BLUE LOCK

As a lover of the sport of football, Blue Lock is a must-read manga (Japanese comic) with its premise on teamwork and sports, in general, being unique and interesting. Blue Lock has opened my eyes to the importance of selfishness that isn’t seen in most or even any sports manga within the genre. I truly believe that its anime adaptation is going to be the best sports anime we have seen in a long time.

Introduction

Introduction

The Japs are takings Ls after Ls in football and decide that in order to claim victory in the upcoming World Cup, the Japanese Football Association needs to enlist the help of a football coach called Jinpachi Ego. His totally normal and sensible plan? Confine 300 players from all over the country into a prison-like facility and pit them against each other until only the strongest one remains. Those eliminated will be banned from playing football professionally ever again, while the sole survivor will become the national team’s striker. Mans made up a whole battle royal to win the world cup.

Blue Locks Beauty

Blue Lock’s strengths are multiple but the one thing that makes Blue Lock stand out from several other sports series in the genre is its intensity in everything that the series does and attempts to do. Now before I explain this intensity that oozes from Blue Lock, let me give you an example. Some of the most intense moments of Blue Lock come from Isagi Yoichi (MC) realizing for the first time that he is a striker. In short, when he realizes this, His whole character changes from “I am Mr. Nice guy. Nice to meet you. Would you like a cup of tea” to “I will devour your entire ancestry in this match and consume you and everything you throw at me. Also, your mom ugly ngl”. Furthermore, the art intensifies and the whole scene has this feeling of pressure that can not be compared to anything else. There are several moments throughout the manga that possess the same vibe and essence as this scene and the art score is phenomenal every dang time.

The core strength and beauty of Blue Lock come from two things that essentially build the foundation of Blue Lock’s intensity. Its premise and characters.

Premise

The concept of building a facility and having 300 players compete against one another to sculpt a player that will lead Japan’s team to win the world cup is absolutely insane and I love it. The idea that you must conquer the best to become the best and if you fall, you will never play the sport you are so passionate about, allows the manga to depict the high stakes – high reward feeling that keeps the reader constantly at the edge of his seat. Truly, the manga represents “survival of the fittest”. Sports anime, in general, have always been centered on teamwork and friendship and I feel over the years, I have forgotten that one must be selfish sometimes to succeed. Teamwork doesn’t always cut it and as an individual, you must pave a path for yourself first and think about others later. This is what Blue Lock does best. Its whole theme is you must consume the players around you, adapt, evolve, and conquer. I believe this uniqueness of Blue Lock is what gives its appeal and what will eventually make it viewed as one of the best sports manga and anime of all time.

Characters

Although Blue Lock’s theme is special, without its diverse characters and personalities, it would not shine. Blue Lock’s characters are written so well that every individual is different in his own way. Moreover, Each character has a special “ability” that must evolve to consume the rest. For instance, one character’s ability is speed. He is faster than the rest but is haunted by a past injury that might result in his career, ending at any given moment. There are other abilities or talents that differentiate the characters; however, their personalities and backstories are what caught my eye the most. Each character feels attractive and no one was forgettable, to say the least. Also, the relationships between the characters are beautiful in a sort of way. Some like each other, others… not so much, but when it comes to the field everyone is an enemy, and friendships are set aside.

Conclusion

Blue Lock is a manga that breaks the theme of “teamwork is the dreamwork” that is so common in the Japanese sports genre nowadays, Indeed, Blue Lock’s intensity comes from its concept of selfishness that blossoms by its diverse set of characters and unique art style. If you love football, manga, sports in general, or want to try something new, I extremely recommend Blue Lock as a must-read.