Blue Period (manga)

Blue Period (Japanese: ブルーピリオド, Hepburn: Burū Piriodo) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsubasa Yamaguchi. The series has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon since June 2017 and has been collected in seventeen tankōbon volumes as of May 2025. The series is licensed in English by Kodansha USA. An anime television series adaptation produced by Seven Arcs aired from October to December 2021. A live-action film adaptation premiered in Japanese theaters in August 2024.

Blue Period
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Yatora Yaguchi
ブルーピリオド (Burū Piriodo)
Genre	Coming-of-age[1] Drama[2]
Manga
Written by	Tsubasa Yamaguchi
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	NA: Kodansha USA
Imprint	Afternoon KC
Magazine	Monthly Afternoon
Original run	June 24, 2017 – present
Volumes	17
Anime television series
Directed by	Koji Masunari[a] Katsuya Asano
Written by	Reiko Yoshida
Music by	Ippei Inoue
Studio	Seven Arcs
Licensed by	Netflix (streaming rights)
Original network	JNN (MBS, TBS)
Original run	October 2, 2021 – December 18, 2021
Episodes	12
Live-action film
Directed by	Kentarō Hagiwara
Written by	Reiko Yoshida
Music by	Yaffle
Studio	Warner Bros. Japan
Released	August 9, 2024 (2024-08-09)

By November 2021, the manga had over 4.5 million copies in circulation. In 2020, Blue Period was awarded the 44th Kodansha Manga Award in the General category and the Grand Prize of the 13th Manga Taishō award.

Premise

Yatora Yaguchi is a fairly popular student who excels in school, but secretly grapples with feelings of emptiness and frustration. After a night out with his friends, Yatora sees the morning scene of Shibuya in a shade a blue that awfully touches him. This feeling would inspire his first drawing for art class, which he normally regards as a useless subject. However, later, when visiting his high school's art club and feeling passionate for something for the first time, Yatora decides to pursue art. He eventually aspires to attend the Tokyo University of the Arts (TUA) after he graduates from high school, the most prestigious public art university in Japan. The acceptance rate is extremely low, so to pass the entrance examination, Yatora must work extremely hard.

Characters

Yatora Yaguchi (矢口八虎, Yaguchi Yatora)

Voiced by: Hiromu Mineta^[3] (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Gordon Maeda^[5]

An academically gifted and diligent student whose friends are disinterested in school. After developing an interest in painting from his art club senior Mori, he is set down a path to attend art school.

Ryuji "Yuka" Ayukawa (鮎川龍二, Ayukawa Ryuji)

Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori^[3] (Japanese); Marcy Edwards^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Fumiya Takahashi^[5]

Yatora's friend and fellow art-club member. Yuka considers himself to be a non-conformist and indifferent to the opinions of others. He is male but dresses in women's clothes. Throughout the series he struggles with pressure from his family.

Yotasuke Takahashi (高橋世田介, Takahashi Yotasuke)

Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita^[3] (Japanese); Daman Mills^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Rihito Itagaki^[5]

Yatora's classmate in prep school. He is stoic and aloof towards Yatora, often sharply criticizing his work and character.

Haruka Hashida (橋田悠, Hashida Haruka)

Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi^[3] (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Ikuho Akiya^[6]

Yatora's classmate in prep school. Hashida dresses well and takes a very classical and theoretical approach to art, which shows in his work.

Maki Kuwana (桑名マキ, Kuwana Maki)

Voiced by: Yume Miyamoto^[3] (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Sena Nakajima^[6]

Another of Yatora's classmates from prep school. Her entire family attended TUA, and as a result she often struggles with feelings of inadequacy, despite being a highly talented artist in her own right.

Maru Mori (森まる, Mori Maru)

Voiced by: Mayu Aoyagi^[7] (Japanese); Triya Leong^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Hiyori Sakurada^[5]

Yatora's senior in his high school art club. To Mori art is a spiritual activity, and her pieces often incorporate images of religion and prayer. It is one of her works that spurs Yatora's interest in art.

Masako Saeki (佐伯昌子, Saeki Masako)

Voiced by: Fumi Hirano^[7] (Japanese); Anne Yatco^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Hiroko Yakushimaru^[6]

The art teacher at Yatora's high school. She is his first art teacher and guides his first steps of him improving his artistic ability.

Mayu Oba (大葉真由, Ōba Mayu)

Voiced by: Yuki Kazu^[8] (Japanese); Julia McIlvaine^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Noriko Eguchi^[6]

Yatora's teacher at prep school. She continually provides Yatora with valuable criticism and advice on how to overcome personal and technical obstacles as he continues with art.

Sumida (純田)

Voiced by: Masaya Fukunishi^[7] (Japanese); Adin Rudd^[4] (English)

A friend of Yatora's from high school. He performs poorly in school and has a keen interest in sports. He is shown to care deeply about his friends.

