How would you rate episode 5 of
It's long been understood that Blue Box is not really a sports anime. It is, rather, a deeply melodramatic and gorgeously rendered coming-of-age romance that just so happens to be about two kids who really, really love sports. This is an important distinction for episodes like “It's Back,” if only because the sports drama that we do get is so goddamned good that it makes you wish the whole show would drop the romance angle for a week or two and really commit to its on-the-court skills.
About half of this episode is dedicated to Yumeka finally deciding to take a chance and try to mend her relationship with Chinatsu (and also the sport of basketball) by watching her old friend go hard in the paint at the big game. It's absolutely stellar; I would go so far as to say it's the best depiction of any sporting event that we've seen from Blue Box so far. The animation is crisp, and the cinematography captures essential depth needed to make the passes and shots feel that much more real. The emotional stakes of the game have never been higher, either, since I personally find Yumeka's inner turmoil a lot more satisfying than the mundane adolescent worries that Taiki got caught up in during his matches in the first season.
It's just too bad the show isn't interested in tracking the moment-to-moment narrative of a competition like a traditional sports anime would, because Blue Box has shown time and again it would do incredibly well at it. Instead, we just check in with the girls during the most pivotal moments of the game so that we can follow their personal, emotional narratives. That's well enough, I suppose, since the girls' inevitable reunion is as sweet and cathartic as we'd all hoped. Still, imagine how incredible a whole episode or two dedicated to a single game could be.
Meanwhile, Taiki spends most of the episode ambling around and checking in with all the side characters, which I am of two minds about. On the one hand, it's always good to check in with the larger ensemble, especially since we're being fed morsels of new storylines like Kyo's burgeoning crush on Ayame, and you know I will always be here for more Ayame content. On the other hand, all of Taiki's scenes are chock-full of Christmas trees, reindeer costumes, and even surprisingly earnest references to Mariah Carey and the birth of Baby Jesus (in both languages, too; I checked!). I'm sure you all share my shock and disgust at this sickening display. It is a heinous crime against humanity on Blue Box 's part to be airing such a holly and jolly celebration of Christmas when we've barely made it through the first week of November. If anyone has the gall to break out in cleanly autotuned acoustic renditions of “Jingle Bells” before the scraps of the Thanksgiving turkey have even had the chance to settle into their kitchen Tupperware sarcophagi, I should be legally allowed to beat them unconscious.
I kid, of course. The festivities are perfectly pleasant, and I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday spirit working its magic on these kids and their pitter-pattering little hearts. I do have one genuine objection to raise, though: Why in the hell is Blue Box trying to convince us that poor little Hina is too weak and pathetic to lift that one doohickey that Taiki had to help out with? The girl is a gymnast, for goodness' sake. Every practicing gymnast I ever knew could have tossed me over their teensy frames like I was the Scarecrow from Oz. Haven't you made this girl suffer enough, Blue Box ? At least allow Hina one meager, raggedy scrap of her dignity. It's Christmas, for crying out loud.
Blue Box Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.
James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.