#it's not just any shidou panel it's THE shidou panel

[seoafin]

seeing the shidou screenshot is like mental damage -100000000

[mono-dot-jpeg]

boy failures for u - i. yoichi, s. nagi, s. ryusei, b. meguru

summary; in which some boys just love you so much, they simply can't function

genre/extra tags; scenarios, fluff, comedy, projecting my love for dog energy boys, they're so pathetic /pos, bachira is clumsy, ryusei is an embarrassingly horny dude (can confirm, he gets no bitches, absolutely ZERO play!!), nagi... is perfect as he is, yoichi,,,, is just socially awkward around people he has a crush on

[gender neutral reader]

a/n; look at me being fancy this one panel banner, slay. tbh i couldn't think of a good three photos to use for it so i tried this which is kind of nice. anyways i had a sudden thought hit me and it must be done. and what better anime to write for than the one where everyone has unexplainable gay tension between each other. i swear im as caught up as possible i think and i swear the gay tension is like,, crazy.

isagi yoichi is endearing. he's so bad at being normal around you. his face flushed a cute red, and his words barely managing to leave his mouth as you talk to him so sweetly. he doesn't know how to handle a crush. and it's so cute to tease him because he just doesn't know how to respond properly.

the times where he does manage to gain enough confidence to talk a conversation with you, he's never taking the lead in any of them. he's talking [somewhat] normally to you, answering your questions and [attempting] to reply to your thoughts and responses. of course, just don't flirt with him too hard. there's like a 50 percent chance he will understand it or not.

he can't even admire you correctly. when he attempts to give you a compliment, he's saying all the wrong words and apologizing profusely like he offended your entire bloodline. he's so utterly enchanted by you, he wonders if you're an angel sent just for him.

"you're so nice, y/n." "huh?" "i-i mean you're really cute! wait- i didn't mean that! fuck- not that i don't think you look cute! you're really a great person, you know?! sorry! i'm just gonna go back to practice...!"

nagi seishiro is so lazy that you can't help but watch over him. you understand why reo adores him (a little too much). he's a boy with pretty privilege and talent. he talks to you with such honesty that he unintentionally flirts with you. he doesn't know a lot of things well, but even he's had his fair share with understanding liking people (but that's only with the random dating sims he's tried).

when he manages to get on his feet, whether it's for a soccer match or you, he's stuck by you like a cute koala. he whines about everything being "too much of a hassle." but he finds himself walking around looking for you, no matter how far you are. he whines to you about how he had to get up to find you, and he's cuddling close to you. his mouth turned into his signature X shape as he pouts at you, annoyed that you just had to be away from him for more than a minute.

he tries so hard to be around you but at the cost of his laziness, he mutters to you about how much easier it would be if you just stay with him all the time like his purple-haired companion or his cactus pet. he fell for you first, but he makes it so easy for you to fall harder.

"why do you always have to do stuff?" "it's my job, sei." "you should just stay with me all the time. you take care of me so well."

shidou ryuusei is annoyingly desperate for you. if isagi was endearing, shidou was insolent. he speaks before he thinks. he has no shame in chasing after you. it's quite a feat that you haven't even shooed him away as much as sae has. you sort of find a friend in sae because of that. he always rolls his eyes when you mention him. he wonders why you keep being around the blonde jock, and you tell him, "who doesn't love a pathetic man?"

when he talks to you, he just can't read a room with you in it. he's the type of guy to say "this shot is for you." and it hits the goal post and then to his face. of course he'd never actually miss in a real match but i can guarantee that it would happen during a practice match. he unintentionally humiliates himself every time he tries to be cool. if sae is there, it's even worse. he's trying to bump up the flirting up to a 200 and failing miserably to woo either of you.

he's like those tweets where it's like, "how did i pull them? easy. i just went, PLEASEPLEAPLSEPWPLEAPLELA-". without fail, he basically tries to re-enact that but he doesn't even pull you because you'd much rather wait for him to actually be a decent man and grow the rest of his brain. though it doesn't seem he'll learn his lesson anytime soon.

