Ao no Hako Episode 22 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Inota!

Learning that Hina has already confessed to Taiki, Ayame sets out to pair them up, while mistaking newly returned Matsuoka for the man Chinatsu supposedly likes.

The badminton, basketball and rhythmic gymnastics clubs then begin a three-night autumn camp at a mountain inn, and a card game that night ends with Taiki about to name the person he likes.

• Karen's cover story

  Ayame suspects that Chinatsu likes someone, and Karen, worried Ayame would meddle, invents a tall, handsome older basketball player who is overseas.

• Matsuoka returns

  Second-year Kazuma Matsuoka returns from a year studying in America, and Ayame takes him for the player Karen described.

• Hina's confession to Taiki

  Hina has already confessed to Taiki and asked him to postpone his answer; Ayame promises to help her romance succeed.

• Camp arrival and training

  The three clubs travel by bus to an inn near the mountains and begin strenuous training under Yuasa, with Ayame refusing to extend the badminton club's break.

• Card game and forced confession

  Ayame tries to rig a card game so that Taiki gets a command meant to bring him and Hina closer, but after a reshuffle Taiki is ordered to name the person he likes.

Recent Timeline

• Prince actor hospitalized before play (Episode 19)

  The student playing the prince fell at another class's attraction and hurt a leg, and was taken to hospital. This left Taiki's class needing a replacement actor, and the search was hard because most other students were away or already busy with acting and backstage work. The event matters because it disrupts the class's play right before its performance.

• Snow White play suspended by decorative ball incident (Episode 20)

  Near the ending of the class Snow White performance, Taiki, the emergency replacement prince, suddenly warned Hina of danger. The play was suspended while people checked for injuries. Some spectators thought the two had kissed, while others worried the decorative ball had struck them. Taiki denied that their lips touched, and Hina confirmed his account.

• Ayame joins badminton club as manager (Episode 21)

  Ayame joined the badminton club as manager hoping to see a boy she had noticed in the gym; even after learning he was Yusa, a player from another school, she stayed on, expecting to see him at practice matches and tournaments, and Taiki was assigned to teach her the work.

• Ayame vows to back Hina (Episode 22)

  Learning that Hina had already confessed to Taiki and was waiting for his answer, Ayame blamed Taiki for leaving all the effort to her and promised to help Hina's romance succeed. She also mistook Matsuoka, just back from studying in America, for the man Karen said Chinatsu likes.

• Autumn camp and the card game (Episode 22)

  The badminton, basketball and rhythmic gymnastics clubs began a three-night autumn camp at a mountain inn. That night Ayame tried to rig a card game to bring Taiki and Hina together, but after a reshuffle Taiki was ordered to name the person he likes.

Character Graph

Hyodo

An all-round player with technique, instinct, physical ability and speed, and the one opponent Haryu has never beaten. He won the prefectural singles final against Haryu and beat him again in the Inter-High third round.

• Tournament results

  Won the prefectural singles final against Haryu, and his doubles pair also beat Haryu and Taiki.

• University practice

  Gave Taiki advice on relaxing and on his shot angle at a university practice, then predicted who would place at the Inter-High.

• Inter-High match with Haryu

  In the third round he warned Haryu he might not come back next year without taking a game, judged that Haryu's caution was holding him back, and won.

• Haryu (Other, Mixed)

  Rival who has never lost to Haryu; he beat him in the prefectural final and again at the Inter-High.

• Taiki Inomata (Mentor, Affinity)

  Gave Taiki practical advice at a university practice and invited him back.

Taiki's mom (Mom)

Inomata family

Taiki's mother and a former basketball teammate of Chinatsu's mom. She wrote Taiki's name on his scarf and pushed for the family to take Chinatsu in.

• Taking Chinatsu in

  Offered to share responsibility for Chinatsu and argued that the family should protect two important years of her life.

• News of Chinatsu's loss

  Told Taiki that Chinatsu's team had lost at the Inter-High.

• Taiki Inomata (Family, Affinity)

  Her son; she noticed he was preoccupied with romance and told him to acknowledge Chinatsu's effort.

