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アオのハコ [Ao no Hako] #1
Blue Box, Vol. 1
Taiki admires Chinatsu from afar, but he doubts that she sees him in the same way. Yet somehow, he musters up the courage to tell her to never give up on her dreams! After such a bold declaration, will Taiki’s fleeting high school romance finally begin?
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2021
103 people are currently reading
1325 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
July 18, 2024
Usually slice of life romance is not really my thing, but this was just too cute and I'm surprisingly invested in the story. I will read some more.
November 4, 2022
VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/d0rSzIi6JDQ
My most anticipated manga is almost here and I am absolutely thrilled!
When I think of a perfect blend of blooming romance and sports, this manga right here captures all of that! Taiki is a precious little bean who is respectable, adorable, thoughtful, and charming in his own awkward way. The way he pushes himself is not just because yes he wants to impress his crush, but also because of what he tells a friend: I've always loved badminton even before this crush (paraphrased). Such great and wonderful stuff right there!
I also LOVE Chinatsu!! She is SO cute!! She's also such a fun and chill heroine that is fun to root for and totally hope we see a romance bloom between these two!
The art is fantastic! If I can say an art style that I have really loved recently, it would be Blue Box! There is such a softness at just the right moment and then an intensity with action scenes that I really love the superb balance of capturing both. How the mangaka draws these characters in general, is perfect as well.
This is such a wonderful story and so so so glad that it is now released in English because I deeply love everything about this story! A great supporting cast of characters, a fantastic hero to follow, and the subtle fierceness of sports mixed with soft "romance" is everything. Highly recommend!
*(I received an e-ARC from the publisher. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*
My most anticipated manga is almost here and I am absolutely thrilled!
When I think of a perfect blend of blooming romance and sports, this manga right here captures all of that! Taiki is a precious little bean who is respectable, adorable, thoughtful, and charming in his own awkward way. The way he pushes himself is not just because yes he wants to impress his crush, but also because of what he tells a friend: I've always loved badminton even before this crush (paraphrased). Such great and wonderful stuff right there!
I also LOVE Chinatsu!! She is SO cute!! She's also such a fun and chill heroine that is fun to root for and totally hope we see a romance bloom between these two!
The art is fantastic! If I can say an art style that I have really loved recently, it would be Blue Box! There is such a softness at just the right moment and then an intensity with action scenes that I really love the superb balance of capturing both. How the mangaka draws these characters in general, is perfect as well.
This is such a wonderful story and so so so glad that it is now released in English because I deeply love everything about this story! A great supporting cast of characters, a fantastic hero to follow, and the subtle fierceness of sports mixed with soft "romance" is everything. Highly recommend!
*(I received an e-ARC from the publisher. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*
December 20, 2022
It was everything I hoped it would be and more!! It was SO GOOD!! I really enjoyed the two main characters and how they are cheering each other on in their respective sports. It gave me Haikyu vibes, if Haikyu was a shojo series. I cannot wait to see what happens in volume 2!
✨ Check out more of my manga content on instagram & youtube ✨
✨ Check out more of my manga content on instagram & youtube ✨
November 7, 2022
This series is going to be an interesting one to follow. I find the tropes within it to be enjoyable for me personally. Both characters have lots of room to grow, which will be great for the longevity of the series. I also can understand why someone may not enjoy the hero yet. I plan to give him some time, and see how he grows!
November 6, 2022
Taiki is on his last year of junior high. Chinatsu is on her first year of high school. He likes her a lot and resolves to put himself on equal footing by competing at badminton as well as she does at basketball. But Chinatsu might be moving overseas, unless a very lame cliché can come to Taiki’s rescue.
Oh boy, this manga comes out super strong. I love the dynamic of Taiki being younger and trying to impress the high school girl he cares about (who definitely thinks more of him than he realizes). His plan is very of his age and I like that Chinatsu comes off as more mature than him in the way she’s written. Their dynamic is note perfect for an older girl and a younger guy.
But when this spectre of Chinatsu going abroad comes up, well, what was going really strong veers off into one of the dumbest premises in manga - forced cohabitation. I won’t even pretend it’s a surprise because once the first hint starts dropping you know where it’s going.
What this adds to the story is a grand total of not much, since it mostly causes plot contrivances more than any real developments and that’s a damn shame because otherwise this is a really solid book. Like, really solid, with some clever acknowledgement of the nonsense that you think and gets under your skin with young love.
