Just a heads up though, if you are looking for a sports anime that’s more, “traditional”, then this show may not be the show for you. If anything, go watch Ao Ashi. More people need to watch that show anyway.
So let’s hype our egos, put on our football kit and smash the football into the net as I present to my anime review for Blue Lock. Let’s begin.
Story: 9/10
Isagi Yoichi had failed to win a crucial game that would have taken his team to nationals. While contemplating whether or not he should have taken the shot instead of passing it, he receives a letter from the Japan Football Union, telling him that he, among 299 other “Diamonds in the rough”, have been invited to take part in a program called “Blue Lock” with the promise that whoever completes the program would end up becoming the best striker in the world. Not missing that chance, Isagi joins the Blue Lock program as he aims to come out on top, even if it means crushing the hopes and dreams of the other Blue Lock candidates.
Blue Lock is all focused on how much one’s ego can push them forward in order to achieve victory, to disregard the people around you so only you can focus on how you can do it. Right from the word go, the show makes it very clear that friendship is not something that can help you survive Blue Lock, you and only you can make a difference in order to proceed. That what makes this so interesting because it is the opposite of what is the underlying plot line of any sports anime. Sports anime start off with character being the individual before realising that he/she can rely on their teammates to win. Blue Lock breaks that down and tells you that you should not count on your teammates because if they screw up and you lose, it was out of your hands. It tells you that you must be the one to decide it, you must be the star that your teammates follow to victory. It is made very clear from the first episode when Isagi passed to a teammate instead of taking the shot for himself and they lost because it was out of his hands and it carries that mindset throughout the show. “Don’t be the follower, be the leader. You can use your teammates, but be the one that stands tall in the end.”
It what makes the battle royale format this show has a great compliment to the egotistical individualism the characters will eventually end up being. I’ve always had a love, hate relationship with BR/death game anime because they always start out interesting but fall off quickly when the usual tropes kick in when the protagonist gets suddenly stronger and more edgy, the dreaded team-up that slows the pace down, etc. Blue Lock isn’t immune to these tropes but I would say it executes them better than other shows. It’s mainly the because of how well Blue Lock’s plot fits the BR style and the plot progresses smoothly along with it as the number of participants starts to get lower, the competition starts to get tougher. As such, the characters’ must adapt and evolve quickly in order to survive. It makes the transition of someone like Isagi’s character from thoughtful teammate to a “devourer” seem appropriate because of what he has to strive for in order to stand on top and use his teammates to stand on top. So it uses the tropes to it’s advantage because it is so ingrained in the plot as to what the show wants to be and what it wants to show.
Characters: 9.5/10
Isagi’s character arc is one of the highlights of the show for me because, like I said earlier, it is the opposite of a typical sports protagonist. Isagi starts off by relying on his teammates and tries to play it as a team sport, but slowly realises that in order to survive Blue Lock, he has to try and think how he, himself, must be the one to bring victory. Instead of relying on his teammates, he must use them in order to succeed. That’s a crucial point, he doesn’t go hero ball and try to do it alone, but tries to figure out way to use his teammates skillsets to set himself up for victory. What I also like about him is his constant desire to evolve his game; seeing how he can bring victory by “devouring” his opponents. How he must take himself apart and then put back together, represented by puzzle pieces. It gives him something to achieve, something to strive for as he looks for stronger opposition to improve, otherwise he’s just going to stagnate.
It’s also helped by the supporting cast around being just as fun to watch and Isagi and what helps is that the show isn’t always strictly focused on Isagi and we actually get to know more about some of these other characters as well and what drives them to play football. But what makes it interesting is that each of these characters have their own kind of Ego. Yes they all strive to be the main character but they go about it in different ways. For example, Barou, the king, the lad, the man that has the dog in him has an ego where he is the king of the field and everyone around him are just peons, regardless if they are his teammates or not. Give him the ball and you will win. Whereas you got someone like Nagi, who’s own ego strives from him to join people who will get the best out of him and gets him excited to play football. They all strive for self importance and to be the best on the field but it’s the way they go about it differently that makes them stand out individually, besides their individual skills.
Animation: 5/10
Blue Lock’s animation is pretty much hard carried by its presentation. The show just nails the intensity of each football match with great angles and just capturing the look on our character’s faces to really sell that these characters are giving their all. The use of colour as well is well used; with it being distinct with each character and is mainly used to capture their fiery passion. That aspect of the animation works to its advantage to hide the fact that this isn’t a well animated show. It relies heavily on still images and sliding panels to capture each scene and while each panel looks good, it doesn’t capture motion well, only really saving it for the most important scenes, mainly when Barou is on screen to steal the budget. It is a shame because we see that this show can be animated well and it does, it just doesn’t do it often enough. That’s why the presentation makes it better than it is because you can capture the look of an intense football match and not worry about how fluid it is.
