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TheBlue Lockvs. U-20 Japan match kicks into overdrive with the intensity of the second half, but the stakes have never been higher. Every second on the clock in this highly anticipated and intense showdown feels like it could be win or lose for either team. The players on the field continue to grow beyond their limits as they enter the final moments of what feels like an all-out effort from them.
Star of the recent episodes, Shidou continues to storm Blue Lock XI’s team with his fiery, unpredictable style, leaving the team in confusion as he leveled the score with his insane goal. A last-minute defensive substitute, Reo, was able to stop his next attempt at a clear goal by copying defensive weapons, but it was only a matter of time before Shidou found a way to break through their defenses.
The Devil Unleashed Once Again
Shidou Is Definitely Unstoppable If Left Unchecked
The match continues with Sae trying to create more opportunities for Shidou to show off his demonic skills.Seeing how Sae is so synced upwith him, it creates something exciting within him, and he realizes that this is how he always perceived soccer as a means to survive on the field. He attempts to score but is cut short by Gagamaru as he blocks his attack by clearing the ball with a header.
Soccer ain’t a sport. It’s life-sustaining. Everything about me is geared towards scoring goals, surviving on the field and penalty area perfection. - Shidou Ryusei
Just as we think that Blue Lock XI’s in the clear, we get to witness the most insane over-the-top and arguably the best goal in the series so far, to the point that it seemed impossible to pull off, but not so much for the demon inside the stadium known as Shidou. Not only was thegoal important for Shidou but also for taking the leadand putting U-20 back in the game with a lead.
Blue Lock Needs To Go Off Script
Ego And Uncertainty Are The Key To Winning
Shidou’s goal puts U-20 in the lead but also completely shatters the hopes of Blue Lock XI’s players of winning. Isagi, thinking to himself that so far he has been completely useless, goes to Ego to ask for a way to win. Disappointed in his answer, his ego begins to come forward—something that is the bread and butter of the Blue Lock program, and that is exactly the answer needed to win. Ego takes a gamble on using their last substitute.
The King, Baro Shoei, joins the team; immediately upon him joining, we can see chaos rising on the field (very true to his nature). Baro was instructed by Ego to not follow the game plan and devour everyone on the field to win, and funny enough, Baro was planning to do that without him even ever telling him to do so. This is exactly whatBlue Lockneeded to win—someone that played on the same wavelength as Shidou—two demons colliding, and only the one with the strongest ego would win.
Will Baro’s Ego Level The Score
Or Is Big Bang Drive The Ultimate Move
Baro reminds the viewers why he is called the King.As soon as the match continued, all he planned on doing is scoring himself, and the best way to do that was to create chaos on the field, confusing both opponents and teammates alike, a double-edged sword that worked very well in his favor backed up by his outstanding skills, but in the end, his ego was slightly bigger than what he could handle, and he missed the goal.
But this style of play is clearly indicative of the fact that the only way they would be able to score is notjust to enter the “Flow” statebut also to go further beyond their normal skills and devour both opponents and teammates to score a goal. Yukimiya, realizing that counterattacks and also enters the flow state, is followed by an amazing display of street-style dribbling skills, just as he thought he had a goal. Aiku dives in out of nowhere, also able to enter the flow state by gambling on a dive that should not have saved the goal, but at this point, everyone is playing to survive on the field and performing skills that might seem impossible otherwise.
Animation Improved But Still Leaves A Lot To Be Desired
Amazing Goal Sequence But Sloppy CGI
After Shidou could recognize the purposeof why he plays, the idea of ‘flow’ became a lot more important. That is the seamless way in which Shidou has been able to integrate onto the field, shown with fluency before culminating in a brilliant Big Bang Drive that netted another goal for the U-20s. This showing of power sets a spark off among a few other players to gather their own flow states, leading to a greater match intensity as we have yet to witness the best moments nearing the end of the match; it’s still anyone’s game at this point.
All these sequences were done exceptionally well considering the animation in most scenes from the previous episodes; however, some scenes did leave a lot to be desired. Once you’re shown an insane goal like that, your expectation rises so much that anything less is felt like a disappointment at that point. It adds to the injury that the episode had some sloppy CGI sequences in a few scenes, most notably when Gagamaru throws the ball after defending it, and static frames duringcritical moments of peak action, ruining immersive moments.
Blue Lock
Cast
Based on Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s soccer manga, Blue Lock revolves around a program to develop a world-class Japanese striker. Just about qualifying, Isagi has to face off against the nation’s best young talents and survive selections, while constantly growing as a player.
