This Week in Anime

Are There Any Heroes in BLUELOCK?

Nicky
Well, using government money to put a bunch of hormonal teenage boys in a secluded steel-built "training facility" (totally not a prison, guys!) for national pride wouldn't really look good on the World Stage. It sure makes for some entertaining anime! This Week, we're rallying against some life-and-death stakes with the latest soccer anime, BLUELOCK!

On behalf of Nick's and my safety, the official subs provided by Crunchyroll for the US also use the term "soccer," so there's no need to tackle anyone over regional differences when it's more important to be consistent. Save your energy for the field!

I'll note that my actual athletic abilities are crap, and I don't always have time to sit down and watch sports games, but there's something magic about a good sports anime that makes them a returning staple. Sports narratives have been a host of great drama for decades, from feel-good victories to fortified bonds between teammates and rivals alike (look at Aim for the Ace!). However, it's not like we've had a lack of them this year; even within the same sport, we've had both Aoashi and Shoot! Goal to the Future, not to mention several others that focus on team-based sports. With the number of competitors rising, what makes Blue Lock stand out from its peers? I'd call it sheer confidence.

It's certainly a departure. Our introduction to our protagonist, Isagi Yoichi, features his devastating defeat, one missed opportunity that signals an end to any hopes of a successful sports career. One person does not make a team but having been the only talented player and being dragged down by others feels like a dark and harsh reality compared to the more standard uplifting movement the audience is used to seeing. Even how it's framed feels more akin to a villain origin story.

There's something intensely psychological about the whole thing, like you know something terrible is about to happen. Ego, the mastermind behind BLUELOCK, shows up and gives a speech that would make Monukuma proud. Proclaiming that the way to win is to socially engineer these kids into the premiere goal-scorers by pitting all 300 of them against each other until there is only one left. It's incredibly edgy to the point of being almost silly, yet captivating. It's all the same trappings of a death game, right down to the acid jazz piano.

Even without knowledge of real-world sports, the framing is all on the nose. The art and the dialogue are both intense. I read a bit of the manga because I liked the art style, the focus on these dynamic angles, and the heavy shading that emphasize a dark tone. Still, it was only later that I learned that the artist, Yusuke Nomura, was an assistant on Attack on Titan. It makes way too much sense! I'm also impressed with how well the anime captured the art style. I expect sports show to have fewer resources to pull off so much detail, especially with how twisted some facial expressions are.

The manga's story was also written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, whose other works include As the Gods Will, so the death game comparisons feel even more apt.

The upfront cynicism could be a turn-off for many fans since it goes against many of the values other sports anime establish. Still, the point of being upfront leaves room for the audience to scrutinize what Ego's argument means. Ichiro's first defeat is about obliterating an idealistic caricature of a sports protagonist, but in return, he finds the confidence he lacked before. Anyone defeated in BLUELOCK has to leave the facility and is blacklisted from Japan's national team, so the death in the death game is "of your sports career."

Yeah, while said arrogantly, as the show falls into a more standard regime of tournaments and builds up the other characters, Ego does portray a lot of knowledge about soccer for both the players and the audience, prompting them to think more critically about the sport that they would've under normal circumstances. Even a tool you learn from your villain can be helpful if it means forging a path for yourself. Yoichi is perceptive, but he's otherwise underequipped. His whole group is seeded at the bottom of BLUELOCK as told by the numbered rankings on their clothing, meaning any other group they face is above them and maybe even more sinister than them.

Fighting this kind of competition by himself is intimidating. Yoichi isn't alone; while lower than the opposition, some of the other members of Team Z are also worthy of being villains. One of the first people we meet is Bachira, who claims he has a little soccer monster that lives inside him and tells him to score goals. He says all notable players have one, and it is represented by a particularly cool effect used throughout the series.

There's a reason I giggle every time characters shorten BLUELOCK to BL. Like anytime they say their ranking is "BL Ranking."

Some guys, like Kunigami, even come off as fairly reasonable, maybe even hopeful in their ambitions. Their passion for achieving still leaves room for them to bond like bros, breaking some of the premise's tension.


This is good because locking a bunch of teenage boys up together in any situation could lead to a lot of problems, most of all bullying. Still, these guys are all so single-minded in their sport that they don't have a lot of room for much else, including thinking about hurting each other in non-sports-related ways. So their sociopathy only applies to sports; otherwise, they're dumb goofballs.

