Every morning, incoming first-year Taiki Inomata hurries to his high school gym in order to further refine his badminton skills. However, his true motivation stems from sharing the otherwise empty gym with second-year Chinatsu Kano, Taiki's crush and the star player of the girls' basketball team. Although Chinatsu seems unapproachable, Taiki gradually finds opportunities to get to know her little by little.
Unbeknownst to Taiki, his tireless work ethic and admiration motivate Chinatsu to work harder and strive to achieve her greatest ambitions. When her family must suddenly move overseas for work, Chinatsu decides to remain in Japan and shoot for victory at the national level. With nowhere to stay, she is taken in by Taiki's mother, who is longtime friends with Chinatsu's own. Overwhelmed with the new reality of living alongside the girl he loves, Taiki resolves to join Chinatsu at the national level in his own sport—and grow closer to her in the process.
Still, despite being good enough to catch his coach's eye, Taiki must fight an uphill battle to qualify for a spot on the starting team. Cheered on by both Chinatsu and gymnast Hina Chouno, his childhood friend, Taiki aims to make a name for himself among his powerful upperclassmen.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
duckpoop
I can only call this a nihilistic romance show. The author shows you a romantic situation that seems to be quite definitive, and then, she spends entire episodes arranging scenes suggesting that, even though the situation once looked hopeless, maybe... maybe, change is actually possible. That something new and beautiful will blossom. Then she shits on it. Nearly every episode has one or two rage-quit worthy scenes where you just want to abandon ship and jump into the ocean, yet those tiny embers of romantic intrigue prevent you from dropping it, keeping you curious about if the situation will change the next time. It doesn't - the showmethodically destroys hope. It's literally a textbook narcissistic relationship: small gestures of kindness that give you hope, which are then followed by a long duration of relentless abuse.
This isn't just some normal romantic bait and switch. It is scientifically perfected to be as enraging as possible. If I'm giving this a 4/10, 3 points of that are thanks to Hina. She exists independently from the author. There's a certain sadism in the production of this story. If you are the type willing to play the M to the author’s S, you'll love it. Otherwise, don’t bother. I certainly wouldn’t have if literally any other worthwhile romance existed right now.
FlowMAL
Blue Box may not reinvent the romance genre, but it executes its ideas so well that it hardly matters. While the anime relies on familiar tropes, they're handled so naturally and genuinely that they feel fresh and enjoyable. The story isn't overly complex, but its simplicity is part of its charm, making it incredibly easy to love. At its core, Blue Box is a wholesome, well-crafted romance that understands its strengths and delivers them exceptionally well. The main defining aspect of Blue Box is that it blends romance with sports. Watching Taiki push himself to improve, not just for his own sake but because he wantsto stand alongside the person he admires, gives the story and its main goal more weight. That said, while sports play an essential role in shaping the characters' motivations, the story ultimately prioritizes romance.
One of the standout aspects is the complete lack of fanservice, which is a refreshing choice for a high school romance anime. Many similar series rely on fanservice, particularly with high school characters, which can be off-putting for many. Blue Box, however, avoids cheap distractions and focuses on what actually matters: the characters and their relationships. As a result, every interaction feels so much more sincere.
And, of course, I have to mention the soundtrack. OP 1 and ED 2, in particular, perfectly captured the emotion of the series and arcs for me. OP 1 ("Same Blue" by Official HIGE DANdism) always had me hyped for the episode. ED 2 ("Contrast" by TOMOO) paired an emotional song with beautiful visuals, hitting hard every time it started playing after a great episode. They're the kind of songs that stay with you even after the episode ends, making the story's moments just a little more impactful.
If you're after something groundbreaking or genre-defining, Blue Box might not be the anime for you. But if you want a heartfelt romance with fantastic animation, a banger soundtrack and engaging drama, Blue Box is absolutely worth the watch. It's one of those rare anime that just feels right.