"did i ever tell you how hot you look right now?" "yes. you have. multiple times. today." "please go out with me." "no."

bachira meguru is confusing. he's clingy, blunt, teasing, a little stupid but has the spirit, and an absolute cutie. he's passionate about what he likes. and surprise, surprise, he likes you. he's an infodumper but you don't mind at all. but sometimes those talks take a hard left into just telling you how much he likes you. you better hope you're strong because he will be jumping on you for a hug.

when he's just buzzing with excitement, he can't help but scramble by your side to cling onto you in any way that you will allow him to. he's not as boy failure as the others on this list because even when he fails to capture your heart, he's still succeeding in his book. he loves when you give him any sliver of attention. that's probably his thing as a boy failure. he is a hyper and needy dog who's too big to cuddle with but doesn't care. and you can't say no because then they just stare at you with those big eyes until you cave.

he's the type of guy to be confused when people ask if you're dating him and you say no. "what do you mean we're not dating? i thought this was the dating." he's never actually confessed, but he considers his "s-tier affection" to be confession enough. but he's kind of coward whether he realizes it or not. he's scared to actually say that he wants to be yours, but that's like an angsty story for another time, SO SHUT.

"what if we kissed? like right now?" "but we're not dating, meguru." "we're not? we should." "i'll think about it." "no think! just do!"

[riririnnnn]

More random things in Blue Lock I find endearing:

-> Brothers

LOOK AT THE HAND PLACEMENT OF SAE. JUST LOOK AT IT. LOOK. AT. IT. OHMYGOD I'M GONNA CRY.

Oh god.

It's tough to explain, but to see him supporting Rin's arm instead of the trophy makes me want to punch a wall. It feels like, "Yes, we won this together, Rin." OHMYGOD! AAAAAAAA!!!

-> Hushed wisher

I really don't think we have ever seen Noa coaching any player other than Isagi, so him silently rooting for Kaiser caught me off guard real hard. Of course, it doesn't seem like much of a big deal, but to see that Noa hadn't completely taken his eyes off of Kaiser and that he hadn't completely pulled away his trust from Kaiser hits a certain type of emotion in my heart.

Considering that Kaiser wants to win over Noa too—a fact Noa, probably, knows—makes everything feel a bit.. bittersweet.

-> CHEERS!!

The above panel happened after Shidou scored a goal against Barcha and honestly—

CUTE!!!

I mean, BM was next in line to face PxG—it's probably the reason why they were watching the match live—and they were going to face Shidou which makes them rivals, and yet, when he does something cool, they all go, "WOOHOO! THAT'S COOL!!" instead of worrying or being jealous.

It's called sportsmanship, I guess?

It's sweet.

-> BM's Dad

There's another translation, but I find the above one way better because it's so... soft.

I mean, Noa has always been shown as this cold, emotionless person who inhales and exhales logic, so it was sweet when he tried to reassure Kiyora—when he showed some kind of compassion. It was like, "Hey, Kiddo! It's okay, don't worry, you'll play the next time! Cheer up!"

It also makes it sound like even if Kiyora were not to have the required stats for the next match, then Noa was prepared to against his own ideals and let Kiyora play regardless.

Sweet!

-> Protective

When Nagi got pissed off because Barou's violent behaviour nearly hurt Reo. Like, just look at that stance, he was ready to beat the crap out of Barou if Reo wouldn't have stopped him.

No matter what label you give Nagi and Reo—lovers or friends—you can't deny that they are probably the best thing that happened to eachother.

I really want what they have.

-> "It's their love language"

They barely knew eachother and yet when these two started to brawl, they all intervened immediately—Nanase and Isagi are literally hanging onto them with their dear life. It's tough to explain, but I found the gesture really sweet, like, they didn't know them! They could bash open their skulls—it wouldn't affect them at all and yet, they are trying to stop them!

Adorbs!!

Also, Chigiri was on the other side of the field, I guess. He came running!!! So sweet!

-> First friend

The way Bachira blindly believed in Isagi. Like, he had full trust that Isagi will come and play with him. He never doubted him at all! The healthiest duo of Blue Lock!

Also, look at his duck lips. Cutie.

-> "Welcome to the academy!"

Anybody who has shifted to a completely new place full of completely new people knows how good and relieving it feels when others make an effort to help you feel welcomed.

No idea if those three extra characters got selected in the tryouts or not, but they were nice. If Kaiser would've met them earlier, then they all would've surely been good buddies.

-> Beloved Ace

The way everyone instantly got mad at Shidou when he hurt Sendou—sweet! Also, the fact that they all refused to play if Sendou didn't play makes me giggle.

I adore bonds like these so much.

.

.

.

Pt: 1, 2, 3.

Probably the last of this series.

[boinin]

Batten down the hatches: Rin's ego is about to land

The latest chapters show Rin playing with an unfamiliar aura: what looks like swirling rivulets of water.

