# List of Blue Box episodes

Blue Box is an anime television series based on the manga series of the same name by Kouji Miura. Originally announced in November 2023, it is planned and produced by TMS Entertainment, and animated by Telecom Animation Film. It is directed by Yūichirō Yano, with Yūko Kakihara handling series composition, and Miho Tanino as the chief animation director and character designer. The series premiered on October 3, 2024, on TBS and its affiliates, and will run for two consecutive cours. For the first cour, the opening theme is "Same Blue" by Official Hige Dandism, while the ending theme is "Teenage Blue" (ティーンエイジブルー) by Eve; for the second cour, the opening theme is "Saraba" (然らば) by Macaroni Empitsu [ja], while the ending theme is "Contrast" (コントラスト) by TOMOO [ja].
Netflix licensed the series and is streaming it worldwide.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Storyboarded by | Chief animation directed by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Chinatsu Senpai" Transliteration: "Chinatsu-senpai" (Japanese: 千夏先輩) | Keiko Oyamada | Yūichirō Yano | Miho Tanino | October 3, 2024 (2024-10-3) |
| Taiki Inomata rushes to school in order to see Chinatsu Kano, whom he has a crush on. He confides to his friends Kyo Kasahara and Hina Chōno about his feelings for Chinatsu, who then comment how she is out of his league. Despite this, they offer Taiki tips on how he can break the ice. Sometime later, Taiki encounters Chinatsu on a cold morning and offers his scarf to her. Charmed, she begins calling Taiki by his full name. Feeling pride, Taiki further pursues this endeavor and meets with Chinatsu to know her better, opening up how he felt inspired to improve his badminton skills after seeing Chinatsu practicing her basketball skills when she missed the nationals. Taiki learns from his mother, who is close friends with Chinatsu's mother, that she and her family will be moving abroad, prompting him to run to the gym and bid good luck to Chinatsu. Chinatsu clears the confusion by stating she will be living with an acquaintance. The next morning, Taiki finds out Chinatsu will be staying in his house, much to his shock. |||||||
| 2 | "You Have to Go to Nationals" Transliteration: "Intāhai Itte Kudasai" (Japanese: インターハイ行ってください) | Hitomi Ezoe | Yūichirō Yano | Shinobu Ikakko | October 10, 2024 (2024-10-10) |
| Chinatsu is welcomed into the Inomata household as Taiki attempts to process the sudden change in his status quo. At school, Kyo picks up on Taiki's cheerful attitude and advises him to keep it a secret. Taiki also expresses his desire to join the nationals to be able to reach Chinatsu's level, surprising Kyo. Chinatsu later learns of this and gifts him a good luck bracelet as she shows her own. The next day, Hina encounters Taiki exercising at the gym and suspects it has something to do with Chinatsu, teasing him in the process. Afraid of Hina learning the secret, Taiki distances himself from Chinatsu and later admits to her his worry of people gossiping over them if they are seen together, confusing Chinatsu as she was under the impression that Taiki and Hina liked each other. At the start of the school year, Taiki strives to work hard to achieve his goal. Hina bumps into him after school and they see Chinatsu walking towards their direction but then notice her talking to Taiki's badminton upperclassman Kengo Haryū, shocking him. |||||||
| 3 | "Chii" Transliteration: "Chī" (Japanese: ちー) | Harume Kosaka | Yūichirō Yano | Manabu Nii | October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17) |
| Despite reassurances that Haryū and Chinatsu are classmates, Taiki is troubled as he continues to see them talk and hears Haryū call Chinatsu "Chii". When Chinatsu notices his behavior and worries for him, Taiki calms down and tries to clear his mind to focus on the upcoming matches. This, however, fails after hearing his upperclassmen comment on Haryū and Chinatsu hanging out lately. This is further exacerbated when Taiki plays a match against Haryū. Taiki manages to finish the game with a better performance despite losing to Haryū, which Chinatsu commends when she and Taiki practice playing badminton after the game. He also learns that "Chii" is a nickname given to Chinatsu by her classmates. Taiki is notified the following day he will be playing doubles with Haryū. His heart sinks when Haryū hears him mentioning Chinatsu and teases him as they rigorously practice. Haryū then introduces him to his and Chinatsu's friend group, praising his skills. Taiki later learns that Haryū already has a girlfriend and Chinatsu was assisting him, realizing he was being toyed with by Haryū, much to his annoyance and frustration. |||||||
