#bllk chp 299

[boinin]

Kinda changed my thinking on Ego in chapter 299 following the official release.

It's been 5 months. He's had it with the yearning.

He's DONE with these two and had to make it known 🫡

...there's no underlying sympathy. Only spite. Mfer's been holding his tongue too long and s n a p p e d.

...Nagi's never recovering from Ego calling him a normie 💀💀💀

[juusou]

bllk chp 299. do you want me to kill myse

[boinin]

lmao

Not a grain of work got done this morning.

It's been a minute since I did one of these. Brain dump on chapter 299 under the cut (ahead of official translation)

Roughly in order, I guess?

- Nanase, precious boy that he is... doesn't deserve a top 23 placement over some of the players that didn't make the cut (I'm talking Niou, Hayate, Darai primarily). But I'm intrigued by how he'll reflect on this in the coming chapters.

- Tokimitsu fumbled a number of times versus BM. His final ranking is the consequence. I'm sad for him, but now suspect his early manga performance was overegged. He couldn't hold up under the pressure past the second selection. That's a very human, relatable conclusion for his character. But I hope we see more of him in future.

- The former U20 players got shafted in favour of plot armoured characters. I find it hard to believe, at minimum, that Niou underperformed at defence throughout the NEL versus like... Raichi or Nanase. But that's more of a writing/suspension of disbelief gripe than anything else.

- on that note: Neru never even got fielded. No bid for him at all! Noa played Igaguri over him 😑 that's some bullshit, Kaneshiro.

- Nishioka's placement, conversely, made me laugh. idk. it's the humour of a mysterious and hyped character that never actually proves their worth or power. Red herring for the ages. RIP Messi of Aomori.

- Igaguri has a club bid... and that's enough to get him out of the temple. I suspect his are actually happy tears!

Anyway, speaking of, timely to move onto the Nagireo tears... for there were many.

- Isagi sticking up for Nagi stirred my heart. They really are buds, mid-match antagonisation aside.

- REOOOOO

- Our beautiful princess with a fixation really did try his best to make a case for Nagi. I like how, in the panel where purple bun is fighting for his man hardest, they included Agi 👀 a little reminder of how blinkered Nagi and Reo are, off in their rainbow-tinted "partner" bubble.

- This chapter serves as a reality check to the players and to us, the readers. We've had 150 chapters of no one being eliminated. We got complacent. Ego (and by extension, Kaneshiro) chose violence today and reminded us that this manga started as a football elimination game. So it will continue.

- Ego's harsh on Nagi, publically humiliating him. But he's not saying anything that Nagi and Reo haven't already heard from their friends, fellow players and rivals. Agi, Rin and Barou told Nagi he was cooked chapters and chapters back. He and Reo's defiance of these warnings had consequences.

- However, I also think (or speculate, rather) that Ego is overly harsh in his treatment of Nagi and Reo. He's always had it in for them—they've never fit his mould of what the ideal striker or even player should be. And the way he condemns Nagi as 'already withered' is just... ridiculously harsh. Sure, that's Blue Lock. These are the stakes of this setting. But I suspect Ego has it in for them in particular because he sees something of his own naivety or failings in them. That warrants its own brain dump, so putting a pin in that for now.

- Ego's final dismissal to Nagi ("if you're a sensible man, satisfied with anything below [being the world's top]...") suggests that Nagi's failure is nearly... commendable. Because Blue Lock is insensible. It's ill advised. Taking satisfaction in mediocre talent may in fact be preferable to the never ending strife of competing to be the world's number one. Ego's advising Nagi to avoid the pain and embrace mediocrity.

- My conclusion on Ego's position is, he understands Nagi can never hope to compete with Isagi, Rin, Barou etc purely out of dedication to Reo. He sees Nagi as a waste of time, and perhaps otherwise, as someone too pure for Blue Lock's ideology. Because Nagi has never put football before Reo. Even in the second selection, he chose Isagi and Bachira over Reo out of a desire to improve, and become a better partner for Reo.

- This is reinforced in EpiNagi: for example, Nagi shows far more concern for Chigiri and his leg than Chigiri himself. Chigiri has wagered his leg against greatness. He fully accepts the consequence and ridiculousness of doing so... and Nagi can't understand this drive, or anyone else's. It's why he keeps asking everyone about why they pursue football, outside of anyone else (e.g. Reo).

- The same can't be said about Reo. He clearly adores Nagi: but Nagi is his treasure, his ticket to the World Cup, his partner, a genius. Nagi's always 'something' when Reo describes him. Reo is Reo to Nagi... but Nagi is a means to an end for Reo. A friend, and a beloved one at that... but still a means to achieve Reo's own dream. A dream which Reo isn't going to let slip by because of Nagi.

- That distinction helps explain how Reo was able to cut loose, score that goal against Barcha, and book a spot in the Top 23, while Nagi wasn't.

- I think Nagi understands this difference between them. Reo, regrettably, does not. In the next chapter, Nagi will likely lay out why and reassure Reo that he belongs in the top 23... and accept why he himself hasn't been able to make the cut.

It's gonna hurt so good... I'm seated and waiting for next Monday 😌

[boinin]

we cope with trauma in unique ways

[lazysublimeengineer]

Ego's so fucking sick of their drama he just had to turn into Gordon Ramsay on this chapter

Kinda changed my thinking on Ego in chapter 299 following the official release.

It's been 5 months. He's had it with the yearning.

He's DONE with these two and had to make it known 🫡

...there's no underlying sympathy. Only spite. Mfer's been holding his tongue too long and s n a p p e d.

...Nagi's never recovering from Ego calling him a normie 💀💀💀