The following contains minor spoilers for Blue Box, Episode 7, “Can I Have One?”, now streaming onNetflix.
Summary
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Viewers looking for new sports anime to watch will findBlue Boxwhen using a filter to search for shows of that genre on Netflix or anime databases. It’s a new and well-received show, and most platforms, even the big ones like Netflix and Myanimelist, have “Sports” or “Sports Anime” listed as one of its genres, along with “Romance”. However, after a couple of episodes, viewers will realize thatBlue Boxactually deals with romance more than sports. If all you want is a sports-centered anime, isBlue Boxthe right show for you?
There are three sports on display in the show. Taiki Inomata is an average-level badminton player inspired by his crush to do better. The girl he likes, Chinatsu Kano, is a talented basketball player aiming to compete and win in a national tournament.Taiki’s childhood friend, Hina Chono, is a rhythmic gymnastics prodigy who has already been at a national level since junior high. It’s not common for a sports anime to feature more than one sport, but how much time and focus is actually dedicated to any of them?
It Depends on Whether You Also Enjoy Pure Romance Anime
The Sports Only Serve to Push the Plot Forward
The long and the short of it is, if all you’re looking for at the moment is ahigh-octane anime about sportsand the bonds, strategies, and rivalries formed during matches, then no,Blue Boxis not the show for you. It’s a show that’s good at what it strives to do, but it strives to tell a romance story, not one about sports.
No way, I’m gonna care about it! I’ll care, and then I’ll win. If I perform well in the Kagohara match and we win… they’ll never say something like that again." -Chinatsu in response to Taiki telling her not to care about what her opponents have to say
Sportsisimportant toBlue Box, but not in the same way as it is in other sports anime. The sports aspect is mainly there to get the story moving and be thecatalyst for events that develop relationships between characters. Without badminton, Taiki wouldn’t have the goal he has right now that allows him to relate to Chinatsu. Without rhythmic gymnastics, Hina wouldn’t be a deep character struggling with pressure from multiple angles, and she wouldn’t have had a meaningful heart-to-heart with Taiki. Without basketball, Chinatsu would have left with her family in the very first episode, and none of the events inBlue Boxwould even be happening.
Yet, while all those statements above are true, does it have to be sports? The sports aspectisimportant, yet at the same time, not irreplaceable. It’s not like withYour Lie In April, where the music and romance aspects are equally balanced, and they support and need each other. You cannot remove the music aspect from that show without massively changing the weight and meaning behind the story. WithBlue Box, you can basically take the sports aspect away and replace it with some other hobby, and the story would essentially stay the same. Instead of sports,the characters could be cooking, writing, or investigating the paranormal, and the show would still be as good, or as bad, as it is right now, depending on how much you enjoy the romance and drama.
Are There at Least Some Good Action Scenes?
For the people who were looking for a good sports anime but ended up likingBlue Box’s plot anyway, you’ll be happy to know that there are some decent sports scenes sprinkled throughout the series. The best ones are probably Taiki’s badminton matches, like the ones inepisode 4 “If He Wins"and 7 “Can I Have One?”. During those matches, there are some good-looking volleys and action shots. Some of the players and audiences even have those classic sports anime scenes where they dissect what’s happening in a match and plan what to do next.
Unfortunately, as of episode 7, the only sport that’s gotten that sort of treatment is badminton. There are acouple of scenes showing basketballand rhythmic gymnastics, but they’re incredibly brief and have no introspective dialogues that describe what’s happening or give advice on how the players/performers can do better.
Sports in Blue Box Is More of a Theme than a Genre
Romance and Drama Are Its Genres
It would be more accurate to say that the team sports aspect is not one ofBlue Box’s genres, but rather one of its themes. To demonstrate what this means: ananime likeFullmetal Alchemisthas military themes, but people wouldn’t necessarily call its genre “military”, or a game likeUndertalehas horror themes but is generally not considered a horror game.
Genre in anime is a way to categorize it based on the story it wants to tell.Blue Box’s story is one about romance; it feels like a romance story, and it’s paced like one as well, so it would make sense to classify it as a romance anime. The story is not about how a girl becomes one of the best basketball players in the country orhow a boy beats his rivalin badminton. Those events mighthappenin the story, but they’re not what the plot isabout. The theme is more like a vessel upon which the story can be told, which, in this case, is sports. And to be fair, some platforms, like Myanimelist, do list Team Sports as one ofBlue Box’s themes.
Blue Box is now available to stream onNetflix. The release date for Blue Box, episode 8, is set to be June 17, 2025 at 8:30 AM PT.