For a shonen manga there’s precious little ogling so far too (even Taiki’s imagination is underdeveloped compared to his contemporaries) and lots of good work done with the action. Taiki starts to put even more work in and it yields results, it’s a simple but effective tale.
I also really loved the addition of his friend, Kyo, who is the pessimistic realist to Taiki’s gung-ho idealism. And Hina, their rhythmic gymnastics pal/nuisance who is just better than them and she knows it. Throw in a rival just waiting in the wings, unaware that he’s an obstacle until the very end, and a solid cast is coming together.
I think my other real issue with the story is that Hina might be more interesting than Chinatsu. There’s an extended conversation between Taiki and Hina later on about sacrifice and effort that is probably the most interesting part of the story and really makes me more intrigued in that pairing over the story’s focus. It’s not that Chinatsu is bad, I just think Hina’s better (Hina probably would too).
It’s a good book, don’t get me wrong. I genuinely enjoyed this and look forward to more and with me and shonen titles that’s a high bar to clear without a dollop of irony being added. This is a solid start, though it sadly could have been great with a little extra tweaking. It’s the rare case of having incredibly strong characters stuck in a pretty pedestrian plot.
Finally, I’d also say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, as I think the cover art on this one is spectacularly dull, but what’s inside is perfectly solid with some rather nice flourishes.
3 stars - you can easily nudge it up a couple of spots if you don’t mind the story getting deflated a couple times. This would definitely be in the 3.5-4 range if it did just a little bit more with its story other than rely on some annoying narrative crutches.
Oh boy, this manga comes out super strong. I love the dynamic of Taiki being younger and trying to impress the high school girl he cares about (who definitely thinks more of him than he realizes). His plan is very of his age and I like that Chinatsu comes off as more mature than him in the way she’s written. Their dynamic is note perfect for an older girl and a younger guy.
But when this spectre of Chinatsu going abroad comes up, well, what was going really strong veers off into one of the dumbest premises in manga - forced cohabitation. I won’t even pretend it’s a surprise because once the first hint starts dropping you know where it’s going.
What this adds to the story is a grand total of not much, since it mostly causes plot contrivances more than any real developments and that’s a damn shame because otherwise this is a really solid book. Like, really solid, with some clever acknowledgement of the nonsense that you think and gets under your skin with young love.
For a shonen manga there’s precious little ogling so far too (even Taiki’s imagination is underdeveloped compared to his contemporaries) and lots of good work done with the action. Taiki starts to put even more work in and it yields results, it’s a simple but effective tale.
I also really loved the addition of his friend, Kyo, who is the pessimistic realist to Taiki’s gung-ho idealism. And Hina, their rhythmic gymnastics pal/nuisance who is just better than them and she knows it. Throw in a rival just waiting in the wings, unaware that he’s an obstacle until the very end, and a solid cast is coming together.
I think my other real issue with the story is that Hina might be more interesting than Chinatsu. There’s an extended conversation between Taiki and Hina later on about sacrifice and effort that is probably the most interesting part of the story and really makes me more intrigued in that pairing over the story’s focus. It’s not that Chinatsu is bad, I just think Hina’s better (Hina probably would too).
It’s a good book, don’t get me wrong. I genuinely enjoyed this and look forward to more and with me and shonen titles that’s a high bar to clear without a dollop of irony being added. This is a solid start, though it sadly could have been great with a little extra tweaking. It’s the rare case of having incredibly strong characters stuck in a pretty pedestrian plot.
Finally, I’d also say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, as I think the cover art on this one is spectacularly dull, but what’s inside is perfectly solid with some rather nice flourishes.
3 stars - you can easily nudge it up a couple of spots if you don’t mind the story getting deflated a couple times. This would definitely be in the 3.5-4 range if it did just a little bit more with its story other than rely on some annoying narrative crutches.
December 13, 2022
This is a SLOOOOOOOW burn romance. It focuses more on the lives of the protagonists and their journey to become better in their respective sports than the crush the MC H has for the MC h and does she like him back? GASP!
Honestly, the manga doesn't seem very interested in getting to that answer all that quickly, though the ending of this volume DOES seem to realize that the burn can be SLOW, but it can't be DEAD, so enter shojo trope of co-habitation.
I don't mind the trope, it gave a tad bit of a flare-up to the burn, which I look forward to seeing if it starts to burn hotter and how in the next volume. I'm hoping for a pick up, but not TOO much. It's a delicate balance, which I hope the next volume does well. The MCs and side characters are all likable and the artwork is pleasant. Nothing to complain about here. A good solid start.
