While the organization of the World Cup in Qatar is debated, this football anime has everyone in agreement.
As you know, the FIFA World Cup is in full swing in Qatar. Between dangerous working conditions during the construction of infrastructures and average respect for human rights, many are still calling for a boycott of this edition of the championship. The event still finds its audience and the Germany-Japan match has been on everyone’s lips since yesterday. Historic conclusion for this clash which ended in a 2-1 victory for the land of the rising sun.
Against all odds, the craze behind Japan’s triumph shed light on a much better way to celebrate football… Maybe you already know Blue Lock, but some Twitter users did not fail to take advantage of the buzz of the match to highlight this nugget. There are a multitude of sports anime, but few works that manage to stand out internationally.
These last years, Haikyuu! and Yuri on Ice popularized volleyball and figure skating. On the football side, there was no longer any representative since Captain Tsubasa and Inazuma Eleven… Until Blue Lock enter the place and give concern to Olive and Tom.
Battle royale style football
The manga written by Kaneshiro Muneyuki is far from offering a classic approach to this popular sport. If the work has met with such success, it is thanks to its original formula, to say the least. After 195 chapters, an anime adaptation has been streaming on Crunchyroll since October 8. Blue Lock takes its name from a special training program mentioned in the story. Yoichi Isagi, a talented young player, takes part and discovers a new way to prove himself in his favorite sport.
Football turns into a battle royale in matches where the objective is to become the best attacker against 300 participants. With a colorful cast, thunderous animation and high-flying techniques that have nothing to envy to classic anime of the genre, Blue Lock stands out as the modern generation. The Germany-Japan match therefore served as a springboard for the work, and fans can find an exclusive drawing of the main character celebrating this victory.
W杯初戦勝利！！おめでとうございます、日本！！！ pic.twitter.com/KlMLILYd9h
—ノ村優介 Yusuke Nomura (@nomnii) November 23, 2022