Blue Box Review - Cute and Wholesome but Problematic

Article at a glance:
The anime started strong, but recent episodes feel like they lack momentum despite important developments.
Events happen, but they don’t always feel like they push the plot forward, especially in the last 6-7 episodes.
Character development remains a highlight, with Taiki, Chinatsu, and Hina receiving meaningful growth.
Faithful art style, smooth animation, and compelling match scenes elevate the anime.
Despite pacing issues, Blue Box is enjoyable with strong characters and solid execution.

I have wanted to write something about Blue Box for a while now. I absolutely loved the show in the first half; episode 14 is still one of my favorite episodes. While I don’t hate the second half, I still like the show. I don’t know how to put this but it feels like the momentum is gone. There are important developments in every episode and yet somehow it still feels like nothing is moving forward. I always knew Blue Box would be a complicated anime to write a review for. But things have only gotten more complex with recent episodes.

So welcome back to another review and today we are talking about Blue Box. I had this review bottled up for a while. And now that episode 21 is out, I think this is the right time to do it. As I said, I don’t think the remaining 3 episodes will change my mind about this show. So let’s get started.

Plot

Look, we all know this, you don’t come to a romance or a shounen anime for the story. Blue Box is both so you know the the story isn’t of importance here, it is more about the character than anything else. As far as the plot progression goes, overall, I appreciate how the character development and growth in relationships are tied to certain important plot elements. I appreciate how they didn’t portray Taiki as some genius. He gets better through hard work and hard work alone.

Moving on to the negatives, the pacing feels a bit weird, especially in the recent episodes. A lot happens in every episode, sure but it rarely feels like these events are driving the overall plot forward. But I can’t call these episodes “filler” either because some important stuff does happen in them! Take the latest episode, episode 21 for example. Sure, it introduces us to Ayame properly and tells us what her character is like. But aside from that, I don’t think anything else even remotely important was in this episode.

In the first half, Taiki and Chinatsu’s relationship progressed a bit by bit every episode but for the last 6-7 episodes it feels like their relationship hasn’t evolved at all. I am sure that the final 3 episodes will have something special but this span of 8-ish episodes where almost nothing happened will still be a sore spot. I get slow burn but I need some form of progress.

Characters

The character writing is consistently good though. Yes, I was mad about the relationship not progressing enough but the character development is a lot more consistent and well spread. As I mentioned, every major character moment is connected to a major plot moment.

Taiki losing to Yusa earlier made his desire to be better even stronger. When the time comes for their rematch, we see Taiki work harder than ever to beat him and sure enough, he does win. I love how his character development is tied to badminton. Aside from that, during the cultural festival arc, we get to see how resourceful and reliable he can be while still managing the badminton club along with the preparation work. As the series goes on, his desire to improve only grows stronger and I like that.

Chinatsu didn’t get much character development in the earlier episode but recently, we got to see more of her vulnerable side. She is clearly a little uncomfortable with all the expectations and responsibilities placed on her. She is too hard on herself when she makes mistakes. And her slow realization about her feelings for Taiki was very well done. It is very subtle and it makes sense in the context of the story.

And speaking of character development, I love what they did with Hina. Her confession to Taiki in episode 14 not only feels natural, it is presented exceptionally well. And ever since then, that confession has been a driving force in their interactions. Hina herself isn’t sure anymore about how to act around Taiki and often ends up embarrassing herself because of her imagination.

Aside from them, the overall supporting cast is quite strong as well. Haryu and Kyo act as “guides” for Taiki in badminton and life respectively. Haryu’s relationship with Karen is also quite well done. Yusa serves as the “goalpost” for Taiki, someone he aims to be like.

Animations and Soundtracks

There are two sections in which I don’t think any review can fault Blue Box in: characters and production. The animations are amazing. The art is very faithful to the manga. And when we get intense match scenes like in episode 18, the animations are smooth. Seriously, the matches in Blue Box are surprisingly compelling. And the animation quality plays a huge part in it. Sure, the animations may not be god-tier. But they’re still really good and well above average.

The soundtracks are pretty good too. I like both the opening and ending themes. They fit the theme of the show and they are rather well-animated too. Yeah, not much else to say here.

Summing Up

Here are my final review scores for Blue Box:

Plot – 7/10
Characters – 9/10
Animations – 8/10
Soundtracks – 7/10
Enjoyment – 9/10
Overall – 8.5/10

That concludes my review for Blue Box. Despite my complaints, I enjoyed the anime overall. And I look forward to the ending. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my thoughts on the Spring 2025 season here!