Blue Box – Episode 1

What’s it about? Inomata Taiki hurries to the gym every morning to practice badminton, and to catch a glimpse of his popular, basketball-playing upperclassman, Kano Chinatsu. His chances at romance seem dashed when he learns Chinatsu’s parents will be transferring overseas, but fortunately she’s already made plans to stay with her mom’s old teammate…Taiki’s mom.

Before we talk about this premiere, I need to pull out a box of my own. In it I will put my bitterness at how low the bar is for female character writing at Shonen Jump, the disproportionate amount of resources anime adaptations tend to get if they’ve got that prestige magazine name attached to them, the certain kind of Jump fan who breaks out in hives at the thought of reading something besides another battle shonen (though they’re probably not reading Blue Box, to be fair), and the lingering disappointment that Farewell, My Dear Cramer looks Like That.

These are all recurrent issues with the industry at large, and none of them are Blue Box’s fault. In fact, I want to tip my hat to Miura Kouji for fighting it out as one of the few women with a current running series at Shonen Jump—let alone one that’s been running for almost four years. So let’s put them away for now and start again.

This is a lovely little premiere about two nice kids who’re passionate about sports, dappled with that particular glowing light that signifies the Springtime of Our Youth. The latter is almost certainly influenced by art director Fujii Onoo, who worked on background art for multiple Shinkai films. The nostalgia of it can get a little overwhelming, but the character writing is sweet without feeling too idealized—Kakihara Yuko flexing the muscles she got adapting Chihayafuru and orange, maybe.

Speaking of ideals, Chinatsu herself is walking a fine line. We’re meeting her through Taiki’s starry-eyed narration, but within that she’s got her own stuff going on. Sure, her dedication to her sport is partly in service of the “oh no, I’m living with my crush!” scenario, but her drive to make nationals is also set up as her main character motivation; and since this is theoretically a sports-show-with-romance I’ve got at least some hope that the plot will honor that. It has to be doing something for 16 volumes and counting.

 I did let out a long-suffering groan when other female lead Hina was introduced with a thighs-up panning shot. It’s the only moment that even approaches fan service, but I’d also bet all of you 10 dollars right now that the future of her character is “love life advisor who’s actually nursing a secret crush on the oblivious male lead.” It’s one of those archetypes that rubs me the wrong way; but going by the opening Hina does appear to be a dancer or gymnast, which might lend itself to the thematic building plots being laid out about individual versus team sports. As always, I invite the series to prove me wrong with open arms.

If I’m honest, this whole project leaves me a little cold. It’s well made, the characters are nice, even the tropes I dislike are done with a fair amount of restraint, and the animation blends well between its shiny sakuga and goofy asides. But it’s also so slick that I have trouble digging into any particular part of it. I can appreciate it, but my fondness for the cast is ultimately academic. I’m in favor of Chinatsu making it to nationals, but I don’t feel a burning need to tune in next week and see how it happens. It’s soothing like the placid waves of the sea, and just as easy to turn away from.

People who are big into sports shows might find more to grasp here, and those eager to see positive portrayals of female athletes might find this worth their time. I certainly wouldn’t warn anyone away from it. But it’s also so polished to a mirror sheen that it’s already begun to slip out of my brain.

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