3, I want to see the fire burn a little hotter and brighter in the next one, stars.
My thanks to VIZ Media LLC and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Honestly, the manga doesn't seem very interested in getting to that answer all that quickly, though the ending of this volume DOES seem to realize that the burn can be SLOW, but it can't be DEAD, so enter shojo trope of co-habitation.
I don't mind the trope, it gave a tad bit of a flare-up to the burn, which I look forward to seeing if it starts to burn hotter and how in the next volume. I'm hoping for a pick up, but not TOO much. It's a delicate balance, which I hope the next volume does well. The MCs and side characters are all likable and the artwork is pleasant. Nothing to complain about here. A good solid start.
3, I want to see the fire burn a little hotter and brighter in the next one, stars.
My thanks to VIZ Media LLC and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2024
this was cute until they started glorifying distorted eating
August 7, 2025
I've certainly read Manga similar to this..but the characters are handled well and are just shown in the right type of light for this story.
September 17, 2022
With a comfortable blend of romance and sports, this is a nice, gentle read. While it does lean into some familiar story beats - such as the protagonist suddenly finding himself living with his crush when her family goes overseas and it turns out that her mom is his mom's friend even though he didn't know it - it does so with a facility that makes it very enjoyable to read. The art is at its best when Taiki is playing badminton, but it's nice overall, if not a little generic, and really, this is simply a nice story for a cozy day.
March 8, 2023
Un très bon début de série qui donne envie de découvrir la suite rapidement !
Pour les personnes qui me suivent depuis un moment, vous connaissez mon amour pour Haikyu, les shônen autour du sport et les p'tites romances sympathiques : "Blue Box" résume parfaitement ce melting pot que j'adore.
On suit deux personnages attachants et motivés dans leurs propres disciplines sportives. Ils sacrifient énormément de leur quotidien pour faire du mieux qu'ils peuvent et se surpasser. Personnellement, je trouve ça très beau à lire et à voir. Ça me donne aussi envie de me motiver à tenir une discipline.
Pour info, la romance est plutôt bien amenée dans l'histoire (actuellement dans ce premier tome, on comprends juste que la relation est en "one side").
Donc vous allez me dire ? Mais pourquoi tu n'as pas mis 5/5 si c'est tout ce que tu aimes.
J'ai envie de vous répondre que je veux voir si cela va redescendre ou si la suite va continuer sur la lancée que j'imagine. J'avoue avoir très peur de retomber dans le cliché et de ne plus avoir le focus premier donc... à voir :).
En tout cas, je vous recommande d'y jeter un coup d'oeil et de vous faire votre propre avis sur le sujet.
Pour les personnes qui me suivent depuis un moment, vous connaissez mon amour pour Haikyu, les shônen autour du sport et les p'tites romances sympathiques : "Blue Box" résume parfaitement ce melting pot que j'adore.
On suit deux personnages attachants et motivés dans leurs propres disciplines sportives. Ils sacrifient énormément de leur quotidien pour faire du mieux qu'ils peuvent et se surpasser. Personnellement, je trouve ça très beau à lire et à voir. Ça me donne aussi envie de me motiver à tenir une discipline.
Pour info, la romance est plutôt bien amenée dans l'histoire (actuellement dans ce premier tome, on comprends juste que la relation est en "one side").
Donc vous allez me dire ? Mais pourquoi tu n'as pas mis 5/5 si c'est tout ce que tu aimes.
J'ai envie de vous répondre que je veux voir si cela va redescendre ou si la suite va continuer sur la lancée que j'imagine. J'avoue avoir très peur de retomber dans le cliché et de ne plus avoir le focus premier donc... à voir :).
En tout cas, je vous recommande d'y jeter un coup d'oeil et de vous faire votre propre avis sur le sujet.
July 2, 2025
LOVED IT!! their ‘friend’ship kinda made me think of marinette and adrien from mireculous cus he is so obsessed w her and she just doesn’t know💔 i loved the story and i can’t wait to but volume 2!!🤭🤭
May 16, 2022
Cannot sing this manga’s praises enough. It’s a perfect encapsulation of what having a crush in high school felt like. That feeling of an overwhelmed, joyous emotion that you really don’t know what to do with. The character designs are all great & they’re rendered with this really sweet & tender softness. Love that the sports aspect is more of a backdrop to the character moments rather than the main focus as well.
