Naruto Composer Yasuharu Takanashi Details The Modern Twist On Music In Boruto
"Boruto: Naruto Next Generations," as the title implies, is the sequel to the highly popular anime and manga series "Naruto" and "Naruto: Shippuden." The series focuses on the daily lives of a new cast of ninjas, most of which are the children of our favorite characters from the previous series. It primarily focuses on the new Team 7, which consists of Boruto Uzumaki, Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga's son, Sarada Uchiha, the child of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, and Mitsuki, a unique clone of Orochimaru.
Taking place in a peaceful time years after the Fourth Great Ninja War, the world has changed considerably since fans last checked in with our favorite orange-clad shinobi. Technology has significantly developed, and Konohagakure has many flourishes of a modern metropolis bursting with many technological advances. Whether it be giant monitors suspended in the middle of a town square broadcasting news or a handheld gaming console, the ninja world isn't quite the same as we knew it years before.
And it seems that modernization also goes beyond the screen into the music. According to a recent interview with the "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" composer, Yasuharu Takanashi, that was entirely intentional.
Takanashi deliberately added modern touches to Boruto's soundtrack
Composer Yasuharu Takanashi sat down with Crunchyroll in 2020 to discuss the music in the "Naruto" franchise since the musician has been producing the score since "Naruto: Shippuden." It was observed that the music in "Boruto" seemingly matches the series' new modern environment, with a more electronic sound. Crunchyroll inquired if this was an intentional change.
Takanashi confirmed that that was the intention, explaining that they attempted to move away from the traditional Japanese sounds into something contemporary. "Actually, I've been using less Japanese instruments since Boruto began," Takanashi explained. "Naruto was a bit muddy and simple, but after Boruto, we decided to make it a bit more modern and stylish. We talked about it with the sound director and the director." However, Takanashi later explained that as the series progressed with Naruto becoming more active, it was decided to revisit some of the themes from "Shippuden."
And it seems like Crunchyroll isn't the only one to make the connection. Redditors on the r/Boruto subreddit have had many discussions regarding the music, oftentimes unfavorably comparing the "Boruto" soundtrack to the "Naruto" soundtrack.
In one thread, started by u/No_Base7554, asking the community about their thoughts on the "Boruto" score, Redditor u/1punman_ took note of how the sequel series doesn't use the same traditional instruments and, therefore, doesn't capture the tone of "Naruto: Shippuden" explaining, "It lacks some of the culture of the original naruto ost which imo really set the old timey ninja setting really well..."
As the sequel series progresses to include more Naruto and, therefore, more "Naruto: Shippuden," it seems only time will tell if fans will start to notice the shift and appreciate the music.