Plenty of guys take up hobbies to impress girls, and Taiki Inomata is no different. He genuinely enjoys badminton, but he puts in the extra effort to spend more time with his school’s basketball ace, Chinatsu Kano. Taiki thinks she’s way out of his league, and he’s happy to watch her from afar while trying to figure out a way to win her over. We’ll see if he wins the gold in the game of love when Blue Box (Ao no Hako) Season 2 premieres on October 4th, 2026. Not to be confused with the soccer anime, the swimming anime, the samurai anime, the waifu gacha adaptation, or the exorcist anime. The hair color doesn’t match the title, though.
This week marks a very special celebration for the U.S., and J-List is getting into the proper spirit with a big July 4 Sale. Celebrate with 15% off all in-stock products shipping from Japan through Monday, July 6. Start browsing here!
Kouji Miura released the original Blue Box manga series on April 12th, 2021. Shueisha has since published 24 volumes in Weekly Shonen Jump. Telecom Animation Film’s anime adaptation premiered on October 3rd, 2024. Expatriate officers from British India developed modern badminton sometime in the 19th century. The name “badminton” comes from the Duke of Beaufort’s Badminton House in Gloucestershire.
Blue Box Cast
The three stellar sports players are as follows:
- Taiki Inomata — Shoya Chiba (Yu from Fire Force). Taiki is an average badminton player with a crush on Chinatsu.
- Chinatsu Kano — Reina Ueda (Sonia from Spy x Family). Chinatsu is an ace basketball player who likes Taiki.
- Hina Chono — Akari Kito (Nezuko Kamado from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba). Hina is a member of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Team with a crush on Taiki.
TMS Entertainment maintains a home page, a TikTok channel, and a Twitter (X) page to promote Blue Box. You can find more information about the series and the key visuals at those sites.
Blue Box Tries to Score in Multiple Games
Taiki Inomata is a member of Eimei Junior and Senior High School’s badminton team. He’s an average player, but he tries his best. Taiki shows up early for practice and arrives earlier than his friends. That is all to spend time alone with the basketball team’s ace player, Chinatsu Kano. Even his friend Kyo Kasahara will say he has no chance with her, but his persistence never wavers. He only needs a good opportunity to strike up a conversation, like a basketball smashing him in the face.
Taiki found his moment to strike when he saw Chinatsu reading alone outside the school gym. He was too nervous to talk until he saw her sneeze. That’s when he offered her everything from a scarf to pocket warmers. Chinatsu asked him if he had anything else, and when he sorted through his bag, he got a laugh out of her. She learned his name and smiled at him, a clear win for round 1. Round 2 comes when he manages to get her number.
Will you dress in spooky costumes when you watch the premiere of Blue Box Season 2 in October? Have you read the original manga? Will Taiki manage to get a girlfriend? Let us know in the comments below.
Let’s Chat
You made it to the end of this post! Thank you! As a token of our appreciation, enjoy an extra 5% off your next order when you use the code BLOG at checkout. Also, don’t forget to follow J-List on all our platforms!
- Twitter/X, where Peter posts anime booba for you.
- AnimeWithMegumi, our new YouTube channel, in which Megumi-chan discusses all things anime. Please give us a follow!
- Bluesky, where we post several times a day.
- Facebook, where you can find our blog posts… though the site has become hostile to anime memes and other fun content.
- Discord, if you want to chat with other J-List customers of culture.
It’s a very special celebration for the U.S., and J-List is getting into the proper spirit with a big July 4 Sale. Celebrate with 15% off all in-stock products shipping from Japan through Monday, July 6. Start browsing here!