Andrewapps
Story: 5 Characters: 7 Animation: 8.5 Sound: 9 Enjoyment: 7 Overall: 7.3/10 Notes: It's crazy to say, but honestly... the worst parts of "Blue Box" are its main pairing, and the sports sub-plot. It's crazy, because one of Chinatsu and Taiki are almost always on screen, and the whole show uses the sports theme as a crutch to support itself/the romance. But genuinely, I feel that those two things are what is holding "Blue Box" back. Only one of the sports (badminton, basketball, or rhythmic gymnastics) should have been the focus (and I mean actually focused upon, not simply as part of the setting), and Hina, Kyou, Ayame and Kengo should havebeen the main characters. Chinatsu and the entire basketball team can be hard demoted to the background, and Taiki would be demoted to supporting cast, as Kyou's and Kengo's teammate. I genuinely think the show would have benefited greatly from such alterations, as the supporting cast really shines in "Blue Box", making Chinatsu and Taiki rough to watch as they bumble around "aimlessly" for 25 episodes.
But if we aren't going to hard change anything about the show, then it needs more badminton, or hell ANY basketball, I'll even take some rhythmic gymnastics over, well... NOTHING. And obviously, the show desperately needs to develop Chinatsu and Taiki as characters, because frankly at this point Hina deserves better, making Taiki look bad for rejecting her and Chinatsu look bad for being Taiki's target of affection. Taiki is bland, and Chinatsu... Chinatsu is beyond bland.
I will say, though... "Blue Box" is cute, sweet, and easy to digest, with some surprisingly real moments coming from the supporting cast + Hina. Even Taiki has a relatable moment or two, somehow, and it is moments like those that kept me invested in the show, even during its lulls.
Frankly... at this stage, "Blue Box" is hard carried by the studio's great animation/decent directing, solid OPs/EDs, and superb VA casting. Without a high quality studio at the helm, this show is a 6/10, probably worse.
To close things off: It's vanilla, it's slow-paced, the sports element hardly exists, the main pairing sucks, huge payout moments come up and then are backpedaled upon with 0 end result... but I still liked it, surprisingly. Not loved, but liked. If a S2 comes, I'll take it. If not... I won't lose any sleep over it.
otahoshi
I didn’t root for the main couple. My heart leaned toward the one who smiled despite the storm – Hina. She wasn’t just a side character to me; she was the heart I related to. Her honesty, her courage, and the way she carried unspoken feelings… It wasn’t just a crush. It was love that bloomed in silence. But not every story is fair. Not every feeling gets returned. And sometimes, the most painful “no” is the one we see coming… but still hope against. Hina’s rejection wasn’t just hers – it echoed in me.Blue Box may be about love and sports.
But to me, it was a reminder:
Some hearts stay hidden in the background… but beat the loudest.
Dgd90
MC is not very likeable, literally does not take a single meaningful action until the end. Paralyzed by decision the whole season, and an ultra passive wuss. He finally does something at least near the end but then the season ends on a garbage open ended note. Animation decent I enjoy the style. Plotlines just simmer and fail to develop. A lot of characters that are genuinely shallow and boring. The team manager she sucks lol, but at least they give her more character than like all the other side characters. I think you might like it but wait until season 2 comes out. Waitingfor this weekly pained me because very little happens in each episode
JuSanyk
First this season doesn't have a proper ending, so if you want to start watching it just now, I don't recommend it, it is not worth it. Otherwise it was all right, nothing special. 24 okay episodes with a 24th episode that could have been an end for season one, and then there was a filler 25th one where literally nothing happened. I am not gonna say it was bad, because I watched all episodes and kinda enjoyed it, and this is already something. My biggest complaint is honestly the ending. Based on the rhytm of this anime the end was right there in the25th and I don't see what on earth can be in this story and characters that deserves a whole second season. If the ending would have been there and we can get a second season with a fresh couple (which can be just as exciting although it is rarely a theme in romantic stuff) that's a different story, but this isn't the case here.
TLDR.: Not recommended, wait for the second season and maybe then. We will see.
_Maria_chan_
Initially, I had very high expectations after watching its trailer and the first episode. It's shown that this anime is about two genre: sports and romance. But sadly the sports no longer exist in this anime. The author has given a lot of importance to the romance and love triangle here. Total of 25 episodes were filled with clueless and unnecessary stories. There was no plot, no comedy. Overall this anime was very slow and boring. I thought I could watch badminton and basketball games here, but not even ten percent of sports were shown here. The entire anime ends with scenes of Taiki andChinatsu unnecessarily talking and face each other, Hina is suffering pain of rejection which was so undeserving and sometimes they would show some scenes of their game practice.