• Chinatsu's mom (Colleague, Neutral)

  Former basketball teammate.

Chinatsu's mom

Kano family

Chinatsu's mother and a former basketball teammate of Taiki's mom. She came back to Japan when Chinatsu's grandfather collapsed and shared a rented apartment with Chinatsu until his surgery.

• Birthday call

  On Chinatsu's birthday call she told her to try first before doubting herself and to rely on others when things are hard.

• Return to Japan

  Came back to Japan because Chinatsu's grandfather collapsed and needed surgery the following month.

• Chinatsu Kano (Family, Neutral)

  Her daughter, whom she lived with in a rented apartment while Chinatsu's grandfather awaited surgery.

• Taiki's mom (Colleague, Neutral)

  Former basketball teammate.

Kyo Kasahara (Classmate)

Eimei High School · Badminton club · Classmate

Taiki's classmate and badminton clubmate, one of the few who know Taiki lives with Chinatsu. He backs Taiki's crush but refuses to take Taiki's side over Hina, and joins the card game at camp.

• Keeping Taiki's secret

  Knows that Chinatsu lives with Taiki and keeps it to himself.

• Romantic history

  Gave up on a girl he liked after she got a boyfriend.

• Taiki Inomata (Friend, Affinity)

  Best friend and clubmate; he backs Taiki's crush but will not take his side over Hina.

• Hina Chono (Friend, Colleague, Neutral)

  Classmate he helped with her lines; he is honest with her but does not take her side over Taiki's.

Haryu

Eimei High School · Badminton club

Second-year ace of Eimei's badminton club and Karen's boyfriend, the player Taiki most wants to beat. He has never beaten Hyodo and keeps turning down Taiki's requests for a match.

• Rivalry with Hyodo

  Never beat Hyodo: he lost the prefectural final and the Inter-High third round to him.

• Relationship with Karen

  Dates Karen on the understanding that either can end it if the other neglects badminton or work, and the two support each other.

• How he sees Taiki

  Sees Taiki as earnest rather than merely disciplined, and thinks fixating on one rival keeps him from seeing his own progress.

• Taiki Inomata (Hierarchy, Colleague, Friend, Other, Mixed)

  Kohai who keeps asking him for a match; Haryu pushes him but has been avoiding their games.

• Karen (Other, Pact, Affinity)

  Girlfriend; he had long liked her, and they began dating after she confessed.

• Chinatsu Kano (Friend, Affinity)

  Classmate and friend he calls Chii; he promised not to give out her contact information.

• Haryu's former junior doubles partner (Colleague, Mixed)

  Former junior doubles partner who accused him of breaking a promise and challenged him over Chinatsu's contact information.

• Hyodo (Other, Mixed)

  Rival he has never beaten; he lost the prefectural final and the Inter-High third round to him.

Yusa

A first-year from Sachikawa who beat Taiki 21-11, 21-13 at the prefectural qualifiers and privately thinks gentle people are unsuited to badminton. Taiki later beat him in a practice match, and Ayame has a crush on him.

• Prefectural singles

  Beat Taiki 21-11, 21-13 at the prefectural qualifiers and drew praise for his play against Hyodo.

• Practice-match loss

  Lost to Taiki in a practice match and immediately asked for a rematch.

• Taiki Inomata (Other, Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Beat Taiki at the prefectural qualifiers, then lost to him in a practice match and asked for an immediate rematch, which was refused because Taiki was exhausted.

Haryu's former junior doubles partner (Kishi)

Shoichiro Kishi of Shimotomi High, Haryu's former junior doubles partner. He lost a singles match to Taiki that was staked on Chinatsu's contact information, and at the school festival he challenged Taiki again after hearing he had beaten Yusa.

• Haryu (Colleague, Mixed)

  Former junior doubles partner; he accused Haryu of breaking a promise.

Karen

Ayame's older sister, Haryu's girlfriend and Chinatsu's longtime friend. To stop Ayame from meddling, she made up a tall, handsome older basketball player overseas as the person Chinatsu likes.

• Conditional relationship with Haryu

  Agreed to date Haryu on the condition that either breaks up if the other neglects badminton or work; they treat the balance as an experiment.

