It comes as a bit of a shock realization, but next week is the final episode of Blue Period.  I’m certainly not expecting a sequel – seinen rarely get more than one cour to begin with, and I don’t get the sense that this is a massively popular series.  That said, the manga did have quite a good October (#12 in total volume sales on Oricon).  And much to my surprise, when I walked into Animate Kyoto yesterday there was a large Blue Period merch display in a prominent spot – not a few items hiding on a back shelf, but a full endcap.  Maybe that was just something pre-bought on a hope, but you usually don’t see a series merchandised that conspicuously unless it’s generating some volume.

Ah well, best not to get my hopes up.  This has all the hallmarks of a “read the manga” anime experience – a mature and challenging story that stops right after what’s basically the prologue.  The sting is even sharper because Blue Period has been really, really good lately – the last four episodes have been flat-out superb, securing the series’ place in the year-end top 10 beyond any doubt, and throwing it into the mix for a potentially pretty high spot.  I’m glad to have seen the anime really blossom into the classic I expected it to be, even if that’s going to make losing it that much harder.

I have no knowledge of the background of mangaka Yamaguchi Tsubasa beyond the fact that she did attend Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai).  As far as I know she was never a teacher, but it’s pretty clear that teachers had a big impact on her life, because in many ways teachers are the stars of Blue Period as much as the students.  Ooba-sensei is like an anchor for these kids, keeping them from drifting off-course, but especially so with Yatora I think.  His inexperience shows itself at inopportune moments sometimes (though I think it can be a liberating advantage at times too).  Watching what’s going down with the second exam, it’s hard to see how he could have survived this process without her help.

This is so brutal, this exam.  Somebody like Sakuraba. who took it three times and now must basically give up on her dream – your heart breaks for them.  Even for Yakkun, in his first try, this is brutal.  In addition to his rashes he’s now dealing with migraines and their accompanying side effects.  He’s de debilitated that he mistakes Yotasuke-kun for Mori-sempai (which shows where his head is, really).  Yotasuke is the only one who actually stops to see if Yatora is OK, it should be pointed out – it’s jungle law for these examinees, and most feel they have no time for empathy.

The first day (of three) is pretty much a washout for Yatora.  His eyes and head hurt so badly that he ends up sleeping until lunch break.  The theme, incidentally, is a nude model – one of the possibilities that Ooba-sensei speculated it might be.  One wonders if this could prove a disadvantage for some of these examinees, healthy young adults they are, even if they should be used to such things as artist.  As it happens Yatora has never painted a nude model before – except one of course, himself.  The timing is fortuitous but translating that experience into painting someone else is easier said than done.

Once again Ooba-sensei steps into the fray, trying to coach the enfeebled Yatora through this on the fly.  Her “secret weapon” was the pills, hat, and glasses I assume – as for the painting itself, there’s nothing so straightforward she can tell him.  His composition is good, apparently, but he’s struggling with the theme.  Interestingly she encourages him to discreetly check out the competition for ideas, but of all the comrades he can see only Yotasuke has progressed beyond the undercoat and the sketchbook.  But drawing from his own experiences Yatora does find inspiration, drop by drop.  And even if he’s playing catch-up, the game is far from over.

Watching his work take shape I really wish I understood art on an intrinsic level, but I just don’t.  I can appreciate the complexities of what Yatora is trying to do on an intellectual level (and something like deciding to paint the nude model by subtraction is fascinating), but I can’t really understand them.  If anything, the fact that Blue Period manages to so completely ensnare me in spite of that is testament to just how strong it is as a character drama.