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<\/a>Much better, obviously. And for obvious reasons. But this whipsaw quality of Ao no Hako<\/em> is certainly par for the course. It strikes me, though, that the things I like about this series are the things that drive most fans crazy. And the things that drive me crazy are the things most fans like. That phenomenon is obviously not rare for me, but not to the extreme that Blue Box<\/em> takes it. What I love is the authenticity with which is depicts the uncertainties of first love, and what drives me crazy \u2013 no need to belabor that.<\/p>\n<\/a>Kyou \u2013 as usual \u2013 fulfills his wingman duties admirably in bailing Taiki out in the King\u2019s Game. Not having to say anything, however, allows the drama to continue. Taiki has a brief encounter with Chinatsu in the hotel hallway, where she notices the scrape on his elbow and applies a bandage (such a mom thing to carry those), complete with inspirational cartoon<\/a>. But on balance Chi seems to be spending more time with the basketbro Matsuoka (I guess Kaji Yuuki is finally perfectly cast, as Matsuoka is supposed<\/em> to be annoying<\/a>). That comes to a head when Matsuoka smugly dismisses Taiki as one of Chi\u2019s \u201cfans\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/a>That hits hard, for good reason. One of the (many) reasons Taiki feels uncertainty is that he\u2019s not sure whether there\u2019s an element of admiration \u2013 even idolization \u2013 in his feelings for Chinatsu. She\u2019s 18 months older, that\u2019s natural. The whole point here \u2013 and, I would argue, of the entire first season of Ao no Hako<\/em> \u2013 is that uncertainty. I know some hate seeing romance plots dragged out and just want them to get to the point, already. But this is more realistic. How the hell is one supposed to understand these feelings with no one to explain them?<\/p>\n<\/a>I think if Taiki were small and cute like some boys his age still are, he\u2019d be perceived differently. But because he\u2019s tall and athletic it\u2019s easy to forget what a child he still is \u2013 fifteen and barely out of middle school. He\u2019s mature and responsible in some ways, but emotionally he\u2019s still an egg. He knows he loves Chinatsu but because he doesn\u2019t have any context he keeps trying to convince himself it\u2019s something else. And Hina keeps trying (with a lot of success) to confuse him even more. Yes, Taiki, it\u2019s possible to feel something for more than one person. Welcome to reality \u2013 but he still thinks this is all supposed to be black and white and wonders why it\u2019s so grey.<\/p>\n<\/a>It\u2019s all rather sad to see this play out, I admit. Hina vainly searches the hotel for Taiki, for no good reason but just to find and see him. He, meanwhile, heads off after Chi when he hears she went jogging after practice. Yes, there are bears<\/a> (even a few miles outside of Osaka I see bear signs) but Chinatsu can obviously take care of herself. Eventually he catches up to her, and the reason she\u2019s late is that she stopped to help and old lady who hurt her leg gathering herbs<\/a> (guess she<\/em> wasn\u2019t worried about bears). Eventually they wind up back at her house, where the obaa-san naturally makes a \u201cyour boyfriend\u201d comment which Taiki denies a little too vehemently.<\/p>\n<\/a>I was with Taiki in wishing the old lady\u2019s husband would have let them walk back to the inn. There was something in the air and that might have been a revealing conversation. But he didn\u2019t<\/a>, so it didn\u2019t happen. And there\u2019s one more romcom cliche to be checked off this season, the bonfire legend. Maybe here I intersect with the zeitgeist a little bit more, in wishing Taiki would be more decisive and cut all this off. More than anything he\u2019s putting off the moment of telling Hina the truth because he knows it will hurt her, but the hard truth is he\u2019s hurting her more by delaying it (rip that\u00a0 \u201cFight!!\u201d band-aid right off, Boy). It\u2019s natural for him to do that \u2013 he\u2019s just a kid with no experience at this \u2013 but that doesn\u2019t make it any easier to watch.<\/p>\n