About the characters, the two mc Taiki and Chinatsu were pretty useless. They like each other but entire 25 episodes, they can't tell each other what's on their minds, which was so weird. Surprisingly, the author made the second female character Hina more likable than the female mc Chinatsu. Just only Hina is such a straightforward likable character here. The female mc Chinatsu has no contribution here, her job was only to make misunderstand. The male mc is so useless and brainless, I really don't wanna say anything else about him.
Btw, The opening and ending song was beautiful and the animation quality was also very nice.
Lastly, I would definitely not recommend this to anyone. Because I don't want anyone to waste their time watching such a clueless anime like I did.
OneAnxiousKitten
I only came for the romance. The anime did not live up to my expectations. The animation is beautiful. The love triangle was executed well in the sense that I liked both girls competing for the guy, both sides felt real and relatable. But the anime portrayed many typical tropes (living together, falling on each other, caring for the other one when they are feverish, etc.), and yet they never led to anything! I was impressed at the beginning and really hoped for either of the relationships to develop further, but NO, it has 25 episodes and yet they get nowhere as a couple. Could youeven call this a slow burn when there is almost no progress at all?
Really disappointed, should have dropped it the first time I felt bored.
Tuls
There haven’t been many sports-romance anime in recent times, so the genre alone gives Blue Box an edge, but it ends up being an unfortunate case of mismanaged potential. It’s less of an issue of maturity but rather an overreliance on cliches and, ultimately, a genuine lack of ingenuity. The sports aspect is better not talked about, as there hardly is any, and the little that we do get is usually over before you blink twice. It shows promise during the beginning, and in a sense, it’s a positive that the show sets itself up nicely with its character motivations, showing how admiration can sometimestranslate to love. However, the problem lies in portraying the progression of Taiki and Chinatsu’s relationship, given they share the same home; it’s way too sluggish, taking more liberties than it should, making them incredibly dull to watch together. One could argue this is due to the first season being Hina’s arc, but that’s a disingenuous excuse for Chinatsu being virtually the same as when the show started. I’m willing to give Kouji Miura the benefit of the doubt, as this is technically her first long-running work, and because there are some moments where her writing does pick up compared to the general trope-ridden romance setups and unamusing humor.
In particular, I have to praise how she handles Hina’s character; it’s almost entirely because of how daringly she is written, possessing more nuance than most of the cast. We don’t see many characters take actions like she does in this genre, and it’s the reason why the love triangle has a capricious feel to it, disorienting Taiki’s view of friendship and love, as he’s on the receiving end for once. This is also why the rest of the show is so disappointing, as Miura can definitely write interesting characters if she moves past genre platitudes. It’d be nice to see more sports being shown as well rather than just short-lived scenes, as right now, the behavior disparities post-matches outcomes seem shoddily written as we simply didn’t have enough time to digest them. This is Blue Box’s greatest weakness, having the correct idea but shaky execution more often than not. It’s a missed opportunity, given how easy it is to contrast motivations between sports and romance settings, which adds more character depth. On the production end, the show looks decent, but it’s more focused on picking pleasant shots than having well-flowing animation. Blue Box still has potential, but its fulfillment depends on whether the writing can evolve to demonstrate more creativity.
xconkhi9x
Blue Box is honestly one of the worst romance anime I've ever seen. The story feels formulaic, and it doesn’t truly deliver in either romance or sports. Most of the time, Taiki just watches and fantasizes about Chinatsu during basketball practice scenes, rather than having real interactions between the two. Their chemistry is dull and uninspiring. Even after watching all 25 episodes, I couldn't find a single convincing reason why Taiki would fall for Chinatsu so blindly - it just feels like a kouhai chasing after his school idol senpai, nothing more. On the bright side, the visuals are polished and aesthetically pleasing — but that alonecan’t save such a weak and uninspired narrative.
CentrasGriz
Blue box is a story that tries to be both a sports drama and a romance but doesn’t fully commit to either. You’ve got a hardworking badminton guy, a skilled basketball girl, and a convenient under-one-roof setup that should practically write its own romantic tension… except the tension is so faint it might as well be a rumor. The sports matches technically happen, but they’re so low-energy you half-expect someone to bring them a chair mid-game. The romance? Same problem. You've got charming leads, but their chemistry is so subtle you’ll need a lot of patience to spot it. Side characters try to liven thingsup, but they’re basically the backup dancers for a performance the main duo forgot to give. The pacing isn’t exactly slow burn instead it's like waiting for water to boil when you forgot to turn on the stove. If you’re after something calm and easy to watch, this might work, but if you’re hoping for heart-pounding sports or heart-fluttering romance, you’ll probably spend most of the time wondering if the title “Blue Box” is a metaphor for the cardboard box where all the excitement got stored and never unpacked.
