The Azure One

The Azure One is a linear, fully voiced school-life narrative set at Municipal Second High School. You follow Qiu Xu through a coming-of-age story about running, choice and the wishes people may lose if they let them slip away.

For seventeen years, Qiu Xu’s life has passed smoothly, leaving him with little to remember. Then a girl who runs on the track every day gives him an old stopwatch. He begins visiting the sports ground daily, sitting on the same step and watching her run, gradually realizing that the stubborn wishes people let go may never return. The story follows the steps she has left to run before the stopwatch stops.

The track team

Yun Bai is the team’s ace and a seeded contender for the national championships. She runs fast, though her body struggles to keep up; after crossing the finish line, it takes a few seconds for her bright, infectious smile to appear on her sweat-drenched face.

Xia Fan is a track team member who talks as fast as she runs and loves gossip, but evades questions about herself. Her life goal is to find someone who will “love her one hundred percent, all year round.” Shi Yu often skips practice and is unacquainted with most of the team. Her running form stays even, and she never seems out of breath. After running beside Yun Bai and seeing her clenched jaw and straining form, Shi Yu’s name never appears at the top of the results board again.

Other classmates

Xi Ya is the Class President of Second High’s Class 2-1. She has excellent grades, graceful manners and a sweet smile. She remembers everyone’s birthday and prepares their favorite cake flavor without mixing up mint and peach, though her own preferences remain unknown. She is meticulous enough that even the wind seems to turn the pages of her book neatly, from right to left.

Qiu Xu is described by others as silly, slow to respond and prone to choosing the harder path; they also say they cannot figure out what he is thinking. Run says she retreats whenever she can, and reflects that being entirely yourself lets you be good to many people, while becoming “someone’s someone” means you can only be good to that one person.

Story and voices

The story unfolds through crafted scenes, dialogue and inner monologues, following the characters’ emotional changes and growth in everyday school life. Every character who appears has dedicated voice acting, including passersby with only one line of dialogue, with delivery shaped around each character’s personality and mood.