This represents the refinement of his ego and playstyle since the under-20 match. But what exactly are they going for with the swirling water? Here's my two cents.

Rin is strongly associated with water, specifically the sea. He grew up by the coast; he and Sae shared a love of watching the sunset over the water after training together. Those childhood memories are turbulent now, like dark clouds on the ocean's horizon.

It's here he realises that he can no longer play the puppetmaster football that helped him thrive in Blue Lock. As good as he is, it wasn't authentic... and it's nowhere near where he needs to be to compete with his brother, or even Isagi.

Rin's flow state is the most unique out of any others we've seen. Let's dig into it. All panels are from the official translation, which is important as the translation choices are 1) consistent and 2) likely chosen carefully.

In the dying moments of the match, Rin complains about feeling restrained. Being Itoshi Rin is eating him alive.

Cool, calm and aloof.

A genius. Prodigy. Puppetmaster.

Team player. Team captain.

Isagi Yoichi's partner. Shidou Ryuusei's rival.

Itoshi Sae's little brother.

The prospect of defeat rudely wakes him up. His pretence comes crashing down hard, triggered by his ineffectiveness in spite of the teammates around him. It's one of the best rugpulls in sports manga.

When the power of friendship comes knocking, Itoshi Rin tells it to fuck off and die.

What a glorious moment... and not just because it posits Rin as a Uchiha Sasuke kinnie. I prompt you to examine his eyes in this panel.

They're a swirling vortex of hate and destruction, befitting Blue Lock's angstiest character. The shape reminds me of this:

Satellite images of Hurricane Franklin and Hurricane Idalia, August 2023. Image credit: NOAA Satellites.

Rin's true ego, which he unleashes against Sae, is a storm.

Optional soundtrack for the rest of this post (because Rin 100% listens to this once it comes out in Blue Lock's universe).

Although it isn't portrayed visually as such in the under-20 arc, the metaphor fits Rin's evolving playstyle. What is more destructive, more uncontrollable, more senseless than a hurricane? A violent force of nature that we can predict but never avert?

When a storm approaches, all we can do is rank it, track it, then attempt to mitigate the inevitable damage.

In football terms? Sounds a lot like playing Rin.

It's even alluded to in chapter 250: the graphics for Rin's formation are similar to the satellite images of large storms.

Within the U20 match, there are exchanges that support this theory. Darai calls Rin's evolving playstyle arrogant and avaricious. The latter (meaning extreme greed) is evocative of a force that pursues what it wants without regard for anything in its surroundings. What it can't have, it destroys.

Niou is confident enough in his physicality to try withstand his opponent's attrack. Rin literally flips him into the air. Niou's hubris brings to mind all man-made constructs which are supposedly storm-proof... until a cyclone comes along and proves otherwise.

The contrast between Rin and Sae's egos are interesting. If we accept Rin's is a storm, i.e. a destructive force of nature that cannot be controlled, Sae's is the opposite despite being as impossible to defy. Sae's motif is defined in the manga as "beautiful destruction", plays and passes depicted in graceful data strings. Rather than natural, his playstyle is sleek and controlled, and dominant to the point of appearing pre-ordained by his opponents.

Their attitudes are equally different. While Rin drools and loses composure in the final minutes, Sae does little more than raise his eyebrows throughout the entire game. He's completely emotionless.

It's the extremes of human nature: animalistic rage versus robotic detachment. This time, the latter wins. Will Rin have an opportunity to face his brother again, with a better grasp on his ego? Here's hoping.

My final thoughts on Rin are speculative. How does one beat a storm? Not just endure—but subdue and calm one?

It's beyond human capability. The ability to control the weather exists only in myth and fantasy, and even then it's usually in the hands of powerful entities, not mere heroes or wizards.

Subduing something as powerful as a hurricane would require a god.

Is this Isagi and Rin's endgame?

Time will tell.

[xoxobluelock]

Itoshi Sae, Physical Contact, and the Exceptions: Rin and Shidou

As of Chapter Ch 214, the only two people we see Sae allow to touch him are his little brother…and Shidou Ryusei.** Post (S)pain, it’s only been Shidou. 

**I’m going to argue that Sae allows Shidou to jump on his back. And I mean 'argue' in the lightest sense.

-

Quick preface: Just organizing and posting notes I took on the subject for characterization in a fic (they are, therefore, biased). I’m not claiming that no one has ever touched Sae, just that the manga only shows a select few occasions. We’ll go in chapter and not chronological order. For the most part.

