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sleeping-sea-echo · 2 months ago

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On "dream doping", or the lesson to be learned from despair

Alteratively titled: why breaking up with your high school sweetheart is vital for a career in soccer (with or without said sweetheart. Signed: Ego Jinpachi)

buckle up, this is a long one

We know that Reo went into this match with several hungups as to why Nagi would leave him behind, even going as far as asking Chigiri and Kunigami why they'd pick him

And his voice shaking (notice the wobbly speech bubble) as he repeats the validation, like he doesn't quite believe it to be true anymore. And then during the match he kept alternating between talking himself up and trash talking Isagi with increasingly frantic urgency. He needed to test his worth against Isagi and come out victorious to prove that he was worthy of being the genius' partner, yes, but one important factor is that he did all of this specifically seeking Nagi's approval. He needed to hear it from him, because it's Nagi's departure that crushes Reo's confidence in the first place. Before that moment, Reo was self-assured and cocky, even looking down on other players he felt were beneath him. But we could argue that confidence was born from a shaky foundation—the idea of staying a team with Nagi until the world cup and their eventual victory together for Japan.

I think a factor that doesn't often get brought up in Reo commentaries is that Reo derives a lot of his winning self-image from tag-teaming with a genius

And it's from "borrowing" his talent that Reo feels he lifts their collective value to genius level

And in the process, Reo also tends to undersell his own skills by comparison, and letting them stay an accessory to Nagi's brilliance,

despite how it's been remarked that Reo's a bit of a genius in his own light. If he honed that potential, he could be a big threat, too. Alone.

This is by design, of course. He foils pre blue lock Rin for this reason, too. Reo and young Rin are similar in that they both consider their soccer partner the true star of the show, subordinating their own skills as just a fancy accessory to make their partners shine and become world's best with them right at their heels.

The unfortunate consequence of this is that they end up internalizing that their dream is not achievable without their partner(s), because they ingrained being a sidekick so deep into that plan that they simply see themselves unwilling or unable to chase it on their own.

Hence why, for the continuation of their dream, it becomes vital to have their partner's approval. They just don't see the point in going on alone. Losing the partnership means losing the reason to play altogether.

Now, of course this mindset is incompatible with blue lock. Nothing really new there. Reo was always framed as the delusional oddball for signing up for the program with the intended goal of using it to make Nagi the best, rather than himself. In other words, for trying to bend the system into accommodating his dream rather than accepting Ego's philosphy and playing by Ego's rules. And of course, that plan was bound to be put to the test when Reo&Nagi got the first taste of "despair".

The series posits that despair is the feeling you get when your dream doesn't measure up to reality and threatens to crash and burn. Ego posits that there's only one way out of it that doesn't involve self-destruction. And that's avoiding the trap of the so-called "dream doping".

But what does "engraving despair" even mean in simple terms? I think Ego's point is that after experiencing a crushing, frustrating defeat, some players (the normies, or those who don't go very far) simply think "next time we'll win" without putting any active energy into changing their playstyle and rebuilding it anew to face the growing challenges and "devour" them along the way.

Think of Barou, and how he managed to come back after Isagi and Nagi made him effectively useless in the field. What Barou did was evolving into someone even more chaotic and unpredictable, and devouring them right back. Barou himself cites the despair he felt during that match as the catalyst of his growth and winning goal. In other words, instead of dream doping, Barou adapted and survived in a battlefield that would've otherwise left him in the dust.

But not every player has the presence of mind to pick themselves back up as the match is still unfolding, and when the defeats rolls around, they fold under the weight of that despair. We see this in action. When Sae evolves so rapidly in Spain and eats Rin for breakfast during their 1v1, Rin's reaction to despair is dream doping (at least at first). So is Reo's when he loses to team white. Faced with opponents that had an explosive soccer growth, they struggle to keep pace, and then refuse to face reality and admit they also need to change their playstyle to keep staying in the game.

In Reo's case, he even goes as far as saying he doesn't have "the courage to let himself be destroyed and reborn." And that defeatist attitude is what leads team white to choose Chigiri instead. A real egoist doesn't think "I cannot do it" but instead keeps fighting tooth and nail until the end.

But Reo isn't there yet. If you analyse his body language at the end of the match, it's clear he expects a rejection before it even comes. Notice his posture

Having just had a taste of the limits of his skills against strong opponents, his reaction is resigned. His stance is defensive and closed off. His arms and legs are crossed, he's the only one on the ground, his head is hung in defeat and avoiding Nagi's eyes. Even the camera angle looks at him from above, like he's already doomed himself by deciding to stay on the ground, not picking himself up. Remember, it's Kunigami who lifts him from his collar. Reo doesn't have that strength alone.