A v strong start that I hope continues throughout the series & I will be shoving this manga in peoples faces until further notice
A v strong start that I hope continues throughout the series & I will be shoving this manga in peoples faces until further notice
December 15, 2022
Blue box mixes romance with sports with...well mixed results.
You got our main lead Taiki who plays Badminton while the other co-lead, and his crush, Chinatsu (I'll call her Chi for short) Plays basketball.
I do like the idea Taiki kind of a average player in his sport while Chi is a MVP of her team. This makes their challenges different, and more unique to the story. And the romance is sweet, with some really good funny moments that got me to chuckle.
I think the story feels a bit plain though. Nothing made me laugh out loud, or give me a exciting feeling while they were playing, and I think it lacks the bunch of a romance only love story or an exciting sports manga.
While the first volume didn't blow me away, it was still an enjoyable read for what it was. A 3 out of 5.
You got our main lead Taiki who plays Badminton while the other co-lead, and his crush, Chinatsu (I'll call her Chi for short) Plays basketball.
I do like the idea Taiki kind of a average player in his sport while Chi is a MVP of her team. This makes their challenges different, and more unique to the story. And the romance is sweet, with some really good funny moments that got me to chuckle.
I think the story feels a bit plain though. Nothing made me laugh out loud, or give me a exciting feeling while they were playing, and I think it lacks the bunch of a romance only love story or an exciting sports manga.
While the first volume didn't blow me away, it was still an enjoyable read for what it was. A 3 out of 5.
September 10, 2023
The pining was so strong, but so fucking cute. A great first volume.
December 18, 2023
Es muy cozy, pero si tuviera un par de años menos, lo disfrutaría más
May 21, 2023
Un manga que me ha encantado y que me ha dejado con ganas de más.
Como sabéis, no estoy acostumbrada a leer este género pero, sin duda, cada vez le voy cogiendo más el gusto.
Este libro es el inicio de una serie juvenil ambientada en un instituto donde no faltan el romance, el deporte y la amistad.
Taiki Inomata es un chico que juega al bádminton y cuyo objetivo es conseguir ser cada vez mejor en este deporte.
Debido a su rutina de entrenamientos, se ha fijado en Chinatsu Kano, una jugadora de baloncesto de su instituto que es muy popular y buena en su categoría deportiva, cuyo objetivo es participar en el campeonato nacional.
El destino hará que sus caminos se crucen y Taiki no se creerá su buena suerte cuando empiece a entablar una ¿amistad? con Chinatsu, a la que siempre ha visto como alguien inalcanzable.
Un manga en el que el esfuerzo ante las metas que uno quiere conseguir cobra una gran importancia y en el que veremos las inseguridades de los adolescentes ante la primera persona que te gusta, el inicio del primer amor (aunque este sea platónico) y los sentimientos que conlleva y el valor de la amistad, que tan importante es a estas edades.
Sin duda, es un manga muy recomendable para los que quieran iniciarse en este género y para los adolescentes, que se verán claramente reflejados en los personajes.
Eso sí, aviso que deja con ganas de más ya que la trama se queda en el mejor momento.
Estoy deseando saber más de esta historia.
Como sabéis, no estoy acostumbrada a leer este género pero, sin duda, cada vez le voy cogiendo más el gusto.
Este libro es el inicio de una serie juvenil ambientada en un instituto donde no faltan el romance, el deporte y la amistad.
Taiki Inomata es un chico que juega al bádminton y cuyo objetivo es conseguir ser cada vez mejor en este deporte.
Debido a su rutina de entrenamientos, se ha fijado en Chinatsu Kano, una jugadora de baloncesto de su instituto que es muy popular y buena en su categoría deportiva, cuyo objetivo es participar en el campeonato nacional.
El destino hará que sus caminos se crucen y Taiki no se creerá su buena suerte cuando empiece a entablar una ¿amistad? con Chinatsu, a la que siempre ha visto como alguien inalcanzable.
Un manga en el que el esfuerzo ante las metas que uno quiere conseguir cobra una gran importancia y en el que veremos las inseguridades de los adolescentes ante la primera persona que te gusta, el inicio del primer amor (aunque este sea platónico) y los sentimientos que conlleva y el valor de la amistad, que tan importante es a estas edades.
Sin duda, es un manga muy recomendable para los que quieran iniciarse en este género y para los adolescentes, que se verán claramente reflejados en los personajes.
Eso sí, aviso que deja con ganas de más ya que la trama se queda en el mejor momento.
Estoy deseando saber más de esta historia.
