The official website for the television anime of Kōji Miura's Blue Box (Ao no Hako) manga revealed the show's main promotional video on Saturday. The video both reveals and previews the show's theme songs. Official HiGE DANdism is performing the opening theme song "Same Blue, and Eve is performing the ending theme song "Teenage Blue." The website also revealed a new visual and the show's October 3 debut.
The anime will debut on television in Japan on October 3 at 11:56 p.m., and will air on TBS and 28 affiliated networks. The series will stream on Netflix starting on October 4 (Japan time). While the Netflix debut will be after the television debut, the Netflix debut will stream the first two episodes. The series will also stream on more than 25 other streaming services in Japan after each episode's television airing.
Netflix has also announced in English that it will stream the anime weekly starting on October 3, although it added release dates may vary by country.
The anime stars:
- Shōya Chiba as Taiki Inomata
- Reina Ueda as Chinatsu Kano
- Akari Kitō as Hina Chono
- Chiaki Kobayashi as Kyo Kasahara
- Yūma Uchida as Kengo Haryū
Yūichirō Yano (Moyashimon, Lupin the Third: Part 5) is directing the anime, and Yūko Kakihara (Buddy Daddies, Cells at Work!, Chihayafuru seasons 2-3) is overseeing the series scripts. Miho Tanino (Tower of God, Blue Thermal) is designing the characters. Telecom Animation Film is producing the animation, and UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS is in charge of planning and production.
Shueisha's MANGA Plus service publishes the manga in English digitally, and describes the story:
Taiki Inomata is on the boys' badminton team at sports powerhouse Eimei Junior and Senior High. He's in love with basketball player Chinatsu Kano, the older girl he trains alongside every morning in the gym. One Spring day, their relationship takes a sharp turn ... And thus begins this brand-new series of love, sports and youth!
Miura first published the story as a one-shot manga in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2020. The magazine started the manga's serialization in April 2021. Shueisha published the manga's 16th compiled book volume on August 2, and will publish the 17th volume on October 4. Viz Media published the manga's 11th volume physically on July 2, and will publish the 12th volume on October 1.
Sources: Blue Box anime's website, Netflix Anime's X/Twitter account, Music Natalie