Reo, Nagi, and Differences from the Main Manga
Thoughts from Episode: Nagi, chapter 17
Reo:
This chapter was kind of needed for him to "abandon" his ego of becoming the best with Nagi (and we can see it sort of fading in the textbox) -- and simultaneously get rid of that growing attachment he has to Nagi. Really sad to see him say, "thank you" as if he doesn't even have the strength to break them apart himself (and he didn't)
The chameleon makes its first chronological appearance so we can clearly see him start to 'adapt' his thinking and playing even though it's not fully fleshed out yet, which is exciting! I wasn't sure if that was something he made up with Shidou before, but it's hilarious to know it all started with Nagi, AGAIN. Or maybe this is the manga trying to convey that he's changing himself to help Nagi walk away lol
His inferiority complex with Nagi makes itself kind of known here, with the monologue- "Those are the words *I* wanted to say,," but was unable to...
Somehow, Nagi being able to encourage Reo makes him the stronger one mentally -- which is tough for someone who subconsciously already thinks he can't go very far without Nagi skill-wise.
Poor guy... and he still has so far to go before he starts to think he can fight on his own.
Nagi:
Man, this chapter pretty much confirms that their mischaracterization and miscommunication goes both ways lol. Nagi spitefully admonishes that he isn't Reo's 'toy' when Reo flips from "wanting to be the best" to "wanting to stay together"-- These guys have such a hard time acknowledging their friendship outside of football, it's actually painful.
I can't tell if he made any sort of connection betweey 'toy' and being Reo's 'treasure'. But that's almost definitely a metaphor on Reo's part. What a lot of people misuse is that Reo calls Nagi his 'treasured possession' when I really, truly don't think he meant viewing Nagi as a literal object. But how else do you expect a rich boy who's only been shown love through material things to describe something he values? *(see tags for a rant on this lol)
I do wish we'd gotten more insight into how he felt when he heard what Reo said in the moment, but this chapter was already long as it is. I do think Nagi's expressions sort of speak for themselves.
I mean, he straight up looks like he's about to cry here.
I would argue that part of Nagi's promise to 'stay together' during the entrance actually includes 'believing in each other' like he says here:
And if that's the case, then what did Reo's claim of abandonment mean to him? Was it that Reo didn't believe in Nagi's newfound drive to win? Or was he mad that Reo didn't believe in himself? I think it's a bit of both, but I really want to see more thoughts in the manga or from the fandom
Blue Lock vs. Episode: Nagi
So... Nagi definitely seems more angry in this chapter, right? When you revisit Ch. 76, you can see that Nagi is a lot more apologetic towards Reo
( Here you see him lament not growing alongside Reo, but fired up and excited to work with Isagi)
vs. what we saw this chapter
(Nagi saying sorry and acknowledging he's changed, but looking less toward the future and more resisting the past)
Maybe this is just a difference in translations, but "I can't [am not able to] go back" feels a little different from "I won't go back" -- the former just feels like an admission (to Reo), while the latter feels a lot more confrontational, a downright refusal to go along with what Reo wants.
And that's fine, but it does reshape how I thought about Nagi, and I think it really emphasizes just how pissed he was at Reo by the end of 2nd Selection.
This reframes their interaction during U-20 tryouts for me. I originally thought it was mostly setting up Reo's chameleon style defense and Reo's internal conflict (which it is) but EpiNagi really just shows that Nagi also has a ways to go before they reunite in Manshine
I think this could be the panel (from Ch. 107, 3rd Selection) where Nagi forgives Reo -- it's the point where Reo sort of shows he understands Nagi's drive to win, and that he doesn't value staying together over improving anymore. After that, they have no issues (in Nagi's eyes) so it was probably easy to imagine walking up to Reo during MC v BM and asking for his help ... but man, we still have a long way til then, and I can't wait for EpiNagi to probably prove me wrong :p
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She flexed her fingers, carefully adjusting the magic as it flowed out from her hands and watching as new shapes appeared on the surface. Then she changed the reflection of the sky; from bright blue to the darkest of blacks, covering it in millions of little speckles that shone brightly—if slightly trembling—off the surface of the water.
"See?" she asked.
For once, Hubert's expression showed real wonder, his gaze moving across the pond to take it all in as his lips parted in fascination.
I commissioned @wild-moss-art to paint a scene from my fic The Mysteries of Magic, where Constance uses her magic to change the reflections in the monastery's pond to the night sky as she remembers it above the Nuvelle grounds.
And just like Hubert is rendered speechless by Constance's skills, I am once again taken aback by the sheer magic that Moss can achieve with their art. 💖
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