Blue Box Episode 11 Review: A Chance For Hina

The 11th episode of Blue Box made me root for the second female lead who I know will lose. Let us see how this episode turned out.

Blue Box Episode 10 Recap

After Taiki and Chinatsu find themselves in an awkward and potentially meaningful situation, one might expect some progress in their relationship. However, this isn’t the case. Chinatsu quickly downplays the incident, brushing it off with a calm demeanour, while Taiki spends the entire night dwelling on it. Even the following day, the memory lingers as he slowly regains his composure.

At school, Haryu engages Taiki in a candid discussion about his aspirations, a conversation that doesn’t go unnoticed by their peers. Haryu offers words of encouragement but also provides a reality check, reminding Taiki that his struggles with weak shots are just one hurdle among many. He emphasizes the importance of improving Taiki’s overall skill set to face even tougher opponents in the coming year, urging him to work harder to achieve his dream of competing—and succeeding—in the tournament.

This exchange stands out as the sole sports-focused moment in an episode that otherwise centres on matters of the heart. Chinatsu’s growing bond with Taiki’s family takes the spotlight, as she has become like a daughter to his parents. It’s clear that if she and Taiki were to pursue a relationship, his family would wholeheartedly support it.

Despite this close connection, Chinatsu appears to be aware of Taiki’s feelings for her and seems to be maintaining a deliberate distance. In several instances, Taiki finds himself physically close to Chinatsu, yet she confronts these moments with unwavering confidence.

Blue Box Episode 11 Review And Recap

Things are complicated between Taiki and Chinatsu after she clearly states that she wants to keep a healthy distance between them. Her reasoning is that she doesn’t want any distractions as she is opting for a career in basketball, and the same goes for Taiki, who wants to be a professional tennis player. In such a scenario, being interested in each other might hinder their progress, and thus, things do not look good between our protagonists.

Taiki, especially, takes a hard hit from this declaration as he kind of got rejected by his first love. The mood is weird between them as Chinatsu acts as normally as ever, and Taiki is the one who must fight his inner conflicts and feelings to pretend he’s fine. However, this is a chance for Hina to come in and finally establish her feelings in front of Taiki, who has only seen her as a close friend. She understands this and even goes for the kill by inviting Taiki to the fireworks festival.

Things would have gone exactly as she wanted had she not been a good girl herself. She understands that Taiki essentially wants to go with Chinatsu, but can’t because she is denying him. Thus, rather than being an opportunist who could have easily made Taiki fall for her by widening the distance between Chinatsu and him, Hina helps Taiki understand being so passive is not something that is cool. This means she encourages Taiki to take another chance with Chinatsu rather than think about her own feelings.

But we must not forget that sports is also a very important segment in this anime, and we see that even with all the love problems that Taiki has, he has not lost his focus on his craft. He is slowly getting better and making hard-hitting shots that will carve a path of success for him.

Verdict

I liked this episode a lot because, unlike many shows where the second female lead is supposed to be the bad person, Hina is far from that. She understands her position well, and even when she has opportunities to manipulate Taiki into a relationship, she does not do it. On the contrary, she wants to forge a meaningful connection with him, even at the risk of losing him forever to Chinatsu.

Also Read: Blue Box Episode 10 Review: More Drama Incoming