The Contemplation of The Difficulties of Life.

Blue Period is a manga I had no expectations going in and it truly shocked me. Firstly, it is a coming-of-age story of a young man becoming an artist. Secondly, it’s a philosophical series about your self-worth, identity, questioning individual values and the drama of living life. Despite the protagonist being an artist, this is a series that’s applicable to anyone regardless of their profession. Yaguchi is a realistic character who goes through so many trials. Despite his hardworking attitude, he’s a very insecure individual who is often lost in the direction he is taking his life. As a university student, a lot of Yaguchi's struggles felt applicable. This might be why it’s more targeted towards older people rather than teenagers, as that lived experience is very valuable. Not just Yaguchi's struggles but the other vibrant cast of the series. This is neither a pessimistic nor idealistic portrayal of life, but more so, the true lived experience.

Blue Period's art is bloody fantastic. The author graduated from the Tokyo University of Arts, and it shows. This manga is quite authentic in how it handles its subject matter and is extensively researched. A lot of the principles of art it teaches are something you can apply by reading her work. The contrast, symbolism, emotions, isolation and just the flow of the panels. There’s this one drawing in particular where the author depicts a mirror shattering, and the reflection of the protagonist after it shattered was genius. The composition of that drawing was fantastic. In general, the panelling from small to big panels is done with so much care. Whenever she has the opportunity to do colour illustrations, it’s bloody gorgeous. I’ve briefly described the research, but whenever she uses other people's art (as the student's art) I love she references all of them so you can be exposed to a wide spectrum of artists (from old to new). The main cast is brilliant and the new cast that appears is full of life and has a lot of depth. Diving deep into the psychology of the cast rather extensively (more than I expected).

In general, Blue Period is a good gateway to make people take an interest in art because it teaches you a lot. Not just from a painting perspective but from all sorts of art. It explores the history of art in a fun way, teaches you how to interpret art better and makes you appreciate it. Similar to how you don’t need to be a fan of certain sports to enjoy sports manga. Something like Hajime no Ippo or Major can make me appreciate the sport and the athletes who pour their guts into being the best. Or how Bakuman makes you appreciate the medium of manga.

In Conclusion, Blue Period is an excellent series worth reading, it’s something special and isn’t ending any time soon and I’m excited to see how it evolves.