#this is from reos novel btw

[okkottsus]

AKJSDJKJK REO’S FIRST IMPRESSION OF NAGI WASNT AS MAGICAL AS IT WAS MADE OUT TO SEEM LMAOOO 

“HE LOOKED HALF DEAD” “WEIRDO” PLSSS 😭😭😭

[bluelockednyx]

i read your metapost #3 (its super fun btw) and came across this line: the author has a secret favorite (aka Rin), so im curious that are there other moments you noticed in the story that either subtly or clearly support this? And does the author also have other secret favorites?

*shoves you Nagi and Reo's entire relationship and Episode Nagi* if how much screen time these two get, to the point where we have a whole spinoff that's just to show off their relationship, doesn't convince you that they are Kaneshiro-sensei's favourite ship, I don't know what else will. It's not secret. It's not subtle. He's said that Nagi's his favourite in extra materials. Fans actively complain about how much the main series is dedicated to telling their story at the expense of the main plotline of Isagi's rise to be the best striker in the world (Manshine City arc fatigue, anyone). I personally find their individual character arcs, as well as their relationship, an interesting exploration of the story's themes, though the execution... leaves some stuff to be desired.

I say that Rin is likely Kaneshiro-sensei’s secret fave for a couple of reasons, which I'll stick under the cut.

The most glaring one, imo, is the constant variety of nicknames he has compared to the other characters. Like. Why. Why are you giving us so. Many. Nicknames. of this character unless you personally think that it’s fun and cute?? That you think this character is cute?? And that you want your readers to see him that way after he's stopped being an obstacle for Isagi in the 2nd Selection Arc??? And the emphasis on his bottom lashes... like...... character design to make your cast stand out from each other is natural of course, and you do want to make your characters stand out too, from the saturated animanga industry, but bottom lashes is????? I have a load of questions about why, bottom lashes specifically, for your stereotypical shonen 2nd mc, of a sports manga no less (ignoring the fangirl/fujoshi brigade to net them sweet cash), but in light of the next point...

Although Rin is the deuteragonist and thus far most important rival of the series to Isagi, the way he’s been framed and set up since his introduction, plus their relationship build up, comes much, much closer to being read as Isagi’s romantic interest than anyone else in the whole series. I talk about this in the final part of the meta. Skip right to the narrative motifs section if you don't want to read the whole thing. It's a pretty brief, but imo nice contrast of Isagi's relationships with the other major cast and his relationship with Rin. Also, chapter 110. Kindly read the Rin at the leg extension machine scene and keep in mind that in the guide book, Isagi's fetish is thighs. Look at the panels and how he's drawn. Yeah. You can argue that it's also for fan service, but the way it's done is more... subtly erotic, compared to say, the time Isagi-Nagi-Barou met Kunigami-Chigiri-Reo in the baths, which was a straight up fan service chapter wrapped under the guise of moving the plot along. The other more suspicious scene is when Isagi thinks that when he defeats Rin, that's when he's ready to be playing at world level. And. Of all the things that Rin could have been doing while Isagi's having this monologue. Kaneshiro-sensei shows him lacing up his shoes. With the lace. In his mouth. Again. Why??? It's weird. Who the heck laces their shoes while nomming a lace in their mouth. W H O.

Rin also has one of the more impactful and better developed/positioned character backstories in relation to the story's main themes, even if you don't take into account the extra materials like the light novels and character guide book. His backstory is fuller and richer than the rest, with a more complete timeline from his youth till now, and given the tie-in and connection to Sae, who appeared so very early on in the series, there's definitely more that Kaneshiro-sensei has planned for us to see where Rin's concerned, especially since he is so drastically important to Isagi's growth, and thus far, seems to be the symbol of victory in Isagi's mind.

Also, he's been consistently winning the character popularity polls too, there's no way he's going to be dropped out of the story when he's a money maker and a fan favourite

TLDR; why make him seem cute when you didn't need to by giving him a ton of nicknames emphasizing his bottom lashes, why frame him like a romantic interest with those motifs of eye and heart and parabole when he's supposed to be the rival/boss of arc/villain, why have him and Isagi choose each other, their character arcs practically tied into showing that choosing each other is right for them, why subtly sexualise him so often (why sexualise him at all in the main story when your core audience should be dudebros), why make him so important to Isagi's development that he's turned into some insane combination of rival, love interest and mid-to-final boss for the series (not that I'm complaining).

[daydreamingoncloud9]

Nagi Seishiro & Mikage Reo - The Cactus & Its Caretaker

Edit: If you're seeing this post again, I got slapped with a community label so I had to delete that one. Please forgive the ugly censorship. If this still doesn't work then I give up shdoakjdsajd

Spoilers up till the latest chapter of Blue Lock (ch 198), Blue Lock: Episode Nagi (ch 6), Blue Lock Spin Off Novel: Nagi Seishiro & the additional time for ep 8 of the anime

Also cw: small mention of depression and depressive thoughts at the end

This also isn't necessarily a shipping post btw because I feel that this take applies for both platonic and romantic readings of reonagi.

»»————- ⳮⷤ ── ⲇ ── ⳮⷤ ————-««

I recently read an excellent analysis on Reo's character and it really helped to encapsulate why the reonagi team-up, though long-awaited, will probably be detrimental to the both of them and their development in the long-run. You can read it here.