-

The first time the manga shows us anyone trying to initiate contact with Sae is with these two clowns (JFU President and U-20 “coach”) in Ch 107. Hardly surprising that Sae wouldn’t shake the hands of people he so clearly doesn’t respect. 

Every expression in this panel is priceless.

Next up, Ch 111:

Aiku and his proposal are plainly of more interest to Sae than the JFU bozos, yet Sae nopes right out of Aiku’s ‘gentlemen's agreement’ handshake. And then threatens to nope out of the whole match if the U-20 Team can’t meet his standards.

We see Sae being rushed by celebratory teammates several times. Not once do we readers see any of them actually succeed in throwing an arm around him pre-Spain, in Spain, or post-Spain. Until Shidou.

Post Spain (Ch 116): 

Sae has just scored a goal crazy enough to have Isagi think, “The leading actor in this game is Itoshi Sae!!” The crowd is going wild, the U-20 Team is rushing Sae in joy, …and Sae literally slaps them off: “Hands off, chumps.” 

Poor Fox Kid and Not-Bokuto. They seem so darn sweet. 

Now, a blast from the past. 

Pre-Spain (Ch 123): 

I don’t know about y’all, but I can so clearly see Little Sae ducking right out these guys’ arms—in a more humorously standoffish way. Like how we see Rin sidestep Isagi (coming right up!). An imagination is all we got here.

Spain (Ch 125):

Now in the mysterious (S)pain… Hopefully we’ll get more than a glimpse of it one day! Would Sae have dodged the Real Madrid Youth Team guys? Would he have numbly endured it? Would he have slapped them off? Etc.? The manga, again, leaves us to wonder. (My money’s on the second one.)

Once again, I’m definitely not saying Sae’s teammates have never succeeded in tackling him in celebration. Just that it’s notable we, the readers, don’t see it. Yet. 

I’ll conclude with some pre-Spain Itoshi Bros cuteness, but let’s talk some post-Spain Itoshi Bros parallels first.

Ch 121

Poor Isagi. 😂 Rin sees him coming with a little “!” and dodges his charge like the plague with a grumpy lil “Hmph.”

Rin, now away from Isagi, goes right back to business in the next panel.

Ten chapters later, we have a Sae parallel. 

Ch 131

Just like Rin, Sae sees a celebratory missile coming right at him with a “!” and a less than enthusiastic expression—yet Sae doesn’t dodge Shidou.

Shidou definitely takes off like a bat out of hell (ha). But do we really think Itoshi Sae of the New Generation World XI couldn’t have even sidestepped—like his little brother—if he’d really wanted to?

I think Sae allows Shidou his moment of clingy celebration. Especially in light of the Rin and Isagi parallel. Remember, this was immediately following Shidou’s unbelievable Big Bang Drive—a goal that had even Sae showing open surprise on his face (Ch 130). Shidou becomes the first one shown to have jumped on Sae in celebration.

(Real talk, though: someone please give Kitsunezato and Neru a high five!)

The next page…

Both pursuers of the Itoshi Bros end up with a hard impact on the ground, and yet….

Sae doesn’t tell Shidou to f— off after throwing Shidou off him. Shidou doesn’t get an icy “Hands off, chump” like Fox Kid and Not-Bokuto. Sae doesn’t stalk off (he actually lingers and seems to chat while Shidou just chills on the ground and gives him a lil thumbs-up). Sae tells Shidou, “You have to get a hat trick, remember? Then you’d get my number. Hands off until then, you horny demon.” Untillll being the operative word (...one of them, anyway 😅). Not only does Sae let Shidou latch on, Sae banters with Shidou.

This is outside the point of this post, but Sae looks…sad? nostalgic? when Shidou first jumps on him. It doesn’t last long, but it’s there. Perhaps relating to the panels I’m about to bring up. (Addressing what may have prompted Sae’s “Gross” and “horny demon” reactions + his punch/tackle is also outside the purview of this post 😅 Same with speculating on what the helllll these two were talking about below.)

Concluding with some Pre-(S)pain Itoshi Bros

Ch 123:

We see Little RinRin as the original No Touchy exception. And it’s so wholesome.

And Sae actually reaching out to Rin and being affectionate. Maybe we’ll see it again one day.

Ch 124

Look, the Itoshi Bros are capable of high fives! Or, they were, anyway. 

Unlike Sae, we actually see Rin's teammates grabbing him in celebration, pre-(Sae’s return from) Spain.

In conclusion...