Koigakubo (恋ケ窪)

Voiced by: Shinichiro Kamio^[7] (Japanese); Chris Tergliafera^[4] (English)

Voiced by: Katsumi Hyodo^[6]

A friend of Yatora's from high school. He is tall, quiet, and intimidating on the outside, but over time reveals his sensitivity, dreams, and emotional character to Yatora.

Utashima (歌島)

Voiced by: Tatsumaru Tachibana^[7] (Japanese); Griffin Burns^[4] (English)

Another of Yatora's friends from high school. He does not apply himself academically but is very interested in girls and highly devoted to his friends.

Takuro Ishii (石井啄郎, Ishii Takurō)

Voiced by: Taishi Murata^[8] (Japanese); Griffin Burns^[4] (English)

Yatora's classmate at prep school.

Sae Okada (岡田さえ, Okada Sae)

Voiced by: Emiri Suyama^[8] (Japanese); Kayli Mills^[4] (English)

Yatora's classmate at prep school.

Hanako Sakuraba (桜庭華子, Sakuraba Hanako)

Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi^[8] (Japanese); Amanda Celine Miller^[4] (English)

Yatora's classmate at prep school. She always wears her school uniform to prep school, which is revealed to be to save money.

Umino (海野)

Voiced by: Miku Hiratsuka^[7] (Japanese); Jenny Yokobori^[4] (English)

A member of Yatora's high school art club.

Shirai (白井)

Voiced by: Ikumi Hasegawa^[7] (Japanese); Amber Lee Connors^[4] (English)

A member of Yatora's high school art club.

Shirota (城田)

Voiced by: Yuna Nemoto^[7] (Japanese); Kayli Mills^[4] (English)

A member of Yatora's high school art club.

Yamamoto (山本)

Voiced by: Aoi Koga^[7] (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck^[4] (English)

Media

Manga

Blue Period is written and illustrated by Tsubasa Yamaguchi. The series began in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon on June 24, 2017.^[9] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on December 22, 2017.^[10] As of May 22, 2025, seventeen volumes have been released.^[11]

In North America, Kodansha USA announced the print release of the manga in November 2019.^[12]

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	December 22, 2017[10]	978-4-06-510586-3	October 13, 2020[13]	978-1-64651-112-9
2	March 23, 2018[14]	978-4-06-511124-6	January 5, 2021[15]	978-1-64651-124-2
3	August 23, 2018[16]	978-4-06-512336-2	May 18, 2021[17]	978-1-64651-125-9
4	February 22, 2019[18]	978-4-06-514484-8	August 17, 2021[19]	978-1-64651-126-6
5	June 21, 2019[20]	978-4-06-515958-3	November 30, 2021[21]	978-1-64651-127-3
6	November 22, 2019[22]	978-4-06-517512-5	March 22, 2022[23]	978-1-64651-128-0
7	March 23, 2020[24]	978-4-06-518889-7	June 28, 2022[25]	978-1-64651-291-1
8	September 23, 2020[26][27]	978-4-06-520727-7 978-4-06-520725-3 (SE)	August 23, 2022[28]	978-1-64651-292-8
9	January 21, 2021[29]	978-4-06-521994-2	September 20, 2022[30]	978-1-64651-395-6
10	May 21, 2021[31]	978-4-06-523175-3	November 8, 2022[32]	978-1-64651-396-3
11	September 22, 2021[33][34]	978-4-06-524669-6 978-4-06-524977-2 (SE)	November 29, 2022[35]	978-1-64651-566-0
12	May 23, 2022[36]	978-4-06-527418-7	January 24, 2023[37]	978-1-64651-567-7
13	November 22, 2022[38]	978-4-06-529730-8	May 30, 2023[39]	978-1-64651-685-8
14	July 21, 2023[40]	978-4-06-531943-7	March 26, 2024[41]	978-1-64651-686-5
15	November 22, 2023[42]	978-4-06-533571-0	October 22, 2024[43]	979-8-88877-029-0
16	November 21, 2024[44]	978-4-06-537474-0	November 11, 2025[45]	979-8-88877-569-1
17	May 22, 2025[11]	978-4-06-539411-3	February 3, 2026	979-8-88-877746-6

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on January 19, 2021.^[46][47] Seven Arcs is animating the series, with Koji Masunari serving as chief director, and Katsuya Asano serving as director, with scripts by Reiko Yoshida, character designs by Tomoyuki Shitaya, and music by Ippei Inoue.^[48][7] While the series had an advanced streaming debut on Netflix on September 25, 2021,^[49][50] it aired on television from October 2 to December 18 of the same year on the Super Animeism block on MBS, TBS and other channels.^[3][b] Netflix is streaming the series on a weekly schedule outside of Japan since October 9, 2021.^[50] Omoinotake performed the opening theme "Everblue", while Mol-74 performed the ending theme "Replica".^[50]