• Advice to Taiki

  Encourages Taiki in both badminton and romance and gives him frank advice about Chinatsu.

• Made-up player

  Told Ayame that Chinatsu likes a tall, handsome older basketball player who is overseas, a lie to keep Ayame from meddling.

• Haryu (Other, Pact, Affinity)

  Boyfriend; she confessed after he had long liked her, and they keep both badminton and work going.

• Chinatsu Kano (Friend, Affinity)

  Longtime friend whose feelings about Taiki she keeps hidden from Ayame.

• Taiki Inomata (Other, Friend, Affinity)

  Confidant who encourages him about Chinatsu; Haryu had told her Taiki is very determined.

Chinatsu Kano (Chinatsu)

Eimei High School · Girls' basketball team · Vice-captain · Lives with the Inomata family

A second-year basketball star at Eimei, one year above Taiki, who lives with the Inomata family while her parents are abroad. Back at the Inomata home after her grandfather's surgery, she has started teasing Taiki as Inota and joins the three-club autumn camp.

• Basketball

  Practices early and late, often alone, and kept training through tears after once missing nationals.

• Vice-captain pressure

  Doubted whether she could meet the team's needs while improving her own game after missing an important shot.

• Feelings for Taiki

  Told Karen that Taiki has caught her interest, though she is not ready to call it love.

• Taiki Inomata (Hierarchy, Other, Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Kohai she lives with; she teases him with Ayame's nickname Inota and jokes that he can call her by her first name.

• Taiki's mom (Colleague, Neutral)

  Mother of the family she lives with and her own mother's former basketball teammate.

• Hina Chono (Friend, Other, Mixed)

  Kohai who told her directly that she had confessed to Taiki.

• Haryu (Colleague, Friend, Affinity)

  Classmate who calls her Chii; she once helped him pick cosmetics for his girlfriend.

• Chinatsu's mom (Family, Neutral)

  Her mother, who told her to try first and lean on others when things are hard.

• Karen (Friend, Affinity)

  Longtime friend who invited her to a fashion show at the festival; she declined because she already had plans.

Ayame

Badminton club · Manager

Karen's younger sister and the badminton club's new manager, drawn to Yusa and quick to speak her mind. After learning that Hina had confessed to Taiki, she vowed to help her and tried to use the card game at camp to push Taiki toward her.

• Recent breakup

  Broke up with her boyfriend because his mumbling irritated her, having already found someone whose face she liked.

• Nickname for Taiki

  Calls Taiki Inota and orders him around as manager.

• Backing Hina

  Promised to help Hina's romance after learning she had confessed to Taiki, angry that he leaves all the effort to her.

• Karen (Family, Affinity)

  Her older sister.

• Haryu (Colleague, Neutral)

  Clubmate and her sister's boyfriend.

• Taiki Inomata (Colleague, Mixed)

  Clubmate she calls Inota and orders around; she blames him for leaving Hina's confession unanswered and wants to pair them up.

• Yusa (Other, Affinity)

  Boy from another school she fell for at first sight, the reason she became manager.

• Hina Chono (Friend, Affinity)

  Rhythmic gymnast she promised to help after hearing about her confession.

Hina Chono (Hina)

Eimei High School · Rhythmic gymnastics club · Inter-High athlete

Taiki's friend since middle school and a rhythmic gymnast who took third at the Inter-High. She confessed to Taiki knowing he loves Chinatsu, asked him to hold his answer, and says she enjoys loving him.

• Can't keep a secret

  Known for being unable to keep a secret and for pressing Taiki with questions.

• Role in the play

  Played Snow White in the class play, opposite Taiki as the emergency stand-in prince.

• Confession

  Confessed to Taiki knowing he loves Chinatsu and asked him to hold his answer until he sees her romantically.

• Taiki Inomata (Friend, Colleague, Other, Affinity)

  Close friend she confessed to; she asked him to hold his answer and hopes he will come to see her romantically.

• Kyo Kasahara (Friend, Affinity)

  Classmate and friend who helped her rehearse.

