Kara Dennison
November 4, 2024 
Blue Box is a much-loved manga in the Shonen Jump line-up, and its anime adaptation has been winning people over this season, too. Its mix of sports, youthful aspiration, and love geometry is a hit with viewers. And if you find yourself craving more like it, we have some anime for you!
From legendary classics to modern sequel series, there’s lots to see. Try some of these retro titles on for size as you wait for the new episode of this season’s badminton/basketball blockbuster!
MIX: Meisei Story
In a perfect world, we’d be directing Blue Box fans to Touch. The 1985 adaptation of Mitsuru Adachi’s baseball manga is downright legendary, and the two series hit a lot of the same beats. Unfortunately, there’s no official English language release available. You can, however, watch the follow-up: MIX: Meisei Story. Set years after Touch, MIX hits a lot of the same beats and can stand on its own.
Stepbrothers Touma and Souichiro discover that their fathers were both part of their school’s journey to Koshien 30 years ago. But Meisei hasn’t had a similar victory since. Together, though, they’re looking to repeat history. Even if you’ve never seen, read, or heard of Touch, MIX is a fantastic story about chasing your high school sports dreams.
MIX: Meisei Story is streaming on Crunchyroll.
Princess Nine
Speaking of family baseball legacies, that’s how 1998’s Princess Nine kicks off! Much like Chinatsu in Blue Box, lead girl Ryo had a parent in her sport of choice. Her dad was a legendary pitcher, and now she’s looking to make a name for herself in baseball. But her team isn’t joining a girls’ league—they’re aiming for Koshien!
Princess Nine is a great series full of charming and unusual characters. There’s even some romance, as Ryo and star boys’ school player Hiroki begin to develop a relationship. How will their blooming love hold out if they have to face off on the baseball diamond?
Princess Nine is streaming on Crunchyroll.
Aim for the Ace!
The gold standard for sports anime, Aim for the Ace! is a must-see for fans of Blue Box… or sports anime in general. The 1973 anime adaptation of Sumika Yamamoto’s manga not only inspired mecha anime Gunbuster, but also helped to establish a lot of sports anime tropes. And it’s a great series full of action, rivalry, and romance.
Hiromi Oka is content to play for fun in her high school’s tennis club, admiring her senpai Reika (a.k.a. “Madame Butterfly”) from afar. But when the tough-as-nails Coach Munakata takes over, everything changes. Now Hiromi finds herself singled out for special training, paired off with Reika, and receiving a lot of negative attention from her more devoted teammates. But Munakata seems to believe she has what it takes to become a true pro.
Aim for the Ace! is streaming on RetroCrush.
