#bachira meguru meta

[fyeahbachisagi]

On Bachira’s Rankings

Warning: This post will contain a lot of manga spoilers!

Season 1 of the anime just finished. I reread a few chapters of the manga starting from where it ended, and I noticed something strange…

How on earth did Bachira rank #7 after the Third Selection?

Like, I know he’s amazing, but considering how the ranking was determined…

... Bachira's rank may be less of an indication of how amazing he is and more of a deliberate narrative choice by the author.

The panel above is of Ego answering Yukki’s question about the difference between him and #1. Essentially, the standard used to determine the Top 6. Let’s extend that standard to the lower ranks.

The ranks are determined by:

Goals scored since First Selection

World Five's personal judgment

Ego's judgment

Just on that first factor, you really have to wonder how Bachira ranks higher than Barou, one of the top scorers in their First Selection wing. Throughout the entire First Selection, Bachira scored only one goal, and that was in the match against Team V.

In the Second Selection, Bachira only participated in two matches: the 3v3 with Isagi and Nagi against the Top 3, and the 4v4 when Isagi came to steal him back.

In the Second Selection, Bachira also only scored one goal, and that was even with Rin manipulating him:

Bachira had an awesome awakening arc, but he didn't score a goal then because of Isagi blocking it, so it doesn't count.

In the Third Selection, only Rin scored in their team

So, the First, Second, and Third Selections combined, Bachira only scored two goals.

Not really indicative of a striker, don't you think?

Bachira’s #7 rank could only be largely because of those second and third factors. Considering the importance Ego places on scoring your own goals, I’m inclined to think that it’s more of the former: the World Five’s assessment of him.

Specifically, Pablo Cavasoz’s assessment of Bachira.

Pablo’s first words to Bachira were of praise:

Bachira even got past him on his first try. Granted, Pablo was still underestimating them here; he just got caught off guard.

Then, his second words were of criticism:

The scene above was not included in the anime, by the way.

This seems to be the only time in the match where a World Five player criticizes a bluelocker without being condescending about it.

It may be that Pablo is just nice, but compare it to the criticism that Isagi and Rin received:

It’s not so obvious with Loki, but I personally find being asked if my move is okay to be mildly insulting.

And unlike Loki’s criticism of Isagi and Luna’s criticism of Rin, Pablo’s criticism of Bachira is actually constructive. He first points out what Bachira is doing right (“Your rhythm is dynamic”) before pointing out what he’s doing wrong (“but you don’t have enough patterns”).

Overall, Pablo seems to have a good impression of Bachira, and he must’ve said a lot of good things about him to Ego.

As for Ego’s judgment of Bachira… I’m not really sure what he thinks. As I said, Bachira had scored only two goals. Most of the time, he played more like a midfielder than a striker. If there’s one thing that could make Ego think highly of Bachira, then it’s probably Bachira’s ability to go through the enemy’s entire defense all by himself. He exhibited this in the Team V match as well as in the 4v4 match.

Now, with the post-Third-Selection ranking out of the way, let’s talk about how Bachira is ranked in other times…

Bachira’s rank has always been “high, but not too high”

At the beginning, Bachira is ranked #290, the highest in Team Z, second only to Kira, who was then eliminated.

At chapter 24 of the manga, Bachira’s rank was #270.

This was before the match against Team V, and Bachira hasn’t scored a goal yet, so of course he is ranked lower than those who have scored more goals. Rankings then were determined solely on number of goals. At this point in the story, Bachira was also still just playing with the monster and hasn’t awakened his own ego yet.

After the Second Selection’s First Stage, Bachira was ranked #16, placed right after Isagi.

Now, this is sus. How could Bachira finish faster than Chigiri?

If you remember, after Isagi entered the First Stage, the rest of Team Z decided the order through rock, paper, scissors.

Chigiri went in first, followed by Bachira. And you’re telling me that Chigiri, known for his speed and who was definitely more egoistic than Bachira at this time, actually finished later than Bachira despite having the early-start advantage?

It could only be because the author is deliberately choosing their ranks for the narrative and not basing it on their actual skills.

I mean, at chapter 58, Chigiri is shown to be ranked #44.

And in the Neo Egoist League arc, we are shown the significance of this number 44 to Chigiri.

Now, in the NEL arc, we have two ranks for Bachira so far. In chapter 170, he was ranked second, placed right after Rin. Not everyone has played in a match yet, but I still think this rank is quite impressive. He ranked higher than Shidou, the former #2.

Then in Chapter 204, he was ranked #3. If I remember correctly, Rin’s team hadn’t played a second match yet, so the rankings aren’t that accurate, but I still think it’s impressive. Bachira scored a goal in Ubers, a team known for their defense. If it weren’t for Nagi’s “miracle” goal, he could’ve maintained second place.

Conclusion

Apart from the rank #270 in the First Selection and the #16 in the Second Selection, Bachira has always ranked higher than Isagi. In both aforementioned cases, Bachira’s state was still that of being satisfied in just getting to play with Isagi. His ego hadn’t awakened yet, so it’s only natural that his performance suffers.

However, after his awakening, he has consistently ranked higher than Isagi. Somehow, I don’t see anyone talking about this. Bachira is often overlooked by the readers and also by the characters in-universe.

Even Isagi, the person who believes in Bachira the most, doesn’t really think of him as a threat:

He honestly thought that he and Bachira were about the same level.

And he was so surprised of Bachira’s level-up in Chapter 160:

“You just keep going past my expectations.” So to say, Isagi’s expectations of Bachira were actually lower. (I know Isagi doesn’t actually look down on Bachira, but just looking at it objectively, he really does not think of Bachira as a threat.)

And it’s not just Isagi who’s like this, but other characters as well.

Raichi couldn’t believe it:

And so did Igaguri:

Both Raichi and Igaguri are a terrible judge of skill, though. Raichi thinks Kaiser’s success was just because of Bastard Munchen’s system. And Igaguri didn’t even know Shidou was so amazing despite being on the same team with him during the Second Selection. So, whether their opinions count or not is up to you.

There’s also this line by Chigiri in the 4v4 match:

Chigiri thinks everyone else is slow, though, so again, not much weight in those words.

But it’s interesting to note that Isagi, Chigiri, Raichi, and Igaguri were in the same team as Bachira during the First Selection, yet they all don’t take Bachira that seriously.

It probably won’t be that long before they, especially Isagi, actually start seeing him as a threat.

Above is a panel of Isagi’s reaction to Bachira’s offer in the NEL arc in c204.

And remember what I said about their rankings being a deliberate narrative choice instead of an actual indication of their skill? What do you think the author is trying to say with Bachira’s rankings?

