I also just finished vol 1 of Blue Period, which is about a high schooler who excels in school but is just going through the motions and working his way up to success but he feels dissatisfied. When he walks by the art classroom and sees a painting, something just clicks for him. He actually tries on his next art assignment and feels a deep connection with art and the ability to convey such a specific and poignant feeling without words, and so he decides he wants to embrace his love for art.

This manga made my heart hurt, because I used to be such an artist when I was younger but the world telling me that it wasn’t worth it: how would I ever get a job, really wore me down. Watching Yatora struggle through learning basic techniques and compare himself to other artists was such a familiar experience.

I absolutely loved it, and I bought the next two today as well. The trans rep in this series is so good: it’s not even a point of contention, it’s just there.

Highly recommended for artists or anyone who ever wanted to be.

5/5 stars