Blue Lock First Impressions

“Abandon all common sense. On the pitch, you’re the star.”

I don’t know the last time I had my opinion of an episode yo-yo this wildly. I’ve regularly cited my preference for more grounded sports anime, but Blue Lock is not that. Blue Lock is insane, and I’m having difficulty deciding whether that works to its advantage. I went into this first episode knowing that it was a soccer series. I had no idea it was soccer crossed with Danganronpa! That sounds like the type of summary which couldn’t possibly be properly capturing the tone and style of a series, but I swear it’s the most accurate summation I could think of. Like I said, this one is insane, and while it doesn’t appeal to my preferences, I can’t deny that I had fun watching it. Then again, I’ve had fun watching plenty of things that I wouldn’t recommend or call good, so I’m faced with a dilemma. I’m offering Blue Lock a recommendation with some moderate caveats. If you enjoy edgy competitions and wild sports personalities in anime, Blue Lock is worth offering a chance. I’m not confident it will stay good or enjoyable, but then again, I’m not even confident it’s good right now.

Our lead is a passionate high school soccer player named Yoichi Isagi, whose team fails to make it to nationals at the very start of the episode. Isagi is conflicted over how the game went, as he found himself facing a choice during the final play that could have made all the difference. He chose to pass the ball to a teammate who missed the shot, rather than go for the goal himself. Feeling devastated over the loss of his dreams, Isagi is surprised to learn that he’s been invited to the Japan Football Union with a letter that claims he has been selected to become a “certified athlete.” When he arrives at the location listed in the letter, he discovers he’s one of three hundred soccer players to be called to that location. Before anyone can start asking questions, a man named Ego Jinpachi begins addressing the group. He claims he has developed a plan to bring Japan to the soccer world stage, and the key to that plan requires a revolutionary striker driven by ego. In order to find such a player, he will have the students compete among themselves in a closed environment until only the most talented and egoistic striker remains. For those agreeing to take part, all of this will occur within an isolated facility as part of Jinpachi’s “Blue Lock” program. We have an edgy, solipsistic elimination game centered around a team sport. That’s an odd combo, and it’s hard to put a finger on how I feel. At the very least, I’ll be following this show, though there is a moderate chance that I may not make it to the end.

The production is being handled by Eight Bit, which I also have mixed feelings about. With the exception of the first few minutes, the animation is good. Even those first few minutes aren’t bad, but they feature a habit that Eight Bit displayed prominently in That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime. When a scene calls for some large scale movement and shifting cameras, the studio will fill the gaps with CG. Their traditional animation can look great, and the ill-fated and inaptly-named Stars Align proved the studio could pull off a great sports series (or at least half of one). However, that opening soccer match had some uncanny valley elements to it, and it was due to how the characters were interacting within the CG environment and with the CG background characters. It didn’t ruin the scene, but this is a two-cour show. Eight Bit isn’t a studio I associate with persistent quality so that CG may become far more prominent over time. Of the two shows of theirs that I watched consistently, one ended prematurely, and the other became heavily reliant on computer generated baddies who were not well integrated. I’m pretty sure the video that plays at the end is the OP (ED’s don’t usually bother to start with a title card), and it’s pretty fun. Again, it’s edgy visuals give me slight Mirai Nikki vibes, which is not a good thing, but the energy and style make for a striking (*Ba-dum-tiss*) experience.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• I don’t know if I can call it restraint, but I’m impressed that the show doesn’t kick off with a creepy mascot. I thought that every anime with an elimination game set-up and dark, suspenseful tone was contractually obligated to have one. Then again, I can’t say I’d be that surprised if Jinpachi choose to climb into a mascot outfit starting with episode 2.
• You know, I haven’t kept up with Yowamushi Pedal and I’m not going to be watching the new season that’s airing right now. However, it’s nice to see that Midousuji has found a place for himself running Japan’s soccer team. I’m not the only one who sees it, right?
• I was startled to begin a sports series with a lead who had a clear understanding that he can’t win games all on his own. That usually serves as an early arc to work through. I should have known something was off. The moment Blue Lock pulled back the curtain and revealed, “Psych! It was about stripping away that lesson all along!” it all clicked into place.
• In an episode of Ted Lasso, Ted had an alternate persona, called Led Tasso, he devised for training purposes who embodied the exact opposite of Ted’s ideals. This show might just be Led Tasso.