Blue Period

Yatora is a good student; high marks, plenty of friends, everything easy. In fact he takes no pleasure in any of it. One day he goes into the art room at school and sees a painting. Then he draws something himself and for the first time really wants something. He decides to get into the art university. The entrance examination is extremely hard and preparation takes years; he has one. The family can barely afford it and his parents are against the choice. Kentaro Hagiwara directs. Gordon Maeda plays Yatora. The source is Tsubasa Yamaguchi's comic. The subject is not talent but work; the film shows painting as a technical occupation and gives the exam preparation in detail. The examination is built on a real institution; the art entrance examination in Japan is known for a very low rate of acceptance. Its best sections are in the studio; the students criticise each other's work and nobody is praised easily. The narrative shortens the long story of the comic and some characters do not get enough room. The use of colour works inside the narrative; the view of the city the lead sees is the turning point of the film. Its limit is length; the narrative hurries and the emotional turns are abrupt. Who it is for: viewers who like youth drama built on art education. Who it is not for: it is incomplete for readers of the comic, the narrative is fast, and the characters thin.