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Blue Lock Spinoff Novel Series Gets 2nd Novel in January, 3rd Novel Next Fall

The official Twitter account of Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yūsuke Nomura's Blue Lock soccer manga revealed on Monday the cover design for the second novel in the Shōsetsu Blue Lock Tatakai no Mae, Bokura wa. (Novel Blue Lock: Us, Before the Battle) spinoff novel series, which will release on January 17. The manga's staff also confirmed that a third novel is set for release in autumn 2023.

The spinoff novel centers on the lives of the characters before entering the Blue Lock dormitory. Kaneshiro is in charge of the plot, Momo Moegi is writing the novels, and Kōta Sannomiya (Tesla Note) is drawing the illustrations.

The first novel launched on October 17, and featured stories about Yoichi Isagi, Seishirō Nagi, and Meguru Bachira. The second novel will feature the stories of Hyōma Chigiri, Reo Mikage, and Rin Itoshi. The third novel, which will release in autumn 2023, will feature the stories of Rensuke Kunigami, Ikki Niko, and Yō Hiori.

The first volume of a separate novel series adaptation of the main Blue Lock manga shipped on November 17, and the second volume will release on January 14. Mitsuru Yoshioka is writing the novel adaptation, Nomura is drawing the illustrations, and Kaneshiro is credited for the original work.

Kaneshiro and Nomura launched the ongoing manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in August 2018. The manga won the Best Shōnen Manga award in Kodansha's 45th Annual Manga Awards last year.

Kodansha USA Publishing is releasing the manga in English digitally and in print, and it describes the story:

After a disastrous defeat at the 2018 World Cup, Japan's team struggles to regroup. But what's missing? An absolute Ace Striker, who can guide them to the win. The Japan Football Union is hell-bent on creating a striker who hungers for goals and thirsts for victory, and who can be the decisive instrument in turning around a losing match...and to do so, they've gathered 300 of Japan's best and brightest youth players. Who will emerge to lead the team...and will they be able to out-muscle and out-ego everyone who stands in their way?

The Blue Lock anime premiered in Japan on October 8 on TV Asahi and its affiliates in the "NUMAnimation" programming block. Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs, and started streaming the anime's English dub on October 22.

Source: Blue Lock manga's Twitter account