So far, the manga shows Sae breaking his general Kuzco Rule with only two people.

Pre-Spain, Little Rin was a very obvious exception. Post-Spain / currently and more subtly, Shidou is the only exception we've seen. Is it a respect thing? A soft spot? Emphasizing Sae is an "untouchable" player? Some combination?

As for canon… I really hope we see Sae and Shidou become friends. They’re both so alone but seem to bring each other to life. I also really hope we’ll see Sae accepting his teammates’ celebration one day. Just imagine Sae pulling off a crazy pass or stealing a goal at the World Cup, both Rin and Shidou rushing him in joy, the rest of the team on their tails! Or maybe something smaller, like just celebrating a cool move in practice. I think we’ll see it eventually. Just like I think we could see Shidou act as a bridge between the estranged Itoshi Bros.

You’ll find what notes / “meta” I’ve already posted under #xoxoBlueLockNotes. Will probably organize and post more somewhere in here!

PS: Check out @bluelockhalloweek for spooky Blue Lock fun! 🎃 Halloween is just around the corner!

[n-fblog]

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

[pashminalamb]

"too tame"?? I absolutely love your interpretation of Shidou! I love when authors explore other facets of a character's personality. Like yeah, the guy's a freak, but some people forget the Shidou is 100% capable of being completely chill. I love how he's just having a great time with the pups! It's like he's not feeling like being wild bc he's got all these cute lil guys to play with and being too rowdy will scare them off. I still absolutely fell Shidou is still Shidou, he's just much more relaxed in this setting.

That fic made me cackle, 100/10 I read it again every now and then for funsies💕💕

someone who understands 💆🏼‍♀️

Actually here’s where the problem is :

People saw these 2 panels - decided that that’s his entire personality. Yes, he hints at sexual innuendos; yes, he does what he does, but that’s not all to him.

In addition to that, this is Shidou at 18 years old. The Shidou I write for is a lot older, so I expect him to have gone through some changes like any footballer does when they are scouted young. They would be rough on the field, fight at every available opportunity but as they grow older n more experienced, they become less hungry, includes them mellowing down as well. Besides the manga showing this side of Shidou, like you said, he can be very chill too. Everyone has a lot of different sides n not just one personality, it all depends on the kinda people you meet n how you gel with them.

I’m glad you enjoyed reading the thirst tweets 🤍 I’ll be making more content soon, however it’ll be slow paced from here on out cause I don’t get as much time anymore :(

[antiv3nom]

you know what it is. blue lock for the fandom ask game! :)

YESSSS AMAZING <3

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

we know its bachira. we know this. of course it is. i love him so very much your honor

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

NANASE MY BOY <3 <3 <3 hes just!!! a little guy!!! i think hes so very neat!!!

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

i think there needs to be more love for hiori!!! my favorite gamer!!!!!! hes just...hes so neat and i love his hair and i wish we got more of him :(

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

tbh i think niko fits? hes not particularly obscure but like. we really dont see him much, especially when u consider the Amount That I Love This Boy Hes So Good I Adore Him He Could Be In The Background Of A Single Panel And I Would Yell For Days

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

oh lord this is tough bc theres not like. not any particular character who's really a completely "problematic" fave in this case bc Theyre All Assholes to an extent, yk? i suppose shidou and/or sae might count, but i enjoy them in different ways? i support shidou's violence and simply Look Away from sae's shittiness

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

im putting gagamaru in the horse plinko <3 NOT BECAUSE I DONT LOVE HIM! i just. i want to study him. like a bug. wanna see him in the plinko. watch his reactions.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

kaiser.

[shidou-x-colors]

hi, it’s dove! (ෆ ͒•∘̬• ͒)◞

you can find me on my main, @shidou-x! that’s where i interact most and post my writing, but beware, it is full of dark content!

this blog is specifically for manga colorings and maybe some drawing practice. (⑉• ﻌ •⑉)

if you ever want to use any of my colored manga panels, just let me know and make sure to credit please!

main blog

colored masterlist

art practice tag

[ishouldnotbhere]

HIIIII! IDK WHAT I SHOULD ASK U BUT IVE ALWAYS LIKED SEEING U ON MY DASH BC I FIND U INTERESTING SO HOW R U????

and since we met through blue lock, any favorite/s now that wasn’t a fave before considering what’s going down in the game? :D any predictions 🤨

AAAAAH omg my first asker ever!!! And oh wait oh no I totally forgot I saw that you tagged me in another post and I never responded ugh why am I like this 🤦‍♀️ I’m going to get to that right after I answer this!!!

