 Bandai Namco Arts opened an official website for a television anime adaptation of Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yuusuke Nomura's Blue Lock manga on Thursday, revealing the main cast, production staff, a teaser visual (pictured), and teaser promo. The anime series will debut in 2022.  SynopsisAfter reflecting on the current state of Japanese soccer, the Japanese Football Association decides to hire the enigmatic and eccentric coach Jinpachi Ego to achieve their dream of winning the World Cup. Believing that Japan has lacked an egoistic striker hungry for goals, Jinpachi initiates the Blue Lock—a prison-like facility where three hundred talented strikers from high schools all over Japan are isolated and pitted against each other. The sole survivor of Blue Lock will earn the right to become the national team's striker, and those who are defeated shall be banned from joining the team forever. Selected to join this risky project is Yoichi Isagi, a striker who failed to bring his high school soccer team to the national tournament. After choosing to pass to a teammate who missed instead of scoring on his own, he could not help but wonder if the results would have been different had he been more selfish. Using this golden opportunity given by the Blue Lock Project, Yoichi aims to clear his doubts and chase his ultimate desire—to become the greatest striker in the world and lead Japan to World Cup glory. [Written by MAL Rewrite] Cast Yoichi Isagi: Kazuki Ura (Kyuukyoku Shinka shita Full Dive RPG ga Genjitsu yori mo Kusoge Dattara) Meguru Bachira: Tasuku Kaito (Ahiru no Sora) Rensuke Kunigami: Yuuki Ono (Kuroko no Basket) Hyouma Chigiri: Souma Saitou (Yuukoku no Moriarty) Staff Director: Tetsuaki Watanabe (Mahoujin Guruguru (2017) assistant director) Assistant Director: Shunsuke Ishikawa (Sword Art Online: Alicization episode director) Series Composition, Script: Taku Kishimoto (Haikyuu!!) Story Supervision: Muneyuki Kaneshiro Concept Advisor: Yutaka Uemura (Youjo Senki director) Main Character Design: Yuu Shindou (Macross Δ) Character Design: Kenji Tanabe (Binbougami ga!), Kento Toya (Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu) Chief Animation Director: Yuu Shindou, Kenji Tanabe, Kento Toya Chief Action Director: Hisashi Toujima (Enen no Shouboutai animation director) Action Director: Hiromi Sakamoto (Nana Maru San Batsu chief animation director) Prop Design: Hisashi Toujima, Yuri Nakajima (Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers), Kaori Okitsu (Tensura Nikki: Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken assistant animation director) Special Effects Animation: Akane (I★Chu: Halfway Through the Idol SD character design) Color Design: Sakura Komatsu (Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Raihousha-hen) Art Setting: Shinji Sugiyama (Harukana Receive) Art Director: Sawako Takagi (Diamond no Ace: Act II) Background Art: Studio Wyeth (Back Arrow) Director of Photography: Yasuhiro Asagi (Babylon) Photography: Chiptune (Deca-Dence) 3DCG Director: Norimitsu Hirosawa (Frame Arms Girl 3D animation) 3DCG: Aura Studio (High Score Girl: Extra Stage) Visual Concept: Toshiyuki Yamashita (22/7 motion graphics) (Hyperbole) Special Effects Processing: Toshiyuki Yamashita, Rina Mitsuzumi (Gleipnir motion graphics) 2DCG Monitor Graphics: Yasukazu Asano (Shaman King (2021) font design) (emitai) Editing: Mai Hasegawa (Hataraku Saibou Black (TV)) (Editz) Sound Director: Fumiyuki Gou (No Guns Life) Sound Production: Bit Grooove Promotion (Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun) Music: Jun Murayama (Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu ending theme arrangement) Animation Producer: Tsutomu Hirano (Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX) Studio: 8bit (Hoshiai no Sora) Kaneshiro and Nomura began serializing the soccer manga in Weekly Shounen Magazine in August 2018. Kodansha published the 14th volume on May 17, with the 15th volume scheduled to ship on August 17. Blue Lock has a cumulative 4.5 million copies of its volumes in circulation. Kodansha US licensed the manga in English for digital release in January and published the fifth volume on July 20. The sixth volume will go on sale on August 17. Blue Lock won the 45th Kodansha Manga Awards in the Shounen division in May. The manga also topped the Sports category in the 15th edition of Recommended Comics Selected by Japanese Bookstore Employees. Teaser PV Official site: http://bluelock-pr.com/ Official Twitter: @BLUELOCK_PR Source: Comic Natalie Blue Lock on MAL |
VindstotAug 13, 2021 2:04 PM
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| the smears and special effects overall as well as the compositing/colors are great although the action animation director only has 1 upload on sakugabooru so far so they are unknown but still great to have a dedicated action animation director pre-animated PV can be deceiving though |
| Glad more footy anime is being made, but its not my thing since there's too much superpowers in it. Its like Shaolin Soccer. |
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| Ayy, the manga looks promising so I hope it sails smoothly (๑･`◡´･๑)!! |
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| I never expected 8 bit to animate this but the PV looks great so hopefully the anime will be great too. Also the director is new too but hopefully he will deliver. |