| 4 | "If He Wins" Transliteration: "Aitsu ga Kattara" (Japanese: あいつが勝ったら) | Masato Kitagawa | Masayoshi Nishida | Shinobu Ikakko, Manabu Nii & Aya Miyajima | October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24) |
| Taiki begins to get accustomed to living with Chinatsu after a month has passed. He later receives a text message from Chinatsu informing him that he accidentally grabbed her gym uniform, which he eventually returns. That night, Taiki continues practicing for the upcoming badminton preliminaries at home. Seeing this, Chinatsu asks him to take it easy and rest. When Chinatsu adds he can attempt again the following year, however, Taiki is left despondent, knowing Chinatsu will graduate by that time. On the day of the preliminaries, Taiki and Haryū begin advancing through the matches when they meet Haryū's previous doubles partner Shoichiro Kishi. Kishi calls Haryū out for not giving him Chinatsu's number and he challenges Haryū to a singles match to uphold the deal. Haryū accepts and lets him play against Taiki, much to the latter's annoyance. Arriving home, Taiki overhears Chinatsu share her insecurities of discouraging him to his mother, motivating him to win against Kishi. Taiki and Kishi begin their match the next day as Haryū and Kyo watch on. When Chinatsu and her teammates arrive, Kyo shares to her the stakes involved and how much she motivates Taiki. |||||||
| 5 | "Aquarium" Transliteration: "Suizokukan" (Japanese: 水族館) | Keiko Oyamada | Yūichirō Yano | Miho Tanino | October 31, 2024 (2024-10-31) |
| Kyo proposes to Chinatsu on taking Taiki to an aquarium as Taiki wins the match against Kishi. As his peers congratulate him, Taiki receives Chinatsu's offer, surprising him. Witnessing this, Hina congratulates him on getting closer with Chinatsu and calls their upcoming outing a date, though her friend Niina Shimazaki takes note of her looking sullen after separating from Taiki. Taiki nervously prepares for the outing, but he oversleeps and rushes to the aquarium. Chinatsu apologizes to Taiki for discouraging him the previous day, which he accepts, adding he is open for Chinatsu to talk about her worries. At school, Taiki thanks Kyo on setting up the outing as Kyo brings up the possibility of Chinatsu liking him back, taking Taiki off-guard and Kyo and Hina make him focus back on practicing. Hina later has a chance meeting with Chinatsu and sees a keychain from the aquarium, making Hina believe Taiki has a chance with Chinatsu while Hina fondly recounts her interactions with Taiki. Chinatsu leaves but forgets her phone, prompting Hina to return it when she discovers Chinatsu entering Taiki's house and talking with him, disconcerting Hina as she begins to develop feelings for Taiki. |||||||
| 6 | "Wish Me Luck" Transliteration: "Ganbarette Itte" (Japanese: がんばれって言って) | Yasuro Tsuchiya | Issei Iba | Miho Tanino, Manabu Nii & Shinobu Ikakko | November 7, 2024 (2024-11-7) |
| Hina confronts Taiki and Chinatsu on their relationship, forcing Taiki to explain the circumstances. While she understands the situation, Hina expresses her dismay that Taiki kept it a secret from her. Hina becomes distracted with the revelation during practice while being put under pressure from the expectations of her peers and is further troubled upon learning Taiki and Chinatsu motivate each other in reaching the nationals, hindering her ability to perform well. Noticing her shortcomings, Hina practices more, but while thinking on where to improve after a session, Hina bumps into a student and sprains her ankle, sending her into a panic before Taiki comes to her aid. He lends an ear to Hina's worries as she also subtly references her jealousy for Chinatsu. After recovering, Hina asks Taiki to wish her luck on her practice; Hina achieves first place in the qualifiers. At home, Chinatsu shares to Taiki on encountering Hina where Taiki shows his enthusiasm for her, making Chinatsu assume she is getting in the way of their relationship. |||||||
| 7 | "Can I Have One?" Transliteration: "Hitotsu Chōdai?" (Japanese: 一つちょうだい？) | Hitomi Ezoe | Hitomi Ezoe | Manabu Nii, Aya Miyajima, Miho Tanino & Shinobu Ikakko | November 14, 2024 (2024-11-14) |
