Blue Lock vs. u20 Japan, Let's Talk About It...

Article at a glance:
The animation quality in Blue Lock Season 2 isn’t as strong as Season 1, but it’s likely because the studio is saving resources for the U20 arc. Despite the dip, the show still holds up visually with great camera angles and solid presentation.
Isagi continues to grow at an impressive rate, and new characters like Shidou, Hiyori, and Nanase are introduced. Shidou, in particular, brings unpredictability and fun to the show.
The U20 arc is one of the best in Blue Lock, and while fans have high hopes, it’s important not to unfairly blame the animators if the animation doesn’t meet expectations.

Man, I feel bad for 8bit. They made a full 24-episode anime earlier this year, Slime Season 3. They also made the Blue Lock: Episode Nagi movie, Yuru Camp Season 3 + specials, Shy Season 2, and The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 all this year. Can you imagine how overworked the studio probably is at this point? And then you give them something high-profile like Blue Lock vs. U20 Japan. I feel bad for them because U20 is one of the best arcs of the series and fans have high expectations from it.

And we all know that people on Twitter love to blame the animators first thing whenever the animations are not up to the mark. I have to point out the animation quality because that’s my job but in no way I am blaming the people working on that anime. I understand how fatigued they must be at this point. So with that lengthy introduction aside, let’s talk about Blue Lock vs. U20 Japan i.e. Blue Lock Season 2 today.

What do I think of Blue Lock vs. U20 Japan so far?

Let’s get the animation thing out of the way first. Yes, the animation does not look as good as Season 1’s. I think it is reasonable to assume that they are reserving their animation budget for the upcoming U20 arc. So, the first few episodes look weak because of that. But I want to make it clear. Even with the dip in the animation quality, the show does not look bad. The camera angles and how things are presented are still a strong point of the show. And the soundtrack is great as well. Yes, it may look worse than Season 1 but it does not look as bad as some claim.

Now that we’ve addressed the elephant in the room, let’s move on to other things. Episodes 2 and 3 were a blast to watch, in my opinion. I just watched Episode 3 and Isagi was on fire today. His character will continue to grow at a rapid pace like this in the upcoming episodes and I look forward to it. Aside from him, we met Hiyori and Nanase, they become important later on. Much later on, so just remember them for now. The biggest addition to the cast has to be Shidou though. He is unpredictable and he is a troll. I really like what he brings to the table.

As for Rin, I won’t speak on him just yet. Because well, you will see in upcoming episodes. I don’t think I need to even talk about the plot. No one watches Blue Lock for the plot. So yeah, despite the issues, Blue Lock Season 2 has been quite fun so far. A lot is riding on the upcoming U20 arc so let’s wait and see how that goes.

That is all for now

Again, I understand that a lot of people are hyped for the upcoming U20 arc, I am too, it is one of the best arcs in Blue Lock, in my opinion. But just in case the animation quality doesn’t improve, let’s not blame the animators. I don’t want a repeat of the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 situation from last year. As of right now, I’d give Blue Lock vs. U20 Japan a solid 7.5/10. Episode 3 was a ton of fun and I look forward to more. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out this week’s manga recommendation here!