Before, I thought it was to set up Bachira as Isagi’s final boss, the last player Isagi has to devour before he can truly be the #1 striker. But now I think it could also be to set up Bachira as Isagi’s right-hand man. Not as a servant like how Ness is to Kaiser and how Reo is to Nagi, but as a partner who can fight side-by-side with Isagi.

Thoughts?

#blue lock #blue lock spoilers #blue lock manga #bachira meguru #blue lock meta #bachira meguru supremacy #bachira meguru meta #pablo cavasoz #isagi yoichi #miyamiwu.meta #miyamiwu.src

[miyamiwu]

I have some unpopular opinions. Sorry that they're long and became a bit ranty.

I like Igaguri and the Wanima brothers.

I wish Reo got more meaningful interactions with characters besides Nagi, it feels like atm he has no friends outside of Nagi (RIP Zantetsu, Chigiri is Nagi's friend but hasn't been shown as being more than "friend of a friend" with Reo). He's one of the best-written characters (especially whenever Nagi isn't in the scene), it's sad how he's so often reduced by some fans to just being a Nagi simp whose entire world revolves around Nagi and who will die if Nagi spends even a millisecond breathing the same air as Isagi.

Nagi and Chigiri's friendship is underrated and I wish we got to see more of it. It's just a genuine normal friendship, Chigiri is Nagi's first normal friend with no strings attached, they just became friends by fooling around. They even continue hanging out (with Bachira too) after Isagi leaves to see Tada-chan despite Nagi saying he was going to leave too.

Rin-Isagi is the most boring of all the rivalries in the series. Their personalities, designs and playstyles don't clash enough for what is seemingly set up as being the story's main rivalry. It also doesn't help how one-sided it is for most of the story and we don't get to see any of it after Rin acknowledges Isagi as a rival. They feel too similar atm, so it comes across more as a minor rivalry (like Niko-Isagi) instead of a major one (Kaiser-Isagi, Shidou-Rin).

Speaking of Rin rivalries, Rin-Bachira could have been a great one. Bachira needs a proper rival, he's pretty friendly with most of the relevant cast and outside of Isagi, none of his relationships with the rest of the cast really stand out except for him being a bit passive-aggressive with Rin and Shidou. He has a lot of personality, design and playstyle clashes with Rin that it would have been fun to watch/read. A bit of a wasted opportunity.

Hey @08theverysmallhuman here’s a fellow Igaguri fan. As for the Wanima brothers, I don’t really have much of an opinion on them. We haven’t seen big bro in a while.

And Reo is friends with Isagi! We don’t see them together much, but these two has had several meaningful conversations. This one is my favorite:

We’ve also seen Reo reach out to Kunigami:

I agree with you though that Reo deserves more friends! He’s more than just a Nagi simp.

And oh, I’d love to see more of Nagi and Chigiri just hanging out. Maybe we’d get to see more of it if the manga shows us the aftermath of the Germany vs England match on nagireo’s side. I think Nagi and Reo are gonna have another conflict soon. When that happens, Chigiri can be there for Nagi.

As for the Rin-Isagi rivalry, I actually think it’s similar to Kaiser-Isagi but of a lower level since Kaiser is on a higher level. Both the Rin and Kaiser rivalries are similar in that Rin and Kaiser are basically just better versions of Isagi. What Isagi learns from both of them is a more advanced way of seeing the field–improved spatial awareness, so to speak.

And actually, I don’t think Rin is Isagi’s main rival. Rin is only the main rival in the Second Selection and u20 arc. In the NEL arc, the main rival is Kaiser.

After ch202, I think we’ll see more variety in the Isagi rivalries where it isn’t just Isagi vs Better Isagi. Isagi has achieved metavision, which is probably the peak of his spatial awareness weapon. Now, he needs to work on his physical skills to really be the best striker.

May I also push my agenda that Isagi’s main rival/final boss is going to be Bachira? Bachira is a very skilled player, and skills are what Isagi lacks the most. Not to mention the contrast in how they operate: logic vs intuition. There’s a lot of build-up for it too. I’m gonna have to write a meta on it someday.

And yesss, I also really want Bachira to have his own rival. Rin-Bachira would be interesting, but so is Kaiser-Bachira. But those two are already Isagi’s, so I hope the rival is a new character or a character not yet explored much. I’m hoping it’s Aomori’s Messi, Nishioka, who we are yet to see. Bachira-Ness and Bachira-Kurona would be good if author wants to explore Bachira’s midfielder potential. But personally, I prefer if it’s a striker vs striker rivalry. And seriously, among the list of possible striker rivals, only Bachira-Isagi has been built up a lot.

#blue lock #blue lock unpopular opinion #blue lock meta #blue lock spoilers #isagi yoichi #isagi yoichi meta #bachira meguru #bachira meguru meta #mikage reo #nagi seishirou #blue lock theory #chigiri hyouma #itoshi rin #michael kaiser #miyamiwu.msg #variabels #miyamiwu.src #oops almost forgot to tag #igaguri #igarashi gurimu #wanima brothers #miyamiwu.meta

[rirururu]

Why Bachira x Isagi (Blue Lock) is One of the Best Ships of All Time

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR UP TO CHAPTER 86 OF THE MANGA

I’ll be honest and say that while Isagi and Bachira’s dynamic in the first arc was cute, it wasn’t anything that stood out to me too much. It seemed like a very typical sports anime type relationship at first. The main character shoots. His friend is there for him and passes to him so he can shine. They have good chemistry. They achieve results together that would be un-imaginably amazing compared to when they were apart. We’ve seen it so many times before already. Kageyama and Hinata, Kuroko and Kagami, Mihashi and Abe; the list goes on.

That all stops when the second selection starts.

Bachira was forced to leave and suddenly Isagi has to fight on his own. He recognizes that up until now, he’s only been useful because of Bachira and in order to get him back, has to learn to fight without him. And, contrary to what we’re made to believe in the first selection that Isagi is better when with Bachira, the truth is that Isagi actually thrives without Bachira. In fact, he gets so powerful that even an outsider like Nagi who initially called him worthless without Bachira genuinely believed that Isagi would decide against stealing Bachira back by the end.

As for Bachira, he’s given a hard wake-up call when he finally sees Isagi again. He recognizes how much better Isagi is without him to the point of Isagi ignoring him on the field, and that sets the part of himself that can only feel alive when he’s with Isagi off. It’s only with this wake-up call that Bachira realizes everything he’s thought up until now was wrong. That’s when we get a parallel to what Isagi did for Bachira in learning to fight without him in order to get him back. In exchange for being able to stand on the same level as and not be left behind by Isagi, Bachira threw away his purpose of playing soccer as his way to connect with Isagi. He realized he shouldn’t do things for the sake of staying by Isagi’s side. He should be doing things for his own growth. Bachira did this fully believing and grieving that he was giving up on being with Isagi. So much so that in his head, Bachira says goodbye to him. And in a similar fashion to Isagi, that’s the moment we learn that Bachira is actually stronger without him. 

