Blue Lock, Vol. 2

Kaneshiro, Muneyuki. Blue Lock, Vol. 2. 2019. 208p. ISBN 9781646516551. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

With a round-robin starting in Pod 5, as announced at the end of Blue Lock, Vol. 1, Team Z first faces Team X and their striker. Isagi suggests the team should focus on one player, but because everyone thinks of themselves as the best striker, no one agrees to take on the other roles. A series of games of rock-paper-scissors seal the positions, but the grumbling does not stop. They soon realize that unlike them, Team X came up with a plan of attack that every pass is thrown to their striker, who scores a goal against an inexperienced goalie every time. Team Z breaks down, with everyone trying to do their own thing, and even stealing the ball from each other to be the one who scores a goal and gets to remain behind if the team is eliminated. Predictably, the team loses the match.

In the debrief, they agree to a new plan. Each player has a special weapon they can draw on, whether it be an amazing jump, the ability to read the field, or the best-left sidekick. Team Z creates a new battle plan where each player will have 10 minutes to serve as striker and a particular strategy will be executed.

Their next match occurs against Team Y. Unlike Team Z, Team Y focuses on defense, and only when the opportunity presents itself do they pass it forward, leading to a goal. With a score of 0-1, Team Z faces elimination. But then Isagi realizes that Team Ys formation is not built around their striker but around their midfielder, who, like Isagi, can read the field better than most. Armed with that knowledge, Isagi passes his turn to execute their plan and instead focuses on stopping Team Y's strategist. Will the gamble pay off, or will the team go home?