It gave me a lot to think about and ended up inspiring this post in a way because I started thinking about a particular scene in Episode Nagi and now I wanna talk about it.

So for those of you who don't know, Nagi has a bunny ear cactus named Choki and he picked it primarily because it was low-maintenance and didn't require a lot of care.

Interestingly, in Episode Nagi, Reo's attendant, Ba-Ya, brought up parallels between Nagi and Choki and after reading chapter 198 of the main story, I think she was onto something.

See, unlike other plants, cacti don't actually need a lot of care and for Choki in particular, Nagi actually specifies that you only needed to water it every 2-3 weeks and could basically leave it alone for the most part.

But if we take Nagi to be the human equivalent of Choki and Reo to be his caretaker, Reo....doesn't actually follow these guidelines.

Reo has a tendency to coddle Nagi, spoiling him and waiting on him hand and foot to the point the anime added an extra scene that called Reo wife material.

And this extends to his play-style as well since Reo is often looking for a way to give the best passes and support to Nagi and was eager to "use Seishiro in his own ideas" as Agi put it when they reconciled.

Heck, the reason why he was able to enter "Flow" was because he wanted to devote his Chameleon Style to help Nagi score and become his "arms and legs".

Even Isagi notices that Reo's ego revolves around Nagi.

But if the recent chapters are any indication, this development is just the two of them falling back into old habits. They are returning to the reonagi from the First Selection (but arguably worse) where Reo is focused on providing the best passes to Nagi while Nagi executes. The only difference is that Reo's passes no longer say "do what you want" but are instead putting ideas into Nagi's head.

They just haven't realised it's happening because their individual skills have leveled-up to the point where they can deftly circumvent other players (which ironically is just like before). And it’s really sad because you can see how the cycle repeats itself with how Isagi keeps intercepting them in chapter 198.

they team up > they score excellent goals > they get read > they get defeated

The narrative is punishing them for the team up because the both of them are essentially taking the easy way out.

And perhaps Reo, albeit subconsciously, is realising that too.

Regardless, the latest chapter does end up proving that though the Divorce Arc soured their relationship, it was also a needed catalyst for their individual growth. This is especially the case for Nagi because Reo's lack of presence and attention (ie decrease in watering) meant that he was no longer coddled and couldn't expect passes to come his way anymore. He had to fight for his passes because everyone else was also aiming to score a goal and if he didn't prove that he was capable, the ball was sure to not come his way.

Just like Choki, he was able to flourish because he wasn't "lavished with affection".

And it's not like Reo hasn't realised this. During the Third Selection, he even admits to himself that Nagi was no longer who he used to be, that he was no longer "his" treasure and that chasing him could only get him so far.

So it makes sense why he then resolved to try his best to surpass the Top 6, to change everything about himself so he could evolve, and he does.

It's just tragic that when he finally does crawl up and has decided to stand on his own, Nagi finally turns back and chooses him.

And it's heartbreaking because you can see that Reo is happy when he's needed by Nagi and is able to spoil him as much as he wants. He gets back his snark from before the Divorce Arc and is all smiles at their reconciliation.

He even calls Nagi his treasure again.

But just like how Choki will rot if you overwater it, Nagi's talent will eventually wilt into mediocrity if he cannot reproduce his results and has to constantly rely on Reo to do his creativity for him.

And this isn't even mentioning how Reo's single-minded devotion to Nagi has put limitations on his own talent as a player (caretaker) because he doesn't even consider his other teammates (the other plants) in his playmaking. They aren't who he wishes to care and give attention to, just mere "sacrificial pawns" for Nagi's sake, and it severely reduces his potential skill repertoire, making him predictable and ultimately easy to intercept.

He even opts out of scoring goals on his own and passes instead, going against Blue Lock's striker philosophy and serving as a sharp contrast to what Isagi did when he first defeated the duo in the First Selection.

But don't get me wrong, it's not like Reo's affection is entirely wrong either. Without Reo's continuous support and unwavering faith in Nagi's talent, I doubt that Nagi would have had enough motivation to continue playing soccer and eventually reach his first "curiosity".

Hell, Nagi even admits that he (initially) only played football because Reo was the first to show any interest in him.

The promise they made, which might I add was first brought up by Nagi, is also implied (and outright stated by Nagi himself) to have been one of Nagi's drivers for growing stronger in the first place, further proving how much of an effect Reo has been on Nagi's life and decisions. (Admittedly it is debatable whether Nagi's motivation actually does include the promise, but this analysis here makes me inclined to believe the implication is not entirely false)

So much like how Choki still needs some level of attention to survive and grow healthily, Nagi wouldn't be here if he hadn't met Reo especially if you consider how Nagi was unknowingly depressed before they met and was already tired of living.

It's just that there needs to be a balance between what Reo wants and what Nagi (and truthfully Reo himself) actually needs. The both of them cannot continue to fall back into old habits just because they are more skilled now because it just means that they will stifle their future growth.

Perhaps this could mean a Bachisagi arrangement or maybe a Ryusae one.

Regardless of which one, Reo has to learn to step back and let Nagi (and by extension himself) grow on his own while Nagi has to learn not to be overly dependent on other people, especially Reo, just because it's the most convenient option.

Because at the rate things are going, the two might be better off in different teams or just separating.

Even if it means having to break their promise.