BLUELOCK -Episode Nagi

The official website for the anime film of Kōta Sannomiya‘s BLUELOCK -Episode Nagi- spinoff of Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yūsuke Nomura‘s Blue Lock soccer manga unveiled the second teaser visual and a new cast member on Friday. The visual portrays Nagi and Reo meeting:

Subaru Kimura joins the cast as Ryō Nameoka, captain of Dadada High School’s soccer team:

The film will premiere in spring 2024.

The film features returning cast and staff members. The television anime’s assistant director Shunsuke Ishikawa is directing the film at 8-Bit. Taku Kishimoto (Haikyu!!, Silver Spoon, 2019 Fruits Basket) is supervising and writing the series scripts, and the manga’s Kaneshiro is supervising the story. Nomura is credited as the character designer. Jun Murayama is composing the music.

The film stars:

• Nobunaga Shimazaki as Seishirō Nagi
• Yūma Uchida as Reo Mikage
• Kazuyuki Okitsu as Zantetsu Tsurugi
• Kazuki Ura as Yoichi Isagi
• Tasuku Kaito as Meguru Bachira
• Yūki Ono as Rensuke Kunigami
• Sōma Saitō as Hyōma Chigiri
• Kouki Uchiyama as Rin Itoshi
• Hiroshi Kamiya as Jinpachi Ego

The spinoff manga focuses on Seishirō Nagi before he enters the titular Blue Lock facility.

Kodansha USA Publishing is releasing the original Blue Lock manga in English digitally, and is also releasing it in print. The company describes the story:

After a disastrous defeat at the 2018 World Cup, Japan’s team struggles to regroup. But what’s missing? An absolute Ace Striker, who can guide them to the win. The Japan Football Union is hell-bent on creating a striker who hungers for goals and thirsts for victory, and who can be the decisive instrument in turning around a losing match…and to do so, they’ve gathered 300 of Japan’s best and brightest youth players. Who will emerge to lead the team…and will they be able to out-muscle and out-ego everyone who stands in their way?

Kaneshiro and Nomura launched the manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in August 2018.

The BLUELOCK TV anime premiered in Japan in October 2022. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired, and streamed an English dub. The anime is getting a second season.

Sources: BLUELOCK -Episode Nagi- anime film’s website, Comic Natalie