It looks as if the release schedule for Ao no Hako is pretty straightforward, albeit annoying. Netflix Japan is one week ahead of everybody else, plain and simple. Including of course streaming services and Netflix everywhere else. It’s hard to know the best way to cover it, as it’s certain that LiA readers will be a mix of both release schedules. I mean, if you’ve been an anime fan a while you know the score – this stuff is out there if you want to access it. I guess for now I’ll blog the eps as I watch them, and those of you who are behind can wait that extra week to read.

I’ve been thinking about Blue Box a fair bit since the anime started. I have an odd mix of feelings on this series. On balance absolutely positive, but with a bunch of caveats thrown in. I struggle more with one character than any other, but all of my issues don’t trace back to her. It’s true that this series relies pretty heavily on romcom tropes – the key is executing them well rather than avoiding then. But what I only just realized is that there are an awful lot of pretty unlikable people in this cast. By no means do I dislike all of them as characters, and one of the nice things about Miura Kouji’s writing is that these kids really grow and change over time. But it’s definitely a thing.

What made this click for me is the formal introduction of Haryuu Kengo (Uchida Yuuma). He’s Taiki’s sempai on the badminton team, a 2nd-year (crucially, not a 3rd). He’s also Chinatsu’s classmate. And the brightest star in the Eimei badminton galaxy, a hot prospect thought to have a shot at the inter-high. Haryuu calls Chinatsu “Chii” and the two of them seem to be on very good terms. In fact Taiki sees the two of them walking home together and freaks out over it (the irony in his doing so while walking home with Hina is lost on him).

There are a lot of misunderstands in Ao no Hako, no denying that. But they don’t tend to get dragged out, thank goc. And from Taiki’s perspective, it’s easy to be insecure about this. Haryuu and Chinatsu are the same age, in the same class, both aces of their respective teams, both conventionally good-looking. Hina does her usual bit of acting like she’s on Taiki’s side vis a vis Chinatsu while actually making him feel worse about it. When the time comes for Haryuu and Taiki to face off in the intramural matches (crucial for deciding future places on the team) Kyou expects Taiki to be very off-put by the Haryuu-Chinatsu vibe and fold like a cheap tent.

He is, but he doesn’t. And this tells you a lot about Taiki. He’s stubborn as hell and he channels that stubbornness in positive directions. He loses, but not in the humiliating fashion a new boy in his position would be expected to. Which is why the coach has already taken notice of him (and Chinatsu certainly has). The whole Haryuu-Chinatsu thing predictably is a tempest in a teapot. Everyone in their class calls her Chii, he has a girlfriend, and Chii was helping him pick out makeup for her. But again, what could be tiresome kind of works because in these specific circumstances Taiki’s concerns were pretty logical. And it was all settled within one episode.

Unfortunately for Taiki his other problems with Haryuu are not so easily cleared up. They’re paired off as a doubles team, and Haryuu proceeds to drive his kouhai like a rented mule. The whole “he’s only hard on the ones he believes can be great” card is played here, and generally speaking this is a Japanese attitude I’m not crazy about – bullying is bullying and shouldn’t be romanticized. But that’s how sports clubs are here. Haryuu has plenty of redeeming qualities which will be revealed over time. But boy – he definitely qualifies as unlikable.