DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA RomanceAo no Hako
MUSICTeenage Blue
ANIME RomanceAo no Hako 2nd Season

REVIEWS

• 

  HomuraDesu

  80/100
  The perfect generic romcom.

  This review contains SPOILERS for Blue Box
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  Blue Box was always a highly anticipated romcom- way before the Fall 2024 season. Youtubers and analysts were seen publishing videos commonly titled "The most underrated romance manga" at every turn. Naturally, this piqued my interest, so when the release date for the adaptation was announced, as a romance fan, I couldn't be happier. Until, I was dissapointed. (Don't leave. I promise it ain't what you think)

  

  Failure to hook

  So, the first episode actually felt good. The animation -both CGI and hand-drawn- for the songs (how tf you get both Eve and Hige Dandism), and the sports sequence actually surprised many of us due to the amount of love put into it. Multiple people performing moves in the background, gorgeous close-up shots of the main characters, and comedy chibi bits were more than enough to convince everyone that this show was gonna go on a roll. However, this assumption was only based on a single episode.

  

  After a couple more episodes aired, I began to feel let down. Although the production was there, the rest just felt subpar. The jokes were too dry to be able to make anybody with decent humour chuckle. The characters included a simp protagonist, the nice girl, the lively childhood friend who is also the losing heroine, and the incredibly observant male friend. Chinatsu came across as a hollow character, simply existing to appeal to the viewers and Taiki. Speaking of Taiki, holy fk he was annoying. Like, we get it little bro. She's pretty.

  Enter: Chouno Hina

  

  There we go. Episode 6 giving us the best episode yet for the best character. Whoever you pick as your favourite from the main girls is your choice, as it is your personal preference, but when discussing who was (and probably still is) objectively the best character at this point of the story, it's exceedingly obvious Hina clears. Not only did she have personality, barely managing to pull the viewers back from dropping the show with it, she also came with another package. A tragic package.

  

  Hina was Taiki's long-term best female friend. Their interactions had chemistry because of Hina's personality and because they knew each other for a while. What made it all suddenly so gut-wrenching to watch was how Hina understood her own feelings for Taiki too late. She was in the worst position possible. Taiki was actively in the midst of pursuing a romantic relationship with another girl, who coincidentally lived in the same house as him, making any chances for a comeback steal nearly impossible. I'll get back to this later.

  I'm not gonna lie to you, the episodes after 6 were exponentially decreasing in value, so I'm very glad they took a break to present to us:

  Cour 2 (aka the redemption arc)

  Yeah. Cour 2 was a banger. We immediately started the fresh serialization off with a stand-alone episode dedicated to Haryuu and Karen, which was unexpectedly emotional. I'll tell you what, Karen and Haryuu's relationship felt so healthy and more on the mature side, to the point where some people might've started favouring them more than Taiki x Whoever, but this is when I understood something. This anime's strength did not merely lie in the enthralling blue box of romance (horrible title drop ik), but in the sports aspects as well.

  

  As something of an athlete myself, whenever they shoved a serious/emotional match in my face, I simply couldn't help but relate to the characters and the emotions they were feeling. The thought of losing, the thought of improving, the thought of not getting over your limitations, the thought of dissapointing others etc. It was real. To me, these moments of Chinatsu, Taiki or Haryuu giving it their all felt more meaningful than the love triangle; at least, before the love triangle got better.

  Yes, it finally got better

  With the addition of episodes 14 and 15, Blue Box was able to peak. Don't get me wrong. There was build-up before them, so I'm not saying only these two episodes were praise-worthy. It's just that 14 and 15 provided so much.

  

  Episode 14 is Blue Box's single best attempt at stellar story-telling. Displaying Chinatsu's intense Inter High Finals match simultaneously alongside Hina's confession, blossoming a rollercoaster of emotions within us. Not many damn anime girls have the balls to confess the way Hina did on that swing. Watching the confession in awe is one thing, but seeing Chinatsu fail to make the clutch shot attempt just when Hina succeeded in verbally confessing her feelings generated a surge of goosebumps that I wouldn't be able to explain now. The pacing of the episode and the conversation taking place during the match felt too right and too refreshing; it's difficult to elaborate. The pinnacle of Blue Box's romance element and its sports element side-by-side. What a day to be alive, huh?

