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Blue Box (manga)

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Blue Box
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Chinatsu Kano (left) and Taiki Inomata (right)
アオのハコ
(Ao no Hako)
Genre
Manga
Written byKouji Miura
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintJump Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Jump
DemographicShōnen
Original runApril 12, 2021 – present
Volumes19 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed byYūichirō Yano
Written byYūko Kakihara
Music byTakashi Ohmama
Studio
Licensed byNetflix
Original networkJNN (TBS)
Original run October 3, 2024 – present
Episodes23 (List of episodes)
icon Anime and manga portal

Blue Box (Japanese: アオのハコ, Hepburn: Ao no Hako) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouji Miura. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump since April 2021, with its chapters collected in 19 tankōbon volumes as of March 2025. An anime television series adaptation produced by TMS Entertainment and animated by Telecom Animation Film premiered in October 2024.

Synopsis

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The series focuses on Taiki Inomata, a student at Eimei Junior and Senior High, an athletics-oriented school, where he is a member of the boys' badminton team and is considered simply average. Every morning, he trains to get better early in the gym, often at the same time and place as his upperclasswoman Chinatsu Kano, the star of the girls' basketball team. Taiki quickly develops a crush on her, but is initially too shy to speak to her despite their continual alone time together. His fortunes change, however, when Chinatsu moves in with Taiki's family after her parents leave Japan to work abroad. With Chinatsu now living with him, Taiki aims to slowly develop his relationship with her as they both strive to make it to the national championship with their respective teams.[4]

Characters

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Taiki Inomata (猪股 大喜, Inomata Taiki)
Voiced by: Shōya Chiba[5] (Japanese); Zach Aguilar[6] (English)
The main protagonist. An avid badminton player, Taiki strives to succeed despite setbacks. He greatly admires Chinatsu Kano for her dedication to basketball and harbors a huge crush on her. While often awkward and emotional, his unwavering determination and sincerity slowly earns him respect from others. His goal is to reach the national championship, a dream he shares with Chinatsu in their respective sports. His mother was Chinatsu's mother's teammate and friend, hence the decision for Chinatsu to move in with Taiki. He is aware of Hina being in love with him, but doesn't reciprocate her feelings and rejects her. He later starts a relationship with Chinatsu.
Chinatsu Kano (鹿野 千夏, Kano Chinatsu)
Voiced by: Reina Ueda[5] (Japanese); Xanthe Huynh[6] (English)
The main female protagonist. Chinatsu is the star player of the girls' basketball team. She is one grade above Taiki and is often the first person at practice. She was once a terrible basketball player but her dedication has helped her grow into a strong player who hopes to make it into the national championship. She moves in with Taiki's family when her parents leave to work abroad, and she and Taiki slowly become friends supporting each other. She is oblivious to Taiki being in love with her, but she enjoys his company and cares for him deeply.
Hina Chōno (蝶野 雛, Chōno Hina)
Voiced by: Akari Kitō[7] (Japanese); Kayli Mills[6] (English)
Hina is Taiki's childhood friend who is on the rhythmic gymnastics team. She is quite theatrical and loves to tease Taiki. Although initially only seeing him as a close friend, she slowly realizes she has fallen in love with Taiki later on, despite encouraging him to go after Chinatsu. Taiki is completely oblivious to her feelings, and is often annoyed by her playful teasing, although he does genuinely care for her. She later confesses her feelings to Taiki, and becomes rivals with Chinatsu for his love, wanting him to be her boyfriend; however, Taiki rejects her twice, telling her that he doesn't reciprocate her feelings at all, which devastates her deeply. After his rejection, she grows cold towards him and they being drifting apart from each other.
Kyo Kasahara (笠原 匡, Kasahara Kyō)
Voiced by: Chiaki Kobayashi[8] (Japanese); Caden Shaffer[6] (English)
Kyo is Taiki's best friend and fellow badminton player. Quiet and observant, he often understands more than anyone else. Though sarcastic, especially with Taiki, he is a genuinely caring and wise person.
Kengo Haryū (針生 健吾, Haryū Kengo)
Voiced by: Yuma Uchida[8] (Japanese); Daman Mills[6] (English)
Kengo is a skilled badminton player in Chinatsu's grade who ends up becoming a mentor and rival to Taiki. Though he is often hard on Taiki, he slowly grows to admire his tenacity and growing skill.
Ryōsuke Nishida (西田 諒介, Nishida Ryōsuke)
Voiced by: Shogo Sakata[9] (Japanese); Jacob Hopkins[6] (English)
The captain of the badminton team.
Nagisa Funami (船見 渚, Funami Nagisa)
Voiced by: Anna Nagase[9] (Japanese); Emi Lo[6] (English)
A member of the basketball team alongside Chinatsu.
Niina Shimazaki (島崎 にいな, Shimazaki Niina)
Voiced by: Asaki Yuikawa[9] (Japanese); Kira Buckland[6] (English)
A member of the rhythmic gymnastics team alongside Hina.
Shoichiro Kishi (岸 祥一郎, Kishi Shōichirō)
Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi[10]
Haryū's previous doubles match partner.
Shōta Hyōdō (兵藤 将太, Hyōdō Shōta)
Voiced by: Yūki Ono[11] (Japanese); Christian La Monte[6] (English)
A skilled badminton player from Sachigawa High who is the rival of Haryū due to having never beaten him in badminton matches.
Shūji Yusa (遊佐 柊仁, Yusa Shūji)
Voiced by: Kensho Ono[11] (Japanese); Griffin Burns[6] (English)
A skilled badminton player from Sachigawa High who is a teammate of Hyōdō despite appearing lethargic.
Karen Moriya (守屋 花恋, Moriya Karen)
Voiced by: Haruka Shiraishi[10] (Japanese); Cristina Vee[6] (English)
Haryū's girlfriend and Ayame's older sister who is a childhood friend of him and Chinatsu.
Ayame Moriya (守屋 菖蒲, Moriya Ayame)
Voiced by: Kana Ichinose[12]
Karen's younger sister who is the team manager of the badminton team.

