In an era of huge sports anime, Blue Lock seems primed for greatness. After just one season, the show jumps to the big screen, though it’s not the finest performance of the year.
For Blue Lock: The Movie, the perspective switches from footy hopeful, Yoichi Isagi, to one of his rivals, Seishirō Nagi. They’re both locked into the Blue Lock program, a highly competitive training camp designed to create the ultimate striker for Japan’s national team.
The sports anime’s first season had Isagi push through several rounds of the regime, surviving elimination at every turn.
Episode Nagi is largely the same, but from Nagi’s point-of-view, revealing some of what motivates the other players in the hefty tournament.
Episode Nagi has the right players
It’s a novel idea on paper – and works well as a spin-off manga by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura – yet the concept leaves something to be desired as a feature film given wide release. Taken as an anime movie of two halves, both falter in different ways.
Focusing on Nagi makes a retread of the plot so far feel less like an outright recap, creating a good jumping-on point for anyone just looking for a decent sports movie. A reluctant hero, to say the least, Nagi gets roped into football by Reo Mikage, an ambitious, pampered fellow student.
Reo catches Nagi doing some fancy footwork and coerces him into joining the school’s soccer team. A laissez-faire video game fan, Nagi abhors pretty much anything that isn’t playing on his phone. Only during the actual Blue Lock challenges does he start to understand why people enjoy kicking a ball around, and Reo’s affectionate partnership.
Blue Lock is exploring the whole bench
The pair have a charming dynamic, Mikage loud and bubbly compared to Nagi’s completely deadpan delivery. Laughs are garnered through Nagi’s flat expression towards everything going on, balanced by Mikage’s excitable nature.
Some hilarity comes from the other Blue Lock competitors. One is a slightly clueless hotshot who gets simple phrases and tasks wrong but soon teaches everyone not to underestimate him.
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They all contribute to Blue Lock’s breakneck depiction of football, where special moves are executed like fighting games. Auras surround players as they take big shots, causing the ball to whizz from one end of the field to another.
Blue Lock is in a different class
Ted Lasso got many things about the beautiful game right, but the show’s footwork has nothing on the Shonen sensibilities of Blue Lock. Through each round, Nagi and Mikage grow closer, but only one can win the opportunity to represent Japan, and to make matters worse, everyone who loses is banned from ever competing on a national level.
Episode Nagi contains some tears regarding that gauntlet, and I’m not sure it does the franchise many favors overall. Nagi isn’t the actual main character, creating potential confusion for anyone who feels invigorated to check out Season 2.
I think the film might have arrived a little too early. Episode Nagi didn’t start until we were over 150 chapters into Blue Lock already. I understand the desire to keep the timeline somewhat chronological, but now it seems like there are two heroes when really there’s just one in Isagi.
Blue Lock: The Movie review score – 3/5
It’s a shame, because the screenplay by Taku Kishimoto is on point, quotable, and emotional, and Blue Lock: The Movie showcases some of Eight Bit’s finest work to date, captained by director Shunsuke Ishikawa. There’s a lot to like, and the timing is helped by opening during the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.
But, watching it feels like seeing an awesome mid-season match of club football, only to be informed afterward why the result isn’t great for either side. Soccer is at its most thrilling when uncomplicated, and Blue Lock’s feature-length showing just doesn’t hold that to heart.
Blue Lock: The Movie – Episode Nagi is in theatres on June 28, 2024. Check out our new movies and upcoming anime lists for more releases to keep an eye out for.