Tbh I am a Barou stan for life and I am so PISSED about his lack of screentime in recent chapters 😤 For some reason, I have a thing for supremely arrogant people. I think it’s because their self-righteous, self-serving attitudes/behaviors are so far-removed from my own mindset, and maybe I just admire their confidence (which I sorely lack :P)

In that regard, I love Shidou so fucking much. Especially with the current state of the match. Ig I’m cheating here bc I may or may not have expressed my passion for him in the past. But it’s on another level now. Holy SHIT. The sheer balls on this guy. A menace to society. A raging gay. Canonically has the hots for Itoshi Sae. An interest that is MUTUAL, might I add. Itoshi Bae, amirite. I can’t wait for the insane smutty fanfic that’ll turn up on AO3. In fact, Shidou probably eats up A/B/O fanfic and is unashamed to admit it. Will likely end up in multiple scandals involving affairs with high-profile celebrities or cartels or the yakuza or the mafia or some shit and STILL get away with it. As in, he’ll still have fans when he gets out of prison. Forget prison. Even that cell thing Ego locked him in couldn’t contain him.

Idk what the shit this boy is doing mucking around on a soccer court when he could easily be ruining everybody else’s lives for his own pleasure. It’s just fascinating to me how a person this… like, primitive, almost? Like a raw force of nature? Is also incredibly smart, cold, and calculating. It’s the best of both worlds, brash and red, patient and blue. Ya get what I mean? I need his backstory so badly.

Tbh I have no predictions for how things are going to go down in Blue Lock D: I wish I had the brains like the other theorists in the fandom do. In a way, I’m kind of rooting for Team U20 to win, tbh. Because Blue Lock is just fresh out of training, still technically just rookies, while U20 has actual experience. It would be kinda predictable if Blue Lock actually won, although I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, considering how distinct, well-developed, and talented each of the Blue Lock members is while everyone else on U20 aside from Oliver Aiku, Shidou Ryuusei, and Itoshi Sae is just there. Everyone in Blue Lock is working in tandem at their fullest effort (regardless of how little positive/healthy/collaborative energy there is lol), while Oliver, Shidou, and Sae are single-handedly pulling the rest of their team’s weight. That can’t possibly be sustainable. I have a feeling Blue Lock will somehow pull through, break into “flow”, and take the game. (I feel bad for wishing they wouldn’t :P)

But, man. My joy at seeing everybody’s reactions, especially Rin’s and Sae’s, when Shidou achieved Flow in the final panel of the latest chapter—unparalleled.

This is so long I cry 😭 Thank you so much for asking me this question aaaaah I love you!! I’m so honored that you find me interesting 🥺 I hope you’re doing okay as well and that we get to keep talking more!!! :D And keep staying safe and healthy and content! <3

[nemo-holmes]

Headcanons for Mori Iori

Hello guys. Notice this cute little boy in class A from chapter 50?

Guess what? Matsui DID give him a name! It’s Mori Iori according to the Character Book. And now, I am adopting him hehe. I’m sorry it's just that my side-characters obsession is putting my mind under control right now. 🥺🥺🥺

So here is some headcanons about my son Iori:

✒️ He is troubled by his feminine name (this is canon lol it is the only thing we know about him)

✒️ He is good at Maths. In fact, he is better at it than the Virtuosos (except for Gakushuu) and that is also the reason why he did not make it into the Virtuosos. They don’t really need another person excelling at Maths.

✒️ He ranked 6th in the first end-of-term finals (quite canon because in chapter 55 we can see 6 class A members ranked from 1 to 6; and he also ranks 6th in the panel of class A students in the Character Book)

✒️ He was bullied when he was in kindergarten and in elementary school due to his name and his academic results. Well, kids just don’t need any particular reasons to bully someone.

✒️ He is not gonna tell you, but he does really love Kunugigaoka. It is the first place where he can truly feel proud of his name instead of ashamed of it.

✒ Imagine it like this, seeing your name on the ranking board, being one of the top students that everyone notices and every time someone mentions you, they show respect to that name. The feeling is just like that.

✒️ Iori is a calm and collected boy most of the time. Still, he can be mean if he wants.

✒️ He is the type that knows every story in Kunugigaoka

✒️ He enjoys seeing the grades of the person he hates dropping down. It’s not something he would admit if you asked, but something he would show to his close friends.

