After the success of the first season and the BLUE LOCK: EPISODE NAGI movie, fans of the sports franchise were treated to another joyful moment: the “Meet the EOGISTS at AX!” panel, hosted by Bandai Namco Filmworks. Present at the panel were anime producer Ryoya Arisawa, manga editor Megumu Tsuchiya, Kazuki Ura, and Nobunaga Shimazaki, the Japanese voice actors of Yoichi Isagi and Seishiro Nagi. They shared their thoughts on the TV anime, movie, and the characters – in Q&A format.
With BLUE LOCK loved by many people worldwide, the panelists were asked about their thoughts on the international attention the series was getting. The four guests said that they were happy with the attention. Arisawa said that BLUE LOCK is about making the Japanese soccer team stronger and that he didn’t know how it would resonate with an international audience. Upon hearing how loved it was outside of Japan, he told the audience that he was “so glad it was able to resonate with all of you [fans].”
Tsuchiya stated that it was a “dream come true” for him and shared his reason for working on the original manga series. He said, “Making the original manga with Kaneshiro-sensei and Nomura-sensei, [not only did] we want people in Japan to like the manga, but we also wanted to make it for the international audiences.” Ura and Shimazaki also shared their thoughts on the subject, with Ura stating that it “exceeded all of his expectations” and Shimazaki saying “how happy he was to see the series reached the audience overseas.”
When the panelists were asked if they had seen EPISODE NAGI, they responded that they had seen the movie and shared their thoughts. Ura said “Isagi is scary! It was interesting to see Isagi’s perspective.” Shimazaki also playfully said that his first thought was “Reo, sorry!” and said: “It was interesting to see the relationship between the characters [Nagi and Reo], watching their ups and downs together on the big screen.”
Arisawa told everyone that it was great to see the first season again through Nagi’s perspective, before confidently saying that the fans “would love it.” Tsuchiya praised the animation and said that the quality was “amazing, absolutely phenomenal.”
Ura and Nobunaga were also asked if there were any differences and/or similarities between voicing in the TV anime series and EPISODE NAGI. Nobunaga responded that since the perspective changed to Nagi he had to change the way he was acting. Ura talked about the match between Isagi, Nagi and Reo. He remarked that Isagi was like the “final boss.”
The panel also showed off the results of a poll, answered by fans of the series. The results were as follows:
Who is your favorite BLUE LOCK character?
- Seishiro Nagi
- Yoichi Isagi
- Meguru Bachira
Who do you think is the most relatable BLUE LOCK character?
- Seishiro Nagi
- Yoichi Isagi
- Hyoma Chigiri
Which BLUE LOCK character’s soccer skills would you want to have?
- Meguru Bachira
- Yoichi Isagi
- Seishiro Nagi
Which BLUE LOCK character would you like to play with?
- Meguru Bachira
- Yoichi Isagi
- Mikage Reo
Who do you believe will win the BLUE LOCK program in the end?
- Yoichi Isagi
- Rin Itoshi
- Seishiro Nagi
A clip from the series accompanied the character that won first place for each of the questions.
Even though everyone was confused with the result of the last poll when the final clip focused on Bachira, even though Isagi won first place on who would win the BLUE LOCK program.
“I’m so happy! I’m so glad I’m finally number one,” Kazuki Ura happily said after seeing Isagi finally land the first spot. He proceeded to start the Isagi #1!” chant, with the crowd joining him to celebrate his victory.
To end the panel, Ura and Nobunaga did a reading of the fan-favorite lines of their respective characters. Ura read a line from the first episode where Isagi realized he had to change. Meanwhile, Nobunaga read his line from episode 13, where Nagi started to show his motivation in soccer.
Read More:
BLUE LOCK season 2 will stream on Crunchyroll in October 2024 October. Fans can also watch the first season of BLUE LOCK on Crunchyroll.
Source: Press
©︎ Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura, Kodansha / “Blue Rock” Production Committee
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