Rafael Antonio Pineda
Apr 12, 2024
Film opens in Japan on April 19, in N. America on June 28
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 began streaming a new "Kakusei" (Awakening promotional video on Friday. The video highlights Nagi, the lazy genius.
BLUELOCK -Episode Nagi- will open in Japan on April 19. The film will have four mini-anime titled "BLUELOCK Additional Time!" after the credits for the first four weeks of the film's screening. The mini-anime episode shown will change each week. The film will also screen in IMAX, MX4D, and 4DX. Crunchyroll will screen the film in theaters in North America on June 28 in both English subtitles and an English dub.
©金城宗幸・三宮宏太・ノ村優介・講談社／「劇場版ブルーロック」製作委員会
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
Kōki Uchiyama as Rin Itoshi
Hiroshi Kamiya as Jinpachi Ego
Subaru Kimura as Ryō Nameoka
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.
Nissy and SKY-HI perform the theme song "Stormy." Takahiro Nishijima is a member of the group AAA and does solo work under the name Nissy. Mitsuhiro Hidaka is also part of the band and uses the name SKY-HI for his solo work.
The spinoff manga focuses on Seishirō Nagi before he enters the titular Blue Lock facility. Kodansha USA Publishing announced in October it will start releasing the spinoff manga in print in fall 2024.
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- film's website, Comic Natalie