PART 7 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS
三浦糀の『アオのハコ』 “Ao no Hako” by MIURA Kouji
Blue Box is a popular manga series written and illustrated by Kouji Miura, which hit a milestone this year of spanning over 10 volumes and 100 chapters. It started serialisation in the popular Weekly Shounen Jump magazine in 2021 and follows the budding romance of two high school sport enthusiasts. Their paths cross in the school’s gymnasium every morning, which they both race to for early practice.
Although chiefly a romance manga, Blue Box is nonetheless part of a long list of sports series made famous in the pages of Weekly Shounen Jump, featuring in the annals alongside the likes of Slam Dunk, Eyeshield 21, Haikyuu!! and The Prince of Tennis, and like some of those before it, the manga began its inception as a oneshot. Originally published in August 2020, the Blue Box oneshot featured in Weekly Jump just eight months before it would become a seven-day regular.
Volleyball club member Taiki is always beaten to the school’s sports hall by Chinatsu, a girl on the basketball team. Chinatsu is one year Taiki’s senior, so the two don’t share any classes or other school activities. Despite being little more than acquaintances, Taiki falls for Chinatsu, loving her kind and hard-working attitude which he witnesses in her basketball practice. Through their encounters each morning, the two slowly get to know each other, but Taiki isn’t sure how and if he should confess his feelings to Chinatsu.
Blue Box presents a typical story in essence, yet in author Kouji Miura’s hands, this usual plot is admittedly very polished and well paced. Miura’s artwork is impressive and her characters appealing, while her panelling produces a pleasing flow that is both engaging and easy to follow, with comedic moments that are entertaining and well delivered in both dialogue and art. The oneshot and subsequent manga series have a touch of shoujo sensibilities despite featuring in Shounen Jump, focusing chiefly on expressive drama over action or adversity. Resultingly, over the course of 46 pages, an abundantly sweet snapshot of high school romance is introduced and brought lovingly to conclusion. Although there is some overlap with other oneshots in its genre, Blue Box ends as one of the stronger entries through virtue of its well-packaged charm, closing on a particularly gorgeous and moving page spread.
When picked up for serialisation, oneshots are often repurposed as first chapters, with varying degrees of alteration. Some transition so seamlessly into a series that the oneshot almost ceases to exist, whereas others undergo heavier revisions. Blue Box is the best kind; introductory enough that, should you fall in love with its quality, it acts as a fine appetiser for things to come, yet for readers looking for something more bite-sized or compact, it is also separate and distinct enough to exist as a fulfilling stand-alone story on its own merit.
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Morning, Roo 