REVIEW: ‘Blue Box’ Episode 9 — “I’ll be Rooting for You”

Blue Box Episode 9, “I’ll be Rooting for You,” follows Taiki (Shoya Chiba) as he tries to push past his recent loss at the Nationals Qualifiers. But life doesn’t sit still while you process, and finals are right around the corner. Combine that with a growing fever, and it all may just be too much for one high schooler to tackle alone. Luckily, he has a senpai watching over him.

This week’s episode opens with the students confronted with their oncoming finals. While sports have largely been at the forefront of their lives, academics are still a thing. The panic shared by Taiki and Hina (Akari Kitô, Birdie Wing: Golf Girl’s Story) as they struggle to prep for the onslaught of tests is delivered with a fair helping of humor as their shared panic sets in.

As the students commiserate their fortune, they arrive at the gym to find the girl’s basketball team hard at work preparing for Nationals. Despite being happy to see the girls striving for their goals, Taiki is visibly struck by the reminder that they are going where he isn’t.

Throughout Blue Box Episode 9, Taiki passively explores what is likely an unexpected complication for the young man. Chinatsu, the girl of his dreams, is deeply enmeshed in his athletic dreams. Seeing her striving reminds him of his failure.

We see this crop up again later when Taiki is at home. As he goes to leave his room, he hears Chinatsu return. As his mom inquires about practice, the young man finds himself skulking back into his room, unable to face her and all the ties to his recent setbacks that come with her.

This subtle presentation brings to light an often overlooked side effect of having those you care about deeply connected to other pursuits. Even though it’s clear that avoiding Chinatsu causes Tasiki pain, he simply can’t bring himself to face her as he currently is. This only exacerbates his struggles as it cuts him off from one of the biggest supports in his life.

Even with finals on the way, the boy’s badminton team still has practices to attend. As part of the team’s new focus now that qualifiers are behind them, their coach has them put up goals for the coming season. Viewers may expect Taiki to once again post his goal to be about making it to nationals. Instead, he posts that he wants to work on his smashes. It is a far more modest goal and one that doesn’t go unnoticed by Chinatsu, who is practicing nearby.

Blue Box Episode 9 then skips forward in time a bit to find the students celebrating the end of their exams. Despite the joyful ruckus, Taiki finds he is unable to join in much, as all the demands on his body, coupled with his lingering depression, have taken their toll, resulting in a fever setting in. Once back home, he flops into bed, where he finds himself unable to get up to get himself anything. Trapped alone with his thoughts, he begins to playback all the ways the qualifiers went wrong for him.

This moment is a relatable struggle that virtually everyone has experienced. Without the ability to distract oneself when sick, we are left with nothing but our thoughts. When those thoughts aren’t good, they bring a whole new struggle for the unwell, as they now have to contend with the emotional turmoil on top of the physical ones they were already dealing with. Forced to confront his own memories, Taiki observes that he is lame for his failings, which receives the surprising reply of “No, you’re not.”

Unbeknownst to Taiki, Chinatsu had come to his room to check on him. Finding him in bed and clearly ill, the girl moved to his side to check his temperature. Realizing that he had a fever, she set out to aid her friend, ignoring his protests of concern that she would get sick if she stayed near him.

Chinatsu’s care for Taiki brings a fresh wave of sweetness to Blue Box Episode 9‘s largely somber tone. We follow along as she makes dinner and settles in by his bed to stay close in case he needs more help. With the two chilling together, Chinatsu initiates a conversation. While her inquiry about what he wanted to ask her after Nationals is gently shot down, she proceeds to ask her own question concerning his new goal.

The conversation that ensues delivers all the care and inspiration fans will no doubt expect from the determined upperclassman. Learning that Taiki changed his goal because making it to nationals no longer felt reasonable, Chinatsu gives him a gentle speech about how goals don’t need to be reasonable as long as they spur you on. You should chase whatever dream you want, and she further lets him know that she wants to cheer on people with such dreams. The entire moment feels like the biggest “Say you love them without saying it” moment ever.

The romantic energy of the moment grows ever more thanks to the visuals. Chinatsu’s earnestness and concern for Taiki shine brightly as she imparts her thoughts to him. The tiny details, small motions, and awkward shifts in Chinatsu’s positioning remind the viewer that while she is determined to support Taiki, she is also putting herself in a vulnerable spot. Her nervousness layers an endearing element to her speech, that compliments its core inspirational tone beautifully.

As Blue Box Episode 9 comes to a close, Taiki tries to get out of bed to help Chinatsu with the dishes. When he grows dizzy and loses his footing, Chinatsu goes to catch him, causing the two to tumble onto his bed, with Chinatsu on top of him. Rather than pull away, Chinatsu hesitantly begins to reach for Taiki’s face just as the credits roll.

Blue Box Episode 9 dives into the struggles of overcoming failure while drawing its starring duo deeper into the growing love they both clearly share with beautiful results.

Blue Box Episode 9 is streaming now on Netflix.