There aren’t too many good,realistic romance animeseries out there. Many of themost popular romance anime seriesfeature main characters with 10+ love interests all vying for their attention orother tired anime tropesthat can fail to appeal to fans who aren’t actively looking for those tropes. Luckily, in a genre with a ton of unrealistic love stories, there are still a few that center their premises on realism.Blue Boxis exactly that. At its core, it is a fresh, unique, simple series with lovable main characters and a realistic plot.
The series stars high school first-year Taiki Inomata as he decides to go after his crush, Chinatsu, a second-year student who isn’t initially reciprocal of his feelings. After a series of unforeseen events, she moves in with Taiki’s family to continue her dreams of taking her basketball team to nationals. On paper, it might not seem like a realistic premise, but the anime portrays it perfectly, leading to unrequited love, a good amount of struggle, and one of thebest romances currently on Netflix.
Taiki Inomata Is Always Trying His Best
The Main Character is Genuine, Honest, and Humble
The core of agood romance animeis the main characterpursuing their love interest.Taiki Inomata is a perfect protagonist in this regard, working his hardest in all aspects of his life to be a good person and someone worthy of his crush’s affection. While Chinatsu focuses on basketball, Inomata is on the badminton team, being one of the better players at his school thanksto his hard work, resilience, and ability to see the best in himself. When he tries to be the first person in the gym daily, there’s always someone ahead of him: his crush, Chinatsu.
It makes for an interesting dynamic right from the first episode. Instead of getting intimidated and backing down, Taiki resolves himself to get even better at badminton and get Chinatsu’s attention.He’s honest, humble, and an easy character to root forthroughout the entire series. He’s always willing to ask his friends for advice and even works closely with the best player currently on his team in an attempt to become better himself.
Great Love Triangle
A Good Love Story Conundrum
While Chinatsu and Taiki’s relationship is great as it is,Blue Box’sstory is made even better with the addition of Hina Chono. She’s been Taiki’s close friend for some time and has developed a crush on him during the events of the series. She’s impressive in her own right as well. She’s arguably the most successful person in the school at rhythmic gymnastics, is incredibly beautiful, and works harder than most other people. She’s also hilarious, close to Taiki, and someone who might just take Chinatsu’s man before they can even get together.
Thelove triangle inBlue Boxmakes the series even better. Hina herself is a great character who is also easy to root for, and while Chinatsu doesn’t have any flaws that make her unlikable, it’s hard for any audience member to choose between the two girls. They both have enough solid qualities to make them great girlfriends for Taiki, adding some flair to the story.
10 Best Romance Manhwa on Webtoon, Ranked
The best romance manhwas on Webtoon spark many feelings and occasional tears in the readers and are perfect when looking for the next binge-read.
While Taiki is fixated on Chinatsu, he might not be forever. He’s one of the few characters in the series who isn’t dazzled by Hina’s beauty and ability. Whilemost anime series with a love trianglehave one character a lot better than the character they’re competing with, there’s a great argument to be had about both girls. Taiki has his hands full in the game of love, and nobody knows which girl he’ll choose based on what the anime has shown so far.
Sports is the Perfect Medium
Badminton, Basketball, and Gymnastics
The crux ofBlue Boxis the romance between Taiki, Chinatsu, and Hina. Underneath the romance, however, is anexcellent sports animefilled with hope, determination, and, inevitably, loss. It’s rare for a series to tackle two different genres so well, butBlue Boxpulls it off with grace. There are three different sports at the forefront of the series: basketball, badminton, and rhythmic gymnastics. Taiki’s badminton takes the most screen time of the three, but each sport is given the time needed to show off its high points.
Taiki’s determination to become the best badminton player he can be is a huge part of his character. It’s what makes the people around him, mainly his love interests, so interested in him. He’s hard-working, humble enough to accept defeat, and focused enough to find a way to win. Chinatsu’s love of basketball is also a huge part of her character. That’s the reason why she decided to stay with Taiki’s family in the first place.
The Entire Cast Is Very Lovable
Taiki, Chinatsu, Hina, Kyo, and More
Asboth a sports and a romance anime,the characters in the series have a lot on their plates. Not only do they need to be in relationships or knowledgeable about them, but they also need to be good at their respective sport to add to the story. Each character in the series plays their role very well. Taiki is not only a romantic, but he’s also a dedicated badminton player with a ton of potential and a work ethic to match.
10 Best Single Season Romance Anime You Can Watch Now
Short and sweet single-season romance anime have the power to break and heal hearts in a matter of just 12-24 amazing episodes!
Chinatsu and Hina are great at their own sports as well. Beyond their athletics, they have unique characters that make them both stand out and add to theirchances of becoming Taiki’s girlfriend.Taiki’s friend, Kyo, is a decent enough badminton player who’s always willing to hear his friend out and give him advice when he needs it. Kengo, Taiki’s senpai and mentor, is both incredible at badminton and also in a great relationship with another person who believes in their passion as strongly as he believes in his.
The characters inBlue Boxdon’t just add to the story, they are the story. Their intricate lives, unique personalities, and respective goals makeBlue Boxthe star-studded series that it is. Everyone in the story is relatable and lovable.Blue Boxis an easy series to watch, and easily one of thebest Netflix animeseries currently on offer in both the romance and the sports categories.
Blue Box
Cast
Taiki Inomata, a junior high student at Eimei Academy, is a dedicated badminton player with a crush on Chinatsu Kano, a star basketball player. Their paths intertwine in unexpected ways when Chinatsu moves in with Taiki’s family. Balancing sports, school, and budding feelings, Taiki aims to prove himself worthy of her admiration while striving for Nationals.