They both had to get stronger out of desperation to stay together, and consequently abandoned that part of themselves that depended on each other in the first place.

I want to pause right here and just applaud the author. I know Blue Lock has been praised as being a subversion of a ton of sports manga tropes and this is probably one of the most fantastic examples. We’re so used to the protagonist-and-partner combination being put on a pedestal. But here, it’s deconstructed right in front of us to show how it actually hinders both Isagi and Bachira as strikers and as people. And honestly? It felt like that would be it. I remember my heart dropping when I reached that point in the manga. Logically they would go their separate ways in a mutual break-up.

But they don’t. In the final scene of the soccer match, we see that everyone hadn’t believed in Bachira’s ego since long ago while Isagi had never stopped believing in him. Isagi caught Bachira’s winning goal. I thought that was a perfect parallel to their first meeting when Bachira passed the ball to the monster and then Isagi became the monster. This time Bachira abandoned the monster. There was no monster anymore because Bachira left it behind but even when the monster was gone, Isagi was still there. It's symbolic of how he doesn't see Isagi as just a monster anymore. He sees Isagi as Isagi, signaling a new era in their relationship.

And that’s also when Bachira realizes that just because he’s grown away from needing Isagi, just because he doesn’t live to make Isagi stronger anymore, just because he’s embracing that part of him that plays soccer solitarily for himself, doesn’t mean Isagi won’t still be there with him and believing in him. Bachira could change as much as he wants and the other won’t leave. They don’t need each other anymore, but that’s exactly what allows them to realize that being together makes them so happy, makes soccer so much fun, that they want to stick together until the very end anyway. 

(Or the official translation / scans)

This direction for their relationship seems bittersweet but I think that’s what makes it realistic. Relationships are multi-faceted and they change over time. Isagi and Bachira had to say goodbye to one aspect of their relationship but they also gained a new one. They both used to rely on each other a lot to be their very best. That mutualistic symbiotic relationship they had in soccer, that is the crutch in so many sports anime, is gone now. Bachira and Isagi aren’t necessary to each other in soccer anymore. Personally though, I think this new dynamic actually makes them closer than they were before.

To Bachira, Isagi used to be a person he needed to pass to because he’s a monster and someone who staved off his loneliness. To Isagi, Bachira used to be someone who made good passes to help him function in soccer. I think the fact that Bachira was so easily swayed to making Rin his new “monster” made it evident. As they continue to grow as strikers, they’ll be cycling through teammates most suited to their skillset. Teammates come and go. What Isagi and Bachira are to each other evolved past that, beyond the soccer field, and became something that would stay with them their entire lives. There is no “I’m with Isagi because if I can’t play soccer with him, I would die from loneliness” or “I’m with Bachira because he lets me be invincible on the field” anymore. They’re together because they want to be and because they love each other (platonically or romantically). That’s all.

(Manga panel taken from an AMV on youtube)

And I think that’s beautiful. It’s beautiful because this is what true unconditional love looks like. I know what the manga did to them might not be the “popular” thing. Ships that are super dependent on each other and need each other to live are the ones that get views because it’s seen as romantic. But Bachisagi / Isabachi abandoned that to instead become one of the healthiest relationships you could possibly get not just in a sports anime but in general. 

I mean, wow. I wish I had someone who wanted to be with me and had the emotional capacity to always believe in me no matter how much I changed, disappointed, and grew away from centering my world around them. I wish I had someone who could say that they don’t need me anymore but that’s exactly why they can say in full confidence that they still want me with all their heart. Bachisagi is seriously #relationshipgoals more than most married couples. 

In conclusion, Bachira/Isagi deserves way more recognition and I will happily scream into the void with the other 6 of you out there who ship them /j

#bachisagi #isabachi #blue lock #bachira meguru #isagi yoichi #bllk #abbreviating blue lock as BLLK to avoid calling it BL is hilarious #blue lock manga #meta #discourse #manga #manga spoilers

[just-some-sorta-person]

Nagi's "Hidden Path"/ Loophole

*featuring Isagi, Bachira, and Rin analysis*

I've been thinking a lot about how Nagi represents a "hidden path" in Bluelock, and the ways in which it seems the main manga and episode Nagi disagree on whether he should succeed- the key issue being his relationship with Reo. He plays soccer for their collective dream in a manga where depending on another character for your motivation is treated as soccer suicide, which should doom him, but his own manga starts with the statement that his genius is shaped by Reo - framed as a good thing.

I've said in the past that maybe Nagi will succeed by Episode Nagi's standards, but fail by Blue Lock standards, and I still think that would be an interesting path to take, but rn I wanna discuss the alternative that Nagi succeeds by both standards, even if to a lesser extent in the main manga since Isagi is the MC. And we're assuming here that his relationship with Reo isn't permanently severed in a way that makes him more similar to every other Bllk character bc that would make him much less interesting and also remove the "hidden path" aspect that we're expecting here.

So for him to succeed by both standards, I think what essentially needs to happen is that Nagi represents a loophole or caveat in Blue Lock's philosophy. And to understand why that would be the case, we'd have to understand WHY playing for anyone but yourself is a bad thing in Blue Lock. And there are plenty of examples to draw from.

Isagi and "All for One"

We can start with the "One for all, all for one" team Isagi was in- the most extremely dependent soccer we see. I'll be drawing from Isagi's Light Novel for this, because it really just spells it out. First, let's look at the reasoning for that "all for one" given in response to Isagi's request to shoot more:

“Up until now, You could have won matches with your individual skills, but high school isn’t a piece of cake... We win together, and become stronger together! If you do that, then you'll have double the joy! And half the sorrow!”

The reasoning given here isn't that the resulting soccer is better at winning games - rather there is an emphasis on safety. "the world is tough", "If we stick together, there's half the sorrow". And within that emphasis, is the implication that the individual isn't enough.

We can also see complacency in this ideaology. When Ichinan loses, the coach says

“You fought well. It’s frustrating, but this is what Ichinan is capable of now. The third years are leaving after this… and some of you might quit soccer after today but you can be proud of the days you fought together as a team." "To me, Ichinan’s soccer team…is the best team in Japan!!!”

Within this dream doping that Ego rants about later on, we can again see the acceptance on the individual not being enough - "You fought well... but this is what Ichinan is capable of now." We also see within the dream doping the injection of safety and lack of perceived agency. Because we are one unit, there is no blame, no frustration, no need for improvement. The point is the team, not to win, so be proud.

Most damning is the way we see this reflected in Isagi

There’s no need to take a risky battle. If they lose, it will be his fault and he will feel bad for the team. He makes an exquisite pass to Tada's feet. A perfect last pass.

