REVIEW: ‘Blue Lock’ Season 2 Episode 11 — “What You Taught Us”

The second half of the thrilling matchup between team Blue Lock and the Japan U-20s is underway, and the excitement has not disappointed. Blue Lock Season 2 Episode 11, “What You Taught Us,” is all about players finding their flow as the final whistle gets closer.

Shidou’s introduction to the match completely flipped the script and gave the U-20s a lifeline back into the game. His breathtaking goal and electrifying speed made him almost impossible for Blue Lock to defend. The end of the last episode features Reo and his chameleon ability to learn to copy Shidou. Blue Lock Season 2 Episode 11 picks up with Reo and the rest of his Blue Lock teammates learning to cope with the threat Shidou poses to them.

The Blue Lock players have been developing their skills to focus on attack, so forcing them to work on their defense has been one of the more interesting focal points this season. It completely changes how Ego’s system is supposed to work and rethinks what soccer tactics should be. However, even here, we get to see Reo complain about having to play defense, and he mentions he wants to get back to scoring goals.

This is another great tool for focusing on the larger issue of what soccer is supposed to be. This entire match has been a battle of wills between traditional, team-based soccer and the egotistical Blue Lock program. Even when team Blue Lock figures out a way to get past the U-20s, it is typically a mix of their own strategy and more traditional soccer thinking. There is no obvious answer from the start, which makes the changes during the match more interesting to see play out.

Egoes take centerstage in Blue Lock Season 2 Episode 11

While the U-20s are meant to be more team-focused, Shidou and Sae are good examples of how rampant egos are, even on a team that is supposed to be focused more on the whole than the individual. It makes sense for Reo, Rin, Isagi, and their Blue Lock teammates to focus on themselves. However, seeing the U-20 players have those same internal and external debates shows how complicated the situation is.

It also makes it harder for viewers to pick the “right” team to root for. This complication means that viewers ask the same questions as the characters in the series, adding an intriguing layer to the show. Isagi is, for all intents and purposes, the main character, but there are so many others on both teams that get a chance to shine. Blue Lock Season 2 Episode 11 continues this by giving us several internal dialogues that make it hard to focus on just one specific character.

That might seem like a bad thing, but by fleshing out the rest of the teams, the series gives viewers a deeper reason to be connected to the story. This is not just a story about one individual; it is a story about the sport as a whole. The individual characters are just vessels that drive the main philosophical debate about soccer home.

The animation still struggles

On the field, we get to see more about the players’ “flow” during the game. Shidou is the easiest to spot because of how fluid his movements were from the moment he took the field. His Big Bang Drive scores another goal for the U-20s but unlocks something in the other players. Others on the field start discovering their own flow as the match becomes even more chaotic.

This natural progression makes the growth on the field feel more organic. Sure, the moves are over the top and pretty wild, but there is an authenticity about the mentality at the root of it all that manages to make it feel somewhat grounded at the same time. This balance between absurd and natural makes Blue Lock Season 2 Episode 11 so appealing as the action unfolds.

The on-field plot unfolds in fascinating ways, but the continuing lack of decent animation does it no favors. Shoddy CGI work and still frames take viewers out of the experience just when the action is supposed to be at its peak. The only real visual highlight was Shidou’s Big Band Drive move, but other than that, the visuals were more of a distraction than anything.

Blue Lock Season 2 Episode 11 is all about character growth, and it does an excellent job of highlighting that as the match continues. Poor animation continues to detract from an intriguing story, but the growing chaos makes it worth watching.

Blue Lock Season 2 Episode 11 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.