“Blue Lock” Chapter 2 Review

Welcome back to my review of “Blue Lock”! The previous chapter introduced our protagonist, Yoichi Isagi, and the setting, Blue Lock, where a competition between 300 talented young soccer players to become the best striker in Japan is held. 

Chapter 2 continues with everyone receiving a numbered uniform and being sorted into different dorms. Isagi and 10 other kids are sent to Room Z. Among the bunch are the familiar Ryosuke Kira, from the team that beat Isagi’s right before they entered the facility, and the passionate Gurimu Igarashi who wishes to pass the Blue Lock competition to pursue his dreams of professional soccer instead of being forced to join his family’s temple. Program organizer Jinpachi Ego then announces that everyone’s number represents their ranking in the program and those who reach the top five after six months will represent Japan in the U-20 World Cup, while everyone else will be blacklisted from Japanese soccer. Furthermore, Ego is conducting an entrance test, a game of tag that begins immediately with Igarashi being “it.” He then desperately targets Isagi, ranked 299th, the lowest after himself. Instead of similarly picking an easy target, Isagi would rather try for the stronger players, earning him the approval and aid of the wild Meguru Bachira. After an intense and hectic time, Isagi accidentally tags Kira at the last second and gets him sent home despite Kira’s objection. Lastly, the survivors are designated as Team Z and they will be playing with and against each other for the foreseeable future.

This chapter uses the challenge to explore the preexisting and new characters it introduces as well as the purpose of Blue Lock. Now, with the definitive goal of raising their rank on everyone’s minds, Igarashi resorts to dirty tricks to win. However, he fears the same being done to him. The chaotic Bachira goes from napping to assaulting the others to teaming up at a moment’s notice, highlighting his unpredictability. Also, Kira shows a more hostile side of himself when he is kicked out despite only acting kindly before, meaning there is more to him than meets the eye. In the same way, the first test shows just how brutal the training will be as what would be a simple game of tag was exacerbated into a fierce free-or-all, where harming an opponent was completely allowed. This reminds me of “Lord of the Flies” in how quickly things escalate between the characters as soon as the test starts. The art complements this tone as it is exceptionally dynamic in the midst of the action and sends chills through the readers with both the predatory look in Isagi’s eyes as he begins his chase during the entrance test and the rage in Kira’s eyes after he is disqualified.

Overall, this second chapter appears to be establishing the groundwork for major developments to be expanded upon later and it is yet to be seen what will become of it.