This transition here also shows it well imo. True to fashion, he only shows a reaction when Nagi's directly addressing him. A part of him is still wishing for things between them to mend, to go back to how they were. There's hope written all over his face in that second panel, but the moment he hears what Nagi has to say, it abruptly morphs into pain.

Nagi echoes the words Reo wanted to say to him when they split, but to Reo it doesn't come across as the approval he was seeking. Rather, as the opposite: while Reo couldn't bring himself to encourage Nagi to go ahead in fear that Nagi wouldn't look back (that is, in fear Nagi wasn't as attached to him and their dream as Reo was)... Nagi says them easily enough. And to Reo, that's more crushing than the loss itself because he misconstructs it as indifference towards their promise.

It all circles back to Reo's insecurity. While Nagi just showed him he's able to change even without Reo as his partner, Reo is insecure about being able to do the same because he sees them as his biggest weapon, not anything inherent to Reo alone. Thus, once Nagi mines the foundation of Reo's confidence (their team up), any step Nagi takes in an effort to get them closer to the world cup, in Reo's eyes is just another step away from it (and from him). Reo always assumed they'd crossed that finish line together, that he'd build Nagi up into the world's best striker. He wasn't prepared for a path where Nagi teams up with other people, leaving Reo powerless in the sidelines—their combo (and thus himself) a weapon that outlived its usefulness.

Much like Rin declaring that he'd lose his reason to play soccer if he can't chase his dream with Sae the way they had agreed to, Reo metaphorically sees his future as the "abnormal monster duo" crumbling away (notice the decaying effect on the square with his internal narration). Instead of taking steps towards ensuring their dream has a chance of happening in the future, he sees it as already doomed.

The thing is, Reo isn't ready to give up on it, though. He doesn't want to. I could be wrong about this but him seeking out a clean cut from Nagi came across to me less as if he was blaming Nagi for leaving, and more like he seeked a fight as self-punishment for his thoughts during the match. In the previous chapter, he tried stifling Nagi's potential and then resented himself for it. Now, his internal narration is almost goading Nagi's anger. I think it's still up in the air whether he was lashing out because he was overwhelmed by his conflicting feelings or if he was seeking out Nagi's rejection because he hated himself for not measuring up to his own standards during the match. Maybe a bit of both.

Point is, Reo is refusing to face reality. By saying "then pick me", to cite Ego, he's denying that he was powerless in the match, and putting the entire brunt of his loss onto Nagi's shoulders for not choosing him. Simply put, he's relying on Nagi to open up the door to go further in blue lock instead of growing into the player that gets to choose who to pick.

And Nagi recognizes this and feels hurt by it, cause if Reo refuses to evolve, switch up tactics and try new things, he's also implicitly refusing to go further in the program. From Nagi's perspective, it's Reo that's breaking their promise by being unwilling to put in the effort to keep staying in the game. Remember, the consequence for failing blue lock is no longer being allowed to play professionally for Japan. If Reo quit putting up a fight, his dream was effectively over.

And the story tells us, the measure of a great striker is how they react to the challenges thrown in their path. Nagi's growth happens specifically because he doesn't tie his success to Reo, but knows when to throw in other variables and when cooperating with Reo makes them stronger. In Nagi's eyes, their dream is not reliant on their combo, but their combo is a weapon that makes their dream achievable. Whereas Reo based his plan to get the world cup around his partnership with Nagi, and let his own skills lay dormant and underdeveloped cause he always defaulted to passing to Nagi to score.

But when Nagi leaves the equation for good, Reo's forced to address where his own strengths really lie and how to weaponize them to avoid elimination. That's why the chameleon awakens for the first time. It gets roused by Reo's despair, which gets "engraved" only when it dawns on Reo that their combo is not an option anymore, and it's on Reo and Reo alone to fight his way back up, evolving and devouring rivals along the way. And much like Nagi's talent for trapping, Reo's stregth was also inherent, and never just reliant on them being a team.

#lovely analysis hours 💕#Blue lock #Mikage reo

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sleeping-sea-echo · 2 months ago

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NagiReo in Blue Lock and Episode Nagi through a BPD4BPD Lens

For this analysis we will be using the diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder from the DSM-5, below, which was last updated in 2013.