✒️ Shidou Meiko and Iori are SUPER ULTRA MEGA BEST FRIENDS (according to her)

✒ And for your information, Shidou Meiko is a canon character as well, who is the girls’ basketball manager!! (She’s also a class A kid who appears in chapter 50) (Sorry I can’t help it!! It’d be so cool to see him trying to relax on the weekends while she tries to drag him out of the house to see some shows, or basketball games)

✒️ Iori and Meiko were kind of the left out kids in their elementary school. Meiko because she was quite a hyper one and kids hate diversity.

✒️ So eventually they became friends and decided to enrol into Kunugigaoka together.

✒️ At this rate, they are going to stick together until the end of high school.

✒️ He hates anyone who contributes nothing to group work, because he IS the one that would do everything to make it perfect.

✒️ Minesweeper is his favourite game on PC. He was so sad when his family’s Win XP computer was broken.

Well, that's it! I will surely give him a detailed character profile when I have more motivation hehe.

[riririnnnn]

So, Hiiragi, Niko and Zantetsu lost.

And we all can correctly predict that it was Zantetsu that was chosen—it was a surprise for me to be honest. I mean, the Nagi trio already had Chigiri with them, so picking up another speed-based player confused me a bit. I have only read that Manga superficially, so I can't say much about Hiiragi but I do think that he was a real good player.

All in all, Niko seemed like a better choice, but I guess we'll get to know why Zantetsu got chosen. Maybe Nagi got nostalgic or something? Lol.

Now, there are 4 members in the Team, and in the match, we'll have Kiyora. Why? Because firstly, Nagi's team was the SECOND team in the second selection to have completed it, so it makes sense that they win again 'cause if they were to lose, then there would make THREE matches in total and that'll delay things, you know.

So now, who is going to be with Kiyora?

An easy prediction is: Karasu, Otoya and Yukimiya.

This prediction makes sense since this trio was the THIRD group to have completed the second selection.

BUT!

These three already have character developments further in the manga, you know. I think, Kaneshiro-san will use Nagi Spin-off as a chance to showcase other side characters like Hiiragi, low-key, came into the table seemingly out of nowhere.

I can't write ALL the possible teams because, haha, that's HELLA lot, so let's take a small dive individually:

1. Himizu Aiki

Team: Third with Karasu, Otoya, Yukimiya.

Bro looks so fucking rad! I mean, his character is too fucking pretty to just be a side character, so I think he could be with Kiyora because that way he'd be in the limelight. Honestly, I want more of him, he is just too gorgeous.

2. Yuzu Haruhiko

Team: Third with Karasu, Otoya, Yukimiya.

He looks like a cutie patootie! I remember one of my Fanfic's reader said that his hair looks like spring onions and I can't unsee, LMAO.

He had been near the focus in some panels during second selection. He, in fact, had a line too when Aryu was asking players to play against them and everybody was refusing, but Anime cut it out—I got a bit mad since he looked adorably funny in the panel.

He has also been seen hanging out with Hiiragi in the background (I'm not quite sure).

3. Tsunzaki Taiga

Team: Fourth with Nanase and Hiiragi.

A good design to be honest. I don't remember much of him, but yeah, he has been near the focus of panels too.

4. Endoji Akira

Team: Fourth with Nanase and Hiiragi.

A HELLA FREAKING COOL DESIGN!

He was present during the match where Shidou got electrocuted and he had some lines too. Idk why but he just seems like a character too good to be thrown out without any screentime.

5. Saramadara Kairu

Team: Fifth with Niko and Hiori.

He actually has a fair amount of details like he is a surfer and is considered pretty intimidating looking by his peers. He was against Isagi, Rin and Shidou during the tryouts too. Would love to see more of him.

6. Ishikari Yukio

Team: Fifth with Niko and Hiori.

Tall af—bro is like 2 metres tall. He was one of those characters about whom something was spoken in the JFU building by Isagi or Kira Idk I don't remember. He had lines too and gave a head pass in a match too.

Looks chill af tho.

7. Nishioka Hajime

Team: Fifth with Hiori and Niko.

He seems like the most probable option because Aomori's Messi, you know. Bro is low-key a meme material in the Fandom tbh.

It seems like the perfect time to showcase his talent which has been hyped up till now. Further, do you remember that Barou, Naruhaya and Nishioka had teamed up and they lost and then Nishi was chosen? What if the choosing team had Kiyora in it?

So it makes perfect sense for Barou to hold a grudge with Kiyora for choosing someone else over him. To add more spice, what if Kiyora had said some outrageous stuffs to Barou? Makes sense!

