BLUE LOCK 2nd Season

Episode 31

OK, I admit defeat. I was holding out hope that we would start seeing improved animation when the actual U-20 match started but other than one really sick shot, this match looks about on par with the other matches plaguing season two. There are a handful of explanations for why this season looks the way it does, and I respect the staff doing their damn best to make every frame look as good as humanly possible. But when a lot of your show is already breaking down what is happening during a match, I lose the hype a little when a majority of the episode is just still frames and sliding PNGs.

The U-20 team gets to showcase themselves more here, and they are basically the anti-Blue Lock. While Blue Lock is a team full of forwards who want to score goals no matter what, U-20 is all about setting up a wall that shuts the opponent down. They use footwork, strength, and mental tricks to stop pretty much everyone's way of attacking forward. It isn't until Rin screws up a shot that the team can find an opening. The irony is almost infuriating.

Some other interesting things happened during this match outside of the amazing shot at the end. As I mentioned before, Isagi is not the main character on the pitch, even if he is the main character of the show. His main goal is to create chemical reactions with everyone else, recognizing their strategies and how they can be utilized on the field. This is a great way to organically feed exposition to the audience with his internal monologues while showcasing how skilled he is as a supporting player. He understands everyone's combat styles, how to complement them, and how the opposing team is shutting them down. He recognizes the goals other people will go for and where to position himself. In a lot of ways, he makes a better centerfield or coach than he does a striker, but we all know that is not what he wants. The whole point of this match is for Isagi to overcome the role that he has been assigned to take the stage as the main striker. He's about halfway there by understanding the pieces that he is working with, as well as the pieces that he's going up against. However, the next step is learning how to use those pieces for himself instead of the other way around.

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