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| I don't like sports anime in general but I am excited for this one I heard lot of good things about this manga even Isayama recommend this manga once. Anyway the trailer looks really good they blend 2D/3D animation and 8 bits is also a good studio hopefully we get a good adaption. |
| background info about the staff https://twitter.com/ftLoic/status/1425800379615354880 since the staff is more better indicator of quality than the studio itself most of the time |
| Well it looks good . Its a very good staff , and it is clear they are very careful about it . But the plot has not got me sold at all . first impressions of the settings and characters are not good. Its a football anime , and those have never worked out well , so no expectations here . Nothing to be surprised about i guess , seeing that footy is not the best sport for to be watched as series or films. I can see myself either dropping this very early on , or just finding it very mediocre . Hope for the best . God knows we need a good football anime . |
TweedleDaneAug 12, 2021 6:28 AM
| The teaser looks ok. Really hope the staff can deliver on the art style, special effects and OST that will be more important to me than fluid animation. |
One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron |
| Mofos everyone trying to be a striker. At least someone try to be a goalkeeper. |
| "When they're alive, you can enjoy watching them struggle. When they're dead, you can enjoy tearing out their guts. Tales are things you get to enjoy twice." |
| The safe(r) Kaneshiro manga finally got an adaptation. Let's hope the anime meets the insane expectations (maybe a bit too high coming into this, which always sets people up for disappointment regardless) of the fans. |
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| hopefully it got a banger OP too |
Probably because I grew up with it, but I prefer the German version of Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002. So much goosebumps. And I will never forget the blue ball ending. |
One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron |
FMmatron said: Probably because I grew up with it, but I prefer the German version of Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002. So much goosebumps. And I will never forget the blue ball ending. that song is not bad too and i already forgot about the ending of the anime but ye probably a forgettable ending to me |
| don't think this is just this day sport anime, this different than any series out there. |
| im not too good to speak english .. -- / -. --- - / - --- --- / --. --- --- -.. / - --- / ... .--. . .- -.- / . -. --. .-.. .. ... .... |
deg said: FMmatron said: Probably because I grew up with it, but I prefer the German version of Captain Tsubasa: Road to 2002. So much goosebumps. And I will never forget the blue ball ending. that song is not bad too and i already forgot about the ending of the anime but ye probably a forgettable ending to me |
One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron |
FMmatron said: deg said: that song is not bad too and i already forgot about the ending of the anime but ye probably a forgettable ending to me ah i think that rings a bell alright no wonder i forgot about it now |
| Ooohh a soccer anime. The animation looks great and I've heard people calling this the next haikyuu. Gonna watch this one. |
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| AYYYYYYYY! Great gcse results and now this, one of the best days of my life. Fr tho, og fans rly deserve this, we have been tricked multiple times and this anime hasn’t had the treatment it deserves. Many other manga made at a similar or later time have received an adaptation announcement much earlier, the majority of which were nowhere near the standard of blue lock but hey ho, it looks sick and I can’t wait. At first I was a bit sceptical abt 8bit cos most of their anime are trashy harem super power ones, but on the flip side they have done a great job with slime isekai. Rn I’m quite hopeful cos by the look of the pv and the cast they’ve managed to get in, it seems they’ve heavily invested in this anime and hope it will be their project alongside slime isekai. The fact that they have been working a lot on slime isekai also gives me hope that they’ll try to fully adapt blue lock to a good standard as long as it sells well. |
| 8Bit has grown on me ever since Slime, but even looking back they've always been pretty decent. This should be great, I'd say they're definitely a higher tier studio nowadays, especially when you have so many newer literal who companies that produce nothing but trash. I was expecting the worst case scenario for Blue Lock's anime, like one of these really awful new studios getting it, but we got a really good outcome I'd say. And for my side opinion, the cringey sakuga cult always points out muh staff lists, but at the end of the day the backbone core members of the studio are far more important for a quality finished product, at least on a general visual level. You can take the staff behind Kuroko's Basketball s1 or Haikyuu s1 for example, but if you give the project to studio Geek Toys, the end product is going to pale in comparison to Production I.G's overall polish and attention to detail for the final product, you will undeniable get something different as the end result. |
