REVIEW: ‘Blue Box’ Episode 15 — “August 26”

Blue Box Episode 15, “August 26,” sees the students preparing for the return of school. But Taiki (Shoya Chiba) has much more on his mind than classes. With Hina’s (Akari Kitô, Birdie Wing: Golf Girl’s Story) confession still lingering in the air, Taiki remains troubled. Also, a special day for Chinatsu (Reina Ueda) leads to an unexpected situation for her and her training buddy.

This week’s episode opens with the basketball team surprising Chinatsu. It turns out that August 26 is her birthday, and the team has prepared a fun gift for their star player. Given how Nationals ended, this moment brings a huge spark of light to get the ball rolling in this episode. The warmth that the team shares with Chinatasu is a wonderful gift, as it dispels any lingering fears for the girl that her team may see her as “responsible” for their loss at nationals. The animation brings all the joy to life wonderfully, as the goofy chibi style the series implements for the humorous moments plays out throughout the opening to wonderful effect.

Nearby, Taiki and Kyo’s (Chiaki Kobayashi, Wuthering Waves) observations of the moment are interrupted when Hina accidentally loses a ball, resulting in the errant projectile bouncing off Taiki’s head. With Hina’s arrival, Taiki asks if he can talk to her privately for a moment. When the two are alone, Taiki informs Hina that he is going to continue to pursue Chinatsu, giving her an answer to her confession.

It feels like this is the moment where Blue Box Episode 15’s tone would shift from happy to sad. However, a tonal transition never occurs as Hina cheerfully acknowledges his decision, stating that she already knew he liked Chinatsu and that she is ok with it.

Hina’s happy demeanor hides her true feelings. 

While Hina says thatshe’s fine with the situation, her emotional response doesn’t fit with the moment. Even though the outcome was expected, there’s more to her seemingly cheerful response than meets the eye.

From here, the narrative returns to Chinatsu. With the basketball team’s vice-captain retiring, Chinatsu has been promoted to fill the role. Her teammates continue to support Chinatsu, with many of them celebrating the announcement. However, while the overall vibe is positive, there is some concern that Chinatsu may be taking on too much. Observations are made about how down she has been since nationals, with one of her friends displaying concern for what this new responsibility may mean for her mental health.

This moment is vital for the sequence. While it’s good to be optimistic, blind positivity can lead to as many bad ends as blanket negativity. While no one likes being the wet blanket, it’s good that Chinatsu’s friend is looking out for her, even willingly taking on that role.

The friendly concern shown by one of Chinatsu’s teammates is quickly expanded upon. As Chinatsu begins the walk home, she receives a call from her mother, who delivers a shockingly loud Happy Birthday. Once the happiness of the greeting passes, Blue Box Episode 15 sees Chinatsu confide some worries about her new role to her mom. Despite putting on a brave face, Chinatsu is concerned about whether she can keep improving herself as a player while also worrying about the team as a whole.

Chinatsu’s mom delivers a heartfelt response that puts much of what Chinatsu worries about into perspective. However, the most critical element of her advice to her daughter is to let herself rely on others. This obvious yet important reminder leads Chinatsu to send a text to Taiki, who, awkwardly enough, is walking a short distance behind her. Since they are heading to the same house, Taiki’s stammered claim that it’s all coincidence doesn’t feel dishonest. Once the awkwardness passes, he asks Chinatsu what she wants, to which she replies that she wants to go somewhere.

Taiki offers Chinatsu thoughtful support. 

Blue Box Episode 15 then sees the duo board a train, as Taiki thinks he knows just where to take his friend. Once they arrive at their destination, it is revealed that Taiki has opted to take Chinatsu to a beach. This instantly raises Chinatsu’s spirits as she quickly runs into the shallow water.

The unadulterated joy Chinatsu expresses as she playfully splashes about is captured with visual perfection. Surrounded by the golden light of the setting sun shimmering on the water, Chinatsu’s free-spirited moment feels vibrant and restorative. The animation also captures her movements, lending gracefulness to the sequence. At Chinatsu’s prompting, Taiki soon joins her, and the pair are joyfully splashing at each other as the stress of recent events seems to wash away.

Once the duo is done splashing around, Taiki reveals a miniature birthday cake he bought for her. Having forethought to get ice packs to keep it cold, the pair can follow up their play with a thoughtful treat. That Taiki would go so far out of his way for Chinatsu is not lost on the latter.

When the weather suddenly turns bad, Blue Box Episode 15 sees the students run for the train station, only to learn that a small avalanche has knocked out service, leaving the pair stranded till morning. So, they are forced to seek out a hotel for the night. The one they find only has one room available, causing them to share a space.

Blue Box Episode 15 sees Taiki and Chinatsu grow closer.

While the weirdness of staying in a room with your crush is acknowledged here, it isn’t belabored. Neither Chinatsu nor Taiki are going to get up to anything inappropriate, so there is no reason to over-emphasize the obvious. Rather the scene quickly finds the duo settling in for a “sleepover” style night filled with table top games Chinatsu found in the lobby. While the two play, Taiki summons up the courage to talk to Chinatsu about the fireworks festival and the nature of his going with Hina.

While Taiki’s explanation takes the unnecessary form of an apology, Chiba’s voice work beautifully conveys his feelings. Despite speaking in hushed, uncertain tones, his sincerity is never lacking. To Taiki’s surprise, Chinatsu counters with her own apology.

Chinatsu tells Taiki that she was wrong for creating the boundary between them the way she did. That she just summarily dictated the situation without speaking to him was unfair to him. This position feels carefully crafted. Having Chinatsu apologize for setting boundaries she felt comfortable with would do the character a disservice. We are always right in protecting our own space. However, knowing Taiki as well as she does, she would know that a reasonable conversation about the topic could be easily approached without any unwanted problems. So, wanting to apologize for the how instead of the what is a nice way to approach the situation.

The episodes wraps up the following day when Chinatsu awakens to find Taiki asleep in a chair rather than in the futon provided. Chinatsu quietly crosses the room to sit across from her slumbering friend. Bathed in the morning light, we get a charming little moment where Chinatsu mimics Taiki’s slowly leaning head. It is a comically sweet moment to end the episode.

Blue Box Episode 15 enters a new phase in Taiki and Chinatsu’s relationship. Without the immediate concerns of Nationals looming over them, it feels like both may be more able to explore the budding feelings they both hold for each other. The narrative does this while bringing all the warmth and sweetness one could ask for.

Blue Box Episode 15 is streaming now on Netflix.