Thanks for reading.
H-Kyouma
From the deepest laboratories of chaos and destiny, I, Hououin Kyouma, have borne witness to a tale of human emotion most curious in its subtle alchemy. This so-called “romance anime,” Blue Box, threatened at first to ensnare me in the recycled sludge of love stories past, endless reiterations of confessions under cherry blossoms, dramatic fireworks, and other cliches born from the stagnation of lesser dimensions. I nearly abandoned the experiment before it began. But lo! What emerged from the vortex was no hollow husk of genre repetition, but a delicate, carefully woven tapestry of relationships both natural and believable. The interactions between these mortals did notfeel forged in the fires of cheap narrative manipulation; nay, they evolved with the grace of inevitability, tinged with the bittersweet complexity that only the cruel goddess of fate herself could conjure.
Ah, the love triangle, often a grotesque monstrosity in lesser works, here stood as the great keystone of the story’s architecture. Taiki, trapped in the labyrinth of his heart, respected Hina’s affections without desecrating them, even as his own desire burned for Chinatsu. His dilemma was not one of shallow indecision, but of empathy, duty, and an earnest refusal to let another’s heart become a consolation prize. It was a genuine conflict of souls, worthy of the title “romance.”
And let us not forget the perspective matrix! The show treats the flow of information as though it were sacred. Each character knows only what they would logically know, never overstepping into godlike omniscience. This grounding creates tension more authentic than any fabricated drama. Even Kyou, our archetypal glasses-bound observer, ever lurking with his sharp eyes and quiet calculations, manages to toe the line of cliche without shattering the illusion.
Now, as for the finale, some fools cry out for a confession, a kiss, a grand declaration of passion! To those I say: silence! Such contrived theatrics would have ruptured the carefully maintained tempo of the tale. The restraint shown was not a weakness, but a mark of narrative discipline. The ending was an organic pause in an ongoing symphony, not the blaring crash of cymbals that lesser writers might employ.
Yet…! I would be remiss if I did not gaze into the uncertain future of Season Two. I sense the path diverges into several timelines, most of them treacherous. One route: the slow, tedious stretching of romantic tension until it frays. Another: an early coupling followed by empty filler, padded with shallow fanservice. Or worse still: an overemphasis on its sports elements, drowning out the fragile core that gave it brilliance. Beware, for the Experiment of Love can all too easily collapse into mediocrity!
Thus, my verdict is as follows: Blue Box is a rare jewel in the wasteland of romance anime. Flawed, yes, but humanly so, its cracks only make the brilliance more apparent. I, Hououin Kyouma, decree it worthy of a 9 out of 10 on the grand scale of destiny!
El Psy Kongroo.
Yorsenpai_999
Blue Box is a slow-burn slice-of-life romance that stands out for its emotional realism and gentle storytelling. What starts as a typical “crush on my senpai” setup quickly shifts into something deeper and more grounded. The story doesn’t rely on overused tropes or forced coincidences, even when the main characters begin living under the same roof—it handles these situations with surprising maturity and subtlety. Taiki, the main character, is kind-hearted, patient, and genuinely supportive—not just toward his crush, Chinatsu, but also his friend Hina, whose quiet strength and emotional growth are beautifully portrayed. Chinatsu feels like a real person, focused on her goals, yet quietly forminga bond with Taiki that is soft and unspoken. The presence of sports adds a refreshing drive to the story and gives the characters something to strive for beyond romance.
Every character has their own depth, even the supporting ones—like the calm, understanding Taki's friend was, who always knows what to say. The pacing can feel slow at times, but that slowness adds to the realistic charm, making each connection feel earned rather than rushed.
