Mizuno continue their strong start to the 2019/20 season, dropping a new chapter for the Mizuno Morelia Neo II series, known as “Beta”. It arrives as something of a break from the Morelia’s traditional ‘all leather’ designs, with the Japanese brand stripping things back to create a "super-light" version and then coating it in a stunning silver and gold paint job.
Mizuno are known for the sublime craftsmanship of their boots, with the tag “Made in Japan” signifying a standout seal of quality. This craftsmanship is usually executed on an all-leather construction, and in terms of the looks for their boots, you’d usually expect to find bold block colours, often executed in a nice two to three colour combination, much like what we’ve seen with Mizuno’s releases so far this year. But that script has been torn up as we prepare for the 2019/20 kick-off, with Mizuno presenting the Morelia Neo II “Beta”. Yep, it's essentially a "Superlight" edition at 170g.
The “Beta” sees Mizuno uncharacteristically wrapping the Morelia Neo II almost completely in silver, embellished only by the addition of some gold trim on the Runbird and heel branding. The colouring serves to not only be instantly eye-catching, but to also highlight the differing textures of the boot, as the tradition of an all K-leather construction is abandoned for a modern, lighter weight take, with a fibrous mesh yarn on the rear foot.
It’s here that the name starts to make sense. A “Beta” test is a limited release of a product with a goal of finding bugs before the final release. Can we therefore assume that the Morelia “Beta” is Mizuno gauging the reaction to a radical overhaul of one of their longest lasting silos? Quite possibly. With the K-leather still existing in the forefoot, you can expect the same sublime touch and feel on the ball, but with the added bonus of a significant weight drop thanks to the change in material through the rest of the boot, a move that brings it closer to the look of the Rebula. Interesting to see the wider reaction to this “Beta” test, but if it improves the performance while maintaining the core DNA of the silo, then what’s not to like?
Pick up the Mizuno Morelia Neo II "Beta" football boots at prodirectsoccer.com