What's emphasized here is the risk in making an egotistical decision for the whole team in believing himself good enough to make that shot himself. What essentially happens here is a devaluing of the self - " I'm not good enough on my own, its safer to trust others, trust the system, not your instincts" And that forces Isagi to not live up to his fullest potential, to chase what he wants. Until Blue Lock that is.

Bachira and the Monster

Bachira is probably the character most directly "punished" in the narrative for playing for someone else. Though I feel like punish is the wrong word because this problem with his ego reared its head and was resolved in the same game - once he realized the problem, Bachira resolved to solve it

According to Bachira's explanation

"...Until now, I was afraid of playing soccer by myself. I guess I wanted you to come save me. But, once I tried fighting on my own, like I'd done as a kid, I realized...

And so the problem with his habit of looking for another player when playing instead of focusing on himself was again the perceived lack of agency, and devaluing of the self. Longing for someone to play soccer with led to a dependency that negatively impacted his decisions on the field

So that's why his moment of growth was breaking through all on his own to steak back Isagi and win - ignoring the idea that he should wait for someone else to help him. He needed to believe in his own agency/value to prove himself on the field and achieve his goals.

Rin and Sae

I recently took a look at Rin's Light Novel and there was a line that stood out as kinda similar to Bachira's old habit of passing to an imaginary monster before coming to Blue Lock

he understood why things were not going well. Neither their coach nor his other teammates have the slightest idea of Rin’s image of play in his head. (If it was Nii-chan, he would have made a pass here……) he thought so many times during today's practice. He jumped out in front of the goal to a position where I said, “Here!” but his teammates were like, “Huh?” “There?”

So whether you're passing or shooting, a reliance can develop, huh...

(How do Bachirin shippers feel about this parallel? haha. And what does this say about what Rin says to Bachira "But afraid of fighting alone. It is a soccer looking for someone. That luke-warm ego won't make my heart dance". Cus it seems Rin is criticizing Bachira for doing the same thing he did. What does this mean about how Rin feels about himself? (I mean.. he did already call himself lukewarm later but was he thinking about himself in that moment?))

In the light novel, I think it becomes clear one reason why Sae is so against Rin using him as his reason for soccer - it definitely affects how Rin plays when Sae is away. And since Sae becomes aware of the competition outside Japan during his time abroad, he knows that Rin's mentality as it was wouldn't be enough and thus wanted to spare him the suffering and have him give up. And this is in combination with the idea of "I've found out, that I'm not strong enough to hold you up. If you rely on me you'll fail" At least, this is my interpretation of it - but moving on-

With Rin’s last pass, they score a shot. If his Nii-chan had been there, he would have passed the ball to him in front of the goal and he would have scored it directly….. He stopped thinking. No pass is coming. That is now the reality. Anyway, the team won for the first time in a long time.

We see a lack of agency and a reliance on others once again - "If only Nii-chan was here". Like with Bachira, Rin is waiting for someone to "save" him, which limits what he chooses to attempt and stifles his potential because of how it limits his perceived agency.

We can also see this limitation in how he wants to be 2nd best after Sae - not best (de-valuing). It causes Rin to seal off his ego in order to catch up to Sae, by being more similar to Sae instead of developing according to his own unique talents/ego.

In order to catch up with his Nii-chan he saw off at the airport, he has to make the team’s victory his top priority. To do so, he must hold himself back. Hold back the you who was trying to steal the goal with everything you have using that sense of smell for the goal and assemble an attack as a team play.

Even after Sae's return he's always on Rin's mind, and this still limits his soccer. It's only after Rin declares himself lukewarm and rejects the stories others create through their relationship with him that he is able to go all out by embracing his own personal style, rather than focusing on others.

Back on Topic!

So in summary, what is wrong with depending on others? What causes Blue Lock to default to individualism? Ultimately it seems like its the resulting lack of perceived agency - the idea that you can't do things without other people present. By constraining yourself into a narrative with other people, you limit what you can do, and you limit what you think you can do by molding yourself to their vision. Thus, your potential is stifled.

How can Nagi and Reo become an exception to this reasoning? Well, maybe Nagi's decision to leave Reo during 2nd selection is part of the key.

We know from Episode Nagi and Manshine that Nagi wants to improve for the sake of his and Reo's collective dream. And he (correctly) identifies following soccer that challenges/excites him as the proper way to improve.

Here, Reo identifies them playing together as a must, but Nagi corrects him and saying that them being the best in the world together is a must, saying (in his head T-T) that he likes being with him, but that in order to protect their dream, Nagi needs to change.

It's actually pretty much spelled out here. Nagi says he's fine with Reo playing with other people, but insists that Reo stay with him till the end. Its ok to play soccer with others, but keep me in your heart always. In other words, I don't mind not playing together, but you and our end goal is always in my heart.

This is different from Isagi, Bachira, or Rin's situation because in those cases, the team/monster/Sae were considered as key to success. However, in Nagi's case, success is key to Reo. It's completely reversed. It's that nuance of "I play soccer to play soccer with you, to win with you" vs. "I play soccer for you, I win for you". Because "playing together" is not a requirement for winning, it no longer acts as a constraint that restricts agency. Nagi's concept of being together separate from playing soccer together saves their partnership from being the same as the others and frees him to (for example) join Isagi to improve.

You can see more of this in epinagi

The Tag Game

You might say this is a bad example because Nagi relies on Reo to get him un-eliminated, but by Nagi's "I figured you'd do that, Reo..." we can guess that this was more from laziness than a belief that he needed Reo's help. Indeed, when Reo's in danger of being eliminated himself, when their dream is in any real danger, Nagi takes it upon himself to solve the issue

They didn't solve the problem relying on teamwork/partnership or anything. Nagi solved the problem because they're partners.

Playing Against Barou

The next time their dream is "Challenged" is when Barou says "Becoming the world's best striker means you'll be alone until you die", essentially a challenge to the viability of Nagi and Reo's dream. Nagi's response to that is to run off and instigate a 1v1 with Barou

So again, rather than deny Nagi options, his partnership with Reo provided the motivation to act out on his own.

Playing against Team Z

Even when they play against team Z, we see this in action. Nagi plays a more reliant soccer, his dream/Reo is challenged when he sees Reo's face, and Nagi decides to act out on his own.

Nagi will rely on Reo for the sake of laziness, but when it comes to their dream, there's this pattern of deciding to rely less on Reo, take destiny into his own hands, and make an effort. It's really that nuance of doing something to be with someone vs. doing something for someone.

Beyond 1st/2nd Selection

Brief mention here of Nagi's eyes shining when Reo says "But it's not enough" when Nagi praises him. I think this might be Nagi thinking its a sign that Reo in fact has not forgotten their promise and is also working to achieve it - consistent with the idea of being together without necessarily playing together (Whereas Reo is thinking the other way round - improving for the sake of playing together because that's the only way to be together)

So, where this theory hits its roadblock is the Manshine City Arc, where Nagi asks for Reo's help. But because of all the ominous foreshadowing afterwards, in addition to Ego's words that Nagi's deep ego (implied by timing of skull imagery +all the scenes I just listed to be Reo/dream-centric) is about to be tested, I think their dynamic is bound to change in some direction within the next game. So, their relationship is still in development and the theory isn't necessarily debunked.