| Taiki begins vigorously practicing for the qualifiers. When Chinatsu mentions her qualifiers and Taiki's coinciding on the same day, Taiki wonders if she is looking forward to his match. They later cross paths while walking home and they head to a shrine and pray on reaching the nationals. The next day after their team's qualifiers, Chinatsu and her friend Nagisa Funami overhear their rivals comment on Chinatsu's lackluster performance. Taiki later notices the team's melancholic behavior and eavesdrops on Nagisa's frustration with the situation. Chinatsu spots him and shares on wanting to prove her rivals wrong with her skills. Inspired by Chinatsu's drive, Taiki practices harder with Haryū. After wrapping up, Kyo questions Taiki if he plans to ask Chinatsu out when he reaches the nationals, but Taiki wishes to not yet force his feelings on her. They encounter Haryū at a convenience store and are later joined by Hina, Chinatsu, and their friends. Hina grabs a bite from Taiki's snack and expresses on wanting to give him gifts. Seeing this, an envious Chinatsu also grabs a bite, leaving Taiki perplexed with her intentions. |||||||
| 8 | "Score!" Transliteration: "Ippon!" (Japanese: 一本っ！) | Shunji Yoshida | Masayoshi Nishida | Miho Tanino, Manabu Nii & Aya Miyajima | November 21, 2024 (2024-11-21) |
| Chinatsu sees Taiki exercising for his qualifiers and joins him. While discussing their upcoming matches, Chinatsu asks him what kind of cheer Taiki's badminton club uses. At the qualifiers, Taiki and Haryū watch the doubles match of competitor Shōta Hyōdō and take note of his playing style. Taiki and Haryū play against Hyōdō as Hyōdō's teammate Shūji Yusa observes their gameplay, taking special attention on Taiki's playing. Chinatsu later learns that Taiki lost the match and while thinking of how to cheer him up, she sees his notes and writes words of encouragement. The next day, Taiki plays a singles match against Yusa but also loses. Hina visits the qualifiers and hears about Taiki's performance, leading her to check up on him; Taiki opens up to Hina on doubting his ability to reach the nationals. After the qualifiers conclude, Taiki strives to continue improving. Taiki overhears Chinatsu reaching the nationals upon arriving home, frustrating him further despite being proud of her. |||||||
| 9 | "I'll Be Rooting For You" Transliteration: "Ōen Suru yo" (Japanese: 応援するよ) | Yuka Yamato | Yuka Yamato | Miho Tanino & Aya Miyajima | November 28, 2024 (2024-11-28) |
| Upon learning about the upcoming exams, Taiki begins to study as he observes Chinatsu's team practicing for the nationals; seeing this, Taiki instead practices his badminton skills, leaving Kyo and Hina worried. The badminton club is tasked to write their goals, which Taiki uses to write on improving his skills. Taiki balances his studies and badminton practice as he continues to hear of Chinatsu's progress, discouraging him. Sometime later, Taiki falls ill after overworking himself and wonders if he failed to achieve his promises. Chinatsu reassures him and tends to his health despite Taiki warning she might contract his illness. Chinatsu asks why he did not write reaching the nationals on his goal note after seeing it during the club activity, leading Taiki to open up on being overconfident with his expectations. Chinatsu shares she harbors the same doubts as Taiki and replies he should still aim for his goal while setting expectations. Hearing this, Taiki feels calmed by her empathy and states on writing Chinatsu's advice on his goal note before losing his balance, prompting Chinatsu to catch him as she also falls on top of him and they share a gaze, with Chinatsu leaning closer. |||||||
| 10 | "It's Not a Good Thing" Transliteration: "Yokunai Koto" (Japanese: 良くないこと) | Ryōsuke Azuma | Masayoshi Nishida | Shinobu Ikakko | December 5, 2024 (2024-12-5) |
| Chinatsu leans in to fix the patch on Taiki's head, leaving him restless throughout the night. The next day, Taiki helps Haryū and his class clean the school's pool when Haryū asks him on his progress with Chinatsu. Taiki consults him for relationship advice and Haryū mentions Chinatsu keeping a distance towards boys she is not interested in, prompting Taiki to wonder on the recent events. Taiki later thanks Chinatsu on tending to his health as he notices a flustered Chinatsu returning the gesture; he impulsively grabs her hand, leaving him embarrassed. Chinatsu then talks to Nagisa on love as Nagisa humors the idea of an individual falling in love with someone after living with them for a period of time. Later during dinner, Chinatsu learns of the commitment of Taiki's parents in taking care of her as she and Taiki head out to buy food. The two engage in small talk when an oncoming car almost hits them, with Taiki grabbing Chinatsu by her arm out of harm's way. Upon experiencing this action, Chinatsu asks Taiki to forget the recent events and apologizes for her carelessness, causing Taiki to believe she is setting boundaries between them as summer vacation begins. |||||||
