What Are You Watching? BLUE LOCK

ブルーロック

Recently I decided to invest in the sports anime series BlueLockby Yusuke Nomura which highlights soccer standout, Yoichi Isagi, on his path to conquering the highly competitive live in soccer experiment known as Blue Lock. Led by a mastermind known as Ego, Japan hopes to nd a miraculous new talent to lead their nation by having rising teens compete through a variety of competitions to discover who will stand above the rest. Along the way Isagi begins to change internally and contemplates the true qualities needed to fully embody becoming the world’s best striker.

As someone never interested in soccer, I wondered whether the series could hold the attention of casual watchers without getting too bogged down with the intricacies of the game. But the story does an amazing job of appealing to everyone with any background in sports. It fantastically outlines the difficulties that often accompany team sports while simultaneously trying to achieve individual greatness.

Our main character Isagi fits as the embodiment of blending in for the sake of team cohesion, and the show offers a rarely heard perspective on where that mentality can lead you. That is, although the concept of “teamwork” has been conditioned into most athletes, is this quality strong enough to propel us to greatness?

A central argument of the show is speaking to the benefits of ego. The most successful athletes within the show are praised for having stubborn, borderline obnoxious levels of confidence in themselves that are believed to produce their otherworldly skills in their craft. Each of the episodic antagonists have some strength in their game that they’re uncompromisingly committed towards honing often at the behest of the rest of their teammates.

And it is rewarded.

Because in reality, the whole team can’t always break the mold to achieve super stardom. Only the most physically gifted and talented individuals get to stand at the biggest stage of their craft, so directing the viewer's attention to this truth and crafting a character to embody it is incredibly appealing.

Between the high octane matches and intense character battles, we get small appearances from the previously mentioned Blue Lock Coordinator Ego who bluntly states the message the series is going for. His appearances detail the cutthroat philosophy of athletics serving as both a call to action for Isagi and a rude awakening for the viewing audience. He acts as a calculated figure who completely embodies the analytical perspective of soccer and only concerns himself with producing an individual who can produce victorious results. There are no second chances given or participation awards offered. Losing means permanent failure which heightens the tension of each match and offers deeper introspection into the athletic realm.

The series also has a great artistic tone, it has a sharp and expressive character design that stands out as unique. Many of the larger than life athletes have a larger than life design to accompany their athletic talents which serves to contrast the somewhat underwhelming design of the main character. Isagi serves as the every man that the viewer can instantly associate with, lacking any major innate talents so he has to compensate with mental ingenuity and work ethic. The “glow” in each character's eyes that animates the player's resolve is a spectacle to see and the color palette expressed in each episode makes the action scenes stand out. The pace never feels too stagnant with games between teams never overstaying their welcome and some much needed character dynamics are fleshed out in between matches making you understand motivations outside the field that provide quality depth to some of the cast.

The direction of this series has unlimited range in where to take its story. Its egocentric story focus invigorates new life for a genre of anime often hard to market. The realistic philosophical perspective on sports intertwined with an underdog’s plunge into a world of talent denitely deserves all its praise and more. Blue Lock achieves where most sports series should, using the game as a catalyst to detail a good story which certainly makes this a must watch.