To everyone’s surprise, the young academic joins the Art Club to prepare for the Tokyo University of the Arts entrance exams. Having very little artistic experience, Yatora puts every waking second into improving his skills, always appreciative of the advice and constructive criticism he receives from his mentors and peers along the way.
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Masako Saeki
Yatora’s first creative instructor is the gentle, kind-hearted Masako Saeki, the art teacher at the local high school and mentor to the Art Club. Her kind nature and enthusiastic encouragement opened Yatora’s eyes to his artistic potential, as he is easily overwhelmed by the numerous tasks he must complete before the exams.
Masako regularly reminds Yatora that anyone is capable of creating art - all they need to do is learn the correct techniques and paint from the heart.
Mayu Ooba
Those attending the Tokyo Art Institute cram school are lucky enough to receive guidance from the remarkable Mayu Ooba, who is as passionate about helping her students as she is about art. She offers more severe critiques than Masako, but her blunt words help to get the point across. Ever- enthusiastic, Ooba pushes Yatora’s boundaries, urging him to become more open-minded about his perception of art.
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Painters can often get stuck in replicating what they see, without adding concept or emotion to their pieces. She emphasizes the importance of composition, which is vital to leading the eye towards the intended focal point. Ooba repeatedly gives Yatora tasks to take him out of his comfort zone and remove the restrictions he placed upon himself. Something as simple as changing one’s subject matter or medium can open up a world of new creative opportunities.
Maru Mori
Despite their best efforts, Yatora and Maru did not manage to spend much time together in season 1, but this young lady is arguable the most influential character in Yotora’s life. Maru’s entrance exam artwork inspired Yatora to create his first blue landscape painting, gaining his first batch of praise and recognition for his creative skills, persuading him to join the Art Club. He manages to catch glimpses of Maru’s art as her skills progress throughout the series - and has yet another brainwave while being awestruck by her talent.
Yatora realizes that, although Maru’s subject matter changes constantly, her paintings always refer to the same theme - her religious beliefs. Instead of recreating the same imagery to get a point across, as Yatora had the habit of doing, he realized that if his artwork followed a theme, it would make a more significant impact. He admires how much emotion can be felt through Maru’s art, as she does not just paint what she sees, but used her heart and soul to create.
Examining Prominent Painters
Along with legitimate art lessons, Blue Period makes use of recognizable artworks to illustrate the importance of technique. Along with input from Ooba and Haruka Hashida, Yatora analyses the works of Monet, Van Gogh, Vermeer, and more, showing viewers what can be learned from the Great Artists. For example, when inspecting Field Of Poppies (Gustav Klimt, 1907), Yatora realizes that color can be used to influence the composition, and that brushwork can create another element to the artwork as a whole. Klimpt does not individually paint each poppy but uses gestural brushwork to establish an impressive impression of a field of poppies.
Yatora notices that the distinction between yellow and red flowers allows the eyes to rest on a focus point, even among all the “chaos.” Another artist that made a significant impact on the young artist was Edward Degas, famous for his ballet dancer paintings. He is particularly drawn to Examen de Danse, which shares similarities to his work as it portrays average subject matter with a voyeuristic approach yet, unlike Yatora’s work, expresses so much emotion. This speaks to his personal battle with artistic sincerity - as he is so focused on accomplishing the ’task’ of creating art that his work lacked in passion and essence. Once he focuses his concept, his painting begin to sing once more.
Practice Makes Perfect
Blue Period shows viewers that anyone can create art - one does not need to be born with a natural talent. Yatora is near the end of his high schooling career, considerably late to suddenly make such a drastic change, and has little to no artistic experience. Yet through hard work and dedication, he makes it his mission to absorb as much knowledge from his creative companions and to practice as often as possible. Many artists will agree with the sentiment that ‘practice makes perfect’, and that learning about composition, color, and painting techniques are crucial - regardless of talent. When artists compare themselves to others, such as with Yatora and Yotasuke Takahashi, or Maki Kuwana and her sister, it generally ends with tears.
As competitive as the art industry is, particularly concerning the low acceptance rate at the Tokyo Art Institute, it is easy for these characters to doubt their own abilities, often forgetting that their goal - to make their next artwork better than the last.
-Ooba Mayu
Blue Period’s storyline may be amazing, but some fans have complained about the artistic integrity of the animation itself. Viewers have criticized that the body movements appear robotic at times, lacking a natural flow, and many scenes could have showcased finer details. There is a lack of consistency in the animation process, seeming to have put all efforts into predominant scenes, such as the visits to the galleries, whilst cutting corners on others. Many Manga fans are dissatisfied with the anime adaptation because it focuses more on Yatora’s relationships, claiming that the original storyline discussed the artistic aspects in greater depth.
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