Who doesn’t love a good sports romance? The tension, the intensity, the banter, and the competitiveness make up for a complete package. Blue Box is one such drama-packed sports comedy manga. Add a dash of romance to it, and the perfect comic is ready.
Kōji Miura is the man behind this manga who has written and illustrated it. Blue Box made its debut on April 12, 2021, in the magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump, the best-selling manga magazine. The book’s chapters have been compiled and published in Shueisha’s Shōnen manga in tankōbon volumes. The first such volume was circulated on August 4, 2021. With the volume’s success, six volumes have been published, as recorded on August 4, 2022. A huge feat to be achieved within a year.
Nationwide Bookstore Employees’ Recommended Comics of 2022 ranked Blue Box in the fourth position. It was also nominated for the Next Manga Award.
Blue Box Manga Storyline And Synopsis
The series follows the protagonists from two different sports backgrounds. Blue Box is created on the sets of an integrated school – Eimei Junior and Senior High. Taiki Inomata (a third-year student of Junior high) is a part of the boy’s badminton team, while Chinatsu Kano (a first-year student of Senior high) is on the girl’s basketball team.
Being on the opposite ends of the social world, their differences couldn’t be starker. While Chinatsu is an excellent basketball player, being called the ‘rising star,’ Taiki is nowhere near that arena. He plays badminton, but his skills aren’t up to the mark, at least not up to Chinatsu’s standards.
His attempts to arrive at the gymnasium are always thwarted by Chinatsu, who is always the first to arrive there. Taiki is not immune to her beauty and charm and, thus, ends up developing a huge crush on her. Mind you, Chinatsu has no idea.
Through a lucky twist of fate (though not for Chinatsu), Chinatsu’s parents had to leave Japan to work abroad, and thus she ends up living with Taiki in his house. As the relationship blooms between them, the pressure of the upcoming Nationals looms large on both. Taiki trains harder than he ever did to impress his crush and win the nationals.
Blue Box Chapter 69 Recap
When her little sister asks Karen Moriya, Chinatsu’s best friend, if there is anybody in the eyes of Chinatsu or someone she is rooting for, Karen describes a hypothetical boy, a tall boy older than her, good at basketball, who is currently studying abroad. For the moment, Ayame’s curiosity is satisfied.
However, things turn out when a new boy Kazuma returns from studying abroad. According to Ayame, he ticks all the right boxes causing her to believe that he is Chinatsu’s crush.
On the other hand, Hina, a rhythmic gymnast player, has developed a crush on Taiki. While making heart eyes at him and basking in his attention, Ayame takes note of her expressions and later confronts Hina about her crush. Hina confirms it and says that she had already come forth about her feelings to Taiki, but he hasn’t yet given a response.
Ayame says she will help “make her love come to fruition.”
As the chapter nears its end, the reader finally sees the interaction between Taiki and Chinatsu, the main love interest. On the way home, she calls him by a new nickname, ‘Inota, ‘ which makes Taiki all hot and bothered. In response, he asks her if she would like it if he called her ‘Chii.’ Surprise, surprise! Chinatsu says she doesn’t mind. Is it the start of their budding romance?
At last, Chinatsu is shown carrying a cactus which she calls a secret. A present, maybe?
Blue Box Chapter 70 Recap
Recently released, chapter 70 opens up with a note in Chinatsu’s hand on how to take care of the cactus mentioned in the previous chapter.
The scene then shifts to the locker room, where Ayame overhears two people discussing the upcoming Autumn Training Camp where the students from the three clubs – Badminton, Basketball, and Rhythmic Gymnastics would go to honor the school’s founding anniversary.
Ayame tries to play the matchmaker and wishes that this might be the perfect opportunity for Chinatsu, Matsuoka, Hina, and Taiki to get together in a relationship.
As she goes by the corridor, she gets a front-row seat to see Taiki practicing and compliments on how good he has gotten. The captain of the badminton team Nishida agrees that he is the best first year they have. As she catches up with Taiki after his practice, she slides between the conversation, pursuing someone who has a crush on them rather than waiting for someone who Taiki has a crush on. Indirectly implying that he should go out with Hina. Go Cupid Ayame!
In the last section of the chapter, the girl’s basketball team can be seen surrounding a bonfire discussing the legend.
“If two people ask each other out in front of it, the fire of their love will erupt into a blaze, and they’ll live happily ever after.”
Poetic right?
It finally ends with Chinatsu having a thoughtful look on her face. Is she thinking of making a move on someone special? Would this camp bring Chinatsu and Taiki closer, or will it push them farther apart as matchmaker Ayame comes into play?
Blue Box Chapter 71 Release Date
Blue Box Chapter 71 is set to be released on Sunday, October 2. Each chapter of the series is released once every week. It can be read on Shueisha’s Manga Plus app for the original Japanese read and Viz Media for the English version.
