3.5 stars, this was a bit slowed paced as it was explaining all the details that needed to be known. But I enjoyed the story overall, there was many points that had me intrigued to know what was going to happen next. The art style was really interesting and not something I’ve really seen before it, I really liked how different it was. I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this series as I enjoyed this first volume.

This was a really cool concept and really great set up for a first volume. I'm not a huge soccer fan but I still found myself curious about how it would work out.

A fun sports manga where the driving force is a company and country willing to do anything to bring in a championship.

I started this without knowing anything about it (and about soccer in general), mostly because I love Kuroko no basket, and in the first chapter I thought I knew how the whole manga would go. OH BOY, WAS I WRONG. The twist about training players to be selfish instead of teaching them teamwork like most sport mangas do is such a refreshing take on the genre. I loved the characters and enjoyed how some of them are straight up unlikable, it kept things interesting. A fun, addictive read. Will be following the next comunes, for sure.

I love sports manga, no doubt about that and Blue Lock does it differently. Our main character is Isagi Youichi, who wants to be the best (go figure). The Japan Football Union is in a crisis and decides to hire Ego Jinpachi in order to get Japan to the World Cup and the weirdo creates a system called Blue Lock. 300 potential youth strikers are asked to come and they have to compete in everything to be the best, survival of the fittest or so to speak. I do like the setting and how these guys need to compete and how the system is basically sick. So different. The characters look cool and different too, but it's just that I keep thinking about football and how silly the whole thing is in a sense. I think you need to be over 18 to play in Europe, so the dream feels off, since the guys are teenagers. I'm not really into football actually, but at least I know something about the teams and such, so dreaming of Europe feels odd.

The art looks good and the movements even better. I love the facial expressions and all in all the art is top-notch. The rhythm is smooth and the playing looks so awesome. I think I'll keep reading this, since even though I'm not into the sport per se, I do enjoy the setting more than I should. This is not a friendship series or at least it doesn't feel like one and that's refreshing. The tears of losing are the same and still feel stupid, but who cares?

I waver between a 2 and a 3 for this title. On the one hand, it absolutely embraces its insane concept, that soccer is not, in fact, a team sport and instead turns on the ego of its teams' strikers. On the other hand, that's a really messed up way to look at soccer. (Or any other team sport, for that matter.) It's as if Muneyuki Kaneshiro pitched a dystopian story and his editors said they wanted a sports manga instead, so he just twisted the plot he had to fit the requirements.

That's both a good and a bad thing. Certainly it makes <i>Blue Lock</i> stand out among other sports series, and it may give it appeal for those who wouldn't normally touch a soccer manga. But it's also so blatantly absurd that it doesn't entirely work, and it comes off as kids with dreams of sports stardom being taken horrible advantage of by unscrupulous adults. It's insane, and not necessarily in a good way.

Still, it's probably the closest we'll get to a version of <i>The Hunger Games</i> with a recognizable game in the starring role. If that's what you've been dreaming of, now's your chance to read it.

There is a full length review forthcoming on my site, MangaLibrarian.com and on my YouTube Channel! I go in depth on my analysis there.

Blue Lock was a fresh take on the shonen sports genre, adding a darker psychological spin on a genre that typically focuses on teamwork and friendship.

It would have been nice to see more of a reversal, especially from Yoichi Isagi, since he is our main point of view character. I liked that his hesitation in the first chapter, and I would like to see that further developed in subsequent volumes.

This first volume may have benefited from more focus on the individual characters' personaities. I worry that subsequent volumes may lose focus if too many characters are added into the ensemble cast, especially if their introductions are given similar treatments to those in this first volume.

Overall, I'm looking forward to the rest of this series, and it continues to push the envelope.

This book was so much fun! It was a great mix of sports manga and a little bit of Hunger Game vibes and I Loved it. Very much looking forward to continuing on with the next volume.

How do I describe Blue Lock? Imagine Prince of Tennis except replace tennis with soccer and give everyone serial killer eyes.

This isn't bad for a sports manga with a sh0unen flair but I think it'd be easy to forget. The first volume didn't endear any character to me and I already can't remember anyone's names, which isn't a good sign. This first volume didn't have enough soccer in it.

Not bad but not great.

Blue Lock is about Japanese Men's football (soccer) making changes in how it thinks about football in order to come out on top in time for the world cup in 2022. This means doing away with Japan's traditional thinking about teamwork, which they have always done and instilling ego into their players so they will be aggressive like the other countries that play football.. Blue Lock is a training facility developed to make this happen by taking the top 300 talented strikers from high school so they can be ready for the world cup.

This book is interesting because it goes against teamwork while at the same time make the players develop their game sense so they can make teamwork happen between everyone.

Blue Lock is a manga I had heard a lot about and so when I got the change to read it, I completely devoured it. It's darker than any sports manga I've read and it is very intense. From the first page itself, you are completely drawn in by both the art and the dialogue. Blue Lock also expertly subverts the team-is-a-family trope, giving it a rather twisted spin and that is what made me enjoy it more.
I'm looking forward to reading more of this wonderful manga!

