Blue Period 1 by

Blue Period 1 (Blue Period, #1)

Winner of the 2020 Manga Taisho Grand Prize! A manga about the struggles and rewards of a life dedicated to art. The studious Yatora leaves a dry life of study and good manners behind for a new passion: painting. But untethering yourself from all your past expectations is dangerous as well as thrilling...     Yatora is the perfect high school student, with good grades and lots of friends. It's an effortless performance, and, ultimately...a dull one. But he wanders into the art room one day, and a lone painting captures his eye, awakening him to a kind of beauty he never knew. Compelled and consumed, he dives in headfirst -- and he's about to learn how savage and unforgiving art can be!

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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I received a copy of Blue Period Vol. 1 in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Blue Period Vol. 1 is the start to a new series revolving around art and the drive to create your own path in life. The series was written by Tsubasa Yamaguchi, and translated by T. Ghirlanda.

Art can change a life. That is a lesson Yatora is about to learn. Once upon a time, he was the perfect student. But he felt no brightness in his life. No drive, no motivation. Until one day, he sat down and completed an art assignment.

That was the day that everything changed. From that moment onward, Yatora's goal has been to improve. To get good enough to be accepted into the only public art school he can afford, so that he can make art his life.

Blue Period Vol. 1 is brilliant and shockingly inspiring. If you're finding yourself in a rut, and in need of something to motivate you to dive back into your artwork, then I cannot suggest Blue Period enough.

Yatora's story starts out kind of eye-rollish, but I believe that is with intention. He's not an easy to like character, because he has no motivation. That all changes once he actually starts to apply to himself, and learn about the art all around him.

On that note, there are lots of art facts to be found within this graphic novel. It won't be anything new to an art or art history student (or fan, for that matter), but there's absolutely nothing wrong with that fact.

It could even be a fun way of dipping one's toes into the art world. Or the beginning of something new – much like what happened to Yatora. It was truly inspiring, to see him fall so deeply in love with something that he had previously overlooked.

There are plenty of secondary characters to flesh out the story, with the implication that it will become larger with time. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how Yatora's journey continues, as well as those that are trying to go along the same path.

See more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • 12 October, 2020: Started reading
  • 12 October, 2020: Finished reading
  • 12 October, 2020: Reviewed