| 11 | "Uncool!" Transliteration: "Dasai zo!!" (Japanese: ダサいぞ！！) | Mizuki Iwata | Masayoshi Nishida | Shinobu Ikakko | December 12, 2024 (2024-12-12) |
| Taiki joins his classmates in accomplishing summer homework as he and Hina overhear from other students about a summer festival happening soon. Taiki recalls to Hina how he cheered her up after she missed the fireworks display of the previous festival; a flustered Hina requests him to accompany her to the festival, and Taiki agrees. Some days later during practice, Haryū invites Taiki to a practice session with his seniors taking place on the same day as the festival. Taiki updates Hina on his schedule and asks her who else is joining them at the festival, leaving Hina dismayed as she wanted only Taiki to join. After inviting Kyo along, Taiki opens up to Hina with his concerns on progressing his friendship with Chinatsu, causing Hina to reassure him to take care of himself and compliment his ability to stay positive before running off. Taiki joins Haryū in the practice session and encounters Hyōdō, who gives advice on his stances. After practice, Taiki plans to head to the festival when Kyo messages on being unable to go, forcing him to contend on going alone with Hina. Taiki arrives at the festival and sees Hina in a yukata. |||||||
| 12 | "Girls..." Transliteration: "Onnanoko tte" (Japanese: 女の子って) | Keiko Oyamada | Yuka Yamato & Yūichirō Yano | Miho Tanino, Manabu Nii & Aya Miyajima | December 19, 2024 (2024-12-19) |
| When Chinatsu and her friends visit the festival, she notices Taiki and Hina hanging out, surprising her due to initially hearing from Taiki earlier in the day that he planned to go with a group. A nervous Hina becomes conscious of her appearance around Taiki when he compliments her on looking cute, satisfying Hina and they watch the fireworks. Taiki separates from Hina during the break and sees Chinatsu comforting a lost child, prompting Taiki to assist her in finding the child's mother; they encounter Haryū's girlfriend Karen Moriya along the way, who secretly roots for them. The two eventually reunite the lost child with her mother and later part ways. Taiki returns to Hina as the fireworks resume; Taiki wonders where his future will lead him. The next day, during a break in practice, Chinatsu sees a sleeping Taiki and nervously asks if he is dating Hina, revealing she was hurt with Taiki lying about his intentions of attending the festival, and leaves before Taiki wakes up. |||||||
| 13 | "I Want a Back-and-Forth Rally" Transliteration: "Rarī Shitai Desu" (Japanese: ラリーしたいです) | Ryōsuke Azuma | Masayoshi Nishida | Miho Tanino, Shinobu Ikakko, Manabu Nii & Aya Miyajima | January 3, 2025 (2025-1-3) |
| Chinatsu leaves for the nationals and Taiki wishes her good luck. He then learns from Kyo that Chinatsu's group saw him with Hina during the festival, worrying Taiki. He travels to the badminton nationals to support Haryū and meets Karen, who shares she is aware of Taiki's crush on Chinatsu; Taiki also learns of Karen and Haryū's support for each other, and Karen explains how they made their relationship work despite both focusing on their aspirations. The two then cheer for Haryū as he faces off Hyōdō once more, but he begins losing to him and Haryū notices Karen looking concerned. As Haryū recounts how he fell in love with Karen, he fights back to show her he will not give up and scores a tie, though he loses to Hyōdō much to his frustration. After Karen encourages Taiki to not overthink his relationship with Chinatsu, she catches up to Haryū and he promises to win again for her. |||||||
| 14 | "What's the Connection?" Transliteration: "Dōiu Bunmyaku?" (Japanese: どういう文脈？) | Hitomi Ezoe | Yuka Yamato & Yūichirō Yano | Shinobu Ikakko, Manabu Nii, Miho Tanino & Aya Miyajima | January 9, 2025 (2025-1-9) |
| Chinatsu's basketball team begins preparing for the nationals and she becomes pressured upon hearing from Nagisa their seniors would be leaving the team after the game. Back at school, Taiki wonders how Chinatsu would be performing at the game before Hina sees him and they hang out. Hina reveals she scored a podium position at the nationals, surprising him; Hina then takes him to a playground where she notices Taiki's worry for Chinatsu. She calms him down by playing a game where the loser must share a secret and Taiki easily wins. Hina confesses to Taiki on her feelings for him, though she acknowledges his crush on Chinatsu and reassures him not to give an immediate response before leaving ahead. A speechless Taiki looks back and realizes Hina was hinting her feelings in their past interactions. Arriving home, he learns from his mother that Chinatsu's team lost the game. The next day, Taiki and Hina engage in banter with Hina teasing him and boasting about her confession, which Chinatsu overhears. |||||||
