Blue Lock: Episode Nagi Volumes 4 and 5 Review

The FIFA World Cup might have already come to its conclusion this year, but football fans who are into Japanese media still have plenty to enjoy! One such example is with Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, which I’m returning to for Volumes 4 and 5. Will it finally manage to break away from the main series and become a compelling offering of its own? Let’s find out!

In the second phase of the selection process, our cast were divided into teams of three, where the group that won a game of soccer got to pick a player from the losing side and add them to their roster. And so far, that has led Nagi to join up with Isagi’s group, but that meant leaving Reo behind, who is none too pleased, given he’s the whole reason Nagi is in the Blue Lock project in the first place.

And now the group made up of Nagi, Isagi and Barou find themselves going up against Reo, Kunigami and Chigiri. Reo desperately wants to beat Nagi, but he’s faced with complicated feelings when he witnesses how much Nagi has grown in the short time he’s been playing alongside Isagi. And in the end, Reo’s group just simply can’t compete and ends up losing. And rather than choose to take Reo with them, they choose Chigiri, which only pours more fuel on the fire that is Reo’s rage. At this rate, never mind stealing Nagi back; there’s a real chance that Reo may be forced to leave Blue Lock if they continue to lose.

Afterwards, Isagi’s group of four faces off against the formidable Rin Itoshi, Jyubei Aryu, Aoshi Tokimitsu and Meguru Bachira. And this proves to be the turning point for Episode Nagi that takes us into Volume 5…

Ultimately, Isagi’s group lost, which comes as no surprise to those of us who are familiar with the main series. We’ve watched all of this play out, up until the point where Isagi is taken into Rin’s group and Nagi, Barou and Chigiri have found themselves reduced to a group of three. And now, at least the series reaches some original material as we get to see how Nagi’s group continues on from here.

For their next match, Nagi and co. face off with Niko, Zantetsu and Hiiragi. And because we haven’t seen this one in the main series, it feels like writer Muneyuki Kaneshiro and artist Kota Sannomiya get to take their time depicting it. Or at least it feels that way compared to #4, where it feels like the matches are quite rushed and cut down to only the highlights. Volume 4 is a real low point for not offering much in the way of new content and instead feeling like a rehash.

You can’t exactly blame the team for deciding to trim them down, given they’re depicted at length in the main series. And the repeitiveness in Episode Nagi has been a growing problem after it got through its initial setup. So, of course, I’m pleased we seem to be moving beyond that at last as of #5. Not least because it’s giving us a much clearer picture of what happened to Nagi even after Isagi moved forward.

Nagi’s hunger to become better at football didn’t fade at all; his talent and genius only continued to flourish, and he’s even starting to grow awareness of how to make the best use of his teammates. We get to see how his time with Isagi has changed his way of thinking, and I think that’s one of the best things this spin-off could have done for itself. I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen in the three volumes left before we reach the end of Episode Nagi.

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi comes to the West thanks to Kodansha and continues to be translated by Nate Derr with lettering by Michael Martin (with Chris Durgener credited for digital, which could be eBook or K Manga, I’m not sure which), who continue to do a good job. Unfortunately, there are no colour pages or anything in these two, but there are translation notes at the end of both volumes.

Kodansha has already released Volumes 6 and 7 at the time of writing, with final volume #8 scheduled for a release at the end of October. So not long to wait at all!

Overall, these two volumes of Blue Lock: Episode Nagi are somewhat of a mixed bag, but there are some vast improvements in #5 as we embark upon material not covered in the main series. Still worth picking up if you are a big fan of the franchise!

Our review copies from Kodansha were supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.