Blue Lock season one was such a good anime. I enjoyed every single episode I watched and I can’t wait for season two!
Check out Last Week’s Episode Review.
Blue Lock Episode 23 & 24 Review
Isagi has grown a tremendous amount during his time at Blue Lock.
To go from somebody so hesitant to hold the ball for long, to actively boasting about there being no greater joy than scoring is amazing to see. Ego’s laid out a really good program for the boys. Sure, the shareholders want their “results” but Ego has given these boys hope.
The World Five Match
Ego has been fluctuating between a cycle of breaking down the soccer players before building them back up again. My college actually did something similar to all of us in anticipation of the “real world” harshness we all soon experienced. While it may seem cruel on the surface, as Ego has repeatedly pointed out – you need to evolve to continually grow as a person.
Staying in your comfort zone will get you nowhere in life. All you’ll be doing is “dream doping”.
So, at my university they introduced us to celebrities. I went to school with the actors I watched growing up on the Disney channel. People I’d seen on red carpets were walking past me on the street. Famous directors or specialists in their field came in for lectures, impromptu drop-ins, and special events. Ego did the same to the boys, taking those they idolized on TV and placing them right in front of them to elevate their reality.
Tokimitsu was kind of stuck fangirling and Aryu was too busy worried about being glam to do much during the match. Isagi and Bachira quickly gave up as well, deciding it was just an honor to be on the same field as the Top 5. Only Rin saw and treated the elite players as equals, because his brother Sae is considered one of them.
After that experience, the other players realized that there’s not much distance between themselves and the best strikers in the world. I mean they acknowledged that it’s going to take years of hard work, but also realized that their dream is attainable. In a way, Ego allowed the high school players to humanize their heroes and realize that they can both co-exist in their soccer-driven reality.
That was really cool to see, because it will change the high school striker’s perspectives on everything going forward in this series.
(Look at me talking as if I read the manga ☺.)
Rin Doesn’t Hate His Brother Sae?
Although it was crass, hearing the World Five players talk about getting paid and calling the Japanese players scrawny was very realistic. Rin calling them out and them specifically targeting him (or rather just Leonardo Luna decided to crush his dreams) while comparing Rin to his brother Sae was just the boost he needed.
Speaking of which – we got Rin’s sad backstory flashback twice now and apparently…his brother Sae was always good to him and they have a healthy relationship? So basically, all of this emo angst is most likely over the fact that Rin is upset his older brother went off to better himself and enhance his soccer abilities?
I swear if we find out that is indeed the real reason next season, I will legitimately scream out loud.
Rin has done nothing but be moody and push himself to the bone only to catch up to a brother who doesn’t hate him in the slightest. From the interview Sae did in the beginning of the anime I already thought he wasn’t a bad person. As expected, Itoshi Rin really is just that dramatic. ☺
Is Blue Lock Worth Watching?
Blue Lock is one of the best sports anime I’ve seen in a really long time. And this is coming from somebody who isn’t into sports (especially soccer) in real life. I felt like I was learning something new each week along with the players as they built up zero and turned it into one. I laughed along with the overly-exaggerated facial expressions and got nervous at the tense situations.
In short – I felt all of the soccer player’s very realistic emotions they experienced during their matches. And I loved every minute of it! ☺
Although it is slowly changing, it’s so rare to find an anime set in Japan that acknowledges their cultural stigma and shortfallings so blatantly in an almost mocking tone. As somebody who worked at a Japanese cultural center alongside Japanese people (from Japan) and had to deal with those visiting from the country daily, the social pressure and need to conform is a very real thing.
There were times even I was ostracized for failing to adhere to a Japanese social norm despite being a (stupid) gaijin. ‘Dream Doping’ and continually stifling the ambition called a monster inside of you eventually does beat you down, to the point where it’s simply easier to just shut up and join the crowd.
Ego tried (and succeeded) in nurturing 35 players across Japan who soon would have given up on their dreams one way or another. Isagi blew the prefectural match. Bachira was a freak nobody wanted to play with. Kuon’s team didn’t take him seriously.
Every player had a viable story for why they were there, and why they needed to improve.
(Except the monk. He should have stayed back at the temple with his weak ankles. I mean seriously, did he beat our discount superhero Ichigo Kunigami looking like that?)
Along with the little references to real life (like being able to watch two anime episodes in 40 minutes) and the rejection of the ❀ Power of Friendship ❀ anime trope, Blue Lock was the clear standout in a season stacked with great anime. Thanks to everybody who checked out my reviews for this series, and I hope we can all watch Blue Lock Season 2 together one day soon ☺.
But, tell me your thoughts.
Are the Isagi and Bachira playmaking duo back and better than ever?
Why do you think Isagi refused to internalize Rin admitting that he beat him?
And…
Do you think there was something deeper to Ego’s words throughout the season?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, we’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more Blue Lock Episode Reviews and Discussions!
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