I initially thought this was an adult book but was pretty surprised to see it focused on high school students. This book is a bit on the bizarre side. It’s supposed to be realistic fiction, but the challenges the teens are supposed to participate in feel more like the Hunger Games than a challenge kids would normally participate in. It felt really strange that the parents would allow their kids to participate in the Blue Lock program. I was also confused with the book’s constant need to point out that one person was the only thing that would help Japan win the championships. This isn’t tennis or golf. Soccer is a team sport so that sort of thinking makes no sense.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providing me an E-ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read a sports manga as intense and gripping as Blue Lock. Having it set outside of high school allowed for a more intriguing premise for readers, even if it was a bit terrifying. If there's one thing I am looking forward to in future volumes, it's character growth. Our main character, Isagi struggles to develop his stance on Blue Lock and seeing him adjust alongside 200+ players will definitely be a challenge. Overall, I would highly recommend Blue Lock to fans of sports animanga who are looking for something a little different.

Blue lock is one of the promising sports manga people should look out for. I know the sports genre is saturated these days but this one is a hidden gem that people should get into. It deserves more hype, and I know that this manga would get more fans when an anime adaptation is announced. Aside from the main character, there are also other characters to root for that makes the manga more fun. I love the other characters and there is definitely never a dull moment here. The first volume makes you interested in the story and be on the look out on what's to happen in the future. It is safe to say, that I'm heavily interested in the plot. It is a very engrossing read and I would surely continue reading this. It is one the mangas that I have read that I can't seem to put down and makes me want to finish it all in one sitting.

Thank you so much to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providing me access of this comics in exchange of an honest review.

Well, I enjoyed this one a lot more than I anticipated! I like sports stories but usually these types of sports stories where it is entirely the main focus but the competition aspect was genius. It was so fun to watch, especially because the competition is to figure out the best striker so that Japan can finally get a winning team.

It was interesting to see our main character struggle with doing the right thing and being selfish— selfishness being what they’re looking for to win. Usually, I wouldn’t like that in a story but this worked!

My biggest issue with this volume was the sexualization of the only female character. The way the men reacted to her and the scenes that were zoomed in on her chest, were super uncomfortable and unnecessary.

Other than that though, I enjoyed this volume and would for sure consider reading the sequel!

3.5/5⭐️

Wow. What a story. Blue Lock is so incredibly intense, I've never read a sports manga quite like it. Although I don't love the Blue Lock program, I must say, it was very well thought out. I was interested in the rankings, and would love to see more of the top ten players at Blue Lock. The characters were also pretty interesting, I can't wait to see more of them. The art is also extremely impactful and does a great job at depicting the fear the young students have. The way the illustrator portrays Jinpachi Ego was done phenomenally. He's absolutely terrifying, even I was afraid! The authors did a spectacular job at pulling the readers into the story too. The only complaint I have is that I'm sad to see Ryosuke Kira go. He was such a kind and compassionate character that I wanted to see more of. Overall, I adore this novel and couldn't stop reading. Blue Lock would be great for soccer fans, or anyone looking for a story revolving around determination. I look upcoming to the next volumes!

4/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Having lost the 2018 World Cup, Japan seeks to create a team that actually stands a chance in the future. Most importantly, they want to create an ace striker who will carry them to victory. They hire Jinpachi Ego who comes up with the idea for Blue Lock--a tournament between 300 high school strikers. By the end of the tournament, the one in first place will be the ideal striker that Japan needs to win the World Cup.

This was definitely interesting! The story is basically like The Hunger Games, only with 300 participants playing soccer. Our main character, Isagi, is invited to participate in Blue Lock. He finds himself somewhat overwhelmed with all the other talented players that he must compete against. I'm hoping to see more of the character's personalities in future volumes as they seem rather unique! The competition itself is cool and I'm curious about how this will play out. However, I'm not a huge fan of the premise behind the competition: that teamwork is meaningless and one person is meant to be a hero. Maybe it's just because I played soccer for years, but I simply didn't like the concept. Sports manga and anime typically revolve around teamwork, and as fascinating as it is to see the exact opposite, I'm not sure I care for it very much. I'm hoping that the concept of teamwork is found to be better than being the best individually in future volumes, but there's no guarantee that will happen.

Overall, the plot is intense, the characters seem interesting, and the art is good! I'm looking forward to future volumes as I love a good competition! Fans of sports anime, shonen, or The Hunger Games-style plots would probably enjoy this!

Content: few remarks about a woman's chest, some language

I got this for my son who loves manga and graphic novels. Here is his review:
It was really interesting. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. I just had to read it all in one sitting.
The story didn’t really end so I’m hoping there are or will be more books in this series. The artwork was good, the characters were great and the story was easy to follow. It had a little bit of swearing in it, but nothing horrible.
I would recommend this book to my friends and anyone who likes manga.

This manga is SO GOOD.
Sport mangas just hit different and the premise for this one is beyond unique!
300 high schoolers compete at a training camp called Blue Lock to be selected to represent Japan in football. They undergo mini games, challenges and competitions to climb ranks or be disqualified.
All ready I'm rooting for our MC to take out the number one slot but legit all of the characters in this manga are incredible, and hilarious!
I can't wait to see where this story goes from here.