Even though art is a huge part of anime and manga, the subject of fine art itself doesn't come up much in the medium. One notable exception to this rule is Blue Period. Featuring a listless high school student who begins to excel at painting, Blue Period has become the Picasso of coming-of-age anime.
The seinen series is as educational as it is entertaining, giving much more than just the broad strokes of painting and art. Showcasing art from throughout the globe and history, Blue Period is essentially a narrative museum in many ways. For those who've yet to read or watch the manga and anime equivalent of the Louvre, here's where they can finally draw the line and do so.
The Plot of Blue Period
Blue Period's protagonist is Yatora Yaguchi, who despite his academic success feels incredibly lost and unsure of his plans in life. This changes forever when a breathtaking painting leaves a permanent mark of its own on Yatora's life. So taken with art and the beauty of a painting he made after being inspired by a nearby landscape, Yatora realizes that he has quite the talent for fine art.
Inspired by a friend, Yatora begins to learn from real-life art pieces and pursue art academically, having finally gained something that he can truly care about and strive toward. Unfortunately, the road to Rembrandt is studded with turmoil, as he has to learn the basics of the craft, as well as dissuade the lack of confidence from his art classmates and his own parents. Determined to get into a prestigious art school, Yatora works tirelessly to become the greatest artist that he can be.
Where to Read the Blue Period Manga
Blue Period started as a seinen manga in Monthly Afternoon, running from the middle of 2017 and continuing to this day. The series' creator is Tsubasa Yamaguchi, who had beforehand mainly done manga one-shots. The Western localization from Kodansha was announced in 2019, with over half of the collected manga so far being released in English.
The manga can be purchased pretty much anywhere manga is sold, including some very mainstream retailers. Online retailers such as Right Stuf Anime and Amazon sell the print version of the books, while digital volumes can be downloaded through Kindle and Comixology. Likewise, not only do book retailers like Books-a-Million and Barnes & Noble sell the manga series, but also even more ubiquitous stores like Walmart and Target.
Where to Watch the Blue Period Anime
The anime version of Blue Period was announced in early 2021, running from October to December of the same year. The series was produced by Seven Arcs, who are perhaps most known for anime such as Sekirei. There's only one way to stream the series so far, but thankfully, it's the most mainstream streaming platform of them all.
Blue Period is exclusively available on Netflix, although there's still no dub available for the show. There's yet to be any word on a second season for the anime, though this likely stems from the first having ended only recently. The success of its streaming numbers on Netflix, as well as how quickly the manga can produce new material to adapt, will likely be the biggest factors in how soon a new season of Blue Period is announced, but for now, Netflix users can easily binge the anime work of art.