Blue Box doesn’t scream drama or fantasy—it whispers growth, warmth, and emotional honesty. A beautiful watch if you're looking for romance that feels human.
shotarinn
This series has been a painful watch, and it's mainly because of how it's handling its characters. Hina, who has so much depth and emotional range, is being completely underutilized. It feels like the story keeps sidelining her in favor of Chinatsu, whose character honestly lacks the complexity and spark needed to carry the emotional core of the plot. First of all, Hina has all the emotional depth. She's got the interesting personality and vulnerability that makes her feel so real. Yet the story keeps pushing her to the sidelines in favor of Chinatsu, who is just... boring. She's the template love interest; quiet, pretty, hardworking,inspiring girl with zero spice. It's frustrating because there's so little to grasp with Chinatsu. She's too hard to read, but not in a mysterious or intriguing way, rather in a way that makes it impossible to connect with her. Basically, we're not given any real insight into her character beyond her stillness and bland politeness. That’s it. No meaningful layers, no compelling motivations, just boringness and paleness wrapped in a pretty character design.
Meanwhile, Hina is right there, rich with untapped potential, and the story acts like she’s just a plot device or something to show us Taiki's unwavering loyalty or whatever positive trait it is the writer is trying to make us see. It’s disappointing, honestly. A waste of a great character.
Lucia_vz
If you're looking for an anime centered around sports, this isn't for you. While sports are present, they take a backseat. The main plot revolves around romance, and honestly, even that didn't really convince me. What I liked most was Hina's character, undoubtedly the most interesting and profound of them all. Now, if you like love triangles, unrequited love, and teen drama, then this might be a great fit. But if you're looking for an intense sports story or a more grounded romance, this probably isn't what you're looking for. I enjoyed it at times, but there were parts that felt tiresome to watch, and more than onceI was stressed out by the protagonist's decisions.
But this is just my personal opinion and perception. If you were interested in watching it, I encourage you to start it and judge for yourself, because while many people weren't convinced, others loved it.
MarlsMarsBars
The hotly anticipated sports romance anime, Blue Box, finally wrapped up its first season, and I’m… a bit conflicted, but not in a way you might think. Now I’m just gonna rip the band-aid off immediately, I like this anime and I’d recommend this to anyone if you’re in need of some non-action anime to watch. That said, I’m not really on the same hype train that everyone else is with this series. Before I get into my issues with this series, let’s get into the positives first. Blue Box is one of the few romance anime that I’ve seen with a love triangle that Iactually think works. In this anime, the love triangle is utilized to really highlight and drive home the emotional discrepancies between the three main characters: Taiki Inomata, Chinatsu Kano, and Hina Chouno. I like how Taiki is at the center of the triangle since he spends the most time with both Chinatsu and Hina. Instead of playing the safe route like other romance storylines with this particular trope, the anime actually has the childhood friends interact with one another, which in this case, further builds the dynamic between Taiki and Hina. If the story ever wanted to hit us hard emotionally with what happens later on, it wouldn’t have been as emotionally impactful if the childhood friends barely had scenes together, or verbally and lazily drilling into us the idea that Taiki and Hina have known each other for a very long time. There is also a good balance in screen time given between Taiki’s scenes with Chinatsu and Hina separately, however, I will later get into the dynamic between Inomata and Kano.
I also liked the sports side of this series. Each main character is part of a different sports team in their high school, which I like because that not only sets the characters apart in that aspect, but also gives us different subplots to follow. Taiki excelling to be the best first year in the badminton team is a good motivational narrative set piece for his character to grow and eventually reach the same level of that his crush, Chinatsu, is at with basketball. While I might not be the biggest fan of sports stories in entertainment - even to the extent of a preference of watching actual sports over shows like this - I found quite a few of these subplots to be intense and something to come back every week for. I found myself invested in Inomata’s growth as a badminton player. That said, I found both Chinatsu and Hina’s perspectives on their own sporting adventures to be slightly lacking. We barely get a real deep dive into what these two characters do outside of surface level exposition; early on in the first half of the season, we are constantly reminded that both Kano and Chouno are top prodigies in basketball and rhythmic gymnastics respectively. However, outside of maybe one or two scenes where Chinatsu plays a basketball game, the show barely fleshes out their own individual growth as athletes to the same extent that Inomata receives. That said, whenever the show fully locks in to focusing on a sports tournament, or a character overcoming an athletic block that is stopping them from reaching the next level in their development, it’s handled really well. Blue Box works really well as a sports drama, and in my opinion, this is mainly the more consistent aspect of the writing, even if it’s far from perfect.
