© 2021 by Kouji Miura / Shueisha Inc.
“Because She’s Trying Her Hardest”
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kouji Miura
Translation: Christine Dashiell
Lettering: Mark McMurray
What They Say
Taiki Inomata loves badminton, but he has a long way to go before he can reach nationals. When Taiki sees upperclassman Chinatsu Kano practicing her heart out on the girls’ basketball team, he falls for her hard. After an unexpected turn of events brings the two closer together, sports might not be the first thing on their minds anymore!
Taiki admires Chinatsu from afar, but he doubts that she sees him in the same way. Yet somehow, he musters up the courage to tell her to never give up on her dreams! After such a bold declaration, will Taiki’s fleeting high school romance finally begin?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With this series launching back in the spring of 2021 in Japan as Ao no Hako, it’s moving really well into its fifth year, and it’s only getting better and better. Mangaka Kouji Miura definitely has some talent here in the storytelling and the visual design side, presumably with her team of assistants, to give us something that feels really rich and detailed. I had randomly picked the title in the late teens from the Shonen Jump site as something to try out a few chapters ago and got hooked on it – which is why I’m still here talking about it. Though the relationship aspect is simple and the sports elements aren’t deep, the combination of what we do get with the artwork ended up delivering something that made me want to keep coming back for more.
The storyline with its tournament has been picking up its pace and speed for a bit, which is more visible when you read multiple chapters in a row, but the feeling is much stronger here. The match between Taiki and Yusa is a big one for Taiki in a lot of ways, and he’s feeling the pressure but not cracking. If anything, the pressure is what helps to refine him at this stage, and we see through his internal dialogue about how he views himself as a player, which is certainly interesting, and that he’s seen so many amazing moments so far. And that by living through those, he’s become a better player who understands the sport more, and his competition more. Watching him slowly turn this second match around into his favor and into a win definitely works well, especially with what’s presented alongside it through the chapter.
A good chunk of it is him going through the list of important people in his life, from his two long-time best friends with Kyo and Hina, as well as things from his mother making breakfast to his father paying tuition, and them being there. But we also get things like his other teammates and friends there. It’s no surprise that Chinatsu is the last one for him to think about and go on at length, with how she has inspired him, but we also finally get more of the conversation the two had on their aquarium date. Taiki definitely steps up well as she reveals she’s going to spend her second college year abroad in the US since she wants to train and learn where basketball began, and it’s not an unfamiliar path even within this series. He’s fully supportive from the get-go, and it doesn’t feel forced or like him trying to cover anything up. It surely hurts on some level, depending on where he ends up in college, but with them both being there for each other, and intending to be so after her year abroad, it’s definitely going to boost him.
In Summary:
With another match still to go, the pressure is on and you can easily see it going either way, and both of them providing a path forward to expand on it in college and go professional. A loss to Yusa may feel damning in a standard high school book, but in the sport, there’s still room to grow and go and to achieve. I like the nods to his past and those supporting him, and that his nature as a solid player without big flashy elements or even a presence that impacts others doesn’t mean he’s not fully capable of competing. It’s a good match from what we see here, and the blending of the personal delivers a lot of good emotional impact, as well as we see more of what the future holds.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Shonen Jump
Release Date: May 31st, 2026
Chris Beveridge
http://www.fandompost.com
Chris has been writing about anime, manga, movies and comics for well on twenty years now. He began AnimeOnDVD.com back in 1998 and has covered nearly every anime release that’s come out in the US ever since.
He likes to write a lot, as you can see.
