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アオのハコ [Ao no Hako] #20
Blue Box, Vol. 20
Taiki Inomata loves badminton, but he has a long way to go before he can reach nationals. When Taiki sees upperclassman Chinatsu Kano practicing her heart out on the girls’ basketball team, he falls for her hard. After an unexpected turn of events brings the two closer together, sports might not be the first thing on their minds anymore!
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 6, 2026
Part of the reason that I think Blue Box has been such a personal favourite is, and I know I’ve said this before, the way that it balances both its romance stories and sports stories. It makes time for both and keeps them fresh.
In this volume, however, we get a little bit of both at once and it focuses mostly on Chinatsu with a smidgen of Taiki for support. I was surprised at how good it was, honestly, given that Hina (a series standout) doesn’t appear at all and we don’t deal with the whole Kyo and Ayame situation, which is killing me.
Something else I know I’ve said before is that I think the tendency is to see Chinatsu as boring, when she isn’t, she’s just a little introverted and a lot reserved. Quiet’s not boring if it’s done right and this does it right, for my money.
Chinatsu is on the way to her last nationals, maybe, but there are two big stumbling blocks in her way. For one, she got her best friend, Yumeko, back into basketball and that has lead to the creation of a powerhouse rival at another school.
For two, Chinatsu’s dad shows up and Chinatsu does the right thing, letting him know that she and Taiki are dating. At that point, he not so surprisingly decides that she’s moving out while he’s in town.
The pivot this dad story takes is actually pretty dang good. It ends up not being Taiki that dad has an issue with, it’s the situation, which I don’t fault because I always felt it was the weakest part of the manga anyway.
Taiki cleverly decides to invert the problem and that leads to a lot of Odd Couple vibes as he and Chinatsu’s dad begin cohabitating. Their bond growing is very important to how things play out and the way Taiki’s routine pays off at the end is fun.
Chinatsu’s dad isn’t a villain here, but he is a quintessential hardworking Japanese man who doesn’t have a sweet clue how to engage with his very driven daughter. He really puts his foot in it at one point, but you can tell it’s a case where he’s just so awkward at being a dad.
The whole Yumeko thing is definitely more classic rival stuff, although we’re held to the next volume before we get to see how it all plays out. Chinatsu has always chased Yumeko, not realizing that having stuck with basketball for so long has given her her own edge.
And, as we see, it’s not precisely about Yumeko, but more about Chinatsu’s own self-doubt in her ability. There’s a lot of her trying to break out from under Yumeko’s shadow and become her own player.
Amidst all this, Taiki and Chinatsu continue to be a terrific couple. They steal their moments, but Chinatsu has her focus and Taiki knows when to back off a little. You can see just how much more open Chinatsu is with Taiki and it’s a cute reminder of how much she’s grown.
4.5 stars - slight ding for not letting me have anything regarding Kyo and Ayame, but this is a quieter, yet no less effective, volume that does a lot of great character work and has some solid sports action to boot.
In this volume, however, we get a little bit of both at once and it focuses mostly on Chinatsu with a smidgen of Taiki for support. I was surprised at how good it was, honestly, given that Hina (a series standout) doesn’t appear at all and we don’t deal with the whole Kyo and Ayame situation, which is killing me.
Something else I know I’ve said before is that I think the tendency is to see Chinatsu as boring, when she isn’t, she’s just a little introverted and a lot reserved. Quiet’s not boring if it’s done right and this does it right, for my money.
Chinatsu is on the way to her last nationals, maybe, but there are two big stumbling blocks in her way. For one, she got her best friend, Yumeko, back into basketball and that has lead to the creation of a powerhouse rival at another school.
For two, Chinatsu’s dad shows up and Chinatsu does the right thing, letting him know that she and Taiki are dating. At that point, he not so surprisingly decides that she’s moving out while he’s in town.
The pivot this dad story takes is actually pretty dang good. It ends up not being Taiki that dad has an issue with, it’s the situation, which I don’t fault because I always felt it was the weakest part of the manga anyway.
Taiki cleverly decides to invert the problem and that leads to a lot of Odd Couple vibes as he and Chinatsu’s dad begin cohabitating. Their bond growing is very important to how things play out and the way Taiki’s routine pays off at the end is fun.
Chinatsu’s dad isn’t a villain here, but he is a quintessential hardworking Japanese man who doesn’t have a sweet clue how to engage with his very driven daughter. He really puts his foot in it at one point, but you can tell it’s a case where he’s just so awkward at being a dad.
The whole Yumeko thing is definitely more classic rival stuff, although we’re held to the next volume before we get to see how it all plays out. Chinatsu has always chased Yumeko, not realizing that having stuck with basketball for so long has given her her own edge.
And, as we see, it’s not precisely about Yumeko, but more about Chinatsu’s own self-doubt in her ability. There’s a lot of her trying to break out from under Yumeko’s shadow and become her own player.
Amidst all this, Taiki and Chinatsu continue to be a terrific couple. They steal their moments, but Chinatsu has her focus and Taiki knows when to back off a little. You can see just how much more open Chinatsu is with Taiki and it’s a cute reminder of how much she’s grown.
4.5 stars - slight ding for not letting me have anything regarding Kyo and Ayame, but this is a quieter, yet no less effective, volume that does a lot of great character work and has some solid sports action to boot.
May 12, 2026
4.5 stars. I actually appreciated the focus on Chinatsu, her basketball and personality, and her dad. This is one of my favorite volumes. Probably because I like the descriptions of basketball and Chi becoming a fuller person.
