Blue Box is a manga that exists in that sweet spot between a well-paced slice-of-life romance and a traditional sports story. While the series doesn’t reach the massive highs that either of those genres has to offer, the two feed into each other enough to create a mostly enjoyable experience. In volume one, we were introduced to Taiki and how the unique circumstance of his trying to get closer to Chinatsu parallels his motivation to be a better badminton player. Add in the spice of his senpai living in his house, and you have a relatively simple yet solid setup.
That said, volume two doesn’t hyper-focus on the idea of these two adolescents living under the same roof. While the book doesn’t ignore that setup, it’s more of a convenient excuse for our two leads to be alone together outside of a school setting. Most of the book takes place outside the home, either at school or, more…
