Review of Blue Period

I feel like I need to preface this by saying that I'm not involved in the art world at all, so if you're looking for a review to tell you how accurately this series represents teenagers in Japan who are trying to pursue art as a career, this isn't it. What I can tell you is how good it was as an anime. I think "fine" is a bit too harsh to describe Blue Period, but I think this series is somewhere in between "fine" and "good." There were some moments within this series that really spoke to me, whether that be because of one ofthe characters' struggles or because of the art production. I did think some elements of this series were well done if you looked at them in a vacuum. Again, I don't know how accurate this series is in terms of art, but I found it fun to go through the process the main character went through to create his art pieces. Seeing him learn and apply skills was awesome, even if each art piece wasn't a masterpiece. There was also an attempt to show him getting better at drawing and whatnot that I appreciated, but I don't think it hit well all the time. The main character, as a character, was also fun to follow sometimes. His interactions with the other characters were often insightful enough to make them interesting.

Unfortunately, the rest of this series falls pretty flat. It's too simple. It's got a very linear plot, and because of that, it doesn't take long for the episodes to become a cycle of creating a new piece every episode. The art and animation weren't great, and that extended to the art pieces being produced. The anime was trying to reach its goal in one season, and that meant anything beyond painting and learning was background. Because of that, any time the main character had a period of introspection, it felt hollow; any time a character had a breakdown, it felt one-dimensional; character relationships felt shallow sometimes and strong at others. Really, though, the honest truth is that this anime doesn't do enough to stick in your mind. It isn't an anime that makes you think about it too much. Even writing this review, I'm struggling for things to say because I've never wanted to think about the plot and the characters before now.

I won't say "don't watch this," because this anime is a decent experience. I found a handful of moments that made it easy to relate to the characters on screen, and the conclusion of the story was ultimately satisfying. Just know that Blue Period isn't going to break any barriers. It's a standard plot without much extra fluff. The bare-bones nature with which it writes about art and its main character's interest in it is charming, but don't expect rich backstories or conflicts. Blue Period is exactly its synopsis, so the decision on whether to watch it or not is yours.