The relentless manga industry has just crossed the finish line with one of the most popular works of the last decade. After keeping readers hooked for five years with its perfect mix of sports drama and youth romance, the original manga Blue Box (known to Japanese purists as Ao no Hako) has officially reached its conclusion. The work written and illustrated by the talented Kouji Miura published its 250th chapter in the 33rd issue of the iconic Weekly Shonen Jump magazine by Shueisha this Monday, definitively closing the story of Taiki and Chinatsu.

What began as a modest one-shot in August 2020 exploded in popularity so aggressively that it became a full serialization in April of the following year. Miura’s work pace has been impeccable throughout this time, managing to release the 26th compiled volume earlier this month of July. For collectors preparing to complete their collection, the publisher confirmed that volume 27 will hit shelves on October 2, while volume 28, which will mark the definitive closure of this franchise in print format, will go on sale on December 4.

Although the manga’s pages have finished their run, the production committee behind its successful animated adaptation still has plenty to work with. After a solid first season produced by Telecom Animation Film in late 2024, the animation torch passed to the studio Electric Circus, which has already scheduled the imminent premiere of the second season for October 4. So, we still have plenty of time to see Taiki Inomata tearing up his knees on the badminton court to try and become worthy of Chinatsu Kano, the unreachable star of the basketball team who, by a crazy twist of fate, ended up living under his same roof.

Considering that stories combining school romance with sports often stretch their love drama excessively, do you think 250 chapters were the perfect amount to develop this gem without the plot feeling stagnant by the end?