©︎ Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, Kodansha / ‘BLUE LOCK’ Production Committee
Are you doing OK there, Rin? Your edgy teenage angst is starting to show! But seriously, I liked what this episode has set up for the potential climax of this match. Everyone in the show has so much presence that I forgot that Rin hadn’t scored a single goal during the match. That’s a little embarrassing when you consider that he is the brother of one of the best soccer players in their generation, and he is seen as a prodigy in his own right at the center of the Blue Lock team. The best part is it’s not anyone’s fault that he’s not scoring goals: he’s just not evolving to the same degree that everybody else is and thus, he’s getting outclassed.
Hell, Isagi had a shot lined up and would’ve made it if it wasn’t for Sae intervening and actually taking an interest in Isagi, which very much might have felt like rubbing salt in the wound. I know this won’t be the end and the show may be setting up Rin to be the one to make the next or final goal. After all, there was all that buildup that he had throughout the series with flashbacks and establishing that relationship with his brother. But there needs to be a triggering point. Ren needs to enter his flow state because, as things stand right now, everybody else is evolving, including the opposing team.
I loved the stuff that was established with Oliver at the beginning of this episode because you get the sense that this guy would’ve been perfect for Blue Lock if he was just a few years younger. This guy wanted to be a striker but he got beaten down by adults into thinking that it wasn’t worth it or he was never going to make it. By the time he proved himself, that desire was already dead, so he decided to settle for something else. There seems to be a parallel between Oliver and Sae, but why that wasn’t brought to the forefront. Maybe it’s being set up for an encounter later on, but I like that there are characters in this season who are rediscovering their egos after their encounters with Blue Lock. So many people will tell you that you don’t have the right or ability to do something, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to prove that you’re able to do it. If people push you, then you just need to push back harder. I look forward to seeing what the next major pushback of this match will be.
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AJ also streams regularly on Twitch as the indie Vtuber Bolts The Mechanic where they talk about and play retro media!
BLUE LOCK 2nd Season is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.