**edited in addition** I think the key is that regardless of their behavior, the core of their partnership (ie their internal feelings) isn't dependency, but rather reciprocated faith and commitment, though especially with Nagi's communication and introspection issues, it may take some time for them to figure that out because Reo has no idea the faith that Nagi has in him. Reo actually assumes that their partnership can't exist without dependence - assumes its over when that dependence fades because Nagi will have no reason to stay with him, but this is him insecurely misinterpreting Nagi's intentions. They also can't really flourish until Nagi figures out his ego/motivation, though that's luckily foreshadowed to be addressed. I think with how Reo misinterprets Nagi's motivations on a shallow level in 207, and how Nagi's motivation is foreshadowed to be addressed soon, we will get nagireo communication soon timeline wise (not real life lol). And hopefully with that communication, Reo's insecurity + Nagi's motivation can be addressed and they can begin to figure out a functional partnership within Blue Lock. But really the key here is that faith and devotion don't necessitate playing with only each other in mind, while dependence/reliance does.

In terms of what will happen, I think we might finally get a confirmation of what Nagi's ego is - it certainly fits with their conversation in 207, where Reo tries to give a substitute that doesn't really fit. I'm not sure what would happen once Nagi and Reo have the clarity of understanding what Nagi's ego is though...

In Any Case!

I'm running out of fuel but just to let ya'll know I was thinking really hard about what the difference was between Nagi and Reo's dynamic in comparison to partnerships or teamwork criticized by the main manga and I did not expect the difference I came up with to be the difference between reliance and devotion. "I am not enough by myself" vs. "I will make myself enough for you". I still wonder if I'm just biased?

Plz lmk ur thoughts

link to a continuation of these thoughts - Hiori's Words, Reo's Insecurity, Nagi's Enforced Indifference

#reo mikage #nagi seishiro #isagi yoichi #bachira meguru #rin itoshi #bllk meta #blue lock meta #nagireo #reonagi #bllk #blue lock #Nagi's utter devotion lives rent free in my head #episode nagi

[rose-tinted-vision]

I've been thinking a lot lately about Bachira's skills as a football player, and honestly, his range is insane.

Manga spoilers ahead

Firstly, let's take a look at the time before the second selection:

Bachira was perfectly content to fill in the role of goal assist, because he finally had people to play football with, so his ego came second to playing with Isagi Team Z.

In fact, one of our first introductions to Bachira has highlighted how he wasn't as caught up as the others in surviving in Blue Lock:

In the match against Team X, he didn't join his other teammates in stealing the ball from each other to score their own goals

(This was a while back so context: this was from the first arc where they had round robin matches within their own stratum, and only the player with the most goals gets to survive if they lose. Hence the infighting).

Sure, he can step up when needed and score by himself, like during the match against Team ReoNagiTetsu V where he took on a 1v5, but he was arguably content with just supporting Team Z with his dribbling and passes, until he realised that wasn't enough for Isagi.

It wasn't even really about Blue Lock to Bachira. In my opinion, when he saw Rin and Isagi leaving him behind, he realised that if he wanted to keep his friends, he had to survive in Blue Lock.

And survive he did. Bachira evolved in the same match where he realised his current playing style wasn't enough, he knew he was capable of scoring on his own and took the risk.

(In my opinion it seems kind of like a desperate all-or-nothing to prove himself in response to Nagi's provocation).

The Bachira timeline as I see it, from the first chapter up till now, was about being accepted making friends > being able to play with other people to his full potential > then eventually about growing his ego as a player.

And it's amazing to watch him grow into himself, because we have seen glimpses of how he's a force to reckon with before. But now that he has a team who is willing to play around him and let him figure out his playstyle, he's allowed to break free from the role of dribbling/assist (I don't know if there's an official term for goal assist?) and step into the spotlight to show just how good of an all-rounder he is.

(Also, with Bachira defining himself more, we get more smug feral Bachira expressions, I love it.)

Tldr, Bachira Meguru is such a well-rounded player as a whole, with tremendous potential and we should talk more about it. Like, come on, he had the second highest offer after the FC Barcha VS Bastard Munchen match, how is no one acknowledging that??

#if you notice my English deteriorating please ignore it #im squeezing my brain juices to its last dregs #this may be slightly biased forgive me #but its bachira meguru!!! how is one supposed to Not sing his praises??? #anyways. here's my own take on Bachira #feel free to add on! be as objective as you like! i always love blue lock metas #blue lock #blue lock analysis #bachira meguru #bllk

[munchymunch348]

Are you truly a blue lock fan if you don’t recognize this profile

#they’re doing the god’s work #bless them #blue lock #blue lock fandom #isagi yoichi #blue lock meta #blue lock art #blue lock fanart #bachira meguru

[inluvwyouu]

bllk boys as american high school stereotypes

✧.* notes— bc i’m a bored asf high school senior and just finished rewatching high school musical

ft. isagi yoichi, bachira meguru, nagi seishiro, mikage reo

(in pt. 2: chigiri hyoma, shoei barou, itoshi rin, itoshi sae)

warnings: none :)

isagi yoichi - the accomplished nerd

you cannot tell me this kid wouldn’t at least be ranked top 6% or smth

like he would definitely have his whole high school life and college career planned out using his meta vision or whatever

he would “devour” all of his tests, quizzes, concept checks, etc.

and not to mention that he plays soccer

i know for a fact dude would milk the soccer thing for all it’s worth on his college apps

like in every other sentence on his college essay he would be talking about his soccer trauma lmao

he would also be a part of so many other clubs just to have a stacked resumé

i feel like he would study a lot too like just because he wants to do well in school in general

he’s one of those nerds that’s not necessarily popular but everyone knows him because people talk about his grades and his rank and they look up to him and stuff

was definitely cancelled for a bit for calling one of his classmates a slur after getting a bad grade on a group project…

nagi seishiro - the “invisible” kid

he’s not actually invisible he just never shows up to class lmao

he shows up occasionally to get the bare minimum of school hours so he can graduate, and also shows up for test days because making up work is a pain

he usually just sits in the back of class and is either sleeping or blatantly playing on his phone but the teachers never say anything because they lowkey forget he exists

but somehow he still has perfect grades??

he doesn’t think he has a lot of friends because he thinks it’s too much energy to keep up with a social life

and yet he’s still pretty popular and was somehow dragged into a huge friend group without even trying

a lot of girls have hallway crushes on him and try to flirt with him but he doesn’t even notice

and if he does he just pretends he doesn’t.

