#isanagi

I love how the difference between Nagi and Isagi/the traditional Blue Lock ego is highlighted here again: “いま世界で一番熱いのは俺だ!!!"　"世界一のストライカーは俺だ!!!"

"The most fired up in the world... is me!!!" vs "The best striker in the world... is me!!!"

It's just the way it’s said with "Ore da!!!" (is me!!!) at the end. That's their ego speaking and Nagi really doesn’t care about being the best striker lol. What he, who never felt nor experienced much before Blue Lock, really cares about is more personal, like feeling the heat, fighting for something at stake, the joy of “winning”, being reborn, finally feeling alive and just having his existence validated. It’s very much linked to personal growth.

I guess Kaneshiro said it best with geniuses having self-type egos. It's becoming clear how much he takes into account Nagi's character when creating all the different ego dichotomies considering how neatly he fits into each. Same with Isagi. I guess they really are meant to be the ultimate representatives of their type and the polar opposite of each other.

And speaking of Isagi, I’ve quite mixed feelings about his phantom appearing lol, mainly because I wanted some genuine BarouNagi team up (fuck u knsr). But reading it again, in a way it’s highlighting to us they were both on the same wavelength. At the last critical moment, both were able to summon an ultimate play by visualising their ultimate rival, a very “genius” way of doing things.

Also seeing these panels made me feel some type of way:

How you can’t tell whether they’re looking at Isagi’s phantom or at each other in understanding (I think it’s the latter), to their quiet acknowledgement of each other as their shared visualisation of Isagi vanishes… In a way it’s kinda cool? How it shows them teaming up but still keeping that distance and friction between them while connected by their common goal to win Isagi. It’s a very “manly” (otokorashi) team up lol.

But also fuck you knsr, he always does this!! This “giving you what you want but not in the way you completely want” schtick. Always!!! He’s always treading on mixed allusions and “the borderline” <_<

I guess he really doesn’t want any other rivalry outside of Isagi so whatever’s between BarouNagi shouldn’t be labelled as such. He’ll never stop my yearning for more BarouNagi tho, in any form <_<

Anyway, I’m convinced now that he’s trying to match up events between the main series and the spin off. Idk what’s he trying to do but the Isagi focus in the newest chapters of both series ain’t a coincidence. Personally, I actually kinda like Nagi being “obsessed” with Isagi mainly because I like it contrasting and complementing his attachment to Reo, but the Isagi glazing by everyone is getting a bit much x_x

And speaking of events matching up, the next Episode Nagi chapter will be released on March 7, and it’s titled “いつか死ぬ君へ” (to you who’ll die someday)… I’m convinced the current BM vs PXG match will end before then and we’ll get to see Nagi again in the main series… And the EpiNagi chapter with the ominous title is gonna be linked to that…

Nagi in the main series has been set to “die” for a while now considering his talk with Barou “Go die and come back, you coward”. Even with Rin, death was mentioned “Do babies think about death when they’re born?” “This place is filled with tepid losers so I’ll go down to hell”.

Kinda side tracked but interesting how Barou’s talking about being reborn after dying, yet Rin’s talking about descending to hell willingly. I think it might be a foreshadowing to Rin’s downfall… or not… but anyway…

Nagi’s written to be set to die because no way is his downfall arc gonna be magically resolved in such an anticlimactic manner. He can’t be reborn when he hasn’t even died which makes it very fitting for “to you who’ll die someday”… right? Not to mention his whole skull motif and telling Reo to not die before him… So if anyone is dying during/after their final match… it wouldn’t be Reo.

But what I find most “telling” is probably this last page:

It matches up completely to how Nagi looked losing his ego after beating Isagi. I’m pretty sure it’s on purpose, to make us think back to main series’ events and with that title…

Unlikely Valentines

Decided to write something after being inactive!! Enjoy because after this is haikyuu! For this, I’ll put everyone in Bllk in the same school, I feel like I’ll do that more often for stories!!

