So close, yet so far away. I really wanted to like Blue Period. I liked the concept, but I hated the execution. Two years in the life of high school student Yatora Yaguchi are told in twelve episodes, which is not enough time to really develop much of anything.

Yaguchi is a pretty good student, though he does not have the best reputation hanging around with a bunch of slackers. Suddenly he becomes interested in art, and then suddenly he develops his talent. It all goes by so fast, you really can only take the word of the writers and producers. You really see nothing of the process.

There are also many other characters of interest, some who are deep and multi-layered, but again time is not spent on any of them. There are no backstories. These characters have potential, but only serve as a backdrop for Yaguchi.

You would think that an anime about art would itself contain some better than average artwork. Well, the artwork is average, but only if you do not include the character designs.

This same story could have been told in two or three seasons, or at least a season longer than a dozen episodes. It needed time to truly develop an expression. Yaguchi suddenly turning into an artist within an episode and a half lacks credibility. I would have preferred drawing the narrative out so I could have more of a chance to get into the character’s mind. Instead Blue Period is a near miss, but still a miss.