Media

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Manga

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Main article: List of Blue Box chapters

Written and illustrated by Kouji Miura, Blue Box began its serialization in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump on April 12, 2021.[13][14] Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on August 4, 2021.[15] As of March 4, 2025, 19 volumes have been released.[16]

On August 3, 2020, the one-shot version of Blue Box had been published on Weekly Shōnen Jump.[17][18]

Blue Box has been licensed for simultaneous publication in North America as it is released in Japan, with its chapters being digitally launched by Viz Media on its Shonen Jump website.[19] Shueisha also simulpublishes the series in English for free on the Manga Plus app and website.[20] In February 2022, Viz Media announced that they had licensed the series in print format; the first volume was released on November 1 of the same year.[21][22] The manga is also licensed in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo.[23]

Anime

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See also: List of Blue Box episodes

An anime television series adaptation was announced in November 2023.[5] Planned and produced by TMS Entertainment,[a] it is animated by Telecom Animation Film and directed by Yūichirō Yano, with Yūko Kakihara handling series composition, and Miho Tanino designing the characters.[7] The series premiered on October 3, 2024, on TBS and its affiliates, and will run for two consecutive cours.[8][24][25] For the first cour, the opening theme is "Same Blue" by Official Hige Dandism, while the ending theme is "Teenage Blue" (ティーンエイジブルー) by Eve;[24] for the second cour, the opening theme is "Saraba" (然らば) by Macaroni Empitsu [ja], while the ending theme is "Contrast" (コントラスト) by TOMOO [ja].[12] Netflix licensed the series and is streaming it worldwide.[26]

Reception

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Popularity

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In August 2021, the first volume of the manga had over 170,000 copies in circulation in less than a week after its release.[27]

In June 2021, Blue Box was nominated for the seventh Next Manga Award in the Best Print Manga category;[28] it placed eighth out of 50 nominees, but won the Global Prize.[29][30] The series ranked fourth on the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2022.[31]

Critical response

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Anthony Gramuglia of Comic Book Resources (CBR) stated, "Blue Box is a sentimental story about human connection. It's beautifully drawn, at times resembling a shōjo manga more than a typical shōnen. If Blue Box continues, it will likely become an earnest, sincere entry in Shōnen Jump's romantic catalog".[32] Timothy Donohoo of CBR compared Blue Box to Kenta Shinohara's Witch Watch and Shigure Tokita's Don't Blush, Sekime-san! due to both series having concepts and romantic aspects similar to Blue Box's.[33]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Under the "Unlimited Produce by TMS" brand[7]