| :3 |
XCF_Konzarn said: Here's hoping that the animators get a healthy production schedule to work on. that is always the biggest worry isnt it, you may have all the great talent in the anime world but if they lack time then they cannot deliver properly |
| Omg, so many interesting anime coming in 2022! This manga has been sitting on my list for a while now 'cause I actually prefer seeing it animated. And guys, it is finally happening! Yesss, I haven't read the manga but I'm already way too excited for this lmao. Btw, I still can't find the anime Blue Lock on the database. I want to add it on my list like right now lol. |
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| Beautiful boys playing football |
| I'm sad there is so less hype to this series when it's such an amazing manga. When the anime comes out it will be a hidden gem for sure. |
 Scordolo's Recent Reviews To your eternity Vanitas no Karte |
Scordolo said: ....what do you mean??? I've seen so many people hyping it as one of the best sports manga out thereI'm sad there is so less hype to this series when it's such an amazing manga. When the anime comes out it will be a hidden gem for sure. |
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DatRandomDude said: Scordolo said: ....what do you mean??? I've seen so many people hyping it as one of the best sports manga out thereI'm sad there is so less hype to this series when it's such an amazing manga. When the anime comes out it will be a hidden gem for sure. I've never seen any big anituber talking about it and the discussion count is also so less compared to Spy x family. |
Scordolo's Recent Reviews To your eternity Vanitas no Karte |
TweedleDane said: This isn't going to be like any footy anime that we've seen so farWell it looks good . Its a very good staff , and it is clear they are very careful about it . But the plot has not got me sold at all . first impressions of the settings and characters are not good. Its a football anime , and those have never worked out well , so no expectations here . Nothing to be surprised about i guess , seeing that footy is not the best sport for to be watched as series or films. I can see myself either dropping this very early on , or just finding it very mediocre . Hope for the best . God knows we need a good football anime . Fundamentally speaking, Blue Lock is an deconstruction of sports series with how it focuses on things like individuality, ego and using/devouring your teammates/peers in order to elevate yourself to the next level at all costs in order to become the greatest striker the world has ever seen Secondly, because this series is mostly focused on the striker/forward position, I can guarantee you that this series is going to be very flashy and action packed in terms of regularly seeing things such as skill moves, flashy and concise dribbling and most of all, great goals and set pieces You're not gonna see full 11v11 matches in this first season so things are gonna be straight to the point as well....Lots of colorful personalities in this one too |
TokoyaAug 12, 2021 7:40 AM
| It seems to me, or lately shonen characters have stopped looking like grotesque cartoon kids and started looking too serious even if premise doesn't require it? |
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| LETTTTTSSSS FUCKINGGGG GOOOOOO |
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RobertBobert said: It seems to me, or lately shonen characters have stopped looking like grotesque cartoon kids and started looking too serious even if premise doesn't require it? Blue Lock is easily the edgiest sports series in a while. Makes Kuroko's overdramatic nature look cute. |
One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron |
| The special effects are nutworthy. Looking forward for the anime adaptation. |
   “You yourself have to change first, or nothing will change for you!” ' |
Scordolo said: DatRandomDude said: ....what do you mean??? I've seen so many people hyping it as one of the best sports manga out there I've never seen any big anituber talking about it and the discussion count is also so less compared to Spy x family. The Masked Man has made a video about Blue Lock. |
| “You yourself have to change first, or nothing will change for you!” ' |
RobertBobert said: yeah, maybe the author want his series get caught by older readers or all ages so thats they strategy using serious face not grotesque cartoon kids design.It seems to me, or lately shonen characters have stopped looking like grotesque cartoon kids and started looking too serious even if premise doesn't require it? |
| im not too good to speak english .. -- / -. --- - / - --- --- / --. --- --- -.. / - --- / ... .--. . .- -.- / . -. --. .-.. .. ... .... |
| Oh, the teaser PV actually looks pretty solid. Then again, we can't truly judge until the official trailer and first episode comes out at the very least. Didn't expect 8bit of all studios to get it, but the director had some experience working with sports anime already so that's a good sign. Even though I have very mixed feelings about this manga, I'm pretty excited! |
