Chinatsu has to deal with the heart breaking loss at nationals and so, how will she cope?

Video Review

What Stands Out About This Episode?

Moving On to the Next Step

One of the deepest emotions we feel early on in our youth is the pain of loss. For some, there might not be any worse feeling than taking a big fat “L.” It can be a traumatic experience, especially when you put in the blood, sweat, and tears to lead yourself and the team to the ultimate glory of a shiny gold medal at the end. However, there can ONLY be one winner in the end, meaning dread is the saturation, while elation is reserved for the tippity-top. Mix that emotion of competition with one of romantic love, and the extremes of dread and elation become heartbroken and ecstasy. This description perfectly sums up Blue Box’s main heroine, Chinatsu Kano, in episode 15 of this anime!

After a slow-burning crescendo of Chinatsu making it to nationals, resulting in a devastating loss in dramatic fashion with a missed clutch jumper—it’s hard not to feel the depression of all your extracurricular time being wrapped up in trying to get over that entire run. Now, with the previous episode’s duo climactic moments with Hina’s confession to the Taiki that potential feeling of another loss can be another burden that stacks upon Chinatsu’s loss at nationals. This episode carries on this conflicting feeling of having two very qualified heroines, Chinatsu and Hina, who present qualities that we would all find suitable in romantic partners for Taiki. Time and time again, I’ve mentioned in all of my reviews with the story’s theme of sports and romance, there can only be ONE. That, in a nutshell, is the obvious crescendo we are moving towards as Taiki must pick one of these perfectly fine ladies to pair up with.

Experiencing the “Secret Sauce”

Maybe I should have used “X-Factor” to keep it with the sports theme, but every story has a “secret sauce” to it. What the secret sauce is to this story is exploring the nuances that happen within these romances and the harsh realities that can come from them. This episode is focused on the glorified, happy side of the beginnings of a romance—that is, Chinatsu and Taiki going on this “birthday date.” The story doesn’t outright say it’s a date, but it is one, just like how Taiki and Hina going to the festival in episode 12 was one. All the elements you would find endearing, attractive, and positive in a relationship are literally witnessed here with some cliché tropes between Taiki and Chinatsu. From getting wet and playful in the water, to having a dessert that Taiki somehow kept in perfect shape from before the train scene—all the way until the sun sets.

Ultimately, the story decides to build on top of this romantic fulfillment between Taiki and Chinatsu by having them stay in the same inn after a landslide literally derails their travels. There are multiple layers of storytelling being addressed in this scene. It offered the more menial moments in a relationship that seem small but matter a lot, like playing games. Bringing back Nagisa over the phone helped solidify the importance of good supportive relationships. To cap off the episode with a feel-good moment, Chinatsu and Taiki got to address their two biggest miscommunications with each other. Taiki apologized for looking like he lied about the “Hina date” that wasn’t supposed to be one. In return, Chinatsu provided an apology that washed away the bad taste in our mouths from episode 10, where she drew a clear romantic boundary with Taiki.

Rebounding

The more slice-of-life romance a story focuses on, the slower the pacing can feel when the focus shifts to the bonds being built within a relationship. Relationships really are about the little things, and this episode was littered with them—not only from a romantic perspective, but also from Chinatsu’s friends taking care of her on her birthday, and going even deeper into her friendship with Nagisa. Then, there’s the parental influence Chinatsu’s mother has on her. She is that guiding light for when you falter on the next steps you need to take for your growth as a person after a traumatizing loss that makes you feel inept. All of these relationships that Chinatsu has are ones that really build the depth to her character that we can all relate to. It’s honestly a beautiful rebuilding of Chinatsu’s psyche, before leading her to confide in and make her move onto Taiki.

Going back to what I said earlier about relationships being about the small things, leading to slower pacing—the previous episode delivered true, tense drama, while this one just lets you revel in the warm fuzzies of authentic love being built. The episode did try to deliver something more dramatic for us with Chinatsu “almost falling into the water,” but it wasn’t as electric as the scene tried to make it. If you read the manga, there’s a specific panel of Chinatsu’s pure bliss of sharing a birthday cake with Taiki that stands out as one of the most dramatic moments I can remember because it really signifies that Chinatsu is officially starting to fall head-over-heels for Taiki. We’re at the point in the story where there’s pretty much no turning back. Feelings are officially on the line, and the stakes are as high as ever, as one of these two very likable waifus will feel their heart sink into a bottomless sea of nothingness, while the other two get to feel ECSTASY!