In the world of sports manga, “Blue” is king. There are cultural reasons for this – most obviously the word seishun. It means “youth” but the literal translation of the kanji (青春) is “blue spring”. Just this season you get Ao Ashi and Ao no Hako, but the list is endless. Ao no Hako is one I’ve read start to finish – the manga ended several weeks ago – and I’ve always had a good deal of affection for it. That’s in spite of the fact that there are frequently times when it annoys the hell out of me, and certain characters that do so every moment they’re on-screen (or the page).

This premiere was a little of everything Blue Box, with both extremes in full flower. Most of it focused on Taiki and Chinatsu, which is far and away the best mode for this series to be in. But we also got a string of unlikely coincidences at the (im)perfect moment, and a couple of characters who it’s safe to say I don’t rank among my favorites (and Hina and Ayame are completely in the clear for once). It’s just part of the Ao no Hako experience. I accepted that as I read the manga because what’s good with this series is really good. But that doesn’t mean it’s not irksome when I’m reminded of it with the anime.

As we rejoin the action, Chinatsu and Taiki are on a date. It’s just buying a track suit, but it’s a date – that much is obvious. As is often the case with these two the age difference – seemingly so trivial – is an obvious part of the equation. At their ages a year is an eternity – especially when the boy is the younger one. t’s not as if Chinatsu is exactly an experienced hand at this, but her keep is much more even, let’s put it that way. She’s a very popular girl and it’s a constant struggle for Taiki to convince himself that a first-year guy really has any business being in a relationship with her.

There are no less than three random and ill-timed meetings this week, so we’re certainly not getting cheated on that score. First is Yokomura-kun, the volleyball dude. He’s a zaku and means well, but that offhand comment outside the changing room where Chinatsu is trying on a t-shirt still has a disquieting impact on her. Sure, some people assume Taiki and Hina are a thing. That’s natural, they’re childhood friends and she makes no secret of her feelings on the matter. But who cares, really? It’s not like Taiki hasn’t been pretty transparent about his feelings for Chinatsu.

At least the pair of them still go ahead to the cafe Chi wanted to revisit – the real “date” portion of the date. But awaiting them there is coincidence #2 (how fitting), Matsuoka-kun from the basketball team. Ugh, what a pill he is – a Kaji Yuuki-voiced character where Kaji isn’t even the main problem. He’s a smug bastard, this one, and he has no clue that Chinatsu wouldn’t cross the street to piss on him if he were on fire. I was actually rather proud of Taiki for the way he stood up for himself here – given the whole sempai thing and a two-year age gap this time, that’s not easy for him to do. I only wish he’d told Matsuoka where to stick his “fan” instead of just thinking it.

There’s an awkward pause in that cafe conversation, when Chinatsu mentions “Yumeka” as Matsuoka is prattling on about old times. Taiki notices but soon more pressing matters crowd it out of mind. When Matsuoka announces that he’s gotten a text inviting him to play pickup basketball with a local university team, Taiki tries to be a good friend and encourages Chi not to pass up a great opportunity like that. But bless her heart, she bails on #2 in the end and catches up to Taiki on the subway platform. He’s green (color change) but Taiki gets the message that sends him and invites Chinatsu for an “after-date” at Shibuya Sky.

It’s nice that Taiki researched that and all but I’ll tell you what, Shibuya Sky is freaking expensive, especially for a kid. Unfortunately it’s there that coincidence #3 appears. And she kind of counts for double, because not only did Yumeka’s name come up out of the blue but then so did she. And just as Taiki was seemingly about to confess his feelings, too. We only know she and Chinatsu were close and bonded on the court, and that Yumeka disappeared. But it’s safe to say our first introduction to her personality doesn’t exactly fill one with confidence or warmth.