Blue Lock review: It’s not just a sports anime

Blue Lock is a Japanese television anime series that is an adaptation of the Blue Lock manga, written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro. The illustrator for the series is Yusuke Nomura. He is a sports anime that follows the story of a young soccer player named Yoichi Isagi, who is selected to participate in a new national team training program called “Blue Lock.”

The goal of the program is to develop a striker who can lead Japan to World Cup victory, and the training is intense and fierce, as each player competes against the others for a spot on the team. However, to secure his place on the team, he must compete against other highly-skilled players in a unique training program called Blue Lock.

It is an enjoyable and entertaining series that covers the topics of friendship, determination, teamwork, and the importance of dreams.

• Anime Name – Blue Lock
• Directed by: Tetsuaki Watanabe, Shunsuke Ishikawa
• Written by: Taku Kishimoto
• Original run – October 9, 2022 – present
• Where to watch – Netflix, Crunchyroll

Also Read: Blue Lock Episode 20 Release Date

blue lock parcel

Japan’s lack of success in soccer stems from their inability to win a single World Cup. That’s just a standard for the top of the country’s soccer governing body, and they’re accepting it. But to newcomer Anri, it’s abhorrent, as she believes that competitive sports should be played for the purpose of winning.

She believes that Japan is not succeeding in soccer and is not satisfied with the status quo. To rectify this, she came up with a plan to build a sports facility called ‘Blue Lock’; Arguably her terrible idea is to give Jinpachi Ego the funds and authority to build this state-of-the-art dystopian sports facility.

The process involves selecting the top 300 high school forwards in the country, who are then transported to a facility and divided into teams for elimination matches. The goal is to produce a single surviving player who becomes the striker for the Japan national team, while the remaining entrants must permanently give up their professional soccer dreams.

Also Read: Blue Lock Chapter 208 Spoiler

History

Yoichi Isagi is the protagonist of the series, a gifted striker who has always prioritized teamwork. However, during a pivotal match that could have defined his career, Isagi opted to pass the ball to a teammate rather than score the game-winner himself, as he had been taught throughout his life.

Unfortunately, his teammate missed the shot, causing Isagi’s team to lose not only the game, but also a chance to advance to the Nationals.

Isagi is heartbroken after the defeat, collapsing on his way home, wondering if he will ever win again; however, when he gets home, he receives a letter from the Japan Football Union inviting him to a training camp. Upon arrival, he discovers that all the participants selected for the camp are strikers.

Here we are introduced to the manic, borderline insane trainer Ego Jinpachi, who tells the boys that they have been invited to join a program called Blue Lock; his purpose is to create the best striker in all of Japan. That goal would be achieved by pitting all 300 of these forwards against each other in a brutal and merciless survival of the fittest training regiment from which only one superstar would emerge victorious. After all, to be the best striker was to be the most selfish.

Also read: 25 anime like Blue Lock

Review

If there was one word you could use to describe Blue Lock, it would be fun. From the very first episode of the opening sequence, Blue Lock acknowledges his insanity and embraces his insanity, striving to make us feel pure enthusiasm. From dark blue auras to pitch-black paint to creepy smiles to hungry eyes, Blue Lock excels at the art of exaggeration.

It’s a crazy premise, but honestly, aside from the egotism and selfishness, you’ll be surprised to find that there’s a level of depth to the various training exercises, high-stakes rivalries, and clashing philosophies of what it means to be a striker Blue Lock moves on. A fine line between hype and nuance, and Ego divides players into groups of 11 based on their rating out of 300.

Isagi is ranked 299th, and the rest of his group is also in the bottom 11 range. In order to survive in Blue Lock, teams must win a certain number of games if everyone wants to make it. Otherwise, the people within the team have to score a certain number of goals to achieve it on their own, so even if your team loses, you can still survive.

Now here it gets interesting, you have 11 players who are hungry to score goals, but not all of them can be strikers when playing in a team. The question arises as to how Isagi is going to defeat all these monsters or how Isagi will become the best. Wondering how 11 Strikers work together while trying to screw each other over? It’s something that will keep you hooked.

Here we have an unpredictable element that remains a mystery. Will they find a way around it? Are they going to betray each other? Will they be best friends? You can never tell, and that’s intriguing.

Talk about the action is a sight to see, particularly given the circumstances where even team members are up against each other. One of Blue Lock’s key insights is that the team has to discover a new kind of football for itself. a system that it works for their style of play, not conventional football, not by any stretch of the imagination, which basically means you have no idea what the players will do.

In addition to winning the game, each player has a personal goal they need to achieve a personal goal they need to hit, so it never quite goes the way you expect. You have teammates stealing the ball from each other. others, making unexpected passes that have bad intentions, and shooting from positions that seem ridiculous.

The element that ties it all together, the tie that binds all these aspects of Blue Lock into one beautiful, exciting and exaggerated story, is its visuals, the fast and dynamic movements combined with slow and intense realizations create an atmosphere of uncertainty and surprise.

Terrifying focused eyes combined with fiery blue auras invoke a sense of anticipation and excitement. Blue Lock perfectly expresses that deep and deadly desire to win through dramatic imagery that beautifully complements our beloved characters.

We have this group of strikers who are willing to lose everything for the sake of their dreams. For these guys, this is their only chance to prove their worth, their conviction and their desire to become the best in the world. The delight, excitement, and hunger are beyond infectious, and as you watch them, you can’t help but feel chills.

Blue Lock may seem dark and edgy on the surface, but it’s this exciting, fun, dramatic expression of what it means to win and what it means to want to win. I am pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it is. The blue lock may not be as deep as many other sports anime, but what we can say is that it is really fun and engaging to watch.

Also Read: Black Clover Review

final verdict

One of the strengths of “Blue Lock” is its exploration of the psychological aspects of competitive sports. The pressure players face to perform at their best, the rivalry and animosity that can develop between teammates, and the toll all of this can take on a person’s mental health. All of these are explored in depth throughout the series.

Another strong point of the show is its focus on strategy and tactics. As a sports anime, “Blue Lock” spends a lot of time analyzing the different plays and formations the team uses on the field.

From the beginning, Isagi has exhibited remarkable gaming abilities, including the immediate utilization of his bird’s eye. Given these capabilities, the question arises as to why he needs to participate in Blue Lock, and why the story was written in the first place.

The absence of football knowledge, spirit, passion, and determination within Anime suggests that it is more about showing off powerful hitting skills rather than showing the true essence of football, which may be upsetting to some football lovers.

As for the characters, there are numerous individuals who possess identical personalities. These dominated youths seem to materialize out of thin air, with no discernible background, family connections, or existence outside of the Blue Lock facility.

Despite both the author and fans debating their upgrade potential, it is apparent that these characters do not require such upgrades, having been exceptional players from the start. This is a setback. Overall, “Blue Lock” is a good-looking and well-crafted sports anime that offers plenty of excitement and drama both on and off the field. If you’re a fan of this genre, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Our Rating: ⭐ (3.5/5).

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