Blue Lock season 2 fails to beat the "Slideshow" allegations with episode 2

Modified Oct 16, 2024 02:00 GMT

Blue Lock season 2 falls prey to mediocre animation (Image via 8bit)

The much-awaited Blue Lock season 2 seems to have started off on the wrong foot. Season 1 of the anime was a hit, impressing fans and critics alike in the manner in which Muneyuki Kaneshiro's sports series was brought to life on screens across the globe.

However, with just the first two episodes of the new season out, fans are unhappy about the animation quality. It seems as though Studio 8bit might have missed the mark with this one. A wave of displeasure swept the fandom as labels of "slideshow" began to be given to the content released so far.

This is not the start that the team behind Blue Lock season 2 was hoping for. But nonetheless, there could still be time to improve situations with the upcoming episodes.

Blue Lock season 2 falls prey to mediocre animation

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The second season of the popular sports anime looks to be off to a rocky start. Expectations were high following the success of the first season and the hype it generated by "taking over" from the world-renowned Haikyuu!!. But these very expectations seemed to take a hit when the animating studio dropped the first episode.

Then, the second episode only seemed to topple things further with animation that looked improperly done. While Studio 8bit did do a decent job on bringing out the "Ego" and aura of the players through the use of dazzling colors, the animation may have slipped up in the actual football section.

The first game of the final tryout itself was disconnected, frame-wise, and the characters moved abruptly. There were a number of still frames showcasing dialogue, which broke up the flow of the episode.

Blue Lock season 2 faces "slideshow" allegations

Fans were unhappy with the way Blue Lock season 2 kicked off and were quick to take to social media to share their thoughts. They are disappointed in what is being produced given that the series has the potential to be the top anime in the sports genre.

"Man we could have had a generational adaptation for blue lock instead we got a slideshow," a fan commented.

Fans were visibly distressed with what they were seeing. Many feel that the Blue Lock anime holds within it the potential for a generational adaptation of the original series. That would be obvious given how Season 1 progressed. But now, that belief might be in jeopardy, with the fans calling it a "slideshow."

"The new blue lock episode's animation lowkey reminded me of when ppl animate manga panels like...I try not to nitpick, but it was so noticeable... the amount of still frame/"slideshow" shots...," an X user wrote.

Another post on social media drew a parallel between the initial episodes and fan animation. For context, fans take the liberty of animating and bringing to life manga panels from their favorite manga. Needless to mention, this ordeal is not comparable to an acutal studio's work.

"The animation was mediocre at best, The actual goal moments were pretty decent, but every other cut of animation kinda sucked, The CGI, Compositing, Effects are all amazing, If animators got more time it'd be really great going forward," a netizen opined.

While there was a considerable bit of displeasure among fans, a certain section decided to look at the brighter side. They opined that while being quite ordinary overall, the actual goal moments were done better. They acknowledged animators' efforts in adding CGI and a number of other effects to enhance the visual appeal. They also made a case for giving animators more time to work on such high-profile projects.

"Everyone cried about the animation from the first season they changed it and made it more crisp but are show casing more aura and yall mad. The anime community never satisfied...Blue Lock season 2 pop off I support," a Blue Lock fan posted.

Finally, a group of fans decided to laud the studio's work on materializing the actual ego of the players. Blue Lock centers on a player's Ego that defines his playstyle and sets him apart from his competitors. They came out in support of the crispness of the animation quality and believe that 8bit is doing something different.