We'll be taking a look at Nagi and Reo's behavior in both Blue Lock and Episode Nagi, as well as the trivia included in the Egoist Bible. We will be going through at least five different diagnostic criteria for each of them, before talking about BPD4BPD relationships and the way Nagi and Reo interact as each other's FP's.

Chronic Feelings of Emptiness

First, lets's take a look at Blue Lock.

From his very first appearance, Nagi displays a boredom with day to day tasks and relies on Reo heavily.

Here's a little collage of Nagi's apathy in early Blue Lock.

Meanwhile, Reo is shown to have been chronically bored with life since childhood. He is "easily bored, [] seek[ing] something to do," which he finds in his goal to win the world cup.

Now let's look into Episode Nagi.

Nagi demonstrates a persistent low energy/fatigue. He's bored by self-care activities and taking care of basic needs.

He originally doesn't want to join Blue Lock because of this chronic emptiness/boredom.

Now we move onto the Egoist Bible.

Nagi describes his weakness as "Tend[ing] to find many things bothersome," which is backed up by the panels we looked at earlier.

Reo considers his his weakness to be, "I can do anything and get bored easily." When he describes a day in his life at Blue Lock he says, "When I asked Nagi, "Let's play games," he refused. "Because if you improve quickly, you'll get bored easily," he said. You really know me, I thought, but that made me a bit sad." His boredom is a weakness for him, that both he and others, like Nagi, pick up on.

A Pattern of Unstable and Intense Interpersonal Relationships Characterized by Alternating Between Extremes of Idealization and Devaluation

Here, I'll note the DSM-5's notes from the Diagnostic Features section: "They may idealize potential caregivers or lovers at the first or second meeting, demand to spend a lot of time together, and share the most intimate details early in a relationship. However, they may switch quickly from idealizing other people to devaluing them, feeling that the other person does not care enough, does not give enough, or is not “there” enough. These individuals can empathize with and nurture other people, but only with the expectation that the other person will “be there” in return to meet their own needs on demand. These individuals are prone to sudden and dramatic shifts in their view of others, who may alternatively be seen as beneficent supports or as cruelly punitive. Such shifts often reflect disillusionment with a caregiver whose nurturing qualities had been idealized or whose rejection or abandonment is expected."

Again, we first look at Blue Lock.

Nagi demonstrates a positive attitude towards Reo. He looks up to him and is often praising him and mentioning him even when Reo isn't around. However he ends up harshly speaking to Reo after their argument directly after their 3v3 match, showing a rapid switch in emotions triggered by feelings of Reo not caring about their promise.

Reo shows a lot of negative emotions easily. He feels rejected and spiteful because of Nagi leaving him during the second selection. This makes him think of plans to make Nagi take him back, experience the same pain, etc. He continues to describe Nagi as a treasure he found, however, as a person who made his life stop being boring.

Now let's move onto Episode Nagi.

Nagi and Reo share with each other the details of their personal lives very quickly after meeting each other, something mentioned in the DSM-5 as: "shar[ing] the most intimate details early in a relationship." Reo especially does this, but both do.

Reo is also stuck on the idealized idea of playing soccer with Nagi. He makes every effort to make this into a reality, even with the later devaluation he experiences during Blue Lock.

Identity Disturbance: Markedly and Persistently Unstable Self-Image or Sense of Self

The Diagnostic Criteria of the DSM-5 says this: "There are sudden and dramatic shifts in self-image, characterized by shifting goals, values, and vocational aspirations. There may be sudden changes in opinions and plans about career, sexual identity, values, and types of friends. These individuals may suddenly change from the role of a needy supplicant for help to that of a righteous avenger of past mistreatment. Although they usually have a selfimage that is based on being bad or evil, individuals with this disorder may at times have feelings that they do not exist at all. Such experiences usually occur in situations in which the individual feels a lack of a meaningful relationship, nurturing, and support. These individuals may show worse performance in unstructured work or school situations," in regards to this criteria.

First, we will take a look at Blue Lock, once again.

Nagi doesn't have a solid identity in football or a goal. He plays depending on Reo. His ego revolves around Reo's and he doesn't have a sense of his own. Nagi cares about Reo deeply and because he started playing football for Reo, he has a hard time developing an identity within football outside of Reo.

Reo has a conflicting set of ideals. He flickers between wanting to be independent and rely on no one and wanting to play with Nagi. This is partially because Nagi is the object of his affection and therefore the center of both his black and white thinking and fear of rejection.

Reo also experiences a disjointed sense of identity within his personal opinion of himself. When faced with Nagi's rejection, Reo's opinion of himself drops exponentially.

Moving on to Episode Nagi.

