Blue Period – Episode 7 & 8

Episode 7

I’ve never been more stressed for an exam, than I am right now and it’s someone else taking it. And on that note, who am I most stressed out for? Throughout the whole episode I would definitely say Yatora since he’s been the one we’ve been focusing on this whole time. I’m worried for Yotasuke since we haven’t been able to see much of his art throughout the series, but after that ending I’m most worried for Yuka. Maybe not just with their art, but their state of being. ; n; Yuka are you okay??

I really enjoyed the self-reflection and conversations that came about in this episode. Personally, I think there could always be a little bit more, but I did enjoy the way Yatora had to confront his current state of being with his art. When he first started, he wasn’t good compared to his peers also interested in joining TUA, but he was enjoying making art. He was enjoying what he was able to express and just being able to produce something. Sure, he constantly compared himself to others, but at the end of the day just making art and trying new things helped him to flourish. However, when the concept of exams looms over him, he takes the more traditional approach. Study and do whatever they ask to get you in. Which, when you thinking about Math or Literature that’s probably more what they are looking for, but with art? A single prompt is both so specific and vague all at the same time. The people judging the art want to see the skills, but they also want to see something fresh, new, and pushing the boundaries. It’s a hard line to juggle. So, I really like that this episode focused specifically on Yatora struggling with this concept.

And while I think I would have liked the heart to heart to come from one of his art companions, I enjoyed that they used Koi to talk to Yatora. Up until now, Koi has just been in the group of friends. He’s more stoic and tends to be the one who will make little comments about how excited he is for Yatora. At first, I didn’t think much of these comments, just one friend being proud of another. But this episode, shows us what was going through his head during that time. Koi is interested in attending pastry school which seems to blindside us. He doesn’t seem like that kind of person, and we haven’t seen him lean into anything like that. But I love how he is able to share with Yatora how proud he was of him and how it sparked him to go after what he wanted. I know we won’t exactly get to see very much about how he’s doing on that journey, but I’m happy for him too. Plus, I love that it brings Yatora to the realization that at the end of the day they are just high school students. We don’t expect them to be masters. They are still learning, still figuring out who they are and that they are going to fail. It’s scary, but it really does push him through to start having fun with art a little bit more. (Now, if that carries through to the exam? Who knows? I’m worried for him).

But boy did they leave us in a cliff hanger! Good luck to Yotasuke and Yatora, I know you two are nervous, but I believe in you! Also, please check up on Yuka… I’m worried about them and I have a feeling we’re going to learn exactly why they did what they did very soon. AAAA I’m so stressed !!

Episode 8

I think I am somehow more stressed out after this episode than I was the last. And we still didn’t even get to see Yuka all that much this time around! But now that the exam has started, everything that we’ve been building towards comes down to how well everyone does. I sincerely wish that everyone could pass, but I know our numbers are going to start whittling down. So, I’m thankful that we were able to spend some time in this episode with everyone from Ooba’s class.

But first! Let’s talk about the exam! The prompt is for them to create a Self-Portrait – simple, but also incredibly complex if you want to stand out. Even though you’re drawing your own face, you still have something to convey. Perhaps it’s like Yatora in that there are multiple versions of himself – the one you see on the outside, and the one that’s “behind” everything else. I liked seeing the struggle at the beginning with him trying to figure out how he wanted to convey his message. And boy was it a blessing that his mirror got smashed. If it weren’t already in his head to show different sides of himself, I think that this event would have been incredibly stressful for him. But without that misfortune he would have never created such a great piece. Though, if I’m honest, I personally think it would have been cooler if he kept the broken mirror idea. But I am just a humble observer and his final piece was still really incredible.

I also like how they were able to introduce one of the other exam takers and how she was really able to break down the tension for all of them. I can’t quite remember what her name was, but I do hope that we’re able to see her again. I really enjoyed that she went out of her way to apologize to Yatora for the events that had happened!

And even with all the stress of the exam, there was still so much more looming over them. They’ve completed the first exam, but there are still more on the horizons. Should you stress out about them even if you’re not sure you made it to the next round? Who knows. But thankfully Ooba has a field trip up her sleeve! And I love that it was included because it’s just a cute moment with all of the classmates, which he hadn’t interacted too much with in previous episodes. We see Sakuraba’s sense of style and we get to see Okada’s bright and cheery personality. (I’m actually really bummed that she didn’t make it to the next round. ) It was as if all the tension from the exam just melted away and they all got to have fun! Well…. until Ooba gave them their assignment.

What I enjoyed most about this assignment was how quickly Yatora went from ‘Each of us are interested in different things” to the paradox of choices. Four of the six came out with a focus on similar things. They were in a museum, what is there to paint? Museum things. However, I do like the shout out to Sakuraba for her focus on lights and Okada for her focus on the people. These two found other things in the museum they were interested in that weren’t necessarily inherent to them being an exam. Lights and people enjoying things can be found in many different places. So, it was cute getting to see them in the spotlight. It was a great opportunity to just breathe from stress of the exams.

But speaking of the exams! We’ve got our results and it looks like 3 of the 6 are heading on to the next round. Congrats Maki, Hashida, and Yatora! I’m looking forward to seeing the art you all create and best of luck getting into TUA (but at least Hashida has a back up). I can’t wait to see the art for round 2!