Blue Period: The Struggling Artist and Self-Improvement

Shibuya, Japan, lit entirely in blue. Source: Jezael Melgoza from Unsplash

Even if you don’t necessarily consider yourself an artist, it’s human nature to be inspired and want to create. Whether it’s to learn a cooking recipe off by heart, or to write stories with the depth of an ocean reef, to make resonating music, to become a better communicator or to excel in a career path. The hard part is that, once we decide to start something from scratch, we follow one of three paths: discovering a latent talent, working hard towards the standards of the talented, or we gracefully give up.

Blue Period is an anime about an inspiring young artist who starts off never having drawn anything his entire life. Usually in stories about creative types the protagonist is already knowledgeable on the subject or has talent and earnestly strives to be the best in their field. Yatora, however, has to start from the very bottom due to never taking an interest in art before. After finding inspiration in the beauty and technique of a senior classmate’s work, Yatora decides to delve into the world of oil painting as if on a whim. Due to his studious nature he gradually works to improve with serious intent to apply to Tokyo’s University of Art after high school.

Art is an incredibly tense, competitive and difficult industry to follow. The way in which the show presents Yatora’s journey emphasises the struggle to be accepted into the industry’s higher education due to the preferences of examiners and the extensive requirements on technique, originality and uniqueness in each individual piece. Early in the story, Yatora joins an art prep school, determined to improve as fast as possible, only to realise his skills are dwarfed by a room brimming with natural talent and potential. Not to mention the overarching discouragement of his parents who doubt Yatora’s sincerity, worry over tuition fees and question the prospects of making a stable income from painting.

The series brings to light themes of self-worth, ambition and the chances of failure hanging over our heads without a back-up plan. We try to follow our dreams and make them work but there’s never a guarantee that they will. There’s a bleak dread in the fact that the protagonist is a high schooler aiming to enter an art college as a last-minute decision where other career paths seem more practical and safer.

Plenty of other characters are available to bring multiple perspectives on these themes: the artist who harbors natural talent but despises using it for exam scores, the young sister of a revered oil painter who is constantly compared to her older sibling, those who will always put themselves down as being average, and the few who feel inspired to work towards a career they genuinely love despite the doubtful, negative expectations of others.

What we question is the worth of hard work versus raw, natural talent; can we get by in life with talent alone even if that creates an imbalance in other vital skills, or is it possible to work non-stop in order to improve until you’re revered as highly as the overachievers? Should we work endlessly for a stable life at the cost of happiness? Or do we aim to be joyful regardless of having zero guarantees for the future? Is it possible to achieve both?

The challenges Yatora faces don’t boil down to just “getting better”. He’s constantly critiqued on the nature of his individual voice—what his art is trying to say to others. An entire youth spent as an exemplary student, studying to pass every exam without fail, the main character’s development depends on him finding individuality, above all else. Because regardless of how technically skilled you are, it’s a unique voice that stands out as being the loudest.

Blue Period is a unique experience in creative media; the prospect that hard work is just as valuable as being naturally adept, and that we should always strive to learn more instead of stagnating. It’s not at all unrealistic—the show emphasises how difficult it can be to stand out as a diamond in the rough among glittering jewels, but ultimately, it’s up to the individual to take risks and be bold when trying new things.

Yatora may not be an especially engaging main character on an action-packed level but it’s his small spark of ambition which we can all resonate with to different degrees. For that, the series deserves a solid recommendation.