It wasnt uncommon for Isagi to get some chocolates for Valentines, he wasn’t half bad looking if he thought so himself. Though, what was sitting in his desk wasn’t chocolate, it was a random black bunny plushie with a note saying ‘It reminds me of you a lot. ~Nagi’

Isagi could only stare in amusement and curiosity, and now annoyance since Bachira started teasing him on it. “Woah!!! Mister sleepyhead really likes you! He even gave you a gift, it does kinda look like you! Even my monster says so too!!” Bachira as always, was energetic with no sign of stopping.

Isagi sighed as he stuff the plushie in his book bag, making sure it couldn’t be seen at all. He was embarrassed a bit, more confused. Didn’t Nagi like Reo or was he just his buddy? “Hey! Chigiri got tons of chocolates and gifts! There’s a mountain on his table! How come I didn’t get any?!” Isagi heard Igarashi complain as Kunigamu and Chigiri shared chocolates.

Everybody was having fun at least, but Isagi had to get to the bottom of this— or pretend this never happened— which he could totally do.. “Hey!! Isn’t that Reo and Nagi outside?” Isagi almost gave himself whiplash at Bachira’s words, he had looked over to see Nagi looking straight at him. He swear he was shot by Cupid by the way his heart sped up incredibly.

The two held gazes for a moment, which Isagi was sure was just gonna turn into a full stare contest— until Reo caught onto the two and glared at Isagi, dragging Nagi off. “Jeez, Grape head is so jealous !! You know what they say, ‘Sagi!! It’s a disease! We gotta cure him!” Bachira had hooked his arm around Isagi’s, dragging his best friend toward the other pair.

Isagi swear he wanted to disappear in that moment, his heart still was beating at what seemed 1,000 beats, well not really..he’d probably be dead if that was the case. To make it worst, Bachira was dragging him to what sensed of disaster, Reo was practically territorial of Nagi and Nagi was gonna be all nonchalant as usual!

“Grapehead!! Grapehead!! What are ya doing with Sagi’s boyfriend~?” Isagi definitely wanted to disappear now, he already felt the visceral amount of jealousy coming his way. Reo and Nagi had stopped, Reo whipping around to face the duo. “Nagi is not that blueberry’s boyfriend, and I’m not a Grapehead, you annoying ball of energy!”

As always, Bachira teased. “Oh really? Then why did he give Sagi a gift and why is your hair purple like a grape if you aren’t one? You should be Reo Mikagrape instead, you even sit there and look shiny like one!!” Isagi sighed deeply, but ignoring the bickering. Nagi and him locked eyes once more but it felt more romantic for some reason, was it hot in the hallway or just him..? The longer they looked at each other, the more it seemed to be just them, Isagi’s heart was pumping and he found him wondering if Nagi’s did too.

In a way, Nagi felt the same but it was more of a new feeling, no video game or soccer goal amounted to. His heart beated for Isagi in a new way. That’s why he gave him the gift in the first place.

It was early in the morning — A day before Valentines —when Nagi had arrived at school with Reo, the other rambling on about Valentine’s. “Honestly, I don’t get why people don’t just outright confess, wouldn’t that be better? Giving gifts is only for cowards who can’t be straightforward.” Those words resonated with Nagi, he couldn’t tell Isagi of all people he liked him, especially up front. Couldn’t tell him that his passion in soccer made him smile, that his smile made Nagi blush, that he wanted to be near him all the time. So he’d be the not straightforward coward and give Isagi a gift.

After school, Nagi passed a small shop, in the window was a few small plushies, one white and the other black, both bunnies and a matching pair. It was as if that moment he was a glimpse of Isagi smiling in the window’s reflection. How strange.

Nagi had gotten both the bunnies, looking at the black one as if it was going to grow two legs and walk away somewhere. He had gotten Isagi a gift.

It was the end of the day, Nagi hadn’t seen Isagi since the commotion in the hallway, he wanted to see him badly. Get the strange feeling off his chest and acquire what he wanted. Reo had always gotten him what he wanted but now he has to get it himself, right. He was a coward who couldn’t be straightforward, but it wasn’t too late to change that.

It was like a miracle when Nagi saw that black hair he loved, Isagi was passing by him and he had a chance. “Isagi.” In that moment, Nagi felt nervous and he was never really nervous but he had Isagi’s attention now. So now he’ll get these unfamiliar words out of his heart.

“Will you..Will you be my boyfriend ..?”