I'll get to Chigiri in a bit. It also shouldn't be a surprise we get some build with other characters as they're pretty prominent in the opening and ending themes, which you should've caught because skipping this incredibly catchy Unison Square Garden song would be a CRIME worthy of soccer jail.

I love the choice for this super chilled-out ED after some intense episodes! It's part of the show's underlying sincerity. Maybe that's because it makes me feel like I'm watching Backflip! again.

Even better when it's some wild stuff. It takes the anime approach of treating some characters like they have superpowers, including Yoichi's bizarre sixth sense to "smell" opportunities. Each team is rougher than the last, with Team Y's strategist, Team X's King, and whatever the hell is going on with these guys' eyebrows.

Look, there's a reason I nicknamed him "Soccer Eren" at some points, and that's one of them. As far as character writing is concerned, showing off your rivals and making sure they leave an impression for the short time they have is a good strength, even if much of the supporting cast is on the back burner. Besides, not having everyone spill everything up front leads to surprises. Chigiri's slow-building arc was one of them, making him the most complex member of Team Z.

It turns out Chigiri didn't enter BLUELOCK to win but rather as a way of decisively putting his sports dreams to death once and for all. While modern medicine managed to spare him, the fear of reinjury crushed most of his ambition. It's framed as someone looking for a way to commit assisted suicide, even if it only applies to his sports career. It's overdramatic, but the feeling is there. What's more, Yoichi takes a kind approach towards it, so it's satisfying when he turns around. So despite sometimes being a villain on the field, it proves that he can still inspire his companions.

It's tough, but so is seeing someone so clearly depressed and wanting nothing more than to bring themselves down, even when Chigiri knows he'd be dragging all the others on the team with him. It's worse compared to just flat quitting on your own. It's because Yoichi recognized how on the fence he was about it that this works into pushing each other to victory.

Okay, let me explain. So while Chigiri's plan for soccer self-destruction could've eventually led to entire team sabotage, we also had to deal with this guy doing ACTUAL sabotage! It's, again, part of why not quite knowing everyone on the team yet feels structured since it proves part of the show's premise that not everyone's teammate has to be trustworthy.

It's great, and there's nothing against the rules about that, but what's better is because of Chigiri's newfound self, they manage to survive even fighting 12 vs. 10. Then he has to wallow and suck it up after all. Then in the next match, he tries to do the same thing, but Team V doesn't even want to hear it. While he's following the same mentality, it only ends up with everyone thinking he double-sucks when none of it is based on actual skill.

His plan made him the top scorer of Team Z, with three goals practically handed to him.

That kind of blowback is part of why I believe the thesis of BLUELOCK to be more leaning toward the benefit of solid individualism rather than the pure, raw "fuck everyone" mentality it gives off. There's a difference. Many people see arrogance as a bad thing. When taken to the extreme, it can stunt those from thinking like true individuals, relying heavily on others to do work for them, avoiding critical thinking and self-assessment, and leaving room for self-doubt.

This casual competition between matches with Team X's King, Shoei Baro, is an excellent example of what I mentioned. Ego mentioned that truly skilled players don't rely on flukes and can even repeat their success. Yoichi learns that someone like Baro, who has confidence and a keen awareness of his capabilities, has an easier time finding the prime conditions to score than a player who lacks a strong sense of self.

As a bonus, Yoichi gets to be a little fanboyish over Baro.

Team V is funny because it's like looking at a funhouse mirror version of some Haikyuu! characters when part of the backstory is about a lazy prodigy being adopted by a rich extrovert.

As it turns out, the only thing worse than trying to beat someone who's doing everything they can to defeat you is getting your balls kicked by someone who isn't trying very hard.

Chigiri gets some time to shine after the last match, but even he feels like Team V is giving him a run for his money. It's such an all-out freak-off for who can be the biggest running weirdo on the field.

Agreed and like those series, BLUELOCK has an excellent presentation. Since soccer is one of the most fast-paced and dynamic team sports, making such a spectacle-filled show is certainly no easy feat. It takes a lot of skill to do some of the stuff it does and drag the audience into its ridiculous moments. It's almost like the anime team took the phrase "A good offense is the best defense" to heart. Even if you don't take much of it seriously, it's hard not to stare at just those big ole crazy eyes. And if anything, I'd call that game!