| 15 | "August 26" Transliteration: "Hachigatsu Nijūrokunichi" (Japanese: 8月26日) | Takahiro Ōkawa | Takahiro Ōkawa | Shinobu Ikakko, Manabu Nii, Miho Tanino & Aya Miyajima | January 16, 2025 (2025-1-16) |
| With the nationals concluding, Chinatsu also celebrates her birthday. Taiki notes she has been feeling down from losing their game as he thinks of his present to her. Later, Chinatsu talks to her mom on her worries of being promoted as the team's vice-captain and her need to improve after losing when she encounters Taiki, who takes her to the beach to clear her mind and presents her a birthday cake. They are unable to go home as heavy rain suddenly pours and the trains are out of service, forcing the two to stay at a nearby inn. Taiki and Chinatsu decide to pass the time by playing boardgames when they are interrupted by Nagisa calling Chinatsu, prompting Taiki to stay quiet as he eavesdrops on Nagisa supporting her amid her worries and their visit to the festival; hearing this, Taiki explains the circumstances of his outing with Hina and apologizes, which Chinatsu takes to also apologize on setting boundaries with him. In the following morning, Chinatsu wakes up refreshed to start anew after her birthday. |||||||
| 16 | "Unfair Woman" Transliteration: "Zurui Onna" (Japanese: ずるい女) | Jirō Arimoto | Masayoshi Nishida | Manabu Nii, Shinobu Ikakko, Miho Yano & Aya Miyajim | January 23, 2025 (2025-1-23) |
| Taiki works as the class representative for his class on the upcoming school festival, accomplishing their errands while his class prepares for a play on Snow White. He also learns that Chinatsu will be staying with her mother for a month as her mother returned from abroad to take care of her father, causing Taiki to see her infrequently the next day at school; he learns however that Chinatsu was also attempting to find him, leading the two to try and get accustomed to the current norm. Chinatsu contemplates on her friendship with Taiki with Hina in the picture after hearing her mother voice her opinion on complicated relationships, as Kyo voices his concern to Hina on her pursuing Taiki despite his crush on Chinatsu. While fulfilling a class errand, Hina and Chinatsu encounter each other, which Hina uses to proclaim to Chinatsu she had confessed her feelings to Taiki. |||||||
| 17 | "Of Course I Want to See It" Transliteration: "Mitai Desho" (Japanese: 見たいでしょ) | Yoshiko Okuda | Yoshiko Okuda | Miho Tanino, Manabu Nii, Shinobu Ikakko & Aya Miyajima | January 30, 2025 (2025-1-30) |
| 18 | "I Know" Transliteration: "Watashi wa Shitteru" (Japanese: 私は知ってる) | Daisuke Tsukushi | Yūichirō Yano | Shinobu Ikakko, Manabu Nii, Miho Tanino & Aya Miyajima | February 6, 2025 (2025-2-6) |
| 19 | "I've Got Plans" Transliteration: "Yotei Arun da" (Japanese: 予定あるんだ) | Keiko Oyamada | Yuka Yamato | Manabu Nii, Shinobu Ikakko, Miho Yano & Aya Miyajima | February 13, 2025 (2025-2-13) |
| 20 | "As One of Her Closest Friends" Transliteration: "Shinyū to Shite" (Japanese: 親友として) | Yūma Suzuki | Yūma Suzuki | Miho Tanino, Shinobu Ikakko, Manabu Nii & Aya Miyajima | February 20, 2025 (2025-2-20) |
| 21 | "A Chance to Blossom" Transliteration: "Hana ga Saku Made" (Japanese: 花が咲くまで) | Yuka Yamato | Yuka Yamato & Yūichirō Yano | Miho Tanino, Manabu Nii, Aya Miyajima & Shinobu Ikakko | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) |
| 22 | "Inota!" (Japanese: いのた！) | Risa Suzuki | Risa Suzuki | Miho Tanino | March 6, 2025 (2025-3-6) |
| 23 | "Spinning" Transliteration: "Guruguru" (Japanese: ぐるぐる) | Hitomi Ezoe | Yūko Horikawa | Miho Tanino, Manabu Nii, Aya Miyajima & Shinobu Ikakko | March 13, 2025 (2025-3-13) |
| 24 | "A Roller Coaster" Transliteration: "Jettokōsutā" (Japanese: ジェットコースター) | TBA | TBA | TBA | March 20, 2025 (2025-3-20) |

## Home media release
### Japanese

Toho Animation (Japan – Region 2/A) :
| Vol. | Date | Discs | Episodes |
| 1 | January 22, 2025 | 1 | 1–4 |
| 2 | February 19, 2025 | 1 | 5–8 |
| 3 | March 19, 2025 | 1 | 9–12 |
| 4 | April 16, 2025 | 1 | 13–16 |
| 5 | May 21, 2025 | 1 | 17–20 |
| 6 | June 18, 2025 | 1 | 21–25 |