Anime News Network’s latest review of Blue Box volumes 5-8 puts the spotlight on the manga’s biggest current tension: the romance is getting messier, but maybe not in the most satisfying way.
The review frames this stretch as less of a sports arc and more of a slice-of-life romance drama. The badminton and basketball goals are still around, including preparation for nationals and Taiki’s growth as a player, but the emotional centre has shifted heavily toward the triangle between Taiki, Hina, and Chinatsu.
That is not automatically a bad thing. Blue Box has always worked because it mixes sports ambition with awkward teenage feelings. The problem, according to the review, is that volumes 5-8 spend a lot of time asking whether Taiki might shift emotionally toward Hina, while also repeatedly showing that his heart still points toward Chinatsu.
Hina gets a lot more direct in this section. She is no longer just the childhood friend hanging around the edges of Taiki’s story. Her feelings become clearer, which forces Taiki into a more complicated emotional space. The review gives the manga credit for making his confusion feel age-appropriate rather than fake. Taiki is still a teenager, and being openly liked by someone can shake a person even when they already like someone else.
One detail the review praises is the way the manga visualises Taiki’s emotions, especially through the image of a coffee cup with different things being mixed into it. That kind of visual metaphor fits Blue Box well: quiet, clean, and more about small internal shifts than loud melodrama.
The Hina side of the triangle also has a believable foundation. She and Taiki have history as childhood friends, they get along naturally, and their chemistry is strong. The review notes that in another version of the story, a Taiki-Hina pairing would not feel impossible. Taiki himself seems aware of that possibility, even while recognising that his feelings for Chinatsu are still stronger.
But that is where the criticism lands hardest. If Taiki keeps circling back to Chinatsu, the triangle begins to feel less like genuine uncertainty and more like a delay tactic. The review argues that these four volumes often feel like setup rather than payoff, stopping just before a training trip that appears positioned for bigger confrontations.
Chinatsu is another major sticking point. The review calls her the least developed member of the main cast, which is frustrating because she is both Taiki’s main romantic focus and one of the central leads. Volumes 5-8 apparently begin digging further into how she sees Taiki, but the reviewer feels the manga takes too long to get there.
The side characters get a mixed response too. They bring comedy and some sharp emotional moments, but their meddling can make the romance feel more stretched out. Ayame trying to help Hina, and upperclassmen making moves around Chinatsu despite her lack of interest, are cited as examples of scenes that add flavour but also extend the same conflict.
Still, the review is not dismissing Blue Box outright. The art remains a strong point, with praise for scenic moments like the fireworks festival and for paneling that captures intimate parallels between characters. The cast also continues to feel like believable teenagers: sincere, immature, occasionally messy, but rarely cartoonish.
Analysis/inference for Malaysia and SEA readers: if you follow Blue Box mainly for the sports-romance balance, this review suggests volumes 5-8 may test your patience. The emotional writing is still strong, but the pacing sounds more like a slow middle stretch than a must-rush arc. For readers who enjoy romantic tension and character hesitation, there is still plenty to chew on. For those who want tournament momentum or clearer development, this batch may feel like it is waiting for the next big swing.
The short version: Blue Box still has heart, pretty art, and characters worth caring about. But according to ANN’s review, this is also where the love triangle starts feeling like it is running drills instead of scoring points.