BLUE LOCK Creators on Ego, Art, World Cup
In an interview, BLUE LOCK creators Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura explained their vision for a sports manga that blends with battle manga elements
Storywriter Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrator Yusuke Nomura created BLUE LOCK to challenge typical sports manga sensibilities. The series emphasizes ego, pride, and individualism over traditional themes like teamwork and selflessness.
According to an interview published by Anime Corner, the creators aimed to blend soccer with death game elements from the start. Kaneshiro stated he always envisioned a story about 300 high school students fighting for slots in the Blue Lock facility. He said the core essence was making it comparable to a battle manga where characters face life-and-death situations.
Nomura explained that based on Kaneshiro's idea, he incorporated visual elements like auras and shooting sequences to make the action resemble a battle manga. His goal was to make the series appealing and cool even to younger audiences unfamiliar with soccer. Both creators stated they aspire to go beyond what is defined as a sports manga by crossing it over with battle manga.
The Origin of the Egoist Concept
Kaneshiro revealed the concept of the egoist arose from his frustration as a Japanese soccer fan. He described Japanese players as being known to pass the ball right before the goal. As an audience member, he often wondered why they didn't take the shot. Based on that experience, he felt Japanese players needed a stronger will and ego instead of worrying about looking good. The word 'ego' became a cross point of his frustration and observations.
He also noted his personal experience playing tennis, a one-on-one sport, might be reflected in the story. Soccer in BLUE LOCK is often portrayed as a series of one-on-one matchups rather than eleven versus eleven.
Distinctive Artistic Style and Process
Nomura discussed his process for the series' distinctive art, particularly the detailed eyes and monster-like auras. He mentioned he had already started developing this style in his previous work. He decided to use these visual expressions in BLUE LOCK because it was what he was already good at.
His underlying concept was to make the series look different from other soccer manga. He focused on creating distinctive looks and details for each character to appeal to people not familiar with soccer.
Kaneshiro explained his process for using characters to convey messages. He incorporates feelings he couldn't fully express while living in Japan, such as wishing he could have said something at a moment or wondering why someone didn't speak up. He started incorporating the idea of ego into the series based on his feelings about Japanese society. He noted that when these feelings are rendered into a character like Yoichi Isagi, who is based on himself and ideas spun off with Nomura, the character becomes popular in Japan and worldwide. This makes him think the message in BLUE LOCK is universal and unique, which he finds both scary and fun.
Real-World Influence and Future Ideas
The creators confirmed the FIFA World Cup significantly impacts their work. Kaneshiro said they started the series with the aim of having the anime launch around the last World Cup, which was four years ago. The series began when the Japan team lost. They always keep an eye on the state of the Japan team and teams worldwide. Every World Cup, they think about what would happen if Japan wins, which creates a mix of excitement and concern because it could jeopardize the story's direction.
Nomura stated he studied soccer as part of the process to make the series accessible to non-fans. He hopes BLUE LOCK could be an entry point for people to start liking the game.
When asked about potential criticism from actual soccer players, Kaneshiro admitted to maybe a little worry. However, he said they deliberately chose their depictions as the best way to present an interesting story and character development.
Regarding characters they wish had more focus, Kaneshiro mentioned Gurimu Igarashi. He feels Igarashi could be utilized as a better character and, in a different world, could be a better player. Nomura said if they were to do a spin-off, he would want to dig deeper into the side story of someone like Ryusei Shido, who is a complete mystery with no known backstory. He also mentioned Rin Itoshi, noting they will definitely have more development of him in the main series.
