#like how nagi's grown from that solitary guy to one w a circle of close friends

[bythewillows]

THAT PANEL PISSED ME OFF SM WHEN I FIRST READ IT LMAOOO MY BOI DID HIS BEST, LOST AGAIN, AND WHEN HE CONFIRMED W NAGI THAT IT WASNT ENOUGH FOR HIM, MAN SAYS "YEA" AND WALKS AWAY??? REINFORCING REO'S BELIEF THAT NAGI WOULD ONLY WANT HIM AGAIN WHEN HE WON (BC EVERY LOSS REO'S HAD SO FAR OTHER THAN SHIDOU WAS WITH OR AGAINST NAGI) SO LOSING = NAGI NOT CHOOSING HIM = NOT ENOUGH = WORTHLESS???? DOES HE JUST NOT CARE ANYMORE LIKE HE TOLD REO?????

But then!!! And I never saw it while rereading!!! You pointed out that Nagi has his "soft Reo look™️" on during the "yea"!!! And now I have a new interpretation so hear me out:

I think Nagi, this pinnacle of communication, thinks Reo and him are finally on the same page (Reo realizing his soccer needs to improve, vowing to get better on his own) and doesn't need to elaborate further bc since they're on the same page again, Reo for sure knows what he means now!! (godDAMMIT NAGI NO)

He doesn't think abt the implications of "keep looking down on me" bc he interprets it as "I'll catch up to you from there so don't worry abt me" bc Reo's gotten that far without him and he's finally thinking about their dream again and he doesn't want to break Reo's newfound motivation (or maybe I'm giving him too much credit here haha) so he moves on.

BUT NOTHING IS ACTUALLY CLEARED UP BC REO'S INTERNAL MONOLOGUE STILL WANTS NAGI TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIM!!!! He's seeing his friend leave again after yet another loss!!! He's seeing the guy he personally dragged into soccer, use up all that effort for him, walk away with what he thinks is the indifference Nagi has for other people, so now he means just as much nothing as those people to Nagi!!! ITS SO FRUSTRATING BC NAGI SEES HIM AS HIS ENDGAME BUT REO THINKS HE SEES HIM AS A CHECKPOINT WHEN REALLY EVERYONE ELSE IS!!!!!

Idk if it's the correct interpretation but I just found it interesting

I'm also now more afraid of what's gonna happen in the next chapter bc they lost again ;;;;;

Yk usually, stalking reonagi/nagireo twt is bad for my mental health bc everyone either hates Nagi or wants them to break up (again)

BUT NOT TODAY OMGGGG EPISODE NAGI CHAPTER 8 RAWS RELEASED N I ONLY FOUND OUT BC OF THE TWT TRANSLATORS AND!!!! GUYS!!!!!!

Spoilers for Episode: Nagi chapter 8!!!

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BAROU MADE REO FALL AND NAGI CAUGHT HIM!!!!! WITH ONE ARM!!!!!!!!

THE TRANSLATION IS NAGI SAYING "I'm not his slave, I'm reo's partner" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SCREAMING CRYING PUNCHING AIR THIS IS EVERYTHING I NEEDED THANK YOU MANGAKA TY TWT USER @/_mangaotaku 😭😭😭😭

[daydreamingoncloud9]

OP YOU'RE SO GALAXY-BRAINED OH MY GOD????

I think you're on the right track here in your interpretation because if we look at the fan translation of this same scene, Reo doesn't say "Just keep waiting and looking down on me" but instead this.

And if we look at the fan translation as the more accurate translation (because scanlation teams usually work on projects that they are passionate about and therefore would be more incentivised to stay true to the original text's meaning) then it makes so much sense why Nagi doesn't think there was anything weird with Reo's wording and could walk away without protest.

Maybe this is also the reason why Nagi looked so shocked when Reo implied that Nagi was 'manipulating' him and that his feelings were 'ever-changing'.

Like he thought they were on the same page this entire time so the fact that Reo says this comes as a shock to him. And it then makes sense why he would try to correct Reo's misunderstanding by clarifying that all his actions so far have been for the sake of their promise.

That his feelings have never actually changed because he still values their promise together above all else. That he still values Reo.

And oh my god, it makes so much sense why instead of saying "Now that you (Reo) have crawled up", he says "Now that you and I (we) have crawled up" to Reo.

Nagi is basically taking a sledgehammer to Reo's belief that he's worthless now (to Nagi) and smashing it because he's subtly conveying to both Reo and the audience that he has never seen Reo as someone beneath him or someone that needed to chase after him.

In fact, it would have been easy to convey how Nagi thinks he's superior now because he's of a higher rank but actually, Nagi was shown to not care that much about the Blue Lock rankings as early as Chapter 44 of the main story. Notice how he doesn't even glance at his ranking while Bachira and Isagi do.

So why on earth would he believe that Reo of all people would be beneath him just because of a measly (and frankly arbitrary) number when he doesn't even care about his own ranking?

He doesn't think he's at the top (someone that Reo needs to chase after like Reo thinks) but someone who still needs to grow to get to the top alongside Reo. Which is why he interprets Reo's words of "You just keep waiting for me from above" as "Wait for me at the top once you get there because I'll be catching up soon".

So now, when he asked Reo to join him in beating Isagi (the person that scored the winning goal in the First Selection and caused them to lose and no longer be the strongest), it's because he believed that the two of them are now back to being the strongest, together.

I-I'm in shock right now actually.

Yk usually, stalking reonagi/nagireo twt is bad for my mental health bc everyone either hates Nagi or wants them to break up (again)

BUT NOT TODAY OMGGGG EPISODE NAGI CHAPTER 8 RAWS RELEASED N I ONLY FOUND OUT BC OF THE TWT TRANSLATORS AND!!!! GUYS!!!!!!

Spoilers for Episode: Nagi chapter 8!!!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

BAROU MADE REO FALL AND NAGI CAUGHT HIM!!!!! WITH ONE ARM!!!!!!!!

THE TRANSLATION IS NAGI SAYING "I'm not his slave, I'm reo's partner" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SCREAMING CRYING PUNCHING AIR THIS IS EVERYTHING I NEEDED THANK YOU MANGAKA TY TWT USER @/_mangaotaku 😭😭😭😭