Blue Lock Season 2 episode 5 was the biggest head-scratcher of the Fall 2024 season without a single doubt in the worst ways possible. From rushed storylines to characters becoming Hannibal Lecter and a mountain’s worth of questions, I don’t even need to talk about the animation production for how out there this episode was.
Shidou Lecter? Hannibal Shidou?
Shidou’s character presented another “bad boy” egoist at the Blue Lock facility, which I expected. That’s simply the repetitive character dynamic of the series. But what wasn’t expected was Ego having, basically, shock collars embedded in everyone’s uniform and Shidou turning into a full-fledged maniac.
It was almost as if the series itself forced Shidou to fall off the deep end for the sake of giving the audience a character that went above and beyond the level of ego everyone else had. He’s such an egoist, he’s willing to beat the living hell out of anyone who gets in his way. That’s all fine and dandy but there needs to be a proper build-up for us to take his attitude seriously.
A good example would be Akashi Seijuro from Kuroko’s Basketball. He was crazy in his own ways and definitely played the role of the “villain” wonderfully, but it’s because we understood his backstory and why he was the way he was that we appreciated him as a character. Shidou, who we didn’t even know about until the final episode of the first season, has no backstory and, even worse, his character almost did a complete 180.
Even in the moments leading up to what happened in episode 5, Shidou still showed signs of humility and even a funny personality after the matches were over. Sure he was a little more of a wild card than the others, but after the first two matches, he seemed to have moments of normality like everyone else in the series. Then out of nowhere, he turns into a wild beast with anger issues and assaults people in broad daylight? Stop it.
This stemmed from the series completely rushing through this round of Blue Lock and skipping over so many matches. We understood that he and Rin weren’t on equal ground with each other, but what set him off so badly that he had enough and took his knee to Rin’s face? This leads me to my next problem with episode 5…
Rushed Storylines and More Questions
Where the hell did the rest of the matches go? We didn’t get to see Barou or Bachira play in their matches before the final lineup was set but we were subjected to watching Reo be a weirdo for a full 23 minutes last week? I can’t speak if that’s just how the manga went, but if it didn’t, and this was a production choice, that was a drastically horrible decision. And if it was how the manga went, then that’s poor writing on Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s part entirely.
I think what upsets me more than anything is that we had to watch that Reo episode only for him not to be chosen for the final roster ahead of the U-20 matchup, nor were either him or Barou chosen as “that player” for the U-20 team. It all felt pointless, leaving me asking, “Why even have this in the story at all if this is the outcome?” The only thing I can imagine for them being sidelined is that Shidou is going to hurt some of the guys on the Blue Lock squad and they’re there as possible substitutes.
Also, Ego had a shock feature in the suit just in case a “riot” broke out? What is Blue Lock even turning into at this point? A modern-day Alcatraz? None of this is making any sense anymore. The only thing that feels consistent at this point is Bachira. While Isagi and Chigiri are figuring out a strategic approach to beating the U-20, Bachira’s “So we just need to crush them, right?” approach feels so out of place but not at all, and I love that about his character.
Outside of that, the writing was on the walls for this episode—and the floor, the ceiling, etc. It was just chaotic in the most confusing, and rather dumbest, ways possible. Not to mention all of these guys on the U-20 team are supposed to be under 20 years of age, but Aiku is over here looking like everyone’s uncle who is sleep-deprived and loves to have a little vodka with his cereal in the morning. Also, what’s with Neru in the top right? He looks like a love child between Mirio from My Hero Academia and Garou from One Punch Man.
Did I appreciate Aiku slamming Shidou to the ground and having him be the one controlling his temper? Damn right. Would I have loved to see Barou be the one to do it on the pitch? Absolutely. But maybe it will happen. If it miraculously does, because I don’t see anyone on the Blue Lock squad that Ego configured stepping up to the plate, my opinion on the season up to this point might change.
But until then, on top of the production woes and now the writing for this series delivering twists that make no sense to me, Blue Lock Season 2 now has another reason to be a facepalm every week. Unlike most social media anime fan accounts, I really am hoping to see this season take a turn for the better. But I’d be lying if I said my hope is starting to dwindle bit by bit.
Blue Lock Season 2 Episode 5 Wrap-Up
Blue Lock Season 2 will continue to be Blue Lock Season 2. I will always try to find the positives in everything no matter what, because I think that this animation team deserves to have some good said about them given the conditions they had to work in. I can tell they are trying to make this series as best as possible for the fans, and, in reality, this episode felt like a step up from the animation team. Unfortunately, the writing is what took a drastic downturn this week. If only we can get both on the same level.
Episode 5 rating: 5/10
Episode 4 rating: 5/10
Episode 3 rating: 4/10
Episode 2 rating: 4/10
Episode 1 rating: 6.5/10
If you enjoyed Blue Lock Season 2 episode 5 then be sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 6 will air on November 9, 2024.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
©Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, Kodansha/”Blue Lock” Production Committee
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