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The Last -Naruto the Movie-'s Hinata, Hanabi Character Sketches Unveiled
posted on by Sarah Nelkin
This year's 50th issue of Shueisha's Shonen Jump magazine is unveiling on Monday the character designs for Hinata and Hanabi Hyuga for their appearance in the upcoming The Last -Naruto the Movie- film. Both designs are done by original creator Masashi Kishimoto.
The note by Hinata's design reads, "Her reserved nature is unchanged!," while Hanabi's design reads, "A lively girl who is the complete opposite to Hinata!"
The website for the film also announced that pre-orders for a CD containing Hinata Hyūga's character song for the film titled, "Fuyu no Owari ni" (At the End of Winter) have begun. The CD will cost 1,080 yen (about US$9), and is available to pre-order through LAWSON's Loppi service or HMV. Voice actress and singer Nana Mizuki will perform the song as her character. The single will be released in Japan on December 17.
TOHO is listing the returning cast list for the film:
Junko Takeuchi as Naruto Uzumaki
Chie Nakamura as Sakura Haruno
Showtaro Morikubo as Shikamaru Nara
Satoshi Hino as Sai
Nana Mizuki as Hinata Hyūga
Kazuhiko Inoue as Kakashi Hatake
Noriaki Sugiyama as Sasuke Uchiha
Jun Fukuyama will also star as the film's villain, Toneri Ōtsutsuki.
Weekly Shonen Jump and Jump J Books describe the story of the movie and its novelization:
The moon has begun moving closer to Earth! As it is, the moon will crumble and meteorites will rain down on Earth's surface. As the last days of Earth approach, Hanabi Hyūga is abducted by a mysterious man in Konoha, and Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, and Hinata set off on a rescue mission! Can Naruto and the others overcome this crisis?
The Last -Naruto the Movie- will open in Japanese theaters on December 6, and it will be the first Naruto film in two years. The film is also part of the larger "Naruto Shin Jidai Kaimaku Project" (Naruto's New Era Opening Project) marking the 15th anniversary of the original manga. Manga creator Masashi Kishimoto is credited with the original story, character designs, and chief story supervisor of the film. In particular, he is drawing new designs for the title character in the movie, as well as for other characters. Tsuneo Kobayashi (The Twelve Kingdoms, Emma: A Victorian Romance, Kurokami The Animation) is directing the film, and Sukima Switch is contributing the main theme song as well as voice-acting ninja.
Those who see The Last -Naruto the Movie- in theaters will receive a bonus Official Movie Book Naruto Hiden Retsu no Sho. The book is a spinoff of the Naruto: The Official Character Data Book series. The limited-edition official fan book in theaters will include a manga, drawn exclusively for the movie by original Naruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto. Weekly Shonen Jump teases that the back of the book will feature a mysterious illustration.
The Naruto manga by Masashi Kishimoto will end in Shonen Jump on Monday after 15 years of serialization. A new mini-series by Kishimoto with "a newly budding Konoha story" will launch next spring.
