Watch Blue Period for Inspiration, but Don’t Expect Perfection
Blue Period tells the story of Yatora, a high school student excelling academically but feeling unfulfilled in life. When he unexpectedly discovers a passion for painting, he embarks on a journey to pursue art despite the challenges ahead.First off: as someone unfamiliar with the original Blue Period manga or anime, the story was entirely new to me, so I may view it differently than fans of the source material.
The Good: The soundtrack is fantastic and fits perfectly with the film's emotional tone. There were some creative choices I found intriguing, especially the use of CGI to visualize the main character's imagination—it added an extra layer of immersion. The storyline includes some inspiring, motivational moments that stick with you and the artwork featured throughout the film is absolutely beautiful.
The Not So Good: At times, the story felt a bit predictable, following a familiar path. It’s also clear that this is an adaptation, and unfortunately, some characters don’t get enough screentime for their motivations to come through clearly. As a result, their actions can feel underdeveloped, which makes it harder for the audience to connect with them. In my opinion, the directing and editing were occasionally uneven, leading to some awkward transitions. Lastly, while some actors stood out with strong performances, others didn’t quite hit the mark.
Overall, Blue Period delivers an inspiring coming-of-age story with stunning visuals and a solid message, though some narrative and pacing issues hold it back from fully reaching its potential.
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Minority Misrepresentation
After viewing the picture, I wanted to read the original source. Surprisingly, the film conveyed a very complete picture in 2 hours. Yes, this is a movie, even though the script contains a plausible life of a schoolboy who is mired in a feeling of emptiness, despite the slight fabulousness, in life there are miracles when in a year you can become someone.The picture is of high quality in technical design: paints, light, color, angle, special effects, sound design.
Psychological side: the theme of emptiness in the human personality, hiding oneself in the box of a socially useful/pleasing personality. Lack of confidence in your abilities due to various circumstances.
Accepting yourself and your personality in the environment....
All this, to some extent, the hero is restoring a picture called “I”, but I don’t think that the process has a final version.
I really liked this whole part and I’m ready to re-watch it for this BUT!
I don't know if this is a feature of Japanese cinema or what, but the representation of minorities here is grossly flawed.
First, the main character deadname a transgender person. The heroine clearly identifies herself as a woman, so the “otomen” version is excluded by itself, secondly, in the original source she also positions herself as a woman. But then the manga and the film begin to have problems.
I started looking for an interview, although she did not go into detail, but the mangaka seemed to have outdated wording of descriptions and understanding of the “phases” of transgender people, rather, at what age does awareness begin in connection with modern access to information. The heroine is not a child and clearly distinguishes herself based on this.
I could not understand why throughout the entire film she did not directly express to the hero that she did not like it when he deadnamed her. Moreover, they already had a dispute about psychological constraint. The characters had quite a few opportunities to discuss this issue, but it was neither made nor corrected in the film.
What is even more highlighted in the film is that the hero and she, like twins, almost seem to go through the question of establishing themselves as individuals in a social environment, with the struggle to do what makes them alive. Her drama was even very intensified by the moment when she could no longer follow the path that her beloved grandmother had chosen for her, but not she. And in a strong scene where the hero and she reveal their soulmate to each other, the hero deadname her.
Reading the reviews, I realized that such mistakes in films, when it is clearly visible that the creators did not even bother to clearly find out from the representatives of the minority themselves whether they are representing them correctly, misinform the audience. And without understanding anything on the topic, they mix their personal views or rumors with labels and partial lies about minorities, confusing the viewer.
Which is why some argue that this is an otomen, while others explain that this is a transperson. After all, the author herself and the filmmakers mixed all these concepts in one. When she communicates with the hero, otomen. When she introduces herself as a woman, she is already a transperson.
In my opinion, if cinema today has decided to use the most vulnerable part of the planet’s population for the sake of highlighting drama, then this cinema should, at least for the sake of respect, consult on the correctness of representation. And not to imagine how they heard from third parties, analyzing such a sensitive issue through their heteroconsciousness.
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will increase your life quality at once...
watch this movi whenever u feel upset or need motivation.this represent all of us in our daily life struggling with comparison , negative impulses and feeling miserable to the point that weay start copying others creatures , behavior , beliefes and styles because we think we are not as good as them to reveal ourselves and whatever they do is th best.
his development start once he self-examined and start to figure out what he actually like and who he actually is ...
after watching , you'll find yourself much more confident and all your talents, beauties, creativeness and exclusiveness
will come up..
