‘Blue Lock’ Episode 3 Review

Finally! An episode where there’s plenty of play. The first two episodes of Japanese anime series ‘Blue Lock’ set the ground for a twisted story, where several teen athletes are isolated in a state-of-art facility to train and produce the best soccer player of the nation. But viewers don’t see the characters play the sports much, not until episode three.

Titled ‘The Zero Soccer’, the boys are informed by Ego (the psycho dude in-charge of the ‘Blue Lock’ program) that they’ll finally face each other in team matches and create soccer from ‘zero’. Isagi Yoichi (the protagonist in case you forgot) along with everybody else have no clue what that’s supposed to mean. The players only know one thing for sure – if they are on the losing teams, it means bidding farewell to their dreams. Only two winning teams and the highest scorer in each group will get to stay, the others must pack up. Losers will never get to represent Japan on the national level. So, buckle up for some crazy chaotic ‘free for all’ soccer!

The administrative side of the story which is introduced in Episode Two doesn’t get any space in the episode; which is fine, because it’s all about soccer and survival in this edition. Neither Isagi, nor the rest of the players in ‘Blue Lock’ feel like they are playing real soccer, with each one only trying to score a goal to save their skin instead of helping the entire team win. Is this what Ego meant about ‘creating soccer from zero’? A desperate Isagi attempts to unlock the meaning of his words.

Some of the internal monologues of the characters are low-key hilarious and it’s entertaining to watch the kids treat the matches as a matter of life and death. With a ridiculous climax and plenty of grandstanding, episode three makes for a fun watch. You can stream ‘Blue Lock’ on Netflix. New episodes drop Sunday.

Also Read: ‘Blue Lock’ Episode 1 Review