he couldn’t care less about school and just goes because he has to and internally complains about wanting to go home the entire day

bachira meguru - the weird kid

i’m sorry i love bachira but he’d definitely be that one kid people laugh at in the hallways

not necessarily in a “he gets bullied” way but just like, he’s weird and he knows it, everyone else knows it, and he’s genuinely funny

he’s like the weird kid that everyone’s friends with if ykwim

but it’s also kind of sad because he has no real friends

his grades are good enough i suppose; he doesn’t really try but he’ll get into a pretty decent college so he’s fine

doesn’t take school all that seriously

definitely the class joker

and is the subject of teacher gossip pretty much everyday because they find him incredibly tiring to deal with

other kids have seen him talking to himself in the hallways so they’re kind of creeped out by him

he’s completely aware that people talk about him behind his back but he doesn’t really care because he like being able to make people laugh

mikage reo - the rich kid

this one is obvious lol

he’s always wearing luxury brand names to school like it’s nothing

like catch this man in the hallway in gucci shoes, a louis vuitton jacket, prada sunglasses, and spraying his chanel perfume everywhere because the hallway smells like shit

people become friends with him just in the hopes that he’ll buy them super bougie stuff for their birthdays or whenever

he’s literally a nepo baby so he doesn’t even have to do well in school to get into a good college

has girls falling for him left and right but he knows it’s just because he happens to be wealthy and genetically fortunate

definitely would be a popular kid that gets along well with everyone

he’s really modest about his wealth but also not modest at all at the same time

the teachers try to suck up to him because they’re adamant that he’s going to be successful in the future (and he probably will)

blows money on his friends every time they hang out and throws the best parties with expensive ass alcohol

#blue lock #bllk headcanons #bllk #bllk anime #bllk manga #blue lock anime #blue lock headcanons #isagi yoichi #nagi seishiro #bachira meguru #mikage reo #anime #isagi headcanons #nagi headcanons #bachira headcanons #reo headcanons

[boinin]

Flairs on /r/BlueLock

A meta commentary/shitpost. I'm not sure which.

For Tumblr-onlys: Reddit allows users to add a flair beside their usernames, much like Tumblr allows badges. Flair are unique to individual subreddit, and only appear when that user comments or posts in that subreddit. The Blue Lock subreddit allows users to set custom text flairs, which may include a selection of emojis or character thumbnails.

This post contains adult humour/explicit references.

I posit that there's three categories of user flairs on Reddit.

The first category is what I refer to as normie flairs.

These include much of what you'd expect, if you maintain the false assumption that enjoyers of football shounen are straight, well-adjusted young men. Many users take this opportunity to represent their appreciation for a particular character (i.e. "Isagi Yoichi"). Admirable, but ultimately boring.

Much like Tumblr has its microcosms and meta humour, so does /r/BlueLock. In flairs, users make reference to fandom in-jokes (e.g. "Red Keys #1 fan", or "#1 Paralympic Footballer" next to a thumbnail of Yukimiya Kenyu). Other flairs reference quotes from the manga that inspire them (e.g. "Shut the fuck up Ness", "There is a monster inside me"). Although edgy in tone, these flairs are still reasonably explicable, should their parents check their browsing activity.

A recurring theme among this user group is a desire to distance themselves from homosexuality. Although excessive gayness is canon in Blue Lock, some users are defiant in their assertion that the series is about ball handling and nothing else. Hence, the existence of flairs such as "Miss Me With That Gay Shit" and "I'm just here to talk football dude".

For these users, the most relatable character in the series is Adam Blake: Mr. "I have no interest in male bodies" himself.

True martyrs. We salute them.

On to the second category.

Again, this is a loose category in terms of content and theme. You may question why I've chosen to differentiate these from the normie flairs. However, while all of these users are expressing admiration for the characters, the way they do so is hornier than a bunch of imprisoned football virgins. They are more worked up than Shidou, when he scores a goal.

I introduce this grouping as… the down bad flairs. There's a lot to unpack. Take your time.

We cannot infer that all the flairs in this group are the result of users biting their lips and moaning whenever a certain character appears. There may be a innocent explanation for why someone would designate themselves "King Barou's Chair" or "Muscle Mommy Kunigami's Squat Bar Pad".

Perhaps they simply kin as furniture.

Users among this group embrace the fruity nature of the series. Although it's untrue to say all Redditors are male basement dwellers and thus, in gay denial. There's evidence that women also frequent the subreddit to thirst over pretty manga boys, using the broadband their parents paid for. At least, this is what flairs such as "Kenyuu's beloved waifu" and "Impregnate me, Shidou!" suggest. There's even straight men present, if "Drinking Anri Mommy Milkies" and "Bachira's Mom's boyfriend" are anything to go by. Forgive them their sins, they know not how to play along.

But cis-heteronormativity is a scourge, something Blue Lock fans understand better than most. After all, no particular gender is required to become "Noel Noa's sugar baby" or "Isagi's personal toe sucker".

In terms of distribution, no one is safe from the thirstiness of /r/BlueLock users. Nearly every character has a thirst flair to their name. The ones that seem to inspire the most unhinged flairs are Shidou "dress sluttily, I can fight" Ryusei, Michael Kaiser ("Reincarned as Kaiser's Wet Underwear") and Bachira Meguru ("Bachira's leaking rosebud").

As the protagonist, Isagi naturally attracts a lot of favour. Some flairs highlight his prowess (e.g. "I love it when isagi shoots from behind", or the more possessive "isagi meatrider get out kaiser"). These users are, unfortunately, deluded. I regret to inform them that there is no universe in which Isagi is a top. He'd be devouring your dick, not the other way around.

To the conclusion. If you are a /r/BlueLock veteran (my condolences), you will have noticed a conspicuous absence among the second flair group. You may be thinking, is this chick blinder than Yukimiya? Can they even read?? They missed the worse ones.

To this I say: Do not cite the deep flairs to me bitch. I was there when they were written.

One image lies below the cut. Unlike the other two, the third category of user flairs has an obvious theme.

However, there is no returning beyond this point. Once you have borne witness to this forbidden knowledge, you will be irrevocably changed. It may ruin your life... or awaken something in you. Either way, a price must be paid.

Consider this my final warning. You may yet walk away from this post unscathed. Even with the words "Devouring Aiku's Hairy Ass" branded on your psyche.

But if you are determined—if you have steeled your mind (and your eyes), open this video in another tab and read on.

Anyone who guessed horny Chigiri flairs, take 1,000 Jeopardy points and a shot of something strong.

I'm not going to invent pseudo-intellectual commentary for this. Y'all came this far, see for yourself. I can't justify some of these, nor begin to explain them—and I write Blue Lock fanfiction. These users are in another dimension of Chigiri worship, one I can never bridge.

