Blue Period 1 (Blue Period, #1)

[inlibrisveritas]

Thank you to Netgalley and Kondashi for the copy of the book! All opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars

Wow! This manga took me totally by surprise and completely blew me away. I enjoy art and I'm currently trying to get back into it consistently for the first time since my junior year of high school. I'm learning, failing, beating myself up, and building myself up. All of this is contained in this volume, all of it feels so familiar and god does it make me want to work even harder.

Yaguchi, works hard because it's what is needed to get by. He lives day by day, doing what is required, and what he feels is a recipe for general success. Then he finds a moment in his art class that gives him a new perspective and a new focus, he finds passion which is something he's been lacking for so long. I love his drive and the fact that it's all kind of new to him, so we are given a look at art basics and concepts in a semi-detailed way. It's broken down and explained, and makes the entire concept approachable. I just love that there are moments of actual art education happening, which admittedly might not be for everyone. I also love the interactions between Yaguchi and his peers, the comradery and even the secret need to push yourself to get better so you 'feel' like you earned your place near them.

I'm so excited to see what the series brings to the table in volume two, and how Yaguchi progresses in both his artistic ventures but also in his outlook on the world around him.