• Chinatsu Kano (Friend, Colleague, Other, Mixed)

  Senpai she told directly about her confession; her rival for Taiki.

• Ayame (Friend, Affinity)

  Manager who promised to help her romance.

Kazuma Matsuoka (Matsuoka)

Eimei High School · Boys' basketball team · Second-year

A second-year on the boys' basketball team who just returned from a year studying in America. Ayame took him for the tall, handsome player Karen had made up.

• Ayame (Other, Affinity)

  Ayame took him for the player Karen described and thinks he suits Chinatsu, though she prefers Yusa.

Taiki Inomata (Taiki)

Eimei High School · Badminton club · Lives with Chinatsu

A first-year in Eimei High's badminton club, in love with his senpai Chinatsu, who lives with his family. He still has not answered Hina's confession, and at the autumn camp a card game leaves him about to name the person he likes.

• Badminton

  Likes badminton because the result rests on him alone.

• Hina's confession

  Was flustered by Hina's confession and feels guilty about how he has treated her.

• Chinatsu Kano (Hierarchy, Other, Friend, Affinity)

  Senpai he loves, who lives with his family; she now teases him as Inota and jokes that he can call her by her first name.

• Kyo Kasahara (Friend, Affinity)

  Best friend and clubmate who knows he lives with Chinatsu.

• Hina Chono (Friend, Colleague, Mixed)

  Friend since middle school whose confession he has not answered; he once asked whether she was fine with him still pursuing Chinatsu.

• Haryu (Hierarchy, Colleague, Friend, Other, Mixed)

  The club's strongest player, whom he wants to face, though Haryu keeps turning him down.

• Hyodo (Mentor, Affinity)

  Gave him practical advice at a university practice and invited him back.

• Yusa (Other, Hostility)

  Fellow first-year who beat him at the prefectural qualifiers; Taiki beat him back in a practice match.

• Karen (Friend, Affinity)

  Confidant he can talk to openly about Chinatsu outside school.

• Ayame (Friend, Mixed)

  Manager who orders him around on errands; behind his back she blames him for leaving Hina's confession unanswered and wants to pair them up.

Yuasa

Coach of Eimei's badminton club. At the autumn camp he drove the players through running drills, footwork and burpees.

Nishida

Badminton club · Senior

Second-year captain of the badminton club, a loud senior who loves to liven things up. At camp he brought a king card game to the boys' room, where Taiki was pressed to name the person he likes.

• Advice after the qualifiers

  Told Taiki that bringing out your best during a short tournament is also part of ability.

• Taiki Inomata (Hierarchy, Colleague, Affinity)

  Kohai in his club whom he teases and looks out for.

Clue Board

• Unasked question to Chinatsu (Episode 9)

  After her basketball final Taiki meant to ask Chinatsu something, but she steered the talk toward his goals, and he still has not asked it, feeling he has lost the confidence he had then.

• Chinatsu's request to forget the fever incident (Episode 10)

  Chinatsu asks Taiki to forget what happened when he had a fever, saying she had not been considerate about living with a boy and will prevent a repeat. What exactly happened during the fever is left unrevealed, and Taiki reads her words as a boundary while wondering whether she has noticed his feelings.

• Start of Hina's feelings (Episode 14)

  Taiki wonders when Hina's romantic feelings for him began and whether she already liked him during their fireworks outing; this remains unanswered.

• Self-applied romantic distance criticism (Episode 16)

  Chinatsu's mother criticizes a television character's ambiguous romantic behavior, arguing that someone without romantic interest could create distance. Chinatsu applies this criticism to herself, knowing Hina likes Taiki, which hints at her own unresolved romantic feelings.

• How Chinatsu knew Taiki (Episode 18)

  Chinatsu called Taiki by name before they had ever talked, which turned out to be because his mother had written it on his scarf; she later said he had not been a complete stranger to her, a hint that is still unexplained.

• Chinatsu's reason for inviting Taiki (Episode 19)

  Taiki asked why Chinatsu had invited him to the concert, then tried to withdraw the question. Chinatsu began to answer, but the guitar drowned out her words. Her reason remains unrevealed, and Taiki guessed it might be simply that she had no one else to invite.

