Blue Period

 What a wonderful story!

While what makes a story great depends on the reader/viewer. That's what art is about. And ironically, this story, about art, is art to me. LOL. 

https://www.netflix.com/title/81318842

I'm not ashamed to admit that I've watched this 5 times. The first time I watched it alone. Netflix only had 3 episodes up and waiting until the following Saturday for the next one nearly drove me crazy. The second time, I watched it so I could show my husband how great it was. Alas, he decided that playing Fallout 4 was more interesting. The third and fourth time, it was just me, bingeing as new episodes were released and the fifth time was with my daughter. She loves to draw and paint and I thought there would be enough stuff to educate and inspire. She's a hard worker and a stickler for what's typical/rules. She sometimes has trouble just having fun and experimenting. Oddly enough, these are traits she shares with the MC of this anime. 

It was worth it to see her pull out her easel and paints and just doodle without stressing over if she could paint within the lines of her own sketch. I'm getting off track. 

This story is about a Yatora Yaguchi. Yaguchi is a high school boy who hasn't found any joy in his life. He's basically going through the motions of living. On the outside, he seems like a slacker and a delinquent but he's actually a hard worker. He's an only child and he's family isn't wealthy, so he's focused on getting a stable, steady job in the future. One day, he wanders into the school's art room and gets drawn in by an amazing painting he sees there. It's this moment where his passion is awakened. 

He doesn't spend much time fighting his inner self about whether or not he is a good artist. He actually constantly tells himself that he doesn't have talent and that all he can do is work hard. He decides that he wants to take a risk on his future and follow his passion to get into a public art college. Where Yaguchi truly has room to develop is on how to have fun and express himself using art because he never truly showed himself to others before. 

Because I often share my anime finds with my children, I will warn you about two things. 

1) There is a little nudity in this. It is not sexual in nature. He is an art student after all and nude models aren't an uncommon subject matter. 

2) Also, there is a transgender character.  Yuka-chan/Ryuji-kun. Ryuji is a male who dresses as a female and feels more comfortable as a woman. The only person in her family who accepts Yuka as she is, is her grandmother. There's lots of complexity that comes with that in relation to family dynamics and how the character relates to others. The manga probably explains it better, but since it was on backorder and I have yet to receive my copy, I can't say how well the author does or doesn't cover those issues. [I am a lover of print media, so I own very few ebooks.]

It was great seeing a manga that I was actively trying to obtain be turned into a show and I'm anxious to see what season 2 has for me. 

[links are not to advertise, just to help you find it if you're interested]