While Blue Box might excel as a sports drama, this series is also a romance anime, and this is where my issues with this series begin. First off, I already explained the positives in the love triangle and how it doesn’t fall as flat as other anime that utilize this trope. However, the main couple of this series, Taiki Inomata and Chinatsu Kano, honestly don’t feel like a couple, at least for now. The reason why I say this is because their relationship doesn’t really give me any romantic vibes outside of Taiki having an insane crush on Chinatsu. These two characters initially meet when they run into each other all the time in early morning practice in their school gym, and Chinatsu eventually moves into Taiki’s place as a roommate. Inomata and Kano obviously share quite a few scenes together, however the romantic development between these two feels so stagnant in this season. The furthest their scenes take these two are either a cute moment where they root for each other in their respective sports teams, or Taiki constantly reminding viewers that he has a crush on Kano. Very rarely do we get scenes between these two characters that actually progresses their feelings towards one another. There are even moments where the show subtly gaslights us into believing that there was so much emotional development between the main couple, when there really wasn’t. During the second half of this season, Chinatsu very subtly admits that she is starting to develop feelings for Taiki, but I don’t really buy that because the majority of the second cour has her separated from Inomata due to her not staying at Taiki’s house for an extended period of time. Sure, they still see each other in school, but they are in different grades and in different sports clubs, so it’s not like they spend as much or even more time together to make that confession airtight. For most of the entire season, Chinatsu is primarily distant, and even at times cold, to Taiki. Sure, they hang out and live in the same house, but they honestly don’t even have a dynamic that in any way resembles what I would consider to be romantic. I’m not asking for these two to be lovey-dovey right away, but for a season that contains twenty-four episodes, I would’ve at least expected significant strides in the romance between the actual main couple that this series revolves around.
Now, I don’t want to make it seem like this anime is a failure or anything. I still find Blue Box to be very entertaining, and I have no doubt that later seasons (if that actually happens) will inevitably develop the dynamic between Taiki and Chinatsu more. While that aspect is a drawback for me, it unfortunately is a massive drawback at least for this season since the entire plot revolves around the relationship between these two main characters. But again, there are plenty of things I liked about Blue Box. The animation is very crisp, the direction definitely puts Blue Box atop of other romance anime, and like I said, I find this series so far to be a pretty good sports drama. Even as a drama, I like some aspects about the narratives in this show, like the inclusion of Ayame Moriya. Sure, I find this character to be really annoying, but I like the role she serves in the story; a loose cannon whose naive views on relationships ultimately pushes Hina to fully pursue Taiki. All of this obviously leads to the emotional climax of the entire season, and the last set of episodes that lead up to the big moment, along with the penultimate episode of this season, also contain some great drama between the characters that actually has me excited for more. Hopefully, this does get a second season because I want to see actual story development in future installments in this series since this season has definitely left just a little bit to be desired. If Blue Box can finally lock in and actually progress Inomata and Kano’s relationship, then this series would be great all around. Hopefully that becomes true with more seasons.
youngkratos
Blue Box is one of those rare anime that nails both the sports and romance sides without overdoing either. It’s got just the right amount of slow-burn tension and everyday sports grind to keep you hooked. The story isn’t super crazy or anything, it’s a high school setup, you kinda know where it’s going, but it still hits really well. The art fits the vibe, nothing crazy either but just very clean and beautiful to look at. Characters feel real. Taiki’s not some overpowered main dude, just a hard-working, awkward guy you end up rooting for, without being that overly awkward stereotype that can turn offsome western viewers. Both girls in the love triangle are great, and honestly, sometimes it’s hard to even pick a side. All the supporting characters are great too, felt real and contributing in some way.
And by the way, the English DUB was solid. Overall very happy and left me sort of chasing that feeling for something similar. iykyk.
If anybody knows an anime that hits this same sports/romance balance, please drop it in the comments!
Marinate1016
Blue box is one of the best recent jump projects. Not only is it a brilliant romance story, but it’s a great sports animanga too. It perfectly balances romantic development with the characters’ personal and athletic growth while never going too far in either direction. It’s such a fun and realistic watch. The characters behave like normal people, they communicate, they work through problems and most importantly, it shows young people at a critical juncture in their lives, trying to find their way in an increasingly complicated world. It also has the distinction of being one of the few shows with two genuine best girlswho I could not fault you for falling in love with. Both choices are well written, have their own advantages and depending on the week, you’ll find yourself going back and forth on who you like more. If you’re a fan of romance, sports or just want a somewhat realistic manga where the leads act like normal people, this is a no brainer. The show looks gorgeous and has an awesome cast. It’ll make you laugh, smile and cry, but it’s a great journey.