References

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  1. ^ "The Official Website for Blue Box". Viz Media. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Collins, Hannah (May 13, 2021). "Shonen Jump Round-Up: Every New Winter/Spring 2021 Title". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  3. ^ 『アオのハコ』恋愛×部活で描く“ジャンプの新風” ピュアが満載のこんな漫画を待っていた (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. August 12, 2021. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  4. ^ 気になる先輩との距離が一変し…ジャンプの青春ラブストーリー「アオのハコ」1巻 (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. August 4, 2021. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Cayanan, Joanna (November 19, 2023). "Kōji Miura's Blue Box Manga Gets TV Anime (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Blue Box (TBA)". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 15, 2023). "Blue Box TV Anime Reveals Teaser Video, More Cast". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 23, 2024). "Blue Box TV Anime Reveals More Cast, Staff in 2nd Teaser Video (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 21, 2024). "Blue Box Anime Reveals 3 More Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Kyarakuta | Terebi Anime『Ao no Hako』Koshiki Saito" キャラクタ | TVアニメ『アオのハコ』公式サイト [Character | TV Anime "Blue Box" Official Site]. aonohako-anime.com (in Japanese). Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Tai, Anita (November 10, 2024). "Blue Box Anime Casts Yuki Ono, Kensho Ono". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Cayanan, Joanna (December 22, 2024). "Blue Box Anime Reveals New Cast, Theme Songs & Artists, January 2 2nd Half Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 22, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  13. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 4, 2021). "Shonen Jump Magazine Launches 2 New Manga as Phantom Seer Ends". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  14. ^ スポーツ強豪校を舞台にした青春部活ラブストーリー、ジャンプで始動. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 12, 2021. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  15. ^ ＜今週の新刊＞テレビアニメ＆劇場版も話題の「僕のヒーローアカデミア」 「ダンダダン」「空挺ドラゴンズ」も (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. August 1, 2021. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  16. ^ アオのハコ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  17. ^ 三浦糀 [@Amzk0303] (August 3, 2020). 【宣伝】本日発売の週刊少年ジャンプに読み切り「アオのハコ」掲載させて頂いてます。 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved August 18, 2022 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ 三浦糀 [@Amzk0303] (July 20, 2020). 【宣伝】8／3発売の週刊少年ジャンプに読み切り「アオのハコ」掲載させて頂きます！ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved August 18, 2022 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Donohoo, Timothy (May 2, 2021). "Blue Box Is Shonen Jump's Latest Bad(minton) Romance". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  20. ^ Hazra, Adriana (April 10, 2021). "Viz Media Releases Blue Box Manga in English (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  21. ^ Mateo, Alex (February 15, 2022). "Viz Announces Fall 2022 Book Releases Including Mission: Yozakura Family, Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe Manga, Jujutsu Kaisen Novels". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  22. ^ "Blue Box, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  23. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 15, 2023). "Elex Media Licenses Arakawa Under the Bridge, Blue Box Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 7, 2024). "Blue Box Anime's Main Promo Video Reveals Theme Songs, October 3 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 7, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  25. ^ Tai, Anita (September 29, 2024). "Blue Box Anime to Run for Continuous Half-Year". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  26. ^ Mateo, Alex (July 6, 2024). "Blue Box TV Anime Unveils New Trailer, Key Visual (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 7, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  27. ^ 漫画「アオのハコ」コミックス1巻、発売即日10万部の重版が決定！ 累計17万部突破で大躍進 (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. August 10, 2021. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  28. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (June 21, 2021). "Voting Opens for Tsugi ni Kuru Manga 2021 Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  29. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (August 24, 2021). "Kaiju No. 8, Oshi no Ko Win Next Manga Awards Web, Print Categories". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  30. ^ 「次にくるマンガ大賞2021」ノミネート作品発表 ウマ娘、【推しの子】、葬送のフリーレンなど話題作続々 (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. June 18, 2021. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  31. ^ 書店員が選んだおすすめコミック2022、第1位は龍幸伸「ダンダダン」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  32. ^ Gramuglia, Anthony (June 18, 2021). "Shonen Jump's 5 Newest Manga, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  33. ^ Donohoo, Timothy (September 15, 2021). "Shonen Jump's Newest Goldmine Is Awkward Romances". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
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