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This review may contain spoilers
As a fan of the Blue Period anime I think the movie took unnecessary liberties with some of the characters like Ryuji and Yatori's 3 best friends. That being said the movie still overall follows the themes of the anime. I haven't read the manga so I am not sure how different the movie is from that. Maeda Gordon is actually perfectly cast as Yatori. I really liked his performance. The scene with Yatori and Shin at the pastry shop and the scenes with Yatori and Ryuji were very well done and we see the growth of those characters in those moments. Takahashi Fumiya played Ryuji and he was absolutely stunning. Another great performance by him as well. However, I feel like his character's arc was rushed.
It's a better movie in my opinion if you haven't watched the anime. If you have seen the anime you can't help but compare and find the inconsistencies and flaws. It's worth a watch, all the same though.
2/25/25
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This review may contain spoilers
"Many Are More Talented Than I Am, But They Can't Create What I Can."
I haven't seen the anime so I had no preconceived notions of what this movie should be or shouldn't be. I just knew that art is a central theme, so I basically went into this blind. I suppose it was a good thing I didn't watch the anime or read the manga because I actually really enjoyed this. I might have judged it in comparison to the anime/manga if I had been a fan of the source material.Yaguchi Yatora is the central figure in this story, a relatively ordinary teenager just trying to conform to society's expectations, to be a good student and make his parents proud but careful not to stand out or seem too geeky that he'd be ostracized by his peers. In other words, his life revolves around fitting in and pleasing other people save for himself. Because of this, he has never once felt like his own person or discovered what he really wants to do with his life until he stumbles upon Mori Maru's art and ignites something deeply provocative in him, compelling him to reflect on his own existentialism. And so he embarks upon the challenging journey of seriously pursuing art despite the fact that he has little to no talent and has to start from scratch, competing against far more skilled and gifted artists than he is. The movie follows him as he struggles with his own perfectionism and suffers blow after blow to his self-esteem, and yet continues to be determined to try again until he reaches the pinnacle.
Yes, the plot is simple and fairly predictable. It doesn't attempt to do the unexpected and you know where the protagonist's journey ends. But it's not the destination that matters here, it's the many obstacles and moments of self-doubt along the way that the plot focuses on. It's a moving character-driven story that explores the complexities of human desires and the lengths one is willing to go through to achieve them despite the hardships, pain, and humiliation. Every time Yaguchi fails and ponders upon giving up his dream, I feel it, I can relate to it. Gordon subtlely but expertly portrays Yaguchi's sadness and frustration, so kudos to him. But I must admit, he was overshadowed by Fumiya's portrayal of Ryuji. I never thought a complex cross-dressing character could be so beautifully and poignantly portrayed by anyone, let alone Fumiya. I wasn't a fan of his before this, but I've been completely converted. He should be given meatier roles like this. He is perfect for Ryuji! I found their beyond-friendship dynamic profoundly compelling. The movie actually reminds me of The Lines That Define Me but with a better ending, better visuals, a more inspiring story, and more complex characters.
The production value in this is also highly commendable. The special effects are way cooler than I thought they would be. I imagine that in the anime/manga, Yaguchi's imagination and creative reveries are depicted in fantastical visuals that transport the viewer/reader to an alternate world that exists inside his mind, and the movie does well in adapting that into live action. And damn, the cinematography is chef's kiss! The color grading and filters, especially the bluish hues they chose to depict Shibuya's early morning cityscapes, really bring out the somber beauty of Tokyo. I felt like I wanted to be there, I was there, and should be there. Even the subtle details of trash littering the streets and drunk teens smoking on sidewalks give authenticity to the place, something that is rarely shown in dramas or movies that aim to only present the pleasing aspects of a place.
I have to talk about the music because I seriously think it's the best part of the movie. The soundtrack/musical score is a cultural experience by itself! The music is practically the gravitational force that brings it all together. The funky and jazzy song that plays in the first few minutes of the movie immediately sets the artsy tone. The music remains consistent throughout the film, announcing its presence when you're supposed to notice it and toning things down when it's supposed to stay in the background like inconspicuous white noise. It's certainly one of the best soundtracks in any Japanese drama or movie I've seen thus far. Very well done indeed!
My only complaint is that it's too short and left me wanting more. I felt that this could've worked better as a short drama instead of a two-hour movie. The characters could've used more fleshing out. I found myself getting attached to the main characters but the side characters felt like fodder. I wanted to get to know them more. I bet the anime does better at this.
Thanks to this movie, I no longer have any reason to sleep on the anime. I will definitely check it out! I give Blue Period a solid 9 out of 10.
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