Episode 6 – Blue Box

“Wish Me Luck” begins with a scene that exemplifies how blue box handles teen melodrama better than many of its contemporaries and rivals, to the point where the word “melodrama” almost feels like an inappropriate adjective. Last week, we ended on an emotional cliffhanger when Hina discovered that Daiki and Chinatsu were living together, and Hina didn’t know how to handle this “bombshell” new information. Most TV shows would use this kind of narrative tension to fuel romantic misunderstandings for at least an episode, if not a full storyline, but Sheena only needs a second to calm down and do what almost any rational person would do in What happened to her: She asked the two men what happened.

This is a small but significant gesture because it is more reassuring blue box Won’t settle for taking the easy way out. To anyone who’s ever watched anime, it’s obvious that Hina is destined to become a childhood friend-turned-new-crush, which will form the third branch of the genre’s prerequisite triangle. blue box The storyline plays out naturally as expected. She was lost in thought and wondered why Daiki and Chinatsu were so bad at “becoming the protagonists of a love story”; during the key exercises of the ribbon dance competition, she began to fumble; when she recalled that she had always been She finds herself shedding a tear or two as she realizes how close Daiki feels, and how those feelings might turn as she’s faced with new intrusions into the status quo of their relationship. By the end of the episode, we’re as emotionally invested in Sheena’s feelings and perspectives as we are in Daiki.

This could end up being a double-edged sword blue box. On the one hand, all this great character work makes for a great episode (I especially appreciated the way the animators flexed their muscles in Hina’s dance scene). On the other hand, it’s probably a cheap trick that we now have more interiority with Sheena than the actual heroine of this story blue box Already pulled. Of course, after an episode like “Wish Me Luck,” we get invested in Sheena’s feelings for Daiki. Still, I can’t help but feel that this screen time comes at the cost of giving Chinatsu more to do than just be an incredibly beautiful and kind-hearted object of adoration and jealousy.

arrive blue boxto the credit of our Do At the end of the episode, Chinatsu finally has some time in her head. it is not a lot of Because this boils down to Chinatsu continuing to feel bad for getting in the way of what she thinks Daiki feels for Hina, but it’s a reminder that she’s aware of the unstable emotional situation she finds herself in. I wouldn’t say the show’s fate hinges on its ability to balance characterization or anything – honestly, this is a gorgeous and heartwarming coming-of-age story that needs to be plant-oriented difficult At this point the audience’s confidence is lost. Still, I hope our girl Chinatsu gets her due soon.

grade:

blue box Currently streaming on Netflix.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop culture, which can also be found in twitterhis blog and his podcast.