©︎ Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, Kodansha/BLUE LOCK Production Committee
Anime Expo hosted the “Meet the EGOISTS at AX!” panel, featuring a Q&A of cast and production members of the esteemed soccer anime, Blue Lock. Present at the panel were the voice of Yoichi Isagi, Kazuki Ura, voice of Seishiro Nagi, Nobunaga Shimazaki, manga editor Megumu Tsuchiya, and anime producer Ryoya Arisawa.
©︎ Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, Kodansha/BLUE LOCK Production Committee
Throughout the panel, attendees enjoyed hearing the panelist’s perspectives on the series as they answered questions about Blue Lock’s international success, first impressions of the movie, which characters they feel they relate the most to, and how they were enjoying Los Angeles and Anime Expo. As a surprise to the panelist, part of the Q&A included poll answers from the fans of the anime, sharing their thoughts about their favorite characters of the anime thus far. The questions and their results were as follows:
Who is your favorite Blue Lock character?
1st: Seishiro Nagi
2nd: Yoichi Isagi
3rd: Meguru Bachira
Who do you think the most relatable Blue Lock character is?
1st: Seishiro Nagi
2nd: Yoichi Isagi
3rd: Hyoma Chigiri
Which Blue Lock character’s soccer skills would you want to have?
1st: Meguru Bachira
2nd: Yoichi Isagi
3rd: Seishiro Nagi
Which Blue Lock character would you like to play with?
1st: Meguru Bachira
2nd: Yoichi Isagi
3rd: Mikage Reo
Who do you believe will win the Blue Lock program in the end?
1st: Yoichi Isagi
2nd: Rin Itoshi
3rd: Seishiro Nagi
“I’m so happy! I’m so glad I’m finally number one,” Kazuki Ura playfully said when the fan poll revealed they believed his character Isagi would be the one to win the Blue Lock program. Joining in on his excitement, attendees rallied behind Ura, chanting #1 as he celebrated his victory on stage.
©︎ Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, Kodansha/BLUE LOCK Production Committee
To conclude the fan poll, Kazuki Ura and Nobunaga Shimazaki were asked to do a reading of their respective fan favorite lines. After completing his reading from the first episode where Isagi realized he had to change, Ura said, “This moment depicted Isagi’s ego at the beginning of the series. It was a scene where it naturally flowed out of Isagi so I really wanted to put that effort into my voice acting for the moment.” Finishing his reading of the iconic moment where Nagi showcased his motivation in episode 13, Shimazaki said, “Seeing the lazy and unmotivated Nagi slowly change from meeting pivotal characters like Isagi and the others, and watching him find his ego made this an important moment for me and I wanted to put that into my voice acting as well.”
Blue Lock has surpassed 40 million copies in cumulative comic sales in Japan and was the best-selling manga of 2023. Many fans were thrilled by season 1, and to conclude the panel, attendees were treated to the premiere of the trailer for Season 2 of Blue Lock, which is set to air this October, as well as announcements of new merchandise available both at Anime Expo and online, and the launch of the official English social media account.
“Thank you so much! The love for Blue Lock from the LA crowd is so immense and amazing. I am going to go back to Japan to work and make an amazing season for you guys. Thank you again for your support and stay tuned,” said producer Arisawa.
The Blue Lock booth also saw a lot of excitement, featuring key animation art, a digital photo shoot with the anime characters, stills from the anime, and a database showing each of the main participants of the Blue Lock project. The highlight of the booth was a life-size statue of Isagi that fans could take photos with.
©︎ Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, Kodansha/BLUE LOCK Production Committee
Panelist Comments:
Producer Ryoya Arisawa:
“Blue Lock is about making the Japanese soccer team stronger, so I didn’t know how it would resonate with international audiences. I’m so glad it was able to resonate with all of you and I hope you enjoy the upcoming season.”
“When I saw the final cut of the movie, I was so confident that it was going to be great and that you all would love it. It was great to see the first season again through Nagi’s perspective. The movie was really well done and I think everybody did a great job!”
“For the TV series, we have to create a 30 minute story with a beginning, middle, and end, but we can end things on a cliffhanger for the next episode. In a movie, we have to tell an entire story in about an hour or an hour and a half, so we have to make sure we tell a full story. I’m very proud of the movie and how it came out, thank you!”
Manga Editor Megumu Tsuchiya:
“Making the original manga with Kaneshiro-sensei and Nomura-sensei, we wanted people in Japan to like the manga, but we wanted to make it for international audiences as well. We’re happy that it’s seen such success and we’re happy for the future of Blue Lock as well!”
“The animation and quality is amazing, absolutely phenomenal. Episode Nagi was such a great thing, thank you all!”
Voice actor Kazuki Ura:
“Blue Lock is a very popular story in Japan and has exceeded all of my expectations. I am very thankful for that.”
“Seeing Isagi really push himself as he climbs to the top reminds me of myself and makes me really want to root for him as he continues to push himself.”
Voice actor Nobunaga Shimazaki:
“Like Nagi, I can be kind of lazy and I love video games which I know many of you understand. Seeing Nagi and how he was able to find what matters to him most and discover his ego was probably how I relate to him the most.”
“When I first watched the Episode Nagi movie, I thought …damn Reo, I’m so sorry! But I thought it was really good to see the relationship between the characters, watching their ups and downs together on the big screen.”
“Nagi’s personality doesn’t change between the tv series and the movie, but since the film looks at the scenes from Nagi’s perspective, I did have to change the acting a little. I really enjoyed getting to show that side of Nagi and I was very blessed to work with the team.”
Story:
Blue Lock follows the dreams of 300 high school students who aim to lead the Japanese Men’s National Team to the next World Cup championship as their ace striker! To become the best, they join the Blue Lock project, a high-risk training program where anyone eliminated is forever barred from joining the Japanese National Team. Pitting the best-rising players in Japan against each other, only the most confident and skilled will emerge from this program!
Thirty-five participants survived the grueling selection process and now they face their greatest challenge yet in this ego-driven frenzy, the U-20 Japan National Team! Can they meet this challenge and prove the value of the Blue Lock player improvement project?
The hottest battle in history is about to begin, where rising egoists will have the chance to leave their mark on the world of soccer!
Social and Website info:
Official website: https://bluelock-pr.com
Official X (Twitter): @BLUELOCK_PR
Official English Account
Official Instagram: @blue_lock_en
Official X (Twitter): @Blue_Lock_En
Official TikTok: @blue_lock_en
Panel coverage provided by 33 USA Inc. For inquiries, please contact [email protected]
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