REVIEW: ‘Blue Box’ Episode 10 — “It’s Not a Good Thing”

Blue Box Episode 10, “It’s Not a Good Thing,” picks up with Taiki (Shoya Chiba) and Chinatsu (Reina Ueda) collapsed on Taiki’s bed, where the last episode left them. From this moment, changes are sure to come as Taiki struggles to determine if Chinatsdu shares his feelings and Chinatsu considers whether she’s approached her stay at Taiki’s properly.

The first moments of Blue Box Episode 10 deliver a perfectly frustrating scene: It’s revealed that Chinatsu was moving her hand to Taiki’s face to reapply his cooling pack and nothing more. Once done, Chinatsu leaves the bewildered young man alone as she takes the dishes back to the kitchen. Leaving Taiki to ponder how he will ever get to sleep after being so close to his senpai.

The most impactful element of the follow-up to the pair’s close encounter is what we don’t see. Blue Box Episode 10 smartly decides not to show the viewer Chinatsu’s reaction to the moment. Did she leave the room, only to stop and lean against the hallway wall as breathless as Taiki is? We’ll never know. While it would be tempting to alert the viewer to the other half of the moment’s reaction, withholding it leaves them with an elevated need to find out how she feels.

When morning comes, we see Taiki has recovered as he sets out to renew his training regimen. But when he arrives at school, he learns the gym is in use, so many of the athletes are helping with pool cleaning duties, Chinatsu and Haryu (Yuma Uchida) among them. Taiki soon joins in after an internal attempt to convince himself he is joining to help and not just to be near Chinatsu. His efforts are unconvincing.

The highlight of this scene comes as Taiki works with Haryu. When the latter notices his friend stealing glances at Chinatsu, he inquires about any progress that’s been made on the relationship front. This prompts Taiki to seek some advice from the upperclassmen about whether or not a girl is interested in him.

Blue Box Episode 10 manages to strike the perfect balance with Haryu’s reaction to Taiki’s inquiry. While Haryu can’t help but comment on Taiki’s blatant inexperience, he never crosses the line to mockery. And once Haryu moves past this initial reaction, he is more than willing to help his junior out with some well-thought-out advice.

Once the work is done, Taiki ends up putting the cleaning equipment away, which leads to another run-in with Chinatasu in the storage shed. After Taiki expresses his gratitude for her care the previous day, Chinatsu moves to leave when Taiki reaches out and grabs her wrist to stop her. Though it’s instantly clear the young man isn’t entirely sure why he did. Once he manages to come up with a quick excuse for why he needs Chinatsu’s attention, he quickly chastises himself for the act. He doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable and he worries getting too familiar with her could lead to that conclusion.

With Chinatsu’s departure, Blue Box Episode 10 follows her as she heads out with another member of the basketball team. As they walk, they run into a couple of students who are in a relationship. This prompts the girls to inquire about each other’s romantic pursuits, though both are so busy with sports that romance isn’t in the cards.

During the conversation, Chinatsu’s friend comments on how convenient it would be if a handsome young man lived where she is currently staying. No matter how busy she was, she would be sure to see him. This comment strikes far closer to home for Chinatsu than the speaker intends, causing her to grow a bit flustered. It seems the off-hand comment makes her consider her arrangement in a bit of a new light.

From here, we jump to the evening, when the Inomata Family is having a barbecue. The energy as this scene opens is wonderful. As the family and Chinatsu all hang out in the yard around the grill, there is a wonderful warmth to the gathering. Laughter is heard, and the visuals once more bring the softness of the feelings to the scene. As part of this moment, we also get a rare interaction between Chinatsu and Taiki’s dad.

When the pair find themselves in the kitchen together, prepping the next wave of food, they have a nice conversation about Chintasu’s stay with the family and how the situation came about. As one of the few times we’ve heard from Taiki’s dad, Blue Box Episode 10 does a great job of bringing thoughtful kindness to the character. The moment ends when it’s discovered that Taiki’s dad forgot to buy noodles, prompting Chinatsu and Taiki to run to the store to avert the wrath of Taiki’s mom. The casual fallibility of Taiki’s dad manages to make the character just a touch more endearing as he scrambles to cover his error.

As Taiki and Chinatsu head back after stopping at the store, Chinatsu hits Taiki with a request. She asks that incidents like the one when she was looking after him not happen again. As she talks, the viewer can instantly feel a distance begin to expand between the two. The viewer cannot help but feel for Taiki. As he internally processes the request he observes a perceived hypocrisy in Chinatsu’s statement, observing that it’s unfair for her to encourage him to pursue grand goals, just to then push him away. Of course, this comment is taken out of context, but the viewer feels what Taiki is going through as the moment plays out.

The episode closes with Taiki at school with Hina (Akari Kitô, Birdie Wing: Golf Girl’s Story) and Kyo (Chiaki Kobayashi). When Taiki makes it a point to keep out of sight when the trio passes by Chinatsu, his friends inquire about what’s prompted his behavior. As Taiki explains the situation, Hina is clearly hit hard. Upon discovering that Chinatsu has established a hard boundary with Taiki, it’s clear Hina sees this as an opportunity to make her move. And with summer break fast approaching, there is sure to be a chance for her to express her feelings to him.

Blue Box Episode 10 leaves the story in a compelling state of flux. With Chinatsu distancing and Hina looking hopeful, it feels like the series could be prepping for a big moment as the final episodes of the season approach.

Blue Box Episode 10 is streaming now on Netflix.