Episodes

No.	Title [51]	Directed by [c]	Storyboarded by [c]	Original release date [52][d]
1	"Awakening to the Joy of Painting" Transliteration: "E o Kaku Yorokobi ni Mezamete Mita" (Japanese: 絵を描く悦びに目覚めてみた)	Juria Matsumura	Koji Masunari	October 2, 2021 (2021-10-02)
2	"He's Not Tanned At All" Transliteration: "Zenzen Yakete nē" (Japanese: 全然焼けてねえ)	Yūsuke Onoda	Katsuya Asano	October 9, 2021 (2021-10-09)
3	"Prep School Debut of the Dead" Transliteration: "Yobikō Debyū Obu Za Deddo" (Japanese: 予備校デビュー・オブ・ザ・デッド)	Shigeru Fukase	Tsutomu Miyazawa	October 16, 2021 (2021-10-16)[e]
4	"Where Are We Headed?" Transliteration: "Wareware wa Doko e Iku no ka" (Japanese: 我々はどこへ行くのか)	Hiromitsu Hagiwara	Yasunori Ide	October 23, 2021 (2021-10-23)
5	"Helpless Even If I Know What To Do" Transliteration: "Kadai ga Miete mo Dō Shiyō mo nē" (Japanese: 課題が見えてもどうしようもねぇ)	Shigeru Yamazaki	Hiroaki Tomita	October 30, 2021 (2021-10-30)
6	"Serious Mental Breakdown" Transliteration: "Menbure Hanpa Naitte" (Japanese: メンブレ半端ないって)	Ryūta Kawahara	Ryūta Kawahara	November 6, 2021 (2021-11-06)
7	"The Start of the First Exam" Transliteration: "Ichiji Shiken Kaishi" (Japanese: １次試験開始)	Yūsuke Onoda	Gōichi Iwahata	November 13, 2021 (2021-11-13)
8	"Brain-Racking" Transliteration: "Nōjiru Bushā" (Japanese: 脳汁ブシャー)	Masatoyo Takada	Masatoyo Takada	November 20, 2021 (2021-11-20)
9	"Wandering Knife" Transliteration: "Samayou Naifu" (Japanese: さまようナイフ)	Daisuke Kurose	Hiroaki Tomita	November 27, 2021 (2021-11-27)
10	"Our Color Blue" Transliteration: "Oretachi no Aoi Iro" (Japanese: 俺たちの青い色)	Shūjirō Ami	Shūjirō Ami	December 4, 2021 (2021-12-04)
11	"The Start of the Second Exam" Transliteration: "Niji Shiken Kaishi" (Japanese: ２次試験開始)	Kuniyasu Nishina	Yasunori Ide	December 11, 2021 (2021-12-11)
12	"When I Started to be Dyed in Color" Transliteration: "Irozuki Hajimeta Jibun" (Japanese: 色づき始めた自分)	Shin'ichi Fukumoto	Koji Masunari	December 18, 2021 (2021-12-18)

Film

A live-action film adaptation was announced on April 2, 2024. The film is directed by Kentarō Hagiwara, with scripts written by Reiko Yoshida, and music composed by Yaffle. It premiered in Japanese theaters on August 9, 2024,^[5] with Gordon Maeda starring as Yatora.^[53]

Reception

By November 2021, the manga had over 4.5 million copies in circulation.^[54] Volume 14 was Kodansha's 12th highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023–March 2024), with 145,000 copies printed.^[55]

Blue Period was one of the Jury Recommended Works at the 22nd and 24th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2019 and 2021, respectively.^[56][57] In 2019, the manga was nominated for the 12th Manga Taishō and the 43rd Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga.^[58][59] In 2020, the manga won the 13th Manga Taishō and the 44th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga.^[60][61] It was also nominated for the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.^[62]

The series ranked fourth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2019 for male readers,^[63] 14th, along with The Fable on the 2020 list;^[64] and 15th, along with Longing for Home on the 2021 list.^[65] Blue Period ranked 16th on the 2019 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine;^[66] it ranked 19th on the 2020 list;^[67] and 24th on the 2021 list.^[68] The series was also one of twelve manga series to make the 2021 Young Adult Library Services Association's top 126 graphic novels for teenagers list.^[69]

Rebecca Silverman from Anime News Network gave the first volume a B+. She praised its coming-of-age narrative and characters (specifically the adults), while criticizing it for being too informative at times.^[1]

Notes

1. Credited as Chief Director (総監督, Sō Kantoku).
2. MBS and TBS list the series premiere at 25:25 on October 1, 2021, which is effectively 1:25 a.m. JST on October 2.
3. Information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.
4. Episodes released on Netflix Japan a week before their original air date.
5. This episode aired at 1:40 a.m. JST, 15 minutes after the original air time.