Blue Lock S1

• Title: Blue Lock
• Genre: Action/Drama/Sports
• Company: Eightbit
• Format: 24 Episodes
• Dates: 9 Oct 2022 – 26 Mar 2023

Synopsis:

In the closing moments of Japan’s High School Prefectural Finals for soccer, striker Isagi Yoichi finds himself with the ball and a chance at goal. Instead of shooting, he opts for the extra pass to an open teammate who proceeds to miss the shot. In the ensuing counterattack, the opposition scores, ending Isagi’s chance of reaching the National tournament. Despondent and questioning his fateful decision, Isagi returns home to find an invitation to take part in the mysterious Blue Lock project. There, he is among 300 strikers vying to become a world-class striker for the Japanese National Team.

Highlights

• Hype: Lots of it, making you look forward to each subsequent episode.
• Characters: A panoply that often outshines Isagi.
• Character development: Aside from Isagi, not a whole lot from anyone else.
• Soccer: Played at a surface level. Not particularly deep.

Review

Anyone with even a basic knowledge of soccer will find Blue Lock’s premise nonsensical. In it, 300 strikers battle it out to determine who among them is worthy of becoming the world-class striker who will lead Japan to a World Cup victory. They do so through an elimination round that could have been pulled straight from Squid Game, followed by a series of small-sided matches to winnow the group to an elite few.

To succeed, each player must take whatever special soccer skills they have and add a dose of ego that instills confidence and a belief that they can beat — nay, dominate — the opposition. This is where Blue Lock asks you to suspend your disbelief from a soccer perspective. Gone are the intricate team play patterns of pressing or possession soccer. From a sports-genre perspective, the concept of feel-good team spirit takes a beating, given how each player is encouraged to be in it only for himself.

With this setup, the super die-hard, serious soccer fan will find Blue Lock off-putting, maybe even infuriating. And I’m sympathetic to that position. The elements that make the beautiful game, well, beautiful, are nonexistent. But to its credit, Blue Lock is never boring. Far from it.

Part of that stems from Blue Lock’s supporting cast. Many of them bring skills and personalities that, in any other anime, would make them the star. There’s Bachira Meguru who is seemingly possessed by a monster that turns him into a dribbling genius and pushes him to seek out other like-minded players. Kunigami Rensuke is not only the spitting image of Kurosaki Ichigo from Bleach, he also carries that classic shounen hero aura. Barou is the self-styled King of soccer who demands that all plays run through him. I could go on; what’s listed here is just the tip of the iceberg. Because the cast is so large, watching their personalities bounce off one another is a source of entertainment, whether it’s in the camaraderie, the competitive dunking, or even the comedy.

Which brings us to the protagonist, Isagi Yoichi, who represents the everyman. Initially, he comes across as being bang-average, with no obvious special skills to propel him to the next level. These traits help make him accessible to the audience, but it also makes him a bit bland. Watching him evolve and harness not his athleticism, but his spatial awareness to overcome in-game challenges is intriguing enough, though ultimately, he’s still eclipsed by the other characters in terms of personality.

The second element that keeps Blue Lock riveting is its plot progression. Blue Lock draws inspiration from battle-royale tropes: the mental fortitude that each character must cultivate, the high-stakes action within the games, and the backstabbing tactics that transpire all keep the anime engaging. That momentum is bolstered by the inclusion of real sports psychology concepts like flow state triggers that lead to elite performance. You might learn a thing or two.

The pacing is another strong point, as each episode masterfully hypes up the next. All of the matches proceed at a rapid clip with enough action to be captivating. That holds true even though Isagi’s role as the main character means his ultimate fate is fairly predictable over the long haul. Sure, he might deal with setbacks here and there, but we know he’ll prevail eventually. The question we have to keep in mind throughout Isagi’s soccer matches is never if he will succeed, but how.

Blue Lock is not a show to take seriously if you’re looking to learn about or enjoy tactical soccer. In fact, purists will find it anathema to what good soccer actually is. Those people might prefer the drama of Giant Killing. But for those who see it through, there’s no denying the raw entertainment value Blue Lock brings, leaving you eagerly awaiting each new episode.

Rating: 7

Reviewed by: zzeroparticle