A genre of anime that the audience has warmed up to in the recent past is sports drama. While previously, fantasy and action animes were all the rage, now a Netflix anime is growing its popularity internationally by the day. We are talking about ‘Blue Lock‘, a Japanese TV anime series based on the manga Blue Lock written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura.
Yoichi Isagi was mere moments away from scoring a goal that would have sent his high school soccer team to the nationals, but a split-second decision to pass the ball to his teammate cost him that reality. Bitter, confused, and disappointed, Isagi wonders if the outcome would have been different had he not made the pass. When the young striker returns home, an invitation from the Japan Football Union awaits him. Through an arbitrary and biased decision-making process, Isagi is one of three hundred U-18 strikers selected for a controversial project named Blue Lock.
The project’s ultimate goal is to turn one of the selected players into the star striker for the Japanese national team. To find the best participant, each player must compete against others through a series of solo and team competitions to rise to the top. Putting aside his ethical objections to the project, Isagi feels compelled to fight his way to the top, even if it means ruthlessly crushing the dreams of 299 aspiring young strikers. Add to that the clause that if a player gets cut, they lose the chance to play on the national team forever. Intrigued yet?
One of the best soccer animes and sports animes out there in general, ‘Blue Lock’ boasts of the coveted ‘most liked’ caption on Netflix given to the most popular of titles on the streamer. The series upon its release on Netflix has amassed a sizable international fanbase. With an impressive 8.4 IMDb rating, the anime series is currently available in original Japanese audio with English subtitles. If you haven’t already, check it out right now. Suspenseful and exciting, this 12-episode anime may surprise you!