”Yes, I look forward to many years of looking at the triangles.”
– George Costanza
Ao no Hako is an interesting test case of how much upside a series can have despite being completely conventional. I think the simple answer is “a lot” – it’s very good on the whole. But I think its lows are more Death Valley than most series simply because it is so beholden to tropes. When it works, great. But when it doesn’t it can really be an emperor has no clothes situation. In short there’s nothing to hide behind, and as an audience you probably see more than it would be ideal to see.
This is kinda sorta one of those times for me, though again, one of those qualities I referenced last week – restraint – does serve to mitigate the effect. We’re going down the triangle rabbit hole and we get the fireworks festival/yukata routine on top of that. It’s not even Hina’s fault, and you know how I feel about her – apart from the comic violence it’s not like she’s doing anything especially obnoxious here. It’s more tied in to Taiki filling the clueless male lead role when the plot calls for it. That in itself it kind of believable (he is a 15 year-old boy), but it seems to come and go as needed.
In point of fact there’s another kid making a move on Hina, the heretofore little-seen Itou-kun. He puts a move on her at the library study party, which catches Taiki out only in that he never thinks of Hina that way – not with anyone, never mind himself. Taiki is not being remotely disingenuous or cruel here – he just absolutely, positively has never had a romantic thought about Hina. And her hesitancy in making things clear to him is doubtless in large part because she knows she has no no shot as things stand. Sure, she’s slow-playing because she knows his feelings for Chinatsu – waiting it out and circling until that gives up the ghost and she can pounce. But the main issue is simple practicality.
Meanwhile, Haryuu-sempai invites Taiki to a practice session at a nearby university. For a first-year high school kid this is a huge opportunity to assess his skills, and Taiki is naturally thrilled. And one of the participants is Hyodo-san, Haryuu’s white whale, who’s attending the school the following year. And he, despite his visage, turns out to be a very nice guy. He probably helps Taiki more in a minute than Haryuu has in their entire partnership, at least as far as practical advice is concerned. He sees something in the lad, just as his coaches and seniors do – his talent is a slow burning type, but inextinguishable.
The culmination of all this drama is off course the hanabitaikai. That, as it happens, was the stage on which Taiki first made an impression on Hina as middle schoolers – thoughtfully buying her the last candy apple when she was running late to their group meetup. Nothing more to it than Taiki being considerate, which he usually is, but it’s natural for Hina to misinterpret that when coming from a middle school boy. Of course when she invites Taiki to reenact the event she intends it as a date; of course he doesn’t see it that way. Kyou does of course and helpfully uninvites himself (the trope dictates that the wingman be savvier than the lead).
Again, this is handled with some dignity and it’s fine. But boy, have we seen it all before. I knew this was coming this time of course, but when the manga started going down this road I have to admit I was pretty close to the edge there for a while. What Blue Box is in this mode is everything conventional about it- what it is when it focuses on Taiki and Chinatsu is everything exceptional. But with this dish, you have to take the bitter with the sweet.
ahnold11
December 13, 2024 at 3:37 pmInteresting episode. I’m having almost an 180degree different take than yours. Which is surprising, because “Enter the love triangle” is usually such a pain. This show is on to something, but I can’t quite put my finger exactly there. Something about personal growth, both in sports but also interpersonal relationships?
What stood out this episode, is the mirroring of Hina and Taiki. The pep talk she gives him about acting more like him self, and not hiding due to fear, is as much for her as it is for him. She’s talking about herself, which is why she’s extra worked up.
I think this triangle might be doing a little bit extra that might make it more palatable to me. Everyone is pretty sports focused, which doesn’t leave much time for romance. Taiki seems to be the only one who’s considered it, but even then it’s more as a fantasy. When he has a bit of good fortune and gets to actually interact with his crush (and have them know his name) he’s also a bit lost. He doesn’t quite know what to do with it, he certainly doesn’t take any agency, and despite his progress it’s still mostly in the realm of idea and fantasy.
Hina also seems focused on her athletic career. I believe she genuinely was routing for her friend, as hopeless as he seems. But when he actually gets some traction, that surprise makes her look at things a bit differently. I think the show might be going for a bit more than “she now sees her friend in a different light”. Hina’s realizations early on seem more to be about her self. Is romance something *she* might be interested in? She doesn’t seem to have considered it, it’s always been about dance. There are some confused feelings there and I think it takes some time for them to develop and get sorted out.
Asking Taiki to the festival, was a big step for her. Because she’s incredibly confident in her athletic life, going to nationals, giving interviews, it’s not that it’s boring to her, but pretty routine. This is something new, something she is unfamiliar with, and she lacks confidence. And is experiencing fear. Which is causing her to not act like her usual direct self.
She’s afraid of what exploring this idea might do to their friendship, just like Taiki doesn’t want to upset the boat with China. But she is trying to do what he won’t. She isn’t content to simply sit back and watch, she wants to see where this goes.
The exploration of that aspect of their relationship is what is doing the leg work for me in these last few episodes. Taiki and Chinatsu still have almost no screen time, especially for people who live together. The potentially cute scene with the tooth brushing, is basically non eventful. I get that they are the “mains”, and their chemistry is undeniable. But the glacial pace the show takes with that, does really welcome Hina to come in and give us *something* that happens, which will move the plot forward one way or the other.
One of my least favorite things about the “triangle” is how it interferes with the progression of an existing romance. But our two mains have essentially killed that already themselves, their measured and patient pace has come to a standstill. So I personally don’t feel like we are losing anything at this point. And both Taiki and Hina seem to be in a place where they can actually gain something useful from this relationship, learn things about themselves and further develop their characters. Regardless of the outcome they seem set up to come out the other side better off. And the show is giving enough attention to their characters, that this growth should give a somewhat satisfying payoff.
But I haven’t read the manga, and so my own hopefulness could be blinding me a bit on this one.
Am I correct in seeing that the second cour will be airing back to back, or will we have to wait longer to see how all this unfolds?
Guardian Enzo
December 13, 2024 at 6:12 pmAFAIK it’s two cours back to back.
Joe
December 15, 2024 at 6:01 amI so agree with your assessment with Hina and Taiki and I find them so much more interesting. Hina is just so much easier to root for, partly because of her “Losing Heroine” trope, and her being more earnest. Sadly, the main plot would prevent her happiness ad is fulfillment but I definitely enjoy it more, not less, of Hina.