  

  Episode 15 wasn't nothing to scoff at either cuz guess what? Chinatsu is an actual character now! We celebrated Chinatsu's birthday and perceived some quality time between her and Taiki. As a Hina lover, I thought I'd be distraught, but that wasn't the case at all. Why? Simply due to Chinatsu gaining the ability to be vulnerable around Taiki. She felt human. She felt real. Her and Taiki's interactions got a huge boost in chemistry and enjoyability. I couldn't dislike her now. I couldn't hate them being together now, so it started to complicate my feelings on the matter.

  

  Ah yes, very clever; because after all that (insert Karl Anthony-Towns edit), Blue Box finally had the perfect formula for a love triangle that actually works. Two likable heroines with their own stories, own personalities, a non-incel protagonist (not anymore, at least) that actively tries to sort out their romantic feelings by thinking and observing their own actions:

  1. Chinatsu who wants Taiki all to herself, but is unable to express her feelings very well
  2. Hina who is waiting for a positive response to her confession, waiting for the correct opportunities to interact with and make Taiki fall for her, even though she knows it may be futile (truly sad)
  3. Taiki who is racking his brain, sorting out his feelings towards the two girls while also trying to distinguish badminton and his love life.

  Boooom. Two more banger eps

  Episode 18, aka the representation of Blue Box's beautiful sports aspect. Taiki's match with Yusa did not dissapoint. Taiki's inner conflicts, Taiki's improvement as a badminton player, Hina and Chinatsu's support. Wouldn't this be considered yet another god-tier episode in Blue Box standards? Yes.

  

  Here we go.....

  

  Episode 24. My downfall. Hina squad knew it was coming. Hina squad knew there couldn't be any other way. Hina squad sad. Hina squad cry. The atmosphere felt just right for a serious conversation. Just right for a rejection. Taiki handled it in the best way possible and I respect him for it. There was no point in leading her on or trying to drag things out. He loved Chinatsu and Hina was precious to him....

  (PS: I'm not gonna go into detail about her, but Ayame was a very refreshing character. Loved her.)

  As an anime only guy, maybe I failed in covering certain parts of the show. Feel free to msg me and discuss.

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• 

  Sewen

  90/100
  Romance, Sport and the MC living with the Heroine?

  __BLUE BOX – SPOILER FREE REVIEW__

  I was looking for some anime to watch and found myself watching this, DON'T REGRET IT.

  Yes, as you just read, I started this anime blind, I didn't really know what it was about, I only knew it combined some romance with sports, but never would I have thought it would do it so well. I think this is my first anime where sport is blended into romance this well and I think I might have discovered a new favorite genre. So, what is it about? And why is it this good?

  The premise it's quite simple. Inomata Taiki is a first-year badminton player who has a crush on a second-year from the girls's basketball team, Chinatsu. Chinatsu's family goes abroad while she wants to remain in Japan to play basketball with her team and because of that, Taiki, without knowing, is struck by luck. Chinatsu has to move in with a family so she can continue playing. What Taiki doesn't know is that she'll be moving in with his family.

  

  That's basically how they start getting to know each other and well... from there you know yourself. I said, SPOILER FREE.

  I think this anime might be one of my favorite romances I've watched lately because the plot, characters, everything blends so well and it creates a binge-worthy anime.

  From what I have written so far, you might have thought this anime is just about a love story between Taiki and Chinatsu, right? Well, you were mistaken.

  

  There is also a third character because of course there is a love triangle. Her name is Hina Chono, and she is a member of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Team. She is also Taiki's long friend who has feelings for him. She is an interesting and complex character but I'll leave it at that, you have to watch the anime.

  Did I convince you to watch it?

  I hope so. Anyway, I binge-watched this anime when I first started it and then had to wait for an episode every week which I was cool with surprisingly because I was processing the story a lot better.

  

  I would've liked it if there had been a few more sports scenes.. I really liked it when I saw Taiki playing badminton. Never thought it could be so interesting to watch.

  There are not a lot of side characters, but if there is one, it's good. There is also another couple that people thought it was better than the original main characters, but I won't go as far to say that.

  Long story short, if you are looking for some good romance, some sports (you don't have to like badminton), and some great side characters. You have to WATCH this anime!

