Blue Box Episode 3 – Taiki’s Jealousy
Blue Box episode 3 released on Netflix on October 17th, leaving us right where episode 2 left off as Taiki spots his crush, Chinatsu, hanging out with another guy from school, Haryu. Blue Box is a high school romance series, and while that genre might not be everyone’s taste, the charming presentation of the anime can allure even the most hesitant watchers. It’s episode 3 now, which is when people that abide by the “three-episode rule” decide whether to drop or keep watching a show. Episode 3 proves that Blue Box is an anime you’ll want to stick around for.
Love and Frustrations
Chinatsu living with Taiki and his family is really starting to weigh on his sanity. He is sure that Chinatsu and Haryu, a badminton player like Taiki, talking in and out of school has to mean bad news for his romantic ventures, especially when he hears Haryu using a pet name (Chii). It’s not uncommon that romantic feelings in high school get in the way of grades and extracurricular activities, and this seems to be what is happening to Taiki—even though he admits he simply just loves badminton and doesn’t do it for attention from Chinatsu. Taiki’s frustration in dealing with Chinatsu living with him spills over into his matches with Haryu.
In Blue Box episode 3, we get a small insight on Haryu. Even though he beats Taiki at two badminton matches, Haryu also feels mysteriously frustrated. His fellow schoolmates seem to have high expectations of him—similar expectations that have been put on Chinatsu for basketball and Hina for gymnastics. Haryu is handsome, tall, and fast, yet there’s some exasperated feelings underneath his cool demeanor.
Taiki and Chinatsu head to a local park, where Taiki feels at ease enough to spill his guts about losing against Haryu. Chinatsu seems to always know what to say to calm Taiki down, and Taiki really takes every word she says to heart. Yet, Taiki never seems to know the right words to say. In this case, he mentioned to Chinatsu that it may not bother her for them to walk home together, but it feels that walking separately is for the best. Chinatsu feels that this insinuates that he’s bothered by her, and that continues the misunderstandings in Blue Box.
Two twists happen very quickly in this episode, the first being when Haryu asks Taiki if he has a crush on Chinatsu, which leads Haryu to mention her to him during practice. This seems cruel at first, as Taiki keeps getting flustered and frustrated. Only later is it revealed in the second twist that Haryu has had a girlfriend this whole time, so he was probably using Chinatsu to rile up Taiki to improve during practice.
Haryu still has some layers needing unfolding, as do most of this cast of characters. I think the stage has finally been set to dig deeper into these characters and see what comes from their journeys in sports and love. The character drama of Blue Box is what’s keeping me coming back each week for the anime and for the manga.
Episode 4 airs on September 24th, so don’t miss it! You can vote for Blue Box in our weekly anime poll here on Anime Corner.
Blue Box is streaming on Netflix.
© Kouji Miura /SHUEISHA/ Blue Box Film Partners
