Back to ManniNicole's Profile ManniNicole's Profile

If you’ve made it past season one you know what this anime is about so I’m just gonna get into it.

This anime and manga are a complete rip off of Ao Ashi and has made the amazing conceptualization of Ao Ashi into something unpalatable and far from a sports anime.

The premise of the show is almost completely the same but blue lock removes all elements of realism in efforts to reach non-sports anime enjoyers and has some how managed to outshine the original idea despite doing a much worse job of fleshing out the narrative. I’m just gonna go ahead and highlight the ... concepts and characters that are almost identical to ao ashi:

Isagi is a forward with underlying potential that is defeated at a low level tournament then is scouted by an organization where his skills are discovered. Already same concept as Ashito but you add onto that that isagi has the exact same special skill as ashito his ability to sense rhe entire field and pick up on scoring opportunities.

Then the overarching organization is run by an explayer who seeks to overturn Japanese soccer and make it a type of soccer that can compete on the world stage. Again exact same concept but hey ego is also completely unlikable and we’re given no backstory or real reasoning behind him. Fukuda, Egos equivalent is an actual coach who helps players grow and reach the world stage without being a freak with no reasoning and is an extremely like able character.

And overall, almost all the players, coaches, managers, etc even if posed as villains have complex fleshed out back stories that make them realistic and palatable even with flaws. Blue lock attempts to do this with characters like Rin but in the end the emphasis on every character being an egotistical maniac takes away one of the key parts of sports anime that make them more than just about sports, the relationships between the characters and personal growth outside of sport.

Blue lock is in reality really just a high adrenaline sci-fi esque anime that tries to emulate the energy seen in typical shounen shows (aot, jjk, etc) by stealing from genuine sports anime and falls short in both categories. It’s a shame this show has stolen attention away from actual meaningful sports anime and has even completely repurposed another mangakas work.

Tsurune as expected from a Kyoto production is absolutely beautiful and is an easy enjoy for fellow animation lovers as has no trouble creating a beautiful atmosphere around a rather niche sports anime.

The plot is what might be difficult for some to get behind but is what makes it so special for those who can understand it. Tsurune is not your typical high octane sports anime that seeks to create adrenaline filled battle like moments out of something that’s not. The show acknowledges the simplicity and rather peaceful nature of Kyudo as a journey for oneself or their team rather than a battle against ... another. The peaceful yet inspiring and philosophical energy in this show is incredibly noteworthy and is definitely something to be appreciated as it’s not a feeling I’ve gotten from many other anime. The competition aspects of the show are not excessively drawn out and the internal and external conflicts in the show are not exaggerated but rather very realistic. Some may critique this realism as a lack of character growth but the show emphasizes how change is not something that happens over night especially for personal growth.

The relationships built in this story are gorgeous and work wonderfully to highlight and uplift the mc and I’m excited to see what’s to come with season two.