Blue Lock anime made an anticipated return this season and continues to be strong. Or should I say, strongly mediocre? Fans are enraged with how the anime is being handled despite its popularity. People have been saying many things: PNG slideshow, bad CG, no budget, animators quitting, some web novel ad, top 1 anime betrayal against the fans, and many more. While all of these complaints are valid, we’d like to take a different perspective and explore why the concept of Blue Lock is almost impossible to translate into anime.
About Blue Lock
Blue Lock is a manga written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura that started serialization in Kodansha‘s Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 2018. It’s the best-selling manga series in the first half of 2023 and had over 40 million copies in circulation worldwide by July 2024. The author of Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama himself recommended it for whom Yusuke Nomura previously worked as an assistant. It becaome one of the Top 3 Sports Manga Series nationwide.
In 2022, studio Eight Bit adapted Blue Lock into anime that had 24 episodes and it was an instant success. Both fans and critics had a positive view of the show. The story delves into the intricacies of soccer: the strategies, game plan, different roles, team work while self improving, every possible nook and cranny is explored that enticed anime watcher who aren’t particularly interest in soccer or sports in general. It’s full of eccentric characters who are striving to be the best.
Why is the Blue Lock Season 2 animation bad?
Despite all the positive reviews, the producers decided to stab all the fans in the back as soon as the second season started. While the animation quality was nowhere near perfect in the first season, it was passable. Fans entering the second season with high hopes were devastated to see how much things had deteriorated.
Now, keep in mind that Studio Eight Bit is known for making ecchi anime, some of which are questionable. Their most popular works, such as The Irregular at Magic High School and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, were handled quite well with decent animation. So, they are capable of making entertaining shows that now have a cult following. Then why didn’t Blue Lock receive similar or better treatment, considering how popular the manga is? Sports anime typically get better animation, as we’ve seen in the past with Kuroko’s Basketball, Haikyuu!!, and Run with the Wind, to name a few.
The answer is the good old “low budget.” Two previous directors quit, and a newcomer took the helm in Season 2. The behind-the-scenes drama is what’s killing this show. The higher-ups’ lack of concern for handling the show properly or giving the animators a break is well-known, but it’s true in this instance as well. Some animators have spoken out about these issues, but there have been no improvements to the working conditions.
Another piece of evidence is the movie that came out in the middle of this year, which took priority over Season 2’s production. The movie is a direct cash grab, advertising Season 2 while failing to deliver the quality it deserved. In the end, the anime is a victim of poor management.
The animation quality can only be described as worse than low budget. I’ve honestly never seen an anime fumble like this. The use of CG in the foreground is eerily noticeable, the special effects stand out like an eyesore, transitions between different scenes are incoherent, and some frames don’t even have animation — it’s just speed lines applied over a shaky frame. This is below even the lowest-budget anime, falling in line with shows where the animators themselves know it’s doomed to fail.
Why Blue Lock Anime is Almost Impossible
Other than the studio issues, Blue Lock itself is something hard to fathom. Without proper direction, the anime is just nothing but monologues and expositions. First and foremost, it’s a sports anime and we need to some action before anything else. Explaining things is important, but that should not be the priority. So far, the anime has been a little movement and then the explaining begins as if the audience is completely dunce and things have to be chewed down for them to swallo. Then a little movement again and then monologuing then a little flashback and then a some movements and so on.
It’s clear that they have no idea how to handle exposition when it is just as important as the action. It’s lackluster and, at times, infuriating. There’s almost no dialogue when someone is moving, and then there’s no movement when someone is talking. Instead of pausing the action for exposition, keep the action running while explaining on top of it, feeding the necessary information bit by bit. If something big happens, explain it in detail but in a concise manner. Alternatively, save the exposition for later, when the game is over, like in a briefing scene where they recap what happened during the game. Intertwine both the action and the exposition in a way that keeps the excitement intact.
After Thought
This is our take on Blue Lock season 2. It’s hard to believe that a popular show falling off like this due to the production issues. It’s like they don’t believe that it’d be a success. We waited for the anime to go further to see if it improves since a big game is happening. But after halfway into the game and a hyped up character is yet to shine, it’s clear as day that the anime is done for. There is no hope for it anymore. There was no improvement in the highlights, no special care or anything redeeming. Blue Lock season 2 is doomed to fail.
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