair are perpetually at odds. We are once again given a meager amount of a series that has cemented its position in anime history, complete with eye-catching animation and a few fresh, believable characters.
Plot complexity can provide challenges, particularly when the authors are only allotted the running time of a movie to fully develop the story's complexities. The simple task of capturing and delivering a ferret quickly spirals out of control and becomes, well, difficult. We are left with a convoluted story and a few well-animated battles that, for the most part, lacked much substance because there wasn't much time to devote to character development.
Three of the main series' most memorable characters, Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru-shine, and fortunately their boldness translates to the big screen to partially offset the lackluster new characters. We are introduced to an organization controlled by the cunning man Haido, who wants to use the Vein of Gelel, an ancient source of supreme power, to end all conflict in the globe. Haido is an instantly disliked character whose purpose is obvious from the outset and who adds nothing original to the narrative save the clichés that come with his position.
Temujin, a key player in the narrative and one of Haido's goons, is the only positive component of the film. Being one of the only (relatively) fully realized characters in the movie, we get to know him and his ideas about what it takes to reach "Utopia." The only function of the other henchwomen, Fugai, Kamina, and Ranke, is to display some amusing animation gimmicks throughout the battle scenes.
Although it is difficult to say if Naruto: Legend of the Stone of Gelel truly provides the answers we have been wondering about, we do get to see a somewhat fascinating character study. Though conceptually we are left wondering whether a "Utopia" can ever exist or whether a "necessary sacrifice" is ever justified, the novel itself is nothing special.
