If someone bases their opinion about the new football anime Bluelock on the norms of the sports anime genre, they won’t be blamed for hoping for another show about hot guys trying their best sports. This has been the tried-and-true formula of sports anime for decades, and shows rarely, if ever, deviates from this method. And why would they; People love the inherent positivity in stories of people coming together and overcoming an obstacle as a team.
And yet, within its first episode alone, BLUELOCK showed me that there’s something sinister beneath the surface of the typical sports anime trope of hot guys and wanting to be the best. There’s so much honest-to-goodness in this show that one can cut oneself out of it, and that just might be the series’ greatest strength.
Take, for example, the premise it provides: After a loss that prevents his high school team from progressing to the national level, Isagi Yoichi is offered to attend a special training program organized by the Japan Football Federation. goes. Upon reaching there, he does not find the officers extolling the virtues of teamwork and unity. Instead, one expert says he is set to create an egoist who can lead the Japanese national football team to victory, morality and decency.
For this, he has gathered 300 of the best teen football players from all over the country. They will all be subject to survival-playing-style competitions, until only one is left standing. The winner would lead the national team as the best striker in the country, while all the losers would never participate in the national team for the rest of their lives.
This leaves Isagi with no choice but to cut down on the competition, survive each new challenge, and stand till the end of it. He must take down potential allies, endure gruesome football-based twists on the game challenges of survival, and bring out the darkest parts of himself to emerge victorious.
Image Credits: 8bit
Is it all over the top and ridiculous? of course. A football-based survival game can seem so intense before it even sounds ridiculous, and BLUELOCK gets past that point several times in the first episode alone. I was obsessed with how hilarious it was unintentionally to watch someone dribbling the ball past other people, trying to hit them so they had the ball once the foreboding timer ticked to zero.
But here’s the thing: This overly serious and dramatic approach to a goofy premise comes across as real. This is mainly because of how much time and effort BLUELOCK puts into making this conflict feel real through its characters and presentation, and how these two elements play into the wider product.
In terms of characters, most of the weight comes from how well it strikes the nerve of the more self-centered side of the game. While the show primarily focuses on Isagi’s perspective, it does so in a way that speaks to the mindset of anyone who wants to achieve a goal. They will do anything and do everything possible to be their best and achieve their own dream.
Sometimes this means teaming up with others like every other sports anime, but at times, it takes on a less flashy look that BLUELOCK sheds light on, and, as this new show demonstrates, it’s always worse. does not happen for.
Image Credits: 8bit
The presentation of these themes reinforces this message. The animation is surprisingly high quality, using a harsh animation style to sell the more brutal and cut-throat mentality brought into the mix by the surviving game elements. Spectators can feel the impact of a football hitting players or a hit as players struggle to stay in the game.
It is matched by music that is both energetic and intense, heightening the emotions that are running high as the reality of the players’ situation.
Once all of these elements are blended together, the end result is a show that is determined to offer a more serious view of sports anime than anyone else. It wears its edge on its sleeve and appears to have no reservations about prominently displaying it for the rest of the series.
Obviously, this show will not be for everyone. Its more self-centered themes and views on the game are sure to hit a nerve with those who prefer general sports anime, and it certainly won’t any awards for being “feel-good” anytime soon. Won’t win
For everyone else, though, it’s a darker spin on a style that’s stuck to the same formula for far too long. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it can keep up the pace from its strong first impression and weave a sadly gripping tale of trying to end up in any way necessary.
Twinfinit was given early screening access for the first episode of Bluelock by Crunchyroll. The anime will begin streaming through the platform on October 8th.
Source
