Blue Lock Creators Break Silence on New Live-Action Movie

August 9, 2026, 7:00pm

Despite being one of the most popular sports manga series of all time, Blue Lock sparked quite a lot of controversy for the subpar animation in Season 2. Written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura, the manga won the 45th Kodansha Manga Award in the Shonen category in 2021, three years after its debut. In 2023, after the anime debut, it became the best-selling manga of the year, surpassing the popularity of Shonen Jump hits such as Jujutsu Kaisen and One Piece at the time. The manga is still ongoing, releasing weekly chapters in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine. However, while the manga, released in 2018, is a major hit, with over 50 million copies in circulation worldwide, fans have more than a few complaints about the anime adaptation, especially in the second season.

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Not only that, but the manga was also adapted into a live-action film, which hit the Japanese theaters on August 7th. Yusuke Taki, best known for adapting the live-action of Kingdom and Golden Kamuy, serves as the director of the film. The film still awaits an international release date, but it’s already causing quite a lot of buzz in Japan. As creators behind the manga, Kaneshiro and Nomura also share their thoughts on the latest live-action film.

In an interview with Mantan Web, both creators discussed the latest film. Kaneshiro shared, “From the moment I first heard about the film adaptation, I myself was looking forward to seeing how it would turn out, so I intend to watch it with the same emotions as the readers and fans. Originally, a lot of adults were really serious about wanting to make it, so we were happy to agree.”

Additionally, Nomura revealed, “I also initially had no idea how it would turn out as a live-action film, since it’s a work with a lot of manga-like expressions. But the footage I’ve seen so far is incredibly cool, and it’s even better than I thought, making me think, ‘This is going to work!’ I could also sense that Mr. Takahashi and the other cast members really love the original work.”

The creators also encouraged fans to watch the film in the theaters while sharing their excitement over the first-ever live-action adaptation. The live-action has only just been released, which is why it’s too soon to determine whether it was a massive hit or not. However, considering the buzz it has created since the announcement, it wouldn’t be surprising if many fans went to watch it. The creators are more than pleased with the visuals and cast members, which is all the more reassuring for fans.

What’s Next For Blue Lock Fans?

Despite the second season’s controversy, the anime will be returning with a third season from the same studio. The new season is titled Blue Lock NEO EGOIST LEAGUE, but it has yet to share a release window or date as of now. With over 150 chapters, it’s the longest arc in the manga, which means we can expect either Season 3 to have multiple cours or the entire arc to be adapted in multiple seasons. The arc features the Blue Lock team playing against some of the best teams from around the world. We can also expect some new talents to be introduced in the anime.

So far, only the key visual has been revealed, so without a teaser or a trailer, it’s impossible to determine if the animation studio has improved its quality after Season 2. Due to the production constraints in the second season, the anime didn’t live up to fans’ expectations, even though the first season wasn’t nearly as bad. Considering the third season is taking longer than expected, we can expect some improvement in the animation quality.