Source and references: this

#do not take a word of this seriously #it's satire #or proof of a mental breakdown #reddit lurkers... I see y'all checking to see whether your flair made it. ya nerds #I included my own flair. if you can guess my reddit handle... i'll make a sequel or something #blue lock #bllk #shitpost #long post #fandom meta #minors dni #mine #boinin talks bllk

[fyeahbachisagi]

@shinoanation pointed out how Bachira is the only one who has someone else’s aura color in their eyes in this post. And it drove me crazy, so I went to check it myself and...

The inner part of the eye is still yellow, but going outwards, it turns yellow-green to actually green. For reference, the image I’m sampling is a screenshot taken from an mkv file and underwent no compression.

Tumblr only allows one video per post, but I also checked Isagi’s:

His color is yellow to light yellow-green on the inside, and then a deeper yellow-green on the outside. The yellow is quite subtle in Isagi’s, though. You could say it’s just a natural consequence of the gradient they used.

Bachira’s, however, is definitely deliberate.

The gradients in all the other characters’ aura colors are very straightforward. Nagi’s aura color is white, and the outer aura color is bluish green-grey, taking after his eye color (somehow, his eye color in the ED is blue green and not brown). Reo’s is all shades of violet. Barou’s shades of red. Chigiri’s is magenta with a little bit of red on the outside. Rin’s is shades of aquamarine, and Sae is mainly red with a bit of pink inside.

For Bachira’s gradient, they could’ve went with yellow and a darker yellow that’s closer to orange or brown. After all, the yellow of his eyes lean more towards the warmer shades.

Below is the image edited in Photoshop to replace the green of his right eye with yellow/brown/orange:

Now, this is looking more like Bachira’s color, if I say so myself

Here are the two images side-by-side, unedited on the left and edited on the right:

The difference is pretty obvious. In the unedited image, his right eye is clearly tinged green.

Showing Bachira’s ego color as yellow, but having Isagi’s color encroaching around it—such a subtle detail, but damn, the implications.

Edit: Looking at this post on my phone that has an AMOLED screen… man, it’s not subtle at all. It looks sooo green!

#blue lock #bachira meguru #isagi yoichi #bachisagi #blue lock anime #blue lock meta #blue lock ED #should i tag this as spoilers? #i didn’t really spoil anything though #bachira ego color #ego colors #bachira meguru meta #miyamiwu.meta #miyamiwu.src #blue lock spoilers #<- fine i’m tagging it just in case

[fyeahbachisagi]

On Bachira’s Character Design

Okay, I know it’s BachiSagi Appreciation Day, but this post has been sitting in my drafts for a while and I still haven’t decided what to do for bachisagi, so I’ll just do Bachira’s event first. I’ll post something for bachisagi on Wednesday instead. Now, onto the post---

I really, really love Bachira's character design.

The blunt bangs and the bob cut with the ends curling outwards—it’s a hairstyle that’s common among little girls. Dye aside, I myself had such a hairstyle when I was a kid. On Bachira, it makes him look androgynous—but not the bishounen type of androgynous either (like Chigiri), and I think that’s refreshing.

And like Bachira’s childhood bullies, I too thought that the hairstyle was weird. I have a round face, and such a hairstyle made my face look even rounder.  The other kids would also tease me and call me Dora because of it. 

With all those above, just from his hair, this is the impression Bachira gives: child-like, visibly queer, and "weird."

One other eccentric sports anime character I know that has a similar hairstyle would be Midousuzi from Yowamushi Pedal. His hair is drawn rather spiky, though, making him appear menacing, as he should. In contrast, the soft lines on Bachira’s hair just makes him look cute. Pair it with bright, round eyes and a nice smile, and he’s practically harmless.

Oh, and Bachira is very much known for his smile. In his spin-off novel, his smile was often described. But if you just draw his smile a little bit wider... bam! We get his creepy look.

Now, let’s talk about the dye. It’s what gives a touch of wildness to Bachira’s “cute and harmless” design.

In some Asian countries, dyed hair is generally frowned upon. Some schools in Japan would even force students to dye their hair black even though their natural hair color is brown. (I know this is an anime and they can have all sorts of hair colors, but hear me out.)

Bachira could’ve been designed in a way that his entire hair was yellow or some other color, and that would’ve been considered his “natural” hair color in this anime world. But they didn’t. Instead, they gave him an underdye, making it clear that it’s not natural.

The dyed hair makes Bachira look like a rebel—and he kinda is, actually. Even though he was often told to stop making those wild passes in his former team, he still went ahead and did them.

Bachira's design really works, okay? And that's why I love it.

#blue lock #bachira meguru #bllk #character study #miyamiwu.src #blue lock spoilers #blue lock meta #miyamiwu.meta #bachira meguru meta #bachira wednesday #but posted on a monday lol

[rirururu]

They're partners uwu

Source

#bachisagi #isabachi #bachira meguru #isagi yoichi #blue lock #meta #discourse #analysis #it's funny to me that #nagireo and bachisagi got special arrows

[rirururu]

Their dialogue matches 🥺

More proof that Isagi being there to catch Bachira's kick at the end of second selection was meant to parallel their first meeting, except this time it's him believing in Bachira instead of the other way around.

#bachisagi #blue lock #bachira meguru #isagi yoichi #bllk #omg how did i not notice this before #kaneshiro strikes again #meta #discourse #analysis

[fyeahbachisagi]

Isagi on Being Chosen

Guuuuys, I am so emotional tonight (well, technically it’s 5am over here, but I haven’t slept yet…)

Because of this discussion I had with @takeunknownroadnow about how devastated Isagi was over losing Bachira, I suddenly realized just how much of Isagi’s self-esteem was hit.

My thoughts here would make more sense if you read the post I linked above, so please do so first ^^

Like, yeah, we saw him being whiny for a bit right after losing Bachira. But he gradually turned badass throughout the rest of the arc that it led me to think he’s over it and has gotten more confident with himself. And he did! He really did but...

When Rin chose him, he didn’t even look happy.

I mean, yeah, he just lost the game so of course he’s upset. But the thing is, he doesn’t understand why anybody would choose him. This whole time, Isagi has been fighting tooth and nail with the belief that if he lost, he won’t be chosen–not even by Bachira.

And then there’s this:

Isagi’s emotional trauma this arc had started with Bachira telling him he won’t wait for him, and now we’ve come full circle with Bachira choosing him in the end.

“I’ve learned how to fight without you, but it’s way more fun with you around.”

And this line is so beautiful and exactly what Isagi needed to hear at this moment.

