Ao no Hako

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]

Chouno, Hina Main

Kitou, Akari Japanese

Kano, Chinatsu Main

Ueda, Reina Japanese

Inomata, Taiki Main

Chiba, Shouya Japanese

Kasahara, Kyou Supporting

Kobayashi, Chiaki Japanese

Haryuu, Kengo Supporting

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Moriya, Ayame Supporting

Ichinose, Kana Japanese

Moriya, Karen Supporting

Shiraishi, Haruka Japanese

Hyoudou, Shouta Supporting

Ono, Yuuki Japanese

Taiki's Father Supporting

Maeda, Hiroki Japanese

Inomata, Yukiko Supporting

Yuzuki, Ryouka Japanese

Tanaka, Junichirou Producer

Ishiyama, Takahiro Producer

Inoue, Yuuji Producer

Kishida, Takuma Producer

Reviews

Mar 20, 2025

FlowMAL

Recommended

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 wants ... to 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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 21, 2025

Andrewapps

Mixed Feelings

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 have ... been 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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Mar 21, 2025

duckpoop

Not Recommended

Funny

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 show ... methodically 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.

Ao no Hako does not simply contain romantic bait and switch —it is bait and switch. 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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Season 2? Pangea_ - Mar 21	12 replies	by DOMA_9 »» 21 minutes ago
	Poll: Ao no Hako Episode 25 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) IzanaSolos - Mar 20	124 replies	by SanchezCordero »» 1 hour ago
	Poll: Ao no Hako Episode 24 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Softhenic03 - Mar 13	238 replies	by pansz »» 4 hours ago
	Poll: Does Chinatsu have ADHD? rexmuseum - Mar 22	9 replies	by rexmuseum »» 11 hours ago
	Poll: Ao no Hako Episode 20 Discussion ( 1 2 ) IzanaSolos - Feb 13	85 replies	by meysie »» Yesterday, 8:12 PM