This great manga series for anyone who loves and wants to learn about! The detail in the art style is very clear and compelling and keeps the reader interesting. The story deals with a lot issues such as self-discovery, mental health, anxiety and the stress and competition of getting into a top art school.

Absolutely loved this start to what I'm hoping will be a fantastic new series - the mangaka creates a story with such emotional resonance, every part of me roots for Yatora and Ryuji, and the pieces of art featured throughout by the students stood out and yet fit beautifully into the style of the overall work. I am definitely expecting to see Blue Period squirrel it's way on to my favourite manga list!

"Because art is a language without words"

I heard great things about this manga, especially because it won the Manga Taishō award, therefore I was really excited to read it. But I tried multiple times to finish it and I just can’t. It’s not that the manga is bad, it’s just not for me. I’m not a big fan of everything related to art to begin with, and there was too much information about art in this volume, and it was a lot to take in for me.

The art style was okay. It’s not my favorite but art style is pretty personal and, I’m sure it could appeal to other people much more than it did to me.

Blue Period tells the story of an 17-year-old high school student who discovers his love for art. That's the basic premise for the manga.
But reading the story makes you feel a variety of emotions that you may have not expected. Because this story is particularly good at drawing you into it and making you feel with the main character. Who, in turn, is a relatable and interesting person that embodies the struggles many teenagers and artists go through. But he's also an inspiring character that makes you even feel bad for not working as hard as him.
On the hand, we have the colourful cast of side characters. Each of them are unique in their personality and art, while still being able to be charming in their own way.
Another major point is the art used. It's drawn by many artists and even as a layman you can see how beautiful they are. Words are not needed because the paintings tell more than that.
In conclusion, the manga makes you want to draw even though you suck and gives you drive to work hard and improve.

Superbe manga, tout simplement. J'ai adoré suivre la découverte d'une passion pour l'art de ce jeune lycéen sérieux dans ses études mais au look plutôt rebel. Il intrigue tant son entourage que le lecteur, et partager son point de vue autour de sa passion soudaine, son honnêteté et sa motivation est rafraîchissant. Le manga se présente parfois comme un guide des écoles d'art au Japon mais ces moments sont plus intéressants que lassant malgré notre distance.
Je continue de suivre la série avec intérêt !

This manga reminded me of then I had discovered my own creativity in the form of fine arts. Yataro's constant comparison with his work to other more seasoned artists hit home for me as I feel like every other artist struggled with the same thing.

O tried to read this manga several times, but I failed to connect with the characters. The story seemed interesting, but I think I may not have been the right kind of reader for this manga.

Blue Period is definitely a unique Manga, that follows our protagonist Yataro Yaguchi as he enters the art world. The book actually introduces you to various art styles actually used in Japan so it has some cool art to show.

*I voluntarily read and reviews an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

This book felt like a slog to get through. I was not quite a fan. There is so much information dumping about doing and creating art. So, much information I ended up skimming. It didn't help that there is a trans or cross-dressing character who the main character talks down to constantly.

But, this book is about finding your passion and going for it. There is some potential here and I think anyone interested in art or slice-of-life manga will like this one.

3.5 stars

The manga focuses on the journey of Yataro Yaguchi as he starts enjoying art and trying to become more professionally skilled and practices real hard. The book has many techniques and information explaining different types of art skills and styles as well as some art colleges in Japan.

The characters so far weren't so bad but most don't make a lot of appearances for long so I feel neutral towards them. While I liked that Yataro was dedicated to hone his craft, I disliked the fact that he keeps comparing himself to artists that have been drawing for years while he just started. I understand that a lot of artists feels that way but I didn't like how many times it kept popping up and him moping about it than being motivated. Yuka being a crossdresser was a shock for me because I didn't register it since it was mention in passing in the beginning but I love their character.

As for the artstyle, it was great and I like how fluid it looks in many panels. An issue I had was that there were some panels with the females unnecessarily bending for the booty shots.

Overall, this was good but the amount of teaching was kind of a lot for someone who don't really want to start learning to draw anytime soon. I'm kind of interested in continuing but it's not that urgent.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

Blue period is a beautiful manga that talks about Yatora and his ways to discover his passion for art, especifically painting.
It was an interest first volume that promises a lot and i can't wait to read the next one

SLJ: Top 10 Manga of 2020

Gr 10 Up –High schooler Yatora walks the line between delinquent and model student; he gets drunk with his friends when they watch soccer, but he also studies hard and gets top grades. Still, he feels like he’s just checking the boxes until he discovers his true passion—painting. He’s starting from zero, but he’s also surrounded by fellow students and an outspoken teacher who offer practical advice. This smartly written manga features characters who are unusually self-aware and don’t stay in the usual boxes, and will inspire would-be artists.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

Blue Period, Volume 1, by Tsubasa Tamaguchi
★★★★☆
224 Pages


The story began with a lot of potential. I wasn't overly fond of the main character, to begin with, but he grew on me as he found his passion for art. Yatora was one of those people who is smart, works hard, but has no real passion or purpose in his life to drive him forward. Until he stumbles upon art. I liked that he didn't become brilliant immediately, but that he had a natural talent that encouraged him. I also liked that his mindset changed, as he learned more. At first, he thought it was dumb and simple, that it was silly and easy to do. Then he learned by experience how hard it was, that there was logic and rules to follow, that passion and hard work came together to make real art. He had a really nice character growth, that I enjoyed watching.