Nagi is unsure of his identity and stands on shaky ground regarding his worth.

Meanwhile Reo, in contrast to Blue Lock, is confident and happy because of his idealization of Nagi and his dream, showing the instability and fluctuation of his identity.

Finally, let's take a look at the Egoist Bible.

Reo answers that what makes him happy is "Due recognition" and what makes him sad is "preconceived views" showing the way he is influenced by others in his view of himself and his identity.

Frantic Efforts to Avoid Real or Imagined Abandonment

"The perception of impending separation or rejection, or the loss of external structure, can lead to profound changes in self-image, affect, cognition, and behavior. These individuals are very sensitive to environmental circumstances. They experience intense abandonment fears and inappropriate anger even when faced with a realistic time-limited separation or when there are unavoidable changes in plans (e.g., sudden despair in reaction to a clinician’s announcing the end of the hour; panic or fury when someone important to them is just a few minutes late or must cancel an appointment). They may believe that this “abandonment” implies they are “bad.” These abandonment fears are related to an intolerance of being alone and a need to have other people with them."

Let's look at Blue Lock.

Nagi does everything throughout Blue Lock to keep his promise to Reo. This promise is important because it represents their partnership and implies that Reo will stay with him. During the Neo Egoist League, Nagi struggles to convince Reo to play with him again, trying to avoid the rejection of losing Reo as a partner, which would make him feel purposeless.

Meanwhile, Reo often tries to avoid rejection. To him rejection is one of the worst things that could happen. He's always thinking about rejection, about being chosen, about what happens if he isn't chosen.

Now let's look at Episode Nagi.

In Episode Nagi, Nagi's fear of rejection is a little bit clearer. We can go back to the panels showing his sense of self to take a look at his thoughts of just being the tag along or a slacker to see this. He also is determined to stay with Reo in Blue Lock, despite his laziness and lack of motivation because of their promise. When he's insulted he instates himself as Reo's partner and part of a set.

Meanwhile, Reo notices rejection in small things like offhand comments. For example when Nagi passes to Zantetsu and comments on his dream being the same.

Inappropriate, Intense Anger or Difficulty Controlling Anger

The DSM-5 says: "They may display extreme sarcasm, enduring bitterness, or verbal outbursts. The anger is often elicited when a caregiver or lover is seen as neglectful, withholding, uncaring, or abandoning. Such expressions of anger are often followed by shame and guilt and contribute to the feeling they have of being evil."

Let's look at Blue Lock for a final time.

Nagi expresses anger towards Isagi when he brings up Reo, because he recently experienced separation from him.

Reo resorts to physical violence on the field when Nagi is brought up in insults.

Now, for Episode Nagi.

Reo has to stop Nagi from getting into a verbal altercation with Barou that would most likely devolve into a physical fight. This started because of Reo being brought up in an insult.

BPD4BPD

This BPD4BPD flag was made by @gender-mailman

BPD4BPD is a label for pwBPD who want to date pwBPD. To me this is an incredibly interesting lens to view NagiReo through because I find that it makes them click as people who understand each other in this specific way of their BPD and yet, because of their clumsy teenage inexperience and because of their independent struggles with it, keep on hurting each other.

I feel like with NagiReo, the way their relationship has developed throughout Blue Lock up until the Neo Egoist League, it's lacking communication. They're both hurting each other in ways that are typical for how they react to rejection and they get stuck in cycles of miscommunication because of it. They both deeply care about each other and I think because they're teenagers who don't really know what they're doing with their friendship or tentative romance or whatever you choose to interpret their relationship as it is turning out exactly as one would expect. I think there's a positive outlook for them which is very exciting to see for two characters who fall so closely within the lines of BPD coding and have such a close and interesting relationship, a BPD4BPD relationship that's really rare to see in media.

In fandom, I see a lot of casual ableism towards Reo especially, perhaps because his coding is more overt, especially in the department of expressing feelings of rejection, which is bleak, but honestly that is something we can work on as a fandom.

Also, please feel free to add to this post if there's anything I missed, especially since my manga reading website is a little bit behind both on Episode Nagi and on Blue Lock, or if there's anything interesting you have to add!

Remember to be kind to your local pwBPD and just all pwPDs and I hope you enjoyed this little dive into NagiReo's theoretical psychology!

#sharing my favorite analysis for these two in this acc as well #it just fits them both so well #I get that most people only see Reo as the bpd one but I'll cling to my qbpd Nagi hc forever #nagireo #blue lock #bllk #mikage reo #reonagi #nagi seishiro

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