  This small part has SPOILERS

  I have to say, the progress of their "relationship" is very slow, like for the majority of this season, it's like nothing even happened between them. There is some slow progress between Taiki and Chinatsu, but that's all. For, let's say 20 episodes, there are just ups and downs while staying afloat.

  Hina Chono tries in a desperate way to make Taiki like her, maybe you could call it even obsessive. I feel sad that she puts herself in a position where she is fine with being "just the second option". I mean, she even knew Taiki liked Chinatsu already, why would she want herself to be an alternative in case things wouldn't go so well with the other girl.

  I liked that Taiki finally tried to put some sense into her in the penultimate episode, but man, that was just too late. He has some fault in it as well, because he should have just rejected her from the beginning.

  I know it's just the first season, but I feel like Taiki's friend (his only male friend) is just there. There isn't really a story going around him. I would've appreciated some more insight into him, like what kind of person he is? I remember something being mentioned about him liking someone in the past, maybe that could be developed in the future as a side story? I know the focus are the main characters, but the character just feels forgotten by the show.

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• 

  melamuna

  80/100
  Not your typical Shounen romance—but a grounded love story that tingles the heart

  ---

  Lately, there is an abundance of romance anime with their own unique tropes—sometimes taking their premise to an extreme in order to keep the audience captivated by their crazy shenanigans in a comedic light. While there is an audience for these kinds of romance anime, it can get tiresome as the story goes forward—sometimes losing its spark from what viewers were initially hooked on.

  With that in mind, what does Blue Box—a new romance anime—have to offer amidst the abundance of romance anime? Simple. It's Simplicity. ***

  Blue Box follows our main character, Taiki Inomata (Shouya Chiba), a badminton player who aspires to be in the Nationals. Not only that, he also admires the basketball player Chinatsu Kano (Reina Ueda), whom Taiki also has a crush on. Taiki’s admiration towards Chinatsu may seem distant at first, but with specific circumstances, Chinatsu lives in the Kank household, which brings both Taiki and Chinatsu together and strengthens their relationship with each other—including their feelings.

  There is a bit of spice within its premise alone—but that spice factor makes a lot of sense within its story. Anything beyond the spices (that's carefully sprinkled all throughout the series), this has been a grounded take on romance—something that leans more on the everyday normal aspect of falling in love—which makes it even more engaging despite its natural slowburn take. You see our main characters Taiki and Chinatsu making cute gestures and interactions towards each other, taking care of each other when the person is in need, seeing mainly Taiki's inner battles as simple as having a conversation or plans with Chinatsu, and witnessing their ambitious goals for their passion and wholesomely supporting each other's backs. All of these elements gently sprinkled all throughout the series make you constantly blush, episode by episode.

  Aside from Taiki and Chinatsu, we also follow other characters such as Hina Chouno (Akari Kitou) and Kyou Kasahara (Chiaki Kobayashi), who are Taiki’s friends. While side characters in romance series like these usually fall into the typical archetype—most notably these two characters—the execution is grounded to the point where you actually feel the pain and joy of these characters. Having all of the characters in the series abandon exaggerated gimmicky reactions in favor of realistic action and reactions in every moment makes them feel relatable—who we can feel like these experiences can feel at home in our own high school experiences. Through that grounded relatableness, it's easier to connect with these characters and follow through their journey through high school and romance.

  Aside from the romance, There is a sports aspect in this series— which is what mainly brings the plot— alongside the slice-of-life elements. Sports is the front and center of this series, with characters' motivations relying on achieving the highest through their passion and talent for their specific sport. But do not forget that this is not a sports-forward anime but uses sports as an allegory of the current emotional state of these characters. For instance, a character losing the game is directly connected to the character’s unsureness of itself. The synergy of sports and romance is one of the most unique and original takes this series can provide in the overall romance anime space. ***

  Blue Box may not have the flashiest plotline or the most overshine characters, but it's stripped-down, back to basics in romance storytelling makes for an intriguing and captivating watch, tugging the heartstrings of viewers on relatably mundanely special moments that linger in your heart longer than you think. I highly recommend this anime for romance junkies looking for a simple romance or viewers who are trying to get into the romance genre. ***

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