School’s out, but so’s Yatora. He’s decided to pick up work for the break with his high school art teacher’s class, which brings children into the mix. And if that wasn’t bad enough, parents are coming along for the ride.
Blue Period continues to confound me, as it is a series that I generally really like and have the absolute hardest time reading. Part of it is the sections where it feels like I’m in the middle of an art history class that I never signed up for - this volume’s Picasso section was informative, but also slowed things to a crawl.
If it doesn’t do great at integrating the informational into the narrative at times, and to be fair it occasionally does this very well, it is indeed said narrative that saves the day. I love how there’s always something new for it to say and how it shows the growth and progression of Yatora and the others.
The introduction of children threatens to go too twee or too precocious, but the needle winds up deftly threaded. It’s not the most revelatory thing - this just in, parents can be unintentionally cruel or might be using your very important class as a bonafide day care - but it works anyway because it is so well written.
Bringing Hashida into the mix turns out to be a great idea, as he’s always been a fun character, but we learn a lot more about him via the kids and their interactions. His arc in particular pulls no punches and if the victory for one person feels pretty Pyrhhic, that’s nothing compared to how Hashida judges himself (and the contrast with how Yatora envies him is great).
Yatora’s arc is mostly with the problem kid, and it’s a story about seeing what somebody is good at and channeling them to focus on what they love and do best. It’s a pretty strong arc and also features a super sentai show because reasons. Yatora is a lot more of the nerd than he lets on, but he also sees people in a way others don’t.
And speaking of contrasts, the way both Hashida and Yatora have their mutual struggles but only Yatora, who feels inferior, comes out decisively with the win, is a little brilliant. Hashida has, arguably, the more difficult charge in the form of poor Sae-chan, but try telling him that.
It’s a really interesting way to spend the break and when school does start up again, well, the story closes out with the return of a character I’m not upset to be seeing once more (sadly it’s not Ryuji). I love how the cast keeps circling one another’s lives and dipping in and out.
4 stars - I think some of my issues with this story are me problems, but there’s no getting around the fact that this is a really great manga that feels like a slog at times. But when it’s good, as it is for most of this volume, it’s one of the most interesting books I’m reading.