I can honestly say that I now see what all the fuss was about with Blue Period.  This last run of episodes has been really spectacular, and the finale more than held up its end of the bargain.  I can’t speak to the merit of whatever frustrations manga readers may have, as I haven’t read much of it (though that will change soon enough).  There have clearly been some changes, but with series where I don’t know the source material I judge changes on whether their presence is obvious and discordant.  And Blue Period’s adaptation passed that test with flying colors for me.

As I’ve noted ad nauseam, I’m not an artist by any stretch of the imagination.  But I am someone who’s been a teacher, and for whom teachers were an incredibly important influence.  And I’m someone who can refer to his own creative experience.  For me, it’s so synonymous with self-doubt that they may as well be one and the same.  It starts the moment I begin writing something and doesn’t stop until- well, ever.  Nothing is ever truly satisfying, and nothing is ever good enough.  For those reasons Yatora’s experience resonates with me on a deep and personal level.

I don’t find Yatora’s relentless self-criticism tiresome because for me, that’s essentially what the creative process is.  I do sometimes feel a certain irritation at his constant projection of confidence and brilliance onto others – but that’s exactly how we’re supposed to feel.  Yotasuke-kun’s impatience with Yatora stems mostly from this.  Imagine having just as much insecurity as anybody and constantly being told how great and confident you are.  He expresses his doubts differently than Yatora, true, but Yotasuke’s burdens are no less heavy.

If Yatora had a eureka moment in this exam process, it’s when he came to peace with who he is, after a fashion.  If his self-identity is as a grinder rather than a natural, his best bet is to embrace his obsession with process and self-examination and make it a strength.  I think this is what he means when he refers to himself as “transparent”.  And it’s what prompts him to say something about the exam to Saeki-sensei which struck me as genuinely profound – “I have no regrets, but I have a mountain of stuff to reflect on”.  I actually think that’s an ideal landing spot for a creator – and having found it reflects just how far Yatora has come as an artist.

One of my favorite parts of the episode, actually, was the conversation between Yatora and Yotasuke during the lunch break on the final day.  It was genuinely moving to see how happy Yatora was that Yotasuke got his painting – and to hear from this of all comrades that he’d gotten better.  Yatora is a genuinely humble person (to a fault, surely), and I find the unlikely friendship between these two genuinely charming.  Yotasuke edging away from Ya-kun when he broke down was a much-needed moment of levity, but in point of fact what he’s actually been doing is edging closer to him.  For a loner like Yotasuke, the idea of a genuine confidant – maybe his first ever – has to have a powerful appeal.  And Yatora, so different than he and so open, may finally be the person he can trust to be that for him.

Sadly, among the core group only those two boys got in – in fact, Ooba-sensei notes that only three first-time applicants in the oil painting division were accepted (Yatora’s refusal to believe it until it was inescapable really resonated with me).  Haruka doesn’t get in and neither, surprisingly, does Maki.  Her talent and polish is undeniable – I wonder if she’s a little too “conventional” for what Geidai is looking for.  Maki has been under the influence of artists her whole life, has been honing her talent for a long time.  I’m reminded of the (possibly apocryphal) story of Vince Lombardi watching two youngsters try out for the Packers, one with perfect running form and the other a disjointed mess.  He supposedly chose the latter on the grounds that he was the one for whom his coaching would have the biggest impact.

The aftermath of this moment is what it is.  I’ve been a kid, I’ve been there.  For Maki it’s denial, then raw and unadulterated pain.  Yatora can’t really process it, but those around him can – hell, even his father opens his mouth to offer congratulations.  I was glad (but not surprised) that he took the time to properly thank his teachers, without whom he surely wouldn’t have made it this far.  Saeki helped him realize this was his path, and Ooba gave him the support he needed to succeed on that path.  I rarely see teachers celebrated so eloquently and powerfully as Blue Period does, and that’s an element of the series that I appreciate very deeply.

As an anime fan, there’s a special sort of mixed emotion that comes along with a finale like this.  This adaptation was, effectively, the prologue – half the manga yes, but the real story begins at this point.  With seinen that’s usually where it ends, and we’re lucky to have access to the manga in English (though the official releases are well behind the original).  It’s frustrating as hell to have this cycle repeat itself, over and over, to always be left wanting more.  But Blue Period at least ends at a point that feels like an ending.  The season told a story to its logical conclusion – not the story, maybe, but a story nonetheless.

That said, I don’t think it makes sense to totally discount the possibility of another season at some point.  Blue Period is quite a popular manga, especially considering how demanding it is of the audience.  That it is so successful is a testament to the sheer quality of the writing, and I think to the fact that it fills a niche that’s far from crowded.  This is a series of substance, depth, and subtlety – an intelligent work that respects the intelligence of its audience.  As different as we all are, there’s something of the human experience that’s universal, and any story that captures that experience this well is always going to find an audience.

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