You getting me, right?

8. Shiguma Kyohei

Team: Sixth with Raichi, Gagamaru and Wanima.

He is canonically a reserved person—that additional time with Chigiri + Saramadara + him. A gentle giant. His character design doesn't stand out much tho. Also, mathematically, two person with that much Team number difference seems really taxing, but I can't say much since Kurona had a rank of 4 too and yet he was in the last team.

9. Tanaka Shingen

Team: Sixth with Raichi, Gagamaru and Wanima.

Appeared in an additional time and in that Blue Lock Bible or something, he was ranked as one of the least appealing boys to girls too.

He seems close to Gagamaru tho.

10. Sokura Tetsu

Team: Seventh with Shidou, Reo, Igarashi and Kurona.

Can't seem to be able to add his pic but he seems rather.. plain looking. That's all. I don't remember him in any panels at all too.

.

.

.

If my mathematics is correct then Niko played like 6-10 matches during second selection. Bro was DONE by the end of it.

[boinin]

Blue Lock Manga

We've been blessed by Chp 218 🙌 It's had a mixed response but I enjoyed it a lot.

Thoughts under the cut.

Previous chapter analyses

The art continues to blow me away. I didn't appreciate it as much when I was bingeing through the chapters, or when I watched the anime 🙃 but gosh it's so pretty. These are my personal favourite panels this week. The one with Barou and Isagi is so evocative. A clear visual explanation of the difference between Metavision and Predator Eye.

Isagi is data scientist AU anybody?

He's SUCH a dork, and I mean that in the kindest sense. Bro's reeling off completely fabricated terms to Niko like he's teaching a class 🥹 I love that he's so keen to pass on what he's learned. He's shown himself to be a voracious learner, going to everyone from Barou to Rin to Kunigami for tips. I want to see someone ask him for instruction!

Also - how cute are Aiku and Niko in this chp?! They're like brothers. I have a draft outline in my writing vault for an Ubers found family fluff fic featuring these two, and this isn't helping me ignore it.

Not everyone has metavision, what a shocking reveal /s It felt heavy handed in delivery, but it shows who Isagi's rivals are in terms of playmaking and predictions. No, Raichi isn't coming for Himsagi's bag yet.

Another amazing set of panels, love it any time they go nuts with the puzzle pieces. Isagi lists only four... but I think Kaneshiro's setting up Aiku to be the surprise fifth MV user. He might not consciously activate the ability as Isagi does, but he's definitely capable.

I had sight of these panels from the leaks when I was writing up the chp 217 post, so I won't rehash the BM v Ubers point. But I like how this visualises their differences. The art is grotesque but really beautiful at the same time. Look at Isagi naming himself at the top alongside Kaiser! That's ego growth for you.

On that note: who's the Game Changer this chapter's talking about? Isagi seems to think it's going to be one of him or Kaiser, or out of Ubers, Lorenzo, Barou, Aiku or Niko. Naturally, it's not likely to be any of these, cos ✨suspense✨

The chapter itself ends with a suggestion that it'll be BM that supplies it...

EMOGAMI PLEASE, DO SOMETHING WITH THAT EDGE OF YOURS, WHAT'S THE POINT OTHERWISE 😭

I'm biased towards my boy Rensuke, but I'll try to be objective here. On the subreddit, people are split 50:50 between being excited that he's getting a moment, or rolling their eyes at that edgy ball steal. I couldn't care less about whether this is an accurate depiction of soccer playing or not (it's a shounen battle manga as far as I'm concerned). But I do think Kunigami's solo run will get shut down next chapter. He hasn't had a lot to do in this match, but I think Kaneshiro will hold back on Kunigami's development for the PXG showdown.

In the last panel, you can see Kunigami's barrelling towards the goal. There's two defenders up ahead. One is Niko, who's apparently well-suited to reacting to sudden threats (i.e. him tackling Isagi). The other is not so obvious... but odds are, it's Aiku. Who's also not done a lot so far and who doesn't have a grudge against Shidou Ryuusei to milk later

My prediction? Kunigami will outmuscle Niko, but get walled by a levelled-up Aiku, leaving a free ball for Kaiser or Isagi to claim.

As for who'll be the true game changer? Said it already, but if Hiori's not getting subbed on for our newly christened royal trash!Ness in the next five chapters, I'll eat my hat. 🐑

No more commentary from me. Just signing off with a glorious narcissistic bastard entering flow 💅