Taiki Gets a Fever and Things Get Hot

Key Takeaways

• Episode 9 sets a somber tone with flashbacks and reused scenes. It also has less action than previous episodes.
• Characters Taiki & Chinatsu experience a strain in their relationship due to various factors.
• “Make my smashes more accurate!” Taiki sets a more grounded goal after losing the qualifiers.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Blue Box, Episode 9, “I’ll Be Rooting For You”, now streaming on Netflix.

Compared to the last few episodes, Blue Box, episode 9, “I’ll Be Rooting For You” has a more somber feel to it. After a big sports event, the next episode or two in an anime is usually more melancholic than the rest, and this is one of those episodes. The pre-opening theme scene is just a replay of the last episode’s final moments, with Taiki letting his frustration out, setting the stage for the rest of the episode.

The episode has tons of flashbacks and reused scenes, which might have been there to give the animators a break since the last couple of episodes were the most action-packed Blue Box has ever been. So, with reused animations and less action, this isn’t the most visually appealing episode, and its main purpose is just to set the mood for the upcoming story arc.

The Aftermath of Taiki Losing the Qualifiers

Taiki and Chinatsu See Each Other Less

Whether it’s because of the increased studying for exams, Chinatsu’s need to practice more for the inter-high, Taiki being ashamed of losing the qualifiers, or a mix of all three, the result is Taiki and Chinatsu not being able to talk as much. Taiki even actively avoided Chinatsu in this episode by hiding in his room as soon as he heard her come home. Even Hina and Kyo noticed that Taiki wasn’t being himself lately, which is touching to see that they really care about him. Kyo even noted that Hina isn’t the type to be happy with Taiki and Chinatsu not talking, even though she could have taken advantage of the opportunity to get closer to Taiki.

Fortunately for fans of Taiki and Chinatsu’s relationship, the cold shoulder treatment doesn’t last long, as the second half of the episode is just one long scene between the two.

Taiki Sets a More Grounded Goal for Himself

After losing the prefectural qualifiers, Taiki’s conversation with Hina in Blue Box‘s previous episode revealed that he was starting to think that maybe he shouldn’t be aiming for the inter-high right away. That sentiment made itself more clear in episode 9, where the badminton club was asked to write their goals within the club and post them on the wall close to where they practice. Most people would have expected Taiki to write: “I’ll get into the inter-high next year” or something to that effect, but instead he wrote: “Make my smashes more accurate!”

“Maybe I was aiming a bit too far with the whole inter-high thing. Even this tournament was full of people stronger than me… All I had in my head was ‘I want to go there and win it all!’ Maybe I should’ve just known my place.” – Taiki to Chinatsu

It’s good to have more grounded and simple goals, but Taiki seemed to be going a little too far, thinking he had no right to dream big. He even told Chinatsu later on that he wasn’t like her, who could aim for the inter-high and actually rise to the occasion. Chinatsu, noticing Taiki’s change in attitude, let him know that it was okay for him to aim high. She told him that she sometimes also felt like she was aiming too high and that it would be easier if she just “knew her place”. But Chinatsu said that she hated herself whenever she thought like that, giving Taiki the courage to hang on to his lofty goals no matter the trials he has to face.

“If you have a vision of what you want to become or what you want to do, I want you to treasure it. I don’t want you to be afraid of aiming high.” – Chinatsu to Taiki

Taiki Catches a Fever

And Chinatsu Catches… Something Else

Around the middle of episode 9, Taiki started to develop a fever and had to turn down going out to eat with his team. Instead, he went home to lie in bed, where, for possibly the first time since the prefectural qualifiers, Taiki was left alone with his thoughts. Now that he can’t force himself to keep busy by studying or practicing, nothing could stop him from overthinking about what he did wrong or what he could have done differently to get into inter-high. But before he could drown in self-pity any further, Chinatsu went into his room and checked his temperature. After confirming that Taiki had caught a fever, Chinatsu went and cooked up some udon for him and brought him some medicine.

It was during this scene that the conversation about allowing yourself to dream big occurred. The whole conversation was super wholesome, with the two of them giving advice and encouraging each other, but then the episode ended on a wild note. After Taiki finished his meal and took his medicine, Chinatsu picked up the tray to tidy up, but Taiki insisted on doing it himself. Still a little woozy from his fever, Taiki tripped while trying to stand up, causing Chinatsu to try and catch him, which ended up with them on top of each other in bed. Understandably feeling awkward, Taiki tried to apologize when Chinatsu suddenly reached out to touch his face, alluding to a possible kiss. Blue Box went from a zero to a hundred; will this cliffhanger lead to something more in the next episode?

Blue Box is now available to stream on Netflix. The release date for Blue Box, episode 10, is set to be November 28, 2024 at 8:30 AM PT.