As for the cast of secondary characters, I liked Yuka-chan and Mori, I find Yotasuke intriguing and hope to see more of him in the future. I liked the various skillsets that were explored and how every picture had an individual style and ability, so that it really portrayed a 'class' of students with different abilities.

However, as Yatora's a newbie to art, the story tended to drift into lecture mode, quite often, with info dumps about universities, art schools and art practices/methods, that made it a little tedious to read, at times. I also found the characters, while diverse, to be hard to identify. Yuka-chan, for example, is dressed extremely feminine, but I got the sense they were male. The problem was that it was never explicitly mentioned, and considering there were female students elsewhere in the story, it was hard to tell. It wasn't until the end of the book that the “about” section made it clear. It would have been really helpful to have this at the beginning.

The pacing is interesting, as it follows Yatora from non-artist to budding artist to going to a prep-school to learn more. I'm intrigued to see his abilities and thought-process expand, as the story continues.

Blue Period is a nice and interesting manga. In the last year, I had the pleasure to read few mangas related with arts and all of them were good. The exam to enter the Arts University is a common event that is often the main struggle for these young artists.
I liked the illustrations and the colors. I also enjoyed the transition of Yataro Yaguchi, the main character, into art. I like his commitment to learn and acquire new techniques and get better every day with practice. I enjoyed a lot the overall story and also the other characters both friends of Yataro and those who he encounter during his journey.
I think this kind of mangas are extremely motivational not only for those readers that are into art but for everyone that is trying something new in his life. Practice and commitment is the first step to master a new "art".

I enjoyed so much the story that I already purchased the second volume!

Blue Period is a title I was not familiar with until it started popping literally everywhere. It caught my eye because of its artstyle and praise. Is it worth reading?

Story centers around Yatora, delinquet and quite popular guy, who has no idea what he wants to do with his life. He is also quite intelligent and does well at school. Everything changes when he discovers beauty of art and painting. Author focuses on struggles following the career of artist and on finding a direction in life.

The most striking thing about this series is definitely its artstyle. Tsubasa Yamaguchi's drawing is very artsy, clear and pleasing to look at. It reflects story's whole purpose and focus on art. Don't expect any action - Blue Period is slow paced and focuses more on character development, exploring new horizonts and on art itself. I am not that much into art myself, but it was definitely interesting to explore its dephts with Yatora. He is pretty interesting and unconventional MC - smart delinquent, who is super passionate about stuff he loves. That determination was pretty nice, tbh.

It's not series for everyone - if you love art, slow paced stories and character development, you might like it!

A great first volume. I loved how it emphasises an artists struggles and self discovery and also loved how the art techniques were shown. Would definitely read the further volumes

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"and those who are true to themselves make truly great art.
because art is a language without words."

"Blue Period" is a very interesting manga about the dilemma artists have to go through when they decide they want to dedicate their lives to it. It really surprised me the depth of it all. I liked the distinct elements of the story like the support of the main character's family and auto-discovery journey in high school. The manga was also heavy on art concepts like drawing techniques, which was fine at times but didn't work for me overall when it was extended since I tended to lose interest. I think someone who is into drawing would enjoy these moments way more.

An interesting first volume, without a doubt it is a story that promises a lot, and I love its title very much in line with the world of art, that it is a manga that deals with it make me great and without a doubt, it is a manga that I will follow in its next volumes. .

Had seen this one on instagram and was happy I get to review on here. So this manga is about art but also learning New stuff about yourself. The art is lovely and can't wait to read more.
4.5 stars

A coming of age story about a determined boy working towards his future in the art world.

Yatora is a notorious bad boy at his school with good grades and a rambunctious group of friends. He decides to take his painting assignment seriously and soon learns he has a passion for painting. Determined to hone his skills, Yatora joins the art club and sets his sights on the top art school in Tokyo.

Yatora is an enjoyable character with insightful observations and revealing reflections. The plot begins slow, taking time to introduce readers to Yatora. However, it then dives deep into artistic techniques and details any aspiring artist would appreciate. The story is a bit slow but there is a lot to look at in the illustrations. The dialogue is insightful and the illustrations capture the emotions in the scenes. The addition of real art drawn in the described method was a great addition. The author's notes were descriptive and gave readers a better understanding of the various techniques described.