It’s also really inconsistent with its use of CG. I’m fine with the football being CG as it works well and I really do like it when it’s used with Isagi putting himself together using puzzle pieces to represent how he is evolving his game. The use of CG there is done really well. Other times it’s used poorly, mainly when we are looking from a bird’s eye view and characters are CG to capture movement and it just sticks out like a sore thumb.
Sound: 9.5/10
I usually don’t talk about sound design in reviews because anime tend to use to same sound effects so it just blends into one another. But my god does Blue Lock’s sound design kicks so much ass. The wind of someone running past you, the power of a shot kicking into the back of the net, capturing the moment before the strike, Blue Lock’s sound design really enhances whatever is on screen and it’s how it is used as well. Sometimes the music would stop just so we can hear it before kicking back in.
That’s not to take away from the soundtrack itself as I really liked this soundtrack. It has a nice blend of dubstep, techno and electronic with some piano in there as well. They are not really genres (besides maybe electronic) that are high among my favourites but the show puts them to really good use and spreads them out well. What sells it I think are the beat drops. That sudden pause isn’t just to let the sound design do its work, it’s also used to drop that hard beat at the climax for that added effect. It also tends to focus on a specific genre when one character is the focus. For example, Barou is usually associated with an electric guitar that goes really hard with it being really heavy to signify that the king is on the prowl and you best not get in his way.
Then there are the openings. The first OP “Chaos ga Kiwamaru” by Unison Square Garden is a very good opening. It is very nicely paced so that the visuals can match the pace of the song and how it times itself when switching scenes with the lyrics. The visuals themselves are well done, seeing the Blue Lock participants fall as Ego grins, knowing he’s got them in the palm of his hands, the puzzle pieces and showcases the more important characters’ weapons. It just gives you a taste to what’s to come and is accompanied by a song that is able to match what is going on what’s on screen.
But while the show’s first opening is very good, it’s the second opening that absolutely steals the show here. “Judgement” by ASH DA HERO is without a doubt, my favourite OP from this season. First off, that guitar. Second, the colour pallet used here is so good. It makes the whole OP feel so vibrant; especially during the chorus where it looks so damn good. It’s to the point where almost every frame can make a damn good wallpaper. Third, the tone is appropriate for the second cour, as if Isagi is not prepared to lie down and submit. No he’s going in with everything he’s got and with a change of attitude. And Fourth, the song is so damn catchy with the way it uses those instruments to get you pumped. Again, that guitar, but the drums at the end were also very well used. All complimented by that last shot of Isagi grabbing that last puzzle piece with a grin on his face and with a fiery desire to win as it cuts to the title logo. This is such a fun opening to watch and listen to and I really can’t stop listening to it. Again, this is easily my favourite OP of the season, as well as easily being top 3 this season at least. Great, great OP.
As for the EDs, they’re pretty good. "WINNER" by Shuugo Nakamura is a rather standard OP that has a very nice calming song to wind down after the tense action of the episode beforehand. Although, it is a nicely animated OP with some good visuals. Same goes for,"Numbness like a ginger" by UNISON SQUARE GARDEN. It is also nicely animated as well although I do like the song more in this one and it’s mainly the instrumentals that made me prefer this over Winner.
Conclusion
Blue Lock is an absolutely fantastic time that really offers something different than the usual standard. It’s emphasis on individual actions to improve and win games is different than your typical, win through teamwork, mentality that is the base of a lot of other sports anime. I guess that what makes me gravitate towards it more than other sports anime because I can watch any of these popular sports anime and see the base groundwork for the rest of the show to follow. Blue Lock flips that groundwork on its head to be more unique while still doing some things that feel similar.
Through an intense and engaging storyline, well developed characters, very good presentation, excellent sound design and OST, as well as probably having the best OP of the Winter season, Blue Lock offers a very enjoyable experience that has made it my favourite show to watch for the past two seasons now. But again, this isn’t for someone who is looking for a traditional sports anime, this is for someone who is looking for something different than the norm although you can still like this if you are looking for something more traditional. It’s just so fun and gripping to watch to see a main character develop in the opposite route to become the main man, rather than just a cog in the machine. It is a show that I highly recommend as one of the best anime of the past few seasons and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.
My Personal Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall Score: Recommendation: 8.6/10 Recommendation: Go F**king Watch It