August 25, 2026
el papá de chi da miedoooooooo
llegó y chi quizo ser honesta y decirle que sale con taiki y se la queria llevar al apartamento que dijo antes que viviria solo de momento porque es muy lejos para ella del cole.
Que ni siquiera ganó las nacionales. (se pasó).
ella se enoja con él.
taiki se fue a vivir con el señor. convivencia extraña, pero se llegan a aentender a su manera, corren juntos. comen comida cocinada etc.
chi va con su equipo acumulando ganancias, pero el último partido clasificatorio, claro, es contra el cole de yumeka.
Aca se mezclan mucho flashbacks, platicas con yumeka real y la yumeka que chi tenia en su cabeza.
Admite que le tiene celos del talento natural de yumeka, como si no hubiese dejado el basket.
habla con taiki, este la apoya.
hay algo entre padre e hija. el ocupadísimo con el trabajo y su caracter serio, es por eso que chi no se le notan las expresiones fácilmente. tuvo que adaptarse a estar bien con cualquier cosa y se hizo cada vez más callada. me puso triste ;(
da entender el papá que le agrada que chi tenga alguien con quien apoyarse (taiki), y creo que por eso (además de jovenes adolescentes viviendo bajo el mismo techo) no apoyó que siguieran viviendo juntos. Creo que el papá hubiese querido ser esa persona, pero no fueron así las cosas.
Los últimos capítulos son el partido final chi vs yumeka.
chi se desiluciona por que la yumeka de sus recuerdos piensa que ella no cambiará y que siempre correrá detras de ella (yumeka). y que en parte estuvo bien que no jugaran juntas (para que chi fuese independiente), y mal porque si quería jugar juntas.
y una bonita reflexión que sin importar que uno no tenga "ese talento natural", su esfuerzo y gusto por ello no valen menos. si no, que si te gusta, házlo por tí.
llegó y chi quizo ser honesta y decirle que sale con taiki y se la queria llevar al apartamento que dijo antes que viviria solo de momento porque es muy lejos para ella del cole.
Que ni siquiera ganó las nacionales. (se pasó).
ella se enoja con él.
taiki se fue a vivir con el señor. convivencia extraña, pero se llegan a aentender a su manera, corren juntos. comen comida cocinada etc.
chi va con su equipo acumulando ganancias, pero el último partido clasificatorio, claro, es contra el cole de yumeka.
Aca se mezclan mucho flashbacks, platicas con yumeka real y la yumeka que chi tenia en su cabeza.
Admite que le tiene celos del talento natural de yumeka, como si no hubiese dejado el basket.
habla con taiki, este la apoya.
hay algo entre padre e hija. el ocupadísimo con el trabajo y su caracter serio, es por eso que chi no se le notan las expresiones fácilmente. tuvo que adaptarse a estar bien con cualquier cosa y se hizo cada vez más callada. me puso triste ;(
da entender el papá que le agrada que chi tenga alguien con quien apoyarse (taiki), y creo que por eso (además de jovenes adolescentes viviendo bajo el mismo techo) no apoyó que siguieran viviendo juntos. Creo que el papá hubiese querido ser esa persona, pero no fueron así las cosas.
Los últimos capítulos son el partido final chi vs yumeka.
chi se desiluciona por que la yumeka de sus recuerdos piensa que ella no cambiará y que siempre correrá detras de ella (yumeka). y que en parte estuvo bien que no jugaran juntas (para que chi fuese independiente), y mal porque si quería jugar juntas.
y una bonita reflexión que sin importar que uno no tenga "ese talento natural", su esfuerzo y gusto por ello no valen menos. si no, que si te gusta, házlo por tí.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2025
172-180. Amé con la vida este volumen, aparte del arco del papá de Chinatsu (con Taiki viviendo con él incluido xd) se centró principalmente en Chinatsu y el basket, su amor por él, su desarrollo y su frustración, además la relación admiración/rivalidad con Yumeka Y MENCANTAAAAAAA, sobretodo cuando logró desmarcarse de esto y plantearse en el presente sobre cobrar sus premios luego de todo su esfuerzo. Cómo no voy a amar la importancia que le dan al deporte en este manga tanto como al romance (porque se abrazaron, se dijeron cosas lindas y se mostraron apoyo mis bebés también, los quiero tanto). Aguante ao no hako.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2026
The story is really exciting, and that last chapter left things on such a cliffhanger—I’m dying to know what happens next. I actually relate quite a bit to the relationship between Chinatsu and her dad. And once again, Taiki proves to be such an amazing guy for his partner. I really hope everything works out well for them.
August 12, 2025
Caught up to released volumes (206). Very cute still. Glad that Ayo realized she was with the wrong dude.
October 8, 2025
Me encanto, el Padre de chi me agrado, y cómo se le toma importancia al deporte en este Manga y el desarrollo de los personajes es excelente.
January 4, 2026
More of a mellow volume, but I really am liking Yumeka's appearances
July 23, 2026
Great volume as it focused on the main characters and having Chinastu father enter the picture with some intense basketball games in there.
May 14, 2025
Uso este tomo para hacer review de la saga entera. Esta saga de manga son más de 200 capítulos de puro cine: muy buena construcción de personajes, buen guion, buenas ilustraciones... Me ha enganchado desde el principio. Empecé leyendo el tomo 9, que es justo donde termina la primera temporada del anime, y aquí sigo leyendo cada capítulo que sale. Muy recomendable.
April 24, 2025
It was getting good ❤️
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews