Howdy. I just finished watching Blue Lock season 2, so it's fresh in my mind. So, let's just get into it.
[WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AHEAD]
Let's get it out of the way. Whatever you call it, "Png lock", "Frame lock" or "Power point prestation", or what have you, most of the complaints about this season are towards the animation.
And for good reason too. For an anime, a season 2 anime no less, to give us animation like this?!:
with the previous 10 frames or so being this:
I'm serious, they hold on this png, slowly sliding it to the right, with the ball coming at the camera for so long. For too long.
Mind you, this came out in 2024. During the time period of JJK, and just during a time where good animation is all over the place. And they thought this was good enough?
The first season of Blue Lock looked better than this by far! And this best seen in just how the aura's look compared to season 1.
Season 2 aura:
Season 1 aura:
If you couldn't tell, season 2's auras don't have that uniqueness. Isagi has the same aura as Rin, just colored differently. Everybody has the same aura, but it's just colored differently. In season 1, one of the best parts was how everybody's aura had something unique to it. Rin's looked like water, Isagi's had puzzle pieces, and even when they were given a generic aura, it still looked better than season 2. Season 2's looks like a tiktok edit, rather than something OFFICAL.
And I just miss the swirly eye effect from season 1
But. And there's always a but, every episode where they overuse pngs, and have crappy animation, they have one part in that same episode that has bloody amazing animation. For example, Isagi's reflex kick at the end of episode 2.
Now I'm not trying to defend this animation, and frankly, it shouldn't be called that. No anime should ever reach this low in terms of animation. I would rather watch Seven Deadly Frames, or the original Battle Of God where it's dragon ball mspaint, than watch episode 2 ever again. Why? Because, even though it was badly animated, they at least tried. They didn't just move pngs around and call it a day. They tried. I can't say the same about episode 2. If it had good animation, this season would have been near a 10/10. 100 out of a 100. Literal perfection.
Now, time to talk about the things that I did like. The story was amazing. It's blue lock, so you better know that from the characters to the story, to the whole match they're building up to, is done to damn near perfection. I was on the edge of my seat, and when Isagi scored that last goal, I, outload, cheered.
It takes a lot to make me do that. But Isagi is so compelling as a main character, that you can't help but cheer for him. And it skill to get ANYBODY hyped about pngs. Even with the bad animation, I was still hyped cause of the story, the character.. and most of all, the soundtrack. That soundtrack knows when to come in and set a mood. The sound design is pure genius.
And, I will say, the art style looks better than season 1. Like I've said, better animation, and better effects, and this would have been a 10/10. But the last episode saved this season from being a 6 or 5 out of 10. The story is at it's peak. The animation change, to way better animation than season 1, is amazing. The animation honestly reminds me of jjk season 2. Hell, maybe even some of the animators from jjk animated that part of blue lock.
This, of course, don't excuse the poor excuse for animation in the season. And I'm not asking for the whole season to look like this, god no. But at least animate it. There's a bar, and they somehow set the bar all the away to hell.
So, overall, the season.. isn't the greatest. it doesn't live up to season 1, and I swear most of the effects were done in an hour. Honestly, if it wasn't for the story. If it wasn't for the characters. This would be, one of the worst seasons of anything ever. I wouldn't even have given this a 5 out of 10.
But. The story is WORTH dealing with the bad animation to get to. The characters are WORTH going through png-land. And overall, this season is WORTH getting to the end of. Just cause the story, and characters are that good.
So, I feel comfortable in giving this a 7.7 out of 10 (Or a 77 out of 100).
And I hope blue lock gets a season 3. Just to redeem itself.