• Hina's romantic intent toward Taiki (Episode 20)

  Hina admits she has imagined kissing Taiki, half-asks whether they should, and treats making his heart race as part of her plan; Taiki insists he loves Chinatsu, but after a friend suggests he may also have feelings for Hina, he wonders whether he could like two people before rejecting the idea.

• Chinatsu's hidden reaction to the play (Episode 21)

  Taiki wondered why Chinatsu seemed unaffected by the school play and the kissing rumors; Chinatsu revealed the play had actually startled her, which explained her apparent calm.

• Ayame's motive for managing (Episode 21)

  Karen suspected Ayame's sudden interest in managing the team hid an ulterior motive; Ayame admitted she found the boy she had seen in the gym extremely attractive, which resolved the suspicion.

• Karen's invented player (Episode 22)

  Karen fabricated a description of an older, tall, handsome overseas basketball player to deter Ayame, which answers Ayame's suspicion that Karen knew someone Chinatsu liked

• Taiki's romantic answer (Episode 22)

  Taiki is pressed to reveal whom he likes romantically and begins to name the person while the group waits, but the name is not yet revealed by episode end

Battle Record

In the practice match against Sachikawa, Taiki beat Yusa in the final game; the still-unsatisfied Yusa went on to beat Haryu.

Haryu vs Hyodo third-round singles match

Inter-High tournament third round · Episode 13

Location: Inter-High badminton venue in the neighboring prefecture, Court 9

Trigger: After winning his earlier Inter-High singles match, Haryu met Hyodo, his opponent in the prefectural final, in the third round.

Haryu vs Hyodo

• Haryu — singles player: Haryu
• Hyodo — singles player: Hyodo

Outcome: Hyodo won the match; Haryu lost after taking one game

Aftermath

• Haryu acknowledged Hyodo's remaining power, thanked him, and went for a run

Second-round basketball match vs Minatozaki Academy

Inter-High second round · Episode 14

Location: Inter-High basketball venue in Kyushu

Trigger: Second-round opponent in the Inter-High, against last year's champions

Eimei vs Minatozaki

• Eimei High School girls' basketball team — girls' basketball team: Chinatsu Kano, Nagisa
• Minatozaki Academy — girls' basketball team: Minatozaki Academy squad

Outcome: Chinatsu's team lost

Aftermath

• Chinatsu lost the match and Taiki was told to acknowledge her efforts when she returned

Taiki vs Yusa practice match

Practice match against Sachikawa High School · Episode 18

Location: Eimei High School gym

Trigger: In the practice match against Sachikawa, Yusa, who had been resting to save energy for Haryu, was assigned back-to-back against Taiki, a fellow first-year.

Taiki vs Yusa

• Taiki — singles player: Taiki Inomata
• Yusa — singles player: Yusa

Outcome: Taiki defeated Yusa in the final game.

Aftermath

• Yusa was still unsatisfied; Taiki offered to play again but was stopped because he was exhausted, and Haryu told Yusa to play him after resting.
• Taiki celebrated the win despite being too tired to move.
• Yusa later beat Haryu, leaving Haryu in a bad mood.

Season Summary

Season 1 — Season 1

Episodes 1–22

Taiki Inomata, a first-year in Eimei High's badminton club, is in love with Chinatsu Kano, a basketball star one year above him, who comes to live with his family when her parents move abroad. Aiming for the Inter-High so he can stand on her level, Taiki falls to Yusa at the prefectural qualifiers, while Chinatsu's team reaches the Inter-High but loses in the second round.

His friend Hina Chono confesses to him and asks him to hold his answer. In autumn, Chinatsu briefly moves out while her grandfather has surgery, Taiki beats Yusa in a practice match, and a kiss rumor spreads after Taiki stands in as the prince opposite Hina in their class's Snow White. Karen's younger sister Ayame then joins the badminton club as manager.

Ayame learns of Hina's confession and sets out to pair her with Taiki, and at a three-night autumn camp a card game leaves Taiki about to name the person he likes.

Music Releases

• Goodbye (OP)
• Contrast (ED)