It is time for the showdown between teammates and soulmates Bachira and Yoichi as Blue Lock Episode 20 sees Yoichi lay down the gauntlet against the top-ranked players.
Blue Lock Episode 20 Overview
Blue Lock is the latest sports anime by the Anime Studio 8bit, previously known for producing critically and commercially acclaimed anime like That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime and Rewrite. The series is directed by Tetsuaki Watanabe, who has been a part of the productions of various anime in the past, such as Haikyuu and Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress.
Hisashi Toujima serves as the action director for the series, and the anime is based on a manga written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yuusuke Nomura. Click here to read the review of the previous episode in the series.
– Blue Lock Episode 20 Review does not contain spoilers –
Blue Lock Episode 20 Review- Super Link-Up Play
There was no wasting of time in this episode as we headed straight into the battle between the top Three (and Bachira) and Yoichi, Nagi, Barou, and Chigiri. This exact confrontation was set up 7 episodes ago when the teams first faced each other in the Round of Three, and through certain trials and a series of some not-so-great episodes and a few fantastic ones, we have reached this point again. Sure enough, the show did not disappoint with this match, and it proved to be an extremely exciting one.
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The teams are very evenly matched up against each other, and as always, Yoichi initially seems to be the one who has the worst matchup. He not only has to mark a master dribbler like Bachira, but he faces a far greater challenge in the form of Itoshi Rin and his reading of the field that might surpass even Yoichi’s. That is a very interesting dynamic that was first teased in the duo’s first match, and Yoichi has had the advantage of having to play two more matches between their previous confrontation and this one. That gave him much time to learn and level his game up.
That wasn’t the only interesting confrontation going on here. Chigiri basically found himself the first member of his fan club in Aryu, as the two are extremely similar in their personalities and the kind of football they play. One is a lot vainer than the other, but that doesn’t matter much when the other is willing to face this vanity head-on. Barou and Aoshi are also a hilarious match. Aoshi is the exact kind of guy Barou despises but can’t do anything about due to Aoshi’s sheer strength, comparable to even Barou’s. They are a fun pair.
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So, where does all this leave Nagi? What does he do in a game this important? He is guarding Rin, but his skill set is incompatible with Rin’s, and only Yoichi can match his level of assessment. However, this is Nagi we are talking about. Despite the show not focusing on it that much since the first selection, he is also a genius prodigy who can accomplish miracles if his heart desires. Blue Lock Episode 20 saw Nagi get fired up, and that’s a frightening Nagi to have play against you. That is a Nagi who can win matches alone.
However, there is still one more thing that will need to be addressed before this arc (and match) is over- Itoshi Rin is untouchable in his skills and requires full teams just to take him down. Why is anybody else even competing if he is an option? Everybody else so far has had faults that could be exploited, but he doesn’t. He is apparently perfect in every way, which isn’t the way I would have written him. However, cracks in that armour have already started to appear by Blue Lock Episode 20, and I’m sure that the next episodes will fix him right up.
Verdict
Blue Lock Episode 20 was an extremely high-quality episode from the show this deep into its runtime. The football match we are in right now is very fun and is progressing the story and the characters nicely.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!