It’s no secret that Netflix has been steering its streaming ship more and more into the anime world. In recent years, the platform has acquired anime exclusives including JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Sakamoto Days, Baki Hanma, Beastars, The Seven Deadly Sins, and many more. What also isn’t a secret is that an anime adaptation will typically help boost sales numbers for its respective manga, and Netflix has done just that with one of its biggest new series. With some movers and shakers continuing to make up Netflix’s anime roster, you might be surprised to see which franchise is doing big number in the manga department.
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For those who might not know, Blue Box is unlike any other sports anime on the market today. Rather than simply focusing on one sport, which is common to series like Hajime no Ippo, Haikyu, and Blue Lock, “Ao No Hako” focuses on the two “b’s” in basketball and badminton. Focusing on high schoolers Taiki Inomata and Chinatsu Kano, who play badminton and basketball respectively, the two anime protagonists feed into one another. Encouraging one another to reach new heights, the series first debuted as a manga in 2021 from creator Kouji Miura and continues to release new chapters to this day.
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Blue Box Is Hitting Big Numbers
Blue Box’s manga has announced that not only has its first volume sold out, but all of its volumes will be reprinted thanks to the success that the anime adaptation has seen. Here is the translated statement from the sports anime franchise, “A huge reprint has been decided! JC has decided to reprint all volumes of Blue Box (volumes one to eighteen) that have already been published. Total circulation has exceeded 7 million copies. Thank you for your support.”
The Hilarious Secret of Blue Box
You might be shocked to learn that Blue Box’s creator knew next to nothing about sports when he created the franchise, and continues to write it. In a recent interview, Kouji Miura talked about “As I’m not a person who has played sports, it’s difficult to portray them. Whenever someone with [basketball or badminton] experience was around me, I would ask him or her what would happen in some given situations. I would ask them about everything I could.”
Miura also discussed the reasoning behind why the series focuses on two high schoolers rather than professional athletes, “Since it is a story about high school students, we felt it might be better not to make them seem too professional. We had it in mind that it might be better to make the anime based on the experiences that normal people had in high school and add a little extra to that.”
Currently, Blue Box is on the “second cours” of its first season though a second has yet to be confirmed. Brought to life by Telecom Animation Film, the franchise certainly has the groundswell to secure a future in both its manga and anime platforms.
Want to stay up to date on the world of sports anime? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Blue Box and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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