Now that’s not necessarily bad — Kuroko’s Basketball does the same thing pretty well — but Blue Lock is plagued by a myriad of other issues. Of these, the most pressing one in my mind is its focus on the idea of egoism. See, Blue Lock desperately wants to say something, and the something it lands on is the idea that the best football players are those that discard the idea of winning and trample their teammates all in the goal of attaining personal glory. Now, whether or not you think that idea has any merit, it is at least an idea, and a pretty refreshing one at that. Where it falls flat, however, is in the execution.
I find it difficult to believe that Blue Lock’s ideas were fully thought through in the early stages of its serialisation, as many of the series’ stated themes are actively proven to be wrong even within the context of this story. At times, the series can feel like it’s fighting itself, almost as though its themes are getting in the way of the mangaka telling the story. The series perpetually feels like it’s on the cusp of realising that its ideas don’t make sense, which can make it pretty frustrating to read.
I also struggle to imagine anyone who’s fond of football finding much to like here. At its worst, Blue Lock comes off as a grotesque bastardisation of the sport, and feels almost disrespectful to those who play any role other than striker. It feels like a series that kinda… hates football, caring far more about the aesthetic and pointless showboating than about representing the sport in a way that is anything resembling authentic.
Now all of this can still work for a series with a strong enough cast. A good cast can make up for some of the worst grievances in fiction. And at a cursory glance, Blue Lock might appear to fulfil this requirement. It has some really bright and vibrant designs, and a lot of the characters have really bombastic and fun personalities. However, the characters that we spend the bulk of our time focusing on, especially as the series progresses, are some of the most dour and bland characters imaginable. Many of the series’ most prominent characters suck the joy out of any scene they’re in, especially when on the field.
The area that Blue Lock undeniably excels in most is its artwork. It’s dynamic and fun and it packs a punch in a way that few sports series do, but this is marred by the numerous issues I mentioned above, which often results in moments that would otherwise be fun leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I think that if the series were to play more to its strengths, being a rip-roaring good time, rather than attempting to frame things around Ego’s ideals, it’d make for a much less disappointing series.
Truthfully, I didn’t start this review intending to be this negative. But the more I thought about this series, the more its issues stood out to me. Blue Lock isn’t a series I could ever really see myself recommending to people in its current state, but hey at least it’s pretty.
