Blue Lock the second season was one of the most controversial anime releases in recent history. Since it adapts the long-awaited U20 Arc of the manga, the second season had a big role to fill. The first season was widely loved for its fast animation, manga accuracy, and plot. Unfortunately, in some ways, the second season doesn’t live up to the appeal of the first. While the story is gripping, the second season’s animation is noticeably less cohesive and visually pleasing, with some ineffective and clunky uses of CGI and transitions.
Eight Bit, the animation studio responsible for Blue Lockhas been busy with many projects lately, including That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3 and The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3. Many series deadlines in a short space of time may explain the drop in animation quality. Although the visuals are not on the same level as the first season, where Blue Lock The second season really stands out is its story. The second season has the exciting job of portraying one of the manga’s most important and action-packed arcs, and it did a phenomenal job at that task.
Episode 6 of Blue Lock formally kicks off the U20 match
The episode perfectly increases the suspense and anticipation for the best match of the series
After much anticipation, Blue Lock The U20 match has finally arrived. The episode featured both teams preparing for the difficult game to come and taking the field for the first time, while an eager crowd cheered in the stands. This arc is one of the most crucial in the series and, so far, the season has remained quite faithful to the manga. Episode seven in particular excelled at creating emotional tension and excitement for the game showcasing the packed stadium, highlighting the crowd’s cheers and interweaving dramatic music and interactions between the two teams that showcase their rivalry.
From Rin’s furious glare at her older brother Sae to Isagi’s surprising first conversation with Oliver Aiku, the episode was filled with scenes of Blue Lock and the Japanese teams finally interacting. These conversations revealed the personalities of the Japanese national team players, but still left much to be revealed in the next eight episodes of the second season. Old relationships such as Sae and Rin’s rivalry and Nagi and Reo’s fractured friendship were briefly introduced, as well as new rivals such as Isagi and Oliver. One of Blue Lock Its best strength has always been its character arcs, and episode 6 showed that will continue to be true.
A plot twist took Shidou Ryusei out of the game, making the episode surprising
A surprising moment of character development for Sae Itoshi kept this episode shocking
Another highlight of episode 6 that made it one of the best of the second season so far was his shocking revelation involving Blue Lock second best player, Shidou Ryusei. Because of Shidou’s vicious attack on fellow player Rin, he was not allowed to play on the Blue Lock team, but was selected to compete on the Japan team at Sae Itoshi’s request. However, moments before the match, Oliver Aiku cornered Sae and asked him to rethink his decision, stating that Sendou, the star of the Japanese team, also did not get along with Shidou. Surprisingly, Sae gave in to Oliver’s request, eliminating Shidou from any team.
This unexpected twist was one of the episode’s best scenes because it not only captured viewers’ attention but also revealed that Sae is willing to make sacrifices to ensure that matching can still occur. He could have said no to Oliver or quit the game, but this scene proved that this U20 match is also important for Sae in some way. While Sae has yet to undergo significant character development and still seems purely focused on his own success and fame on the field, this moment at least showed his investment in the game and his commitment to playing regardless.
While there are lackluster CGI moments, the overall animation appears to be improving
Compared to the previous episode, episode 6 features some of the best animation of the second season so far
Unfortunately, the animation in episode 6 still isn’t as incredible as the first season, raising concerns about future episodes that will include the most energetic and climactic scenes in the entire U20 Arc. However, while there were some undeniably lower quality scenes in the episode, such as the characters walking around using CGI or workers unloading boxes in the Blue Lock arena, the the overall animation was an improvement over previous episodes. The movement of the characters and the shots of the fans in the stands were well drawn, offering hope that future episodes will continue to impress with well-made animations.
Some scenes in episode 6 stood out for being excellently animated, such as Bachira’s brilliant dribbling and the teams entering the field to start the game. The background soundtrack was also almost perfect, complementing the intensity of the game and creating tension and suspense. Overall, compared to slow transitions and questionable CGI in previous episodes, the animation in Blue Lock finally seems to be getting better now that the most significant events and episodes of the season have arrived, which will require the most meticulous animation ever. Episode 7 will focus entirely on the U20 match and will hopefully continue the trend of better visuals.
The episode gives Isagi a new rival in a brilliant way
Oliver Aiku was introduced as Isagi’s new enemy, giving him a powerful and exciting obstacle to overcome
Overlooking animation and focusing on story, dialogue, voice acting and music, Blue Lock The second season is one of the best anime of 2024. Episode 6 was perhaps the most exciting yet, and the final scene confirmed its status as the best episode of the second season so far. Just as Isagi Yoichi almost scored the first goal of the game for the Blue Lock team, Oliver Aiku unexpectedly stepped forward and stole the ball. His quick thinking prevented Blue Lock from scoring and also cemented his new status as Isagi Yoichi’s rival and enemy for the remainder of the match.
In each arc, Isagi has a rival to push him to greatness, and episode #6 finally revealed who Isagi is facing during the U20 match. The fact that Isagi saw Oliver’s theft as a catalyst to help him improve rather than just a loss is a testament to how much he’s grown in just the first five episodes of season two. Blue Lock Episode 6 of the second season is one of the biggest of the six episodes released so far, because of the development of Isagi’s character, the suspense and tension it creates for the U20 match, and the gradual improvement in the quality of the animation.