REVIEW: ‘Blue Box’ Season 1 Cour 2 Focuses On Character Over Narrative

Blue Box Season 1 Cour 2, produced by  Telecom Animation Film, follows high schoolers Taiki (Shoya Chiba, Platinum End), Chinatsu (Reina Ueda, My Happy Marriage), Hina (Akari Kitô, Birdie Wing: Golf Girl’s Story), and their friends as they strive to balance love and sports in their everyday lives. But big shifts come to their world when Hina decides she’s done waiting to be seen.

The fact that these 13 episodes largely shift the spotlight from the Taiki/Chinatsu dynamic to Taiki/Hina is a bold move. The chemistry between Taiki and Chinatsu is so strong and perfectly cultivated in the first cour, that letting it out of sight for so much of this season could’ve gone horribly. However, the gamble largely pays off as the new focus creates lots of emotion for the season to explore.

Hina’s confession to Taiki comes early in the run, leaving Taiki at a loss for what to do. Hina is a dear friend and someone Taiki both trusts and enjoys the company of, but he loves Chinatsu. But does she love him back? Could Taiki love Hina? As the season progresses, Taiki finds himself looking at Hina in a new light. One that may even be love.

Blue Box Season 1 Cour 2 does a great job of utilizing its lead’s quandry to explore the many complicated facets of love. How it should be approached, handled, and when it should be set aside all come into play throughout the cour. Various characters bring their viewpoints, some strikingly different than those the series has delivered in the past.

Blue Box Season 1 Cour 2 focuses on the tension between Hina and Taiki. 

The biggest shake-up in the narrative exploration of love comes from a new character, Ayame Moriya (Kana Ichinose, Dr Stone). Far from the serious attitude towards dating and affection most of the cast adhere to, Ayame is far more flighty. She’ll date virtually anyone who’ll ask and casually walk away if they aren’t right for her. Ayame’s point of view puts her at odds with Taiki, as she can’t comprehend how a single guy wouldn’t jump at the chance to date a sweetheart like Hina.

While the emotional element of Taiki’s struggles with Hina’s sudden confession delivers excellent moments and thought-provoking introspection from its characters, it doesn’t move along well from a narrative standpoint. Most of the ten episodes focus on the tension between the two, often with little to no change occurring in the situation from episode to episode.

Despite much of the series focusing on the Taiki/Hina situation, it doesn’t forget about Chinatsu. Her continuing efforts in sports play out as the girls’ basketball team takes a shot at winning nationals. But when she’s not on the court, her feelings begin to come out in Blue Box Season 1 Cour 2. This is in large part thanks to the other new(er) character stepping into the show.

Ayame’s older sister Karen (Haruka Shiraishi, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension) makes a huge splash during this half of the season. Briefly introduced in the final episode of cour one, Karen quickly comes to occupy a big sister role for both Chinatsu and Taiki — one she fills with enthusiasm. Her scenes with Chinatsu bring some of the biggest revelations of the cour, as the enigmatic star athlete opens up to her old friend.

The foundations of a strong relationship. 

Karen, along with her boyfriend Haryu (Yuma Uchida, Jujustu Kaisen), comes to play another important part in Blue Box Season 1 Cour 2. They serve as a shining example of how two people can be deeply in love with each other while not being exclusively about each other.

With Haryu’s dogged focus on badminton and Karen’s work as an actress, the two aren’t together much. However, when they find themselves in the same place, the depth of their love is undeniable. This lack of co-dependence is an approach to love that romance series often fail to acknowledge.

Frequently, when two people fall in love in fiction, they become each other’s world. Any day without the other is inherently darker by their absence. This is not always the case. Couples like Karen and Haryu exist, and seeing this style of love portrayed positively is a meaningful inclusion to the show as a whole and pertinent to Taiki and Chinatsu. After all, if they do get together, it’s impossible to see them having any other kind of relationship.

The one constant is its undeniably gorgeous animation throughout the roller coaster of emotions and complex social problems that Blue Box Season 1 Cour 2 weaves. From athletic competitions that capture the stress and strain of harsh physical exertion to presenting the elegance of a warm smile and joyful laughter of the perfect day at the beach, the animation makes every memorable moment pulsate with a greater sense of emotion and excitement than it would otherwise.

Despite failing to push much in the way of the plot, Blue Box Season 1 Cour 2 manages to bring more than enough emotion to make up for its slow pace. Its characters continue to charm, and the series once more brings the deep, thoughtful explorations of love and friendship it has since episode one. Here’s hoping we won’t have too long to wait before we get to visit with the students of Emei High School again.

Blue Box Season 1 Cour 2 is streaming now on Netflix.

Blue Box Season 1 Cour 1