I’d been circling this series for a long time, flipping through the first volume occasionally at the bookstore, and then getting intimidated by the length and also my concern that it seemed emotionally stressful, but I wanted to read it enough that I asked for the first six volume box set for Christmas. Well, I’m really glad that I did that, because what a treat!
Blue Period is about a teenage boy, Yatora Yaguchi, who is seen by his parents and peers as a successful and motivated student. His future seems assured, and he stays carefully within the social and academic path laid out for him by society. Despite this, he has the feeling that things are meaningless and he is playacting through his life. One day, he ends up trying to really express himself on an art assignment and the experience is so transformative for him that he dedicates himself to art and trying to get into art school, even though he’s behind in terms of where he’s starting from.
Blue Period is seinen but also has a shounen vibe of the main character leveling up and working incredibly hard to do so. I really loved this series and all of the varied characters within it. Yamaguchi does an amazing job at giving each of them their own interesting motivations and back stories without making the book feel overcrowded or confusing. Instead, it feels like she has captured real life, in all of its stressors and triumphs. Yatora has to learn how to reveal his true self, how to work through his prejudices and stereotypes, and to go against the grain of what society has told him that his life should be. The nuanced portrayal of characters like Yuka, who crossdresses and is gender nonconforming, and faces a variety of different prejudices and hatred from his parents, and how Yatora works through his initial antipathy towards Yuka, is sensitively and thoughtfully done. I think it’s also a pretty perfectly paced manga, with each arc building on the next, and I was so excited to read the next 10 volumes that are out that I bought them en masse, which is high praise from me (although so far only 11, 14, and 16 have been delivered, so I’m in a holding pattern now). I learned a lot about art techniques and how the process for getting into art school works in Japan, so it’s also very informative — much like all other aspects of their school system, the art school process is a competitive nightmare, and the stress that the students undergo is shown to great effect here.
Highly recommended!! It’s a great and moving work!
Warnings for — homophobic/transphobic bullying/abuse, suicidal ideation, intense stress causing health issues, teens smoking/drinking, teen sexuality