Blue Lock Producer Shares Insights on His Discontent with Season 2 Adaptation

Fans of the popular anime series Blue Lock have expressed their disappointment regarding the noticeable decline in animation quality in the second season compared to its acclaimed first season. The series’ producer, Ryoya Arisawa, recently addressed these concerns, shedding light on the reasons behind the changes in animation style.

The Blue Lock manga achieved incredible success in 2023, emerging as the best-selling manga in Japan with over 10 million copies sold. It has also surpassed a staggering 40 million copies globally, cementing its status as one of the all-time bestsellers in the manga realm. This unprecedented popularity partly stems from the series’ anime adaptation, which captivated audiences and introduced the ambitious premise of the Blue Lock program, spearheaded by the character Ego Jinpachi.

With a cliffhanger ending that left fans eagerly anticipating more, the second season quickly became one of the most awaited anime releases for the fall of 2024. However, viewers were taken aback by a significant decline in animation quality, leading to a wave of criticism from the community.

Many fans noted that the fluid, dynamic action sequences that characterized the first season were replaced by still frames and abrupt transitions, prompting comparisons to a PowerPoint presentation. Such an abrupt shift in animation style has proven divisive among the fanbase.

The Rationale Behind Animation Changes in Blue Lock Season 2

In a recent interaction on the official Instagram account, Arisawa acknowledged that he felt “far from satisfied”with the current adaptation. He emphasized that the characters’ relentless pursuit of strength mirrors his own ambitions for the Blue Lock series.

Arisawa explained that the changes in animation were primarily due to a shift in setting—from an enclosed training facility to a grand arena where the characters compete against Japan’s U-20 team. He stated, “To fully express this shift, we have increased depictions of the outside world and the audience, elements that were rarely seen before.” He also mentioned enhancements in monitor work, visual sequences, and aura effects, which were implemented in response to feedback from the first season.

Despite this explanation, producer Arisawa admitted that the team aimed to build up to a significant climax; however, this approach has not resolved the concerns raised by viewers and animators alike regarding the perceived drop in quality.

Further complicating the narrative, animator Reyes, who worked on Season 2 Episode 2, voiced discontent over the working conditions at Studio 8bit. He revealed, “Despite the low pay and negligible time, we did the best we could… basically, they eliminated all the movement, some frames, or they just made them differently.”Reyes highlighted a disparity between the work the animators intended to produce and the final product, providing context for the static frames that have characterized the early episodes of this season.

While Arisawa insists that these adjustments were deliberate, the disconnect between the producer’s vision and the animators’ execution underscores the widespread discontent among both fans and creators regarding season two’s animation quality.

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