The Ao no Hako Season 2 world premiere event took place on September 6 at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya in Tokyo. Five lead voice actors attended: Shoya Chiba (Daiki Iномata), Reina Ueda (Chinatsu Shikano), Akari Kito (Hina Chono), Chiaki Kobayashi (Tadashi Kasahara), and Yoshino Aoyama (Yuka Kido).

About Ao no Hako Season 2

Based on the manga by Koji Miura, the series follows first-year high school student and badminton club member Daiki and his upperclassman Chinatsu, the ace of the basketball team, along with the students around them in a heartfelt youth romance. Season 2 begins airing on TBS and 28 affiliated stations nationwide on October 4. The premiere event featured advance screenings of episodes 1 and 2.

Talk Show: “Ao no Hako Explained — Worth Watching Again and Again”

Before the screening, the cast held a talk show segment with Shoya Chiba serving as MC. A message from the series’ production producer was read aloud by Chiba: “This season is fully focused on how to present Daiki and Chinatsu. In particular, Chinatsu will gradually show more of her emotions — expressions hidden in the manga will be made visible in the anime.”

Reina Ueda: A More Lively Chinatsu

Reina Ueda highlighted the outing scene between Daiki and Chinatsu that picks up from the Season 1 finale, describing their exchanges as “really cute — there’s a comedic side, and the pacing feels better than before.” Chiba added that “they’ve started to banter and play off each other.” Ueda noted the scene would help viewers understand Chinatsu more clearly through both visuals and voice.

Akari Kito: Hina After Rejection

Akari Kito, whose character Hina was turned down by Daiki at the end of Season 1, said: “Her feelings for Daiki don’t just vanish after being rejected. I want viewers to pay attention to how she changes from that point on.”

Chiaki Kobayashi: A Grown-Up Daiki

Chiaki Kobayashi said he rewatched Season 1 and was struck by how “Daiki in episode 1 is so endearing — everything that’s built up since then has shaped who he is in Season 2.”

Yoshino Aoyama: New Character Yuka

When Chiba jokingly asked Yoshino Aoyama — whose name contains the character for “blue (青)” — whether she felt left out when Season 1 started without her, Aoyama paused before blurting out: “I auditioned and didn’t get in!” then laughed and added, “I properly failed the audition!” A flustered Chiba quickly apologized.

Back on topic, Aoyama described Yuka as “a type of character who hasn’t appeared in this series before — one I found easy to inhabit. There’s a lot of psychological depth that will resonate with anyone who has experienced setbacks or felt frustrated by something in life.”

Reina Ueda spoke warmly about working with Aoyama, saying: “When I talk with Yuka, I sense something hidden beneath the surface. Because it keeps showing through, I was able to stay grounded in my own feelings toward her.” Aoyama visibly lit up at the words. Ueda continued: “You perform in a way where something naturally leaks out, and every time I catch it, my heart trembles. The more we worked together, the more I felt I could trust what emerged organically in the session.” Aoyama responded with a beaming smile: “That makes me so happy!”

Special Activities and Tokyo Sunrockers Collaboration

The event also featured a live dubbing segment in which Chiba, Ueda, and Aoyama recreated the Season 2 teaser PV, as well as a Q&A drawing from over 4,000 fan-submitted questions.

A collaboration with professional basketball team Tokyo Sunrockers was announced, with the team’s mascot Sandy making a surprise appearance on stage. It was also revealed that Shoya Chiba and Reina Ueda will appear as guests at a Tokyo Sunrockers game at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO on October 25. Further details will be announced at a later date.

Closing Messages to Fans

Reina Ueda said: “With the arrival of new character Yuka, Chinatsu’s heart is going to be shaken to its core. You’ll see expressions from her that Season 1 never showed. Everything connects, and I feel like an important chapter in Chinatsu’s life is about to begin. I hope you’ll watch over her as she changes.”

Shoya Chiba shared: “The original manga reached its final chapter while we were recording Season 2. What the anime can do now is convey as much as possible through the spoken word. We all worked hard to pass on the wonderful appeal of the source material.” He closed by saying: “If Season 1 was about depicting love, Season 2 is moving toward something deeper. Every character has been performed with care — I hope viewers feel that Daiki and Chinatsu’s story isn’t someone else’s, but their own.”