Netflix anime has engendered some odd release situations. In the process it’s made my life difficult at times as a writer, though on balance I still consider Netflix a major positive for anime on the whole. But Ao no Hako is weirder than most – everywhere else in the world is exactly a week behind Japan. As such I’ve never been sure how best to cover it . I even asked on Twitter and Bluesky (which I encourage everyone to join, BTW – it’s the closest thing to Twitter before it got ruined and growing fast). Should I stay on Japan time, or wait a week? Feel free to weigh in here, there, and everywhere.
For now, Episode #8. And poor Taiki, really. Yeah he shares mutual affection (and a house) with pretty much a dream girl, and she’s not even a manic pixie. Lucky in that sense? Sure. But the truth is, he’s in a tough position. His living situation ties his hands to an extent, because he’s too considerate to ignore the pressure it places on Chinatsu. He’s behind Chinatsu in every way – in age most obviously, but also as an athlete (not that they’re unrelated). The Japanese ethos is all about patience. Defer to your seniors and wait your turn. But when you’re intensely competitive, that’s a tough sell. Especially when you feel you need to be on equal footing to justify your role in a relationship.
As she sets off for the final weekend of basketball prefecturals – semi-final Saturday, final Sunday – he sets off for the prefectural qualis. Doubles is Saturday (only the winning team goes to inter-highs), singles Sunday (the top two advance). And it’s here that Taiki learns that Haryuu – his white whale – has one of his own, Hyoudou Shouta (Ono Yuuki) is a third-year at powerhouse Sajikawa High School and an Olympic hopeful. And he’s the guy Haryuu has never been able to beat, a kind of badminton cyborg. Seeing Haryuu like this is good for Taiki – it humanizes his senpai – but the larger issue is Hyoudou himself.
The Hyoudou pair (does the other guy really matter?) winds up knocking Taiki and Haryuu out rather easily. Taiki is pretty bummed, but not discouraged – singles are still out there. And Chinatsu wins her semi-final, setting up a chance to move on. Haryuu warns Taiki that Hyoudou awaits him on his side of the singles draw, but it’s another Sajikawa player who proves his undoing – Yusa Shuji (Ono Kenshou – apparently only Onos play for Sajikawa). Taiki actually does a solid for him, letting Yusa-kun know he dropped his wallet as he was sleeping on a bench. But Yusa shows no mercy on the court.
Taiki is, in a word, dazed at being out of the tourney in the blink of an eye. And that it’s too a fellow first-year at that just makes it that much worse. We don’t see much of this match but it’s obvious Yusa must be something special to roll over Taiki after we’d seen him make such progress. Hina stops by to offer him some solace – and snacks- after the match, and Taiki seems to be coping emotionally. But Hina, as a pedigreed elite herself already, can’t really relate to what Taiki is going through.
Taiki is pleased when he overhears that Chinatsu’s team won, and advanced to inter-highs. And I think that’s genuine, but so is the conflicted reaction that follows it. It hurts to have her move ahead while he’s stuck in neutral. And the fact that he always seems to be looking up to her anyway just makes it that much more discouraging. It’s one of the challenges of being a year younger at an age when that year really matters. And when it’s really hard to step back and look at the big picture and play thee long game.
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