Warning: This contains SPOILERS for Blue Lock animeThe new opening song for the second part of the Blue Lock anime's first season dropped and its edgy, pulsating pace is the perfect acoustic representation of the challenges, adjustments, and judgments Yoichi Isagi, Rin Itoshi, and the other face as the program to "create" the nation's best forward intensifies.
The new opening, which was posted to Crunchyroll's YouTube channel, features the song "Judgment" by the rock band ASH DA HERO, and it perfectly highlights what makes Blue Lock a great anime.
Judgement is the Perfect Theme for Blue Lock's Second Part
To understand why "Judgment" works so well as the second part's opening It's important to consider how far Yoichi, and the others, have come from those first discombobulating days in the program and how far they have to go just to make it through these initial rounds. Yoichi began as the 299th ranked player in the program, second from the last. At the start of the second part, he's risen to be the 15th-ranked player. That's an impressive feat by most standards, but not by Blue Lock's nor even Yoichi's own personal drive. He's certainly better than before, but that's a worthless metric when the only thing that matters if the judgment of Blue Lock's Jinpachi Ego and the others who run Blue Lock.
How Blue Lock Became 2022's Sleeper Hit
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Tetsuaki Watanabe's Blue Lock, which adapts Muneyuki Kaneshiro's manga of the same name centers on Yoichi Isagi, a high school soccer forward who jumps at the chance to be the best "striker" in the nation when invited to join the Blue Lock project, a brutal and punishing program where participants are taught and encouraged to develop their "egos", a trait the best strikers in the world have historically exhibited, and ruthlessly punishes those who cannot take the pressure. The anime debuted in October 2022 and quickly rose to be one of the fall anime seasons' most popular series. Its reach and attractiveness were further expanded by the Japanese National Soccer Team's success at the 2022 World Cup Tournament, in which the manga not only played a role in popularizing the national team's Blue Lock-esque uniforms but also, arguably, predicted the team's ultimate results.
The song incorporates all the elements of the story into a musical narration of what fans should expect the second part, namely lots of gritty soccer played with dire consequences. First, there's the song's upbeat style. Its cutting guitar riffs, buoyant bass rhythms, and bombastic drum background suggest hard rock and jubilant reggae. This represents Yoichi, and the other Blue Lock participants, progression through the challenges. The obstacles are hard and treacherous but Yoichi nevertheless successfully passes them to enjoy a moment of success. The music exudes the "onward and upward" vibe of Yoichi's success in the program and his growing sense of confidence that he might just be able to grind his way to be the top player.
However, the inescapable and continuous chorus of "judgment, judgment" framed with an intermittent ominous background evil laugh, implies that there are limits to Yoichi success. That is, no matter how well he does in the training, there's always, the selective judgment of the powers that be. Clearly, "Judgment" is not song that was chosen at random. It was crafted to specifically to fit with Blue Lock, especially the second part of the anime.
Blue Lock Season 2 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Source: Crunchyroll Collection