The new season of Blue Lock movie and a second season of the show back to back, and that the television anime got the short end of that stick.
Unfortunately, it dampens the effectiveness of what should be one of the best seasons of the show, given the content of this arc in the manga. This season of Blue Lock follows the organization’s struggle for its own survival, as it prepares for its defining match against the U-20 team, and introduces a new cast of game-changers that expand and enhance the show’s ever-evolving definition of ego. From the first peeks at the "Gentle Alternate Reality" of Episode 2 to the incredible character progression that will result from catalysts like Shido Ryusei, there are still the threads of an excellently woven story and unique perspectives on ego in Blue Lock that lovers of the series should stick around to experience.
Season 2 of Blue Lock Expands the Story and Tone in a Powerful Way
The Series' Core Concept of "Ego" Expands in This Season
The "gentle alternate reality" shown by Yo Hiori and Nijiro Nanase in episode #2 as they team up with Isagi is a refreshing change from the sometimes over-powering negativity of Jinpachi Ego and the more aggressive competitive tone of players like Shoei Barou. Isagi makes a very on-the-nose joke at his relief at this change, but this team-up is the first glimpse of the groundwork this season lays for the more diversified displays of ego we see throughout the coming arc. Characters like Hiori and Nanase push the entire cast forward by finding their niche roles within the team, and finding egos strikingly outside of Jinpachi Ego's original definition.
The first season of Blue Lock laid the groundwork for instilling competitive hunger and unleashing an ego that is willing to cause the despair of others in order to be the best by forcing the participants to put their futures at stake in competition with each other. This season sees a more nuanced trimming back and adapting of that original premise. The key focus on "Assertion and Coexistence" as framing goals for the players this season shifts the focus to their collaboration and synergy, which becomes a natural route for the boys to carve out niches for themselves within the team, and understand and synchronize with their teammates.
Not only are Hiori and Nanase pushing the characters past the sometimes one-note tone of heated rivalries, they also push definitions of ego and self-esteem forward into new territory. These characters eventually find what drives and incites that competitive hunger inside them in things like controlling who will receive their es and providing a skill no one else on the team can. It creates a broader perspective on competitive success, ego, and teamwork that will be expanded upon and pushed even further when fans are introduced to Blue Lock's U-20 team.
Bad Animation is Hindering Fans' Enjoyment of the Story
It's Hard to Look Past This Season's Failures
Sadly, moments that should be impactful have instead become a bit jarring to watch, with near still-frames that underwhelm and sometimes bizarre effects that overshadow the substance and content of the season. While the show has always historically used an artistic display of Isagi's puzzle-piece metaphors and similar moments of epiphany for players, the new adjustments edge into the extreme. Even Shidou Ryusei, who enters as a sort of foil to Itoshi Rin and one of the new strongest players and a central catalyst for conflict and growth, shockingly has the spotlight nearly stolen from him by a combination of blaring EDM music and neon lights more reminiscent of a nightclub than a soccer field.
Though one could argue some of these effects match Shidou's primal personality, in practice they are too distracting to resonate. It would have been far more impressive and effective to see a focus on animated fluidity and wild strikes in his movements that matched his aggressive and uninhibited characterization. Blue Lock's current arc is one of its best, and includes significant development for some of the most-loved characters of the show and manga, in addition to some of its most impactful rivalries. It's truly unfortunate that this arc is undermined by the distraction of poor animation and overpowering artistic effects, but there is still a lot to look forward to.
Blue Lock is a sports-centric animated series based on the manga series of the same name. The show follows the Japan Football Association trying to recover from their poor showing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup by hiring a football genius, Ego Jinpachi. With his new intense training regimen, Jinpachi invites the best football players in Japan to compete to become the team's new star player - and high school student Yoichi Isagi may be exactly who he's looking for.
Your comment has not been saved