What I love most about Blue Box is how it really strikes this great balance between showing Taiki chasing and achieving his athletic and personal goals. I have never seen an anime covering badminton before and my only exposure to the sport was through high school gym class. I found myself becoming very interested in the sport and I really like how the author breaks downs the rules, fundamentals and walks us through Taiki and the other characters’ approach to a match. Yea, you got that usual anime over dramatic inner monologue stuff, but for the most part it feels pretty realistic. Taiki doesn’t just instantly become the best badminton player around. He has raw talent, but it still needs refining and I found the way he bounced back from losses to be very motivating. All his wins feel earned because we see the hard work he puts in. I think with any sports anime, it’s very important to have the leads earn their way to the top, but also important to not drag things along too long. This author gets it and did a great job. On the Romantic front, this is exactly the sort of pace I like. Taiki likes Chinatsu from day 1, but it’s a combination of circumstances, his work ethic and his own courage that gradually brings them closer. I hate when characters get together too quickly so this sort of slow burn build up and the love triangle that develops just works for me. I am a sucker for tension and drama and this show has it in spades.
Further to the love triangle point, I think this is one of the best ones I’ve seen. Like I said, you can’t go wrong with Hina or Chinatsu. One is the childhood friend who Taiki can be himself around and has always supported him, world class gymnast and one of the prettiest girls in town. The other is a future WNBA star, first to the gym last to leave, beauty and athleticism AND perhaps most importantly, someone who gives Taiki an ideal to strive towards. It’s one of those situations where no matter who wins, you’re gonna be sad for the loser and feel bad, but that’s how life goes. You don’t always get what you want and everyone can’t be happy. The show doesn’t rely on fan service or the overly cliche love triangle moments, instead it shows a teenage boy who has genuine reasons to like both girls go back and forth and really struggle internally to choose what’s best for him. It’s done in a very believable manner too. As someone who’s been in that position before, I really empathised with Taiki and I fully support his choice at the end. I am just really glad they showed how you can like two people at once for different sort of reasons and depending on the time/day, you can lean more in one direction or the other. Humans are selfish and we naturally want everything, it would be so easy to keep stringing people along because of the validation it gives you, but It wouldn’t be fair to others. Respect to Taiki for the way he owned the situation and handled things.
The main trio are the big draw, but the side characters are great in this too. People like Kyo, Amane, Kengo etc., act as great mentors and guides for our leads, giving them encouragement and advice both as athletes and people. Often I find them saying the sort of things I would tell the leads if I were there next to them. It’s always good to have a voice of reason in the series and these characters help with that as well as being fun in their own right, especially Amane who came in the last few episodes and stole the show!
Telecom were in their bag production wise. The show looks amazing. I have not read the manga, but from what I’ve seen, the art actually looks better than the manga designs. The animation is very fluid, backgrounds are so lush and detailed and voice acting is great! One of the best productions of the last year for sure.
I could gush about this show all day. It was awful for my anxiety because I knew someone I cared about would end up getting hurt with a rejection at the end, but it’s just a testament to how well written the story is that I felt that attached to the characters. It’s one of the easiest and fastest 25 episode watches ever because of how well done each and every episode is. Do yourself a favour and watch it. Ao no Hako gets 10 out of 10.
tsuki1891
This anime started actually pretty good. You have drama, romance and 3 different sports mingled together. The idea was good but the execution was rather poor. The drama takes over most of the time, the dialogues follow the same pattern for 24 episodes and the sports theme is not even a real subplot. Sadly, the dialogues make it look like there will be some kind of progress and then it just cuts off which results in the romance not progressing at all during 24 episodes. Other sports anime do something similar like Ao Ashi or Baby Steps however those anime do this because their mainfocus is the sport. In Ao no Hako, the sport is mostly meaningless. It just exists to create an environment where the characters interact with each other. It is amazing how little we learned about Badminton, Gymnastics or Mini-basketball in 24 episodes. They didn't even bother showing actual training footage or explaining the basic rules of each sport. It is exactly for that reason as well that the matches and inter high feel so dull.
