Blue Lock Episode 9 aired this past Saturday giving us arguably the most hype episode of the season so far. Between everything that occurred between Team Z and Team V throughout this episode, including a bunch of humorous moments, this episode of Blue Lock was perfect.
Bachira, Kunigami, and Chigiri
Starting off with Bachira, there’s no denying he had the most incredible “moment” between Kunigami, Chigiri, and himself at this point in the series. Using his dribbling ability to showcase some of the toughest moves in all of soccer to pull off back-to-back-to-back only to have his goal be a rabona is the most Bachira goal possible. We all know Kunigami has power in his kick and even Chigiri scores a goal in this episode with some power behind it. Bachira? Nope. He hits a rabona and basically teases the goalkeeper knowing he won’t get to it in time. Again, the most Bachira goal possible and I seriously wouldn’t want that moment to end any other way. My favorite hype moment of the season ends on the one goal in this series that has no power or an array of sound effects and special animation behind it. Odd how that works out.
And let’s not ignore the incredible animation and camera work during his entire moment too, just absolutely spectacular from beginning to end. And that’s also including the dialogue exchange between him and Isagi. Bachira was the spark Team Z desperately needed and he wasn’t going to fold even if they didn’t follow his lead, further providing why he’s arguably the best character in the series. We shouldn’t forget the giant roles Kunigami and Chigiri played in this episode either.
Kunigami acting like Bachira’s big brother after the goal and telling him that “surpassing your limits doesn’t mean you need to act recklessly” is the most Kunigami line ever. What I loved even more is that Bachira actually listened to him. It really gave off this big brother and little brother attachment. But that’s not the key Kunigami played in this episode. Rather, it was the goal he scored, just like with Chigiri. All three of them figured out their formulas to score goals when in a pinch in this episode. And most importantly, their three goals tied the game up. And who does that leave to score the game-winning goal? Yeah, that’s right—Isagi, the one who doubts himself more than anyone else and has no idea what that extra piece to his own puzzle is. However, doubt in me lingers only because everything is going perfectly right for Team Z right now. And that also includes Ego waiting to see what Isagi will do. This episode created one hell of a cliffhanger,
Underrated Aspect – Humor
I’d like to point out that the humor in this episode was glorious. The timing of everything and not disrupting the flow of any serious moments whatsoever was executed better than in any other episode, Whether that’s Raichi getting elbowed in the throat, Igarashi taking a Nagi shot straight to the dome-piece, which I think we all wanted to happen at some point, or Gagamaru hitting a scorpion kick to try and score a goal, this episode had a plethora of hilarious moments to go along with the serious ones. And the best part? It actually holds meaning. It shows that everyone on Team Z, main character or side character, will do whatever it takes to get one step closer to achieving their dreams of being the best striker in the world. Plus, it’s nice to see some character development from Raichi. He’s finally being a team player in a way only he can be and it was nice to see.
Blue Lock Episode 9 Wrap Up
What’s there left to say? Oh, Anri making a Dragon Ball reference saying that when someone “awakens” as if “they’re going from ordinary to extraordinary like a Super Saiyan” only for Ego to cut her off, roast her, say she’s completely wrong and that’s something a person who has never tasted success would say. That part almost had me on the floor from laughing so hard. Sorry, I’m monologuing here. Anyways, this was a perfect episode from top to bottom. Bachira’s big moment was a 10/10. The production was perfect. The music was perfect. The dialogue and humor were all fantastic. And the cliffhanger leaves me clamoring for Episode 10. It’s wild to look back on and think that I was actually hesitant about Blue Lock after the first episode.
Episode 9 rating: 10/10
Blue Lock episode 10 will air on Saturday, December 10, on Crunchyroll. If you enjoyed Blue Lock Episode 9 then make sure to vote for it in our weekly poll!
Images via Crunchyroll
©Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, Kodansha/”Blue Lock” Production Committee