September 4, 2023
2.7/5
I don't know if I read it at the wrong time or it simply didn't clic but could be one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
I wanted to like this so much but I probably expected as well a different balance betweent sport and romance. Usually I really like spokons and usually they really get my full attention while reading them, but not this one.
I kept getting distracted by basically anything and just couldn't focus on the story.
I found the main protagonist trying way too much to be the love interest, focusing the story mainly on the romance side and having very little part dedicated to the sports themeselves.
I really hope I was simply distracted and hope to like the next volume way more, becasue considering I got the early access box, I already own V2 as well...
I don't know if I read it at the wrong time or it simply didn't clic but could be one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
I wanted to like this so much but I probably expected as well a different balance betweent sport and romance. Usually I really like spokons and usually they really get my full attention while reading them, but not this one.
I kept getting distracted by basically anything and just couldn't focus on the story.
I found the main protagonist trying way too much to be the love interest, focusing the story mainly on the romance side and having very little part dedicated to the sports themeselves.
I really hope I was simply distracted and hope to like the next volume way more, becasue considering I got the early access box, I already own V2 as well...
January 3, 2023
This was a really great start to this series. We follow two kids, Taiki, who is a middle school senior, and Chinatsu who is a high schooler. Taiki is a badminton player and Chinatsu plays basketball. In this first volume, we see both of them trying to excel at their respective sport and cheering each other on. Things get a little complicated when Chinatsu's parents go overseas for work and she ends up living with Taiki and his family.
Overall, this was a great first volume and I can't wait to see where the series goes!
Overall, this was a great first volume and I can't wait to see where the series goes!
March 29, 2025
Meh. Tbh I don’t know why I picked this up in the first place, I don’t like sports and I don’t like reading about them. Bland and boring. Nothing much happened and they could have put in something to make it more interesting. Could have been worse though.
May 3, 2024
3,5 Sterne - süßer Start, werde auf jeden Fall weiterlesen
July 10, 2023
Buenísimo
March 17, 2024
Really like this one, hope to read more soon!!!
July 14, 2022
Review: Been a fan since the day this was published in Shonen Jump, and I highly recommend reading this cute, fresh, and solid sports-romance story.
January 24, 2023
I’m here for this slow burn, even though I know nothing about badminton and a little about basketball. Love the fact that they’re awkwardly living together!
September 2, 2025
Had a very unique take on the impact of high school sports, showing realism by outright showing that the main characters are not freak athletes and will eventually reach their peak and fall short of their dreams. It read like a love letter to the experience of high school athletes which resonated greatly with me, and left me happy as I reflected on my own experience. Displayed how someone whose competitive nature was so strongly built into their personality could learn to healthily step back from their ambitions without outright rejecting themselves and instead embracing it. The romance itself was also very cute.
March 15, 2023
3.75 ⭐️ très très cool ! j’adore les dessins : surtout les mouvements durant les entraînements, mais aussi les expressions faciales des personnages, qui sont super lisibles! c’est un savant mélange entre un shonen sportif et un shojo. c’est mignon, vraiment drôle et plutôt prenant. j’attends de voir la suite pour m’assurer que ça ne tourne pas trop au cliché… parce que pour l’instant, y a un assez bon équilibre entre les moments niais et le côté combatif des personnages, mais ça pourrait vite changer
June 30, 2021
This is another series I am reading on Shonen Jump as it comes out. There are 11 chapters so far. This is a decent series so far, it's a sports romance so I am not as invested as I could be, but Miura makes the characters believable. They all seam well rounded so far, and I do like the art as well, it's not overly cutsey and it's not overly shonen either, striking a good balance. I look forward to watching these characters grow as well.
December 15, 2022
A silly sports romance. I do like that Taiki's interest in Chinatsu isn't superficial: he develops a crush on her because he admires her dedication and focus. The cohabiting that gets thrown in halfway through the volume is kind of a downer, because I liked the way the two characters were interacting before that. It just feels like pointless complication, when their own primary focuses would be complication enough. Basically no fanservice, though, which is great.
March 5, 2024
This was soooooo cute! I haven’t read a sports manga before, but I have watched Haikyu! and this book gave me similar vibes with an underdog pushing through to the top, except this series has a strong romance through line. I’ll definitely continue on with the series, and I think I especially liked it because like the FMC I too played basketball in high school, and I’ve also just gotten into playing badminton. Ugh this was just so fun!
February 28, 2023
Trop mignon.
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