Isagi has just lost to Rin twice. He is convinced that his skills are lacking. Why would anybody want him on their team? And then here comes Bachira choosing him anyway not for his skills but simply for who he is, and Isagi…

Isagi looks found, saved…

I don’t know how to describe it. But the expression he makes here moves me just as much as this one by Bachira:

It’s really interesting how Bachira’s and Isagi’s emotional arcs resolved. For Bachira, who was waiting to be chosen, it was him fighting for the strength and right to choose. And for Isagi, who’d been convinced that nobody would ever choose him, was to be chosen by the very person he’s been chasing this whole time.

I am in tears...

#seriously i am crying right now #i love these two so much i can’t #blue lock #bachira meguru #isagi yoichi #bachisagi #bllk #spoilers #blue lock spoilers #bllk spoilers #blue lock manga #blue lock meta #miyamiwu.meta #miyamiwu.src #bachisagi supremacy #isagi to bachira

[fyeahbachisagi]

Blue Lock anime on BachiSagi + How the anime ended up redefining Bachira’s ego in Episode 22

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the anime removed Bachira’s iconic gay line in Episode 22. After the initial anger, I’ve calmed down and thought about how it couldn’t be as simple as removing the gay. After all, Studio 8Bit has been adding extra gay in the First Selection arc. The Come Steal Me scene was also gayer than in the manga. And although Isagi’s feelings for Bachira were toned down in the first cour, they’ve also been emphasizing it in the second cour (example).

I then noticed a pattern. The Blue Lock anime is playing with contrast in portraying Bachira and Isagi’s relationship.

Prior to Bachira’s awakening, we see his feelings for Isagi emphasized a lot. The anime would even add scenes that weren’t there in the manga. It could be a very minor thing like 2 seconds of Bachira staring at Isagi, or a big thing like replacing Igaguri in his interactions with Isagi (example 1, example 2).

The same is true for Isagi’s feelings for Bachira, but in reverse. Prior to the Come Steal Me scene, the anime removed some of Isagi’s minor interactions with Bachira.

I’m no animator, so I don’t really understand the purpose of this approach. Perhaps 8Bit thought that by increasing the contrast of their feelings before and after emotional turning points would make it more obvious to the viewer?

The Come Steal Me scene is a clear emotional turning point for Isagi. It’s basically Isagi thinking, “Shit, I love him.”

I remember how caught off guard I was when I reading that part in the manga when Isagi said “I felt like I just lost something important…” I had to go back some chapters to find “proof” of Isagi’s feelings. [I don’t know how it is for people who first experienced that scene through the anime, though. Please tell me your thoughts in this poll. Not putting the poll in this post coz then I won’t be able to edit this later…]

Isagi’s feelings are very subtle, so the anime removing what was already barely there just felt like a disservice. And although they’ve been kinda making up for it by executing all the Isagi-to-Bachira moments after this very well, it doesn’t feel enough.

Now, for Bachira… This is difficult because his emotional turning point isn’t as clear-cut as Isagi’s. The anime, however, decided on this scene:

And I absolutely hate this decision.

Because in the manga, the lines were actually a declaration of what exactly Bachira’s voice/ego is. And that ego is: “I’ll win if it kills me and take back Isagi!”

They even cropped out Isagi’s face in the anime to make it solely about Bachira...

This was such a big BachiSagi moment. Bachira is explicitly telling us here that he will win so he can stay by Isagi’s side. And it’s not exactly him striving just for Isagi, either. It’s more like a reference to Isagi’s words to Reo before: “Don’t be the one who gets chosen. Be the one who gets to choose.”

And before this scene in the anime, they even added this part:

Bachira reaching out for Isagi, but only to draw it back...

Such a big disservice there… Bachira’s awakening was complex. He’s saying goodbye to Isagi not only because he wants to be strong enough to stay in Blue Lock, but also because he wants to keep him, even if they can no longer be friends. In a way, it’s a self-sacrificial act. Literally, “I don’t care if I’ll be sad as long as I can stay by his side!”

Adding that underwater hand thing on top of the changed lines turned Bachira’s awakening arc from being deeply rooted in love to one of mere individuality. The anime has completely missed the point...

There are 2 more episodes left, and the next one has another crucial BachiSagi moment. Let’s see how 8Bit wraps up their relationship before I give my final verdict.

#blue lock #bachisagi #bachira meguru #isagi yoichi #blue lock meta #bachisagi meta #blue lock anime #blue lock anime meta #episode 22 #miyamiwu.meta #miyamiwu.src

[fyeahbachisagi]

Thoughts on Bachira's characterization in episode 8

Episode 8 crammed in five chapters from volume 4, so everything was rushed and the quality was less than what we've been used to in previous episodes. The studio is probably doing this to save their resources for the actual fight against Team V.

And this may perhaps be just a consequence of that rushing, but I'm more inclined to believe that it was a purposeful choice this ep to tone down on Bachira's seriousness.

Specifically, I'm talking about these scenes:

[Image ID's in ALT]

Bachira has this tendency to suddenly do a 180 flip. He's mostly chill and just fooling around, but then out of nowhere he'd look at you with dead-serious eyes:

But in the anime, we got none of that.

It's a small thing, I know, but it changes a lot about Bachira and Isagi's dynamic. Because here's the thing, Bachira only does it when Isagi is involved (at least, I don't recall him doing it because of others.)

In the first one (Bachira asking about the tie for top-scorer), Isagi had been caught in an argument between Kuon and the others. In the second one ("I'm gonna go all out"), it's because he doesn't want to lose Isagi.

Manga readers would know one other example of this that's also very iconic of Bachira, but to keep this post spoiler-free, I will not mention it here.

Anyways, we got a slightly toned-down Bachira this episode. Could 8bit be saving his serious moments for the next episodes, or are they setting up Bachira down a more melancholic route?

I don't know Japanese, but in the anime subtitles, we have Bachira saying "That's way too sad, so I'll give it my all." That's definitely not as aggressive as the manga's "I'd hate that, so I'm gonna go all-out."

What do you guys think? And which version do you prefer?

#blue lock #blue lock meta #blue lock anime #episode 8 #bllk #bachira meguru #bachisagi #anime vs manga #miyamiwu.meta #miyamiwu.src #chapter 24

[fyeahbachisagi]

I am obsessed with Isagi's smile here. He looks so happy and excited to be playing against Bachira.

Remember that in their original plan, Isagi was supposed to cover Rin, but since Nagi and Barou wanted to switch things up, he ended up marking Bachira.

And that's the thing--the most egotistical move for Isagi was for him to cover Rin, but when he got to play Bachira instead, he was so happy about it.

Just look at him:

There's a fire in his eyes and a smug smile on his face. And we know that in Blue Lock, fire eyes is an indication of the presence of their ego. Isagi is enjoying this, and for once he doesn't look like he's out to murder someone.

#blue lock #bachira meguru #isagi yoichi #bachisagi #bllk #blue lock meta #miyamiwu.src #blue lock manga #chapter 72 #character study #isagi to bachira