BLUELOCK

Episode 11

When one arc closes, another one opens. The first six minutes of this episode are some of the most well-animated and well-directed sequences in the entire show thus far. That says a lot, considering how well-presented the show was beforehand. But from the intense camera work to the smeared and exaggerated body movements, I was delighted with how this match ended, with Team Z getting the much-needed win to make it to the next round at Blue Lock.

None of it could've been done without Isagi finally realizing how his special skill ties into his overall formula to success. It feels a little too simple, but the more you think about it, the more it makes sense thematically compared to everybody else. Everyone else can do these amazing overpowered kicks and display expert field control of the ball, but Isagi only has his spatial awareness and processing abilities. His formula for success is about something other than using any particularly fancy physical skill to its fullest but instead maximizing the best route to score a goal in the most direct way possible. Because his biggest issue before was lacking confidence in his ability to make that final score, the visual of him breaking past his limits to land a straightforward shot without wasting time was satisfying.

And now we're onto the next section, where everyone will be individually pitted against each other instead of coordinating as a team. We all knew something like this had to happen at some point, but I'm surprised that we're already breaking up Team Z after the show did an excellent job showing their camaraderie. But that's the twist of the show. The closer everybody gets, the harder it will be for both them and the audience to see those dreams ripped away. Combine that with a new character that might represent the higher ceiling that needs to be passed, and I'm thoroughly looking forward to what the next arc has in store for us.

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BLUELOCK is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.