  "As promised, all that you seek, all that we desire, is prepared up there. On top of the Tower." |
Logical_ said: RobertBobert said: yeah, maybe the author want his series get caught by older readers or all ages so thats they strategy using serious face not grotesque cartoon kids design.It seems to me, or lately shonen characters have stopped looking like grotesque cartoon kids and started looking too serious even if premise doesn't require it? Well, I’m not that against it, just if you close your eyes to football, these guys could easily site for the characters of the grotesque series about assassins. FMmatron said: RobertBobert said: It seems to me, or lately shonen characters have stopped looking like grotesque cartoon kids and started looking too serious even if premise doesn't require it? Blue Lock is easily the edgiest sports series in a while. Makes Kuroko's overdramatic nature look cute. Don't tell me this manga is published in one of the Gangan magazines. |
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RobertBobert said: Nah, it's in Weekly Shonen Magazine Logical_ said: yeah, maybe the author want his series get caught by older readers or all ages so thats they strategy using serious face not grotesque cartoon kids design. Well, I’m not that against it, just if you close your eyes to football, these guys could easily site for the characters of the grotesque series about assassins. FMmatron said: Blue Lock is easily the edgiest sports series in a while. Makes Kuroko's overdramatic nature look cute. Don't tell me this manga is published in one of the Gangan magazines. |
Tokoya said: RobertBobert said: Nah, it's in Weekly Shonen Magazine Well, I’m not that against it, just if you close your eyes to football, these guys could easily site for the characters of the grotesque series about assassins. Don't tell me this manga is published in one of the Gangan magazines. Thank the gods. I'm not ready for sporty shonen yet with a bunch of bloody murders, macabaric symbolism and edgy drama in the best traditions of the old shoujo manga. |
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RobertBobert said: I think people are misusing the word edgy here thoughTokoya said: Nah, it's in Weekly Shonen Magazine Thank the gods. I'm not ready for sporty shonen yet with a bunch of bloody murders, macabaric symbolism and edgy drama in the best traditions of the old shoujo manga. Like I explained above, this series is all about Individuality and doing whatever it takes to be the best....In standard sports series it's all about the team and teamwork but in this, teamwork is something that they're taught to focus less on So I guess because there's a good amount of players who are hella selfish and full of themselves and because some of them talk to and treat other players badly, they're throwing around the word edgy to describe it when it actuality its just a series filled with guys with huge egos whom are all usually very confident about their abilities |
Tokoya said: RobertBobert said: I think people are misusing the word edgy here thoughThank the gods. I'm not ready for sporty shonen yet with a bunch of bloody murders, macabaric symbolism and edgy drama in the best traditions of the old shoujo manga. Like I explained above, this series is all about Individuality and doing whatever it takes to be the best....In standard sports series it's all about the team and teamwork but in this, teamwork is something that they're taught to focus less on So I guess because there's a good amount of players who are hella selfish and full of themselves and because some of them talk to and treat other players badly, they're throwing around the word edgy to describe it when it actuality its just a series filled with guys with huge egos whom are all usually very confident about their abilities So, is this actually Kakegurui in the world of men's soccer? Damn, I'm back to Gangan manga again... |
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| Good stuff honestly, really want to see if this will live to its hype, or if it will be another Haikyuu |
| Whatttttt no way! I was just thinking about this actually getting one… wow I’m in! |
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RobertBobert said: It's nowhere near that lol...In terms of egos, imagine players like Ibrahimovic or Cristiano Ronaldo, they're always hungry for goals whether they get help or not because they can do it that easily on their own...But when it comes to like being a jerk, there's only a few characters that fit that descriptionTokoya said: I think people are misusing the word edgy here though Like I explained above, this series is all about Individuality and doing whatever it takes to be the best....In standard sports series it's all about the team and teamwork but in this, teamwork is something that they're taught to focus less on So I guess because there's a good amount of players who are hella selfish and full of themselves and because some of them talk to and treat other players badly, they're throwing around the word edgy to describe it when it actuality its just a series filled with guys with huge egos whom are all usually very confident about their abilities So, is this actually Kakegurui in the world of men's soccer? Damn, I'm back to Gangan manga again... |
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