Alright, alright, let me tell ya ’bout this… this “Blue Lock” thing. My grandson, he keeps yappin’ about it. Says it’s a real barn burner of a story, this “manga” they call it. Kids these days with their fancy words. Anyways, it’s about soccer, or football as them fancy folks call it. Not the kind we used to play in the pasture with a beat-up ball, mind you. This is serious business, they say.

So, from what I gather, this fella, Ego Jinpachi, he’s got this crazy idea. See, Japan, they ain’t winnin’ no World Cups. And this Ego fella, he thinks he knows why. He says they ain’t got no good strikers, no real “egoists” he calls ’em. You know, them fellas who just wanna score, no matter what. Kinda like that rooster we had, always peckin’ the best corn, didn’t care about the other chickens none.

• So, Ego, he gathers up 300 young soccer players, all wantin’ to be the best striker in Japan.
• He throws ’em all in this place called “Blue Lock,” which sounds like a jailhouse to me.
• And then, he makes ’em compete, fightin’ tooth and nail to come out on top.

It’s a real dog-eat-dog situation, let me tell ya. These boys, they ain’t playin’ nice. They’re steppin’ on each other, betrayin’ each other, doin’ whatever it takes to win. My grandson says it’s all about becomin’ the ultimate striker, the one who can lead Japan to victory. Sounds like a whole lotta fuss over kickin’ a ball, if you ask me. But the boy, he’s glued to it, readin’ them little picture books and yappin’ about who’s gonna win and who’s gonna get kicked out.

Now, this Ego fella, he’s got some weird ideas. He don’t care about teamwork, not one bit. He says it’s all about the individual, about bein’ the best, about scorin’ goals. He’s got these crazy trainin’ exercises, makin’ the boys do all sorts of wild things. My grandson was tellin’ me about how they gotta play tag with a soccer ball, or how they gotta guess where the ball’s gonna go before it even gets kicked. Sounds like a whole lotta hooey to me, but hey, what do I know about fancy soccer trainin’?

But I gotta say, from what I’ve seen peekin’ over the boy’s shoulder, the pictures are real purty. Them artists, they know how to draw a good kick, that’s for sure. And the story, well, it’s got me kinda hooked too, even if I don’t understand half of what’s goin’ on. You got these boys, they all start out thinkin’ they’re somethin’ special, but then they get to Blue Lock and they realize they ain’t nothin’ but small potatoes. And they gotta fight, they gotta claw their way to the top, or they get sent home. It’s like a bunch of roosters fightin’ over the hen house, only with more sweat and less feathers flyin’.

And the characters, oh boy, they’re somethin’ else. You got the quiet ones, the loud ones, the cocky ones, the ones who seem nice but are really snakes in the grass. My grandson, he’s always got a favorite, and then he changes his mind the next week. Says it’s all about who’s got the best “ego,” who’s the most determined to win. I tell him, life ain’t about winnin’ all the time, it’s about doin’ what’s right. But them youngsters, they don’t listen to an old woman like me.

So, this “Blue Lock,” it’s more than just a soccer story, I reckon. It’s about ambition, about competition, about findin’ out who you really are when the pressure’s on. It’s about these boys learnin’ to be selfish, learnin’ to fight for what they want, learnin’ to be the best darn strikers in the world. And even though I don’t understand all the fancy soccer talk, I can appreciate a good story about folks fightin’ for their dreams. Even if them dreams involve kickin’ a ball into a net. Heck, I fought for my dreams too, back in the day, even if them dreams were just about gettin’ a good crop outta the ground and keepin’ the family fed. So, I guess in a way, I can understand these boys, even if they are a whole lot younger and a whole lot more obsessed with soccer than I ever was.

So, if you got a youngster who’s into this “manga” stuff, or if you just wanna read a story about a bunch of boys fightin’ their way to the top, maybe give “Blue Lock” a try. Just don’t expect it to make a whole lotta sense, ’cause them fancy soccer folks, they got their own way of doin’ things. And don’t come cryin’ to me if your favorite character gets kicked out, ’cause that’s just the way it goes in Blue Lock. It’s a tough world out there, even if it’s just a picture book world. And remember, even an old woman like me can appreciate a good story, even if it’s about somethin’ as silly as kickin’ a ball.

Tags: Blue Lock, Manga, Soccer, Football, Sports Manga, Ego Jinpachi, Striker, Competition, Teamwork, Japanese Manga, Anime, Shonen, Kodansha