Finding Hope in Art: Reviewing Yamaguchi’s Blue Period

The Themes: Talent, Passion and Encapsulating Art

First, one of the things I really liked about this manga is that as a story focused on art, it was able to dismantle one of the biggest misconceptions of art: that art is something resided with only a select group of talented individuals that could call themselves true ‘artists’. As debunked by Mori-senpai, who painted the work that Yatora was initially enamored with, she bluntly puts down Yatora’s praise of her being talented, replying that she spends more time thinking about art than others. She also complains that using words like “talent” imply that she had no agency in creating the art piece. Indeed, we also see the mental and physical toll that working on art takes on Yatora in his pursuit to pass the TUA entrance exams. By centering on the perspective of Yatora, we are able to get an intimate glimpse into the challenges that an artist feasibly faces in their own journey towards improving their art. And simultaneously, we learn as well as share the small victories that artists like Yatora experience, thereby creating a more informed impression on the struggles of being an artist. We may even find it highly relatable to our own life experiences.

This leads to the second point I would like to discuss about Blue Period: its examination on passion and the pursuit of “unpragmatic” interests. In Singapore, the idea of grinding in order to reach a “safe” future is not unheard of. While the government has made some (remarkably feeble, at times) steps to improve interest in the arts of all forms, the current sentiment towards arts is that pursuing the arts is quite a financially unsustainable prospect in the long run. As such, most arts schools mostly cater to children belonging to wealthier families that are able to afford such fees. Nonetheless, we see in Blue Period that Yatora hails from a middle-class family who gets by, but is unable to afford tuition at a private university. This thereby spurs Yatora to set his sights solely on TUA, which is the only public arts university in Japan. While Yatora initially faces doubt in being able to pursue art as a future, he earnestly finds solace and a voice in it, something he previously lacked. As such, Yatora’s choice to put his faith in his newfound passion is quite inspiring, and personally motivates me to pursue my own passions even if it may not be pragmatic in the future.

Lastly, something important Blue Period touches on is the journey to encapsulate art. Art is something that holds a multitude of meanings and values to many people and artists around the world. In the manga, we are able to understand Yatora’s own inclinations towards art, and appreciate both the character development and the artistic sense that he grows over his days of refining and learning new artistic techniques and tools. The author of the manga, Tsubasa Yamaguchi, had previously graduated from TUA as well, and thus organically infuses lessons of artistic tips in composition, colors and techniques within chapters that are simple enough to understand and show how Yatora adapts to these teachings to better himself and his artistic skills. What culminates in this manga is a very approachable story for anyone to follow through. Fellow artists may well relate to Yatora’s struggles finding his way in art, whilst people initially ignorant to art may still similarly find comfort and inspiration in Yatora’s ambition and love for art in spite of the troubles he faces.