For once, Blue Period Episode 8 was helped by its frantic nature and not hurt by it. Exams can be stressful, but not as stressful as breaking a mirror and getting 7 years of bad luck. Let’s get to the review and find out what I’m talking about!
Blue Period Episode 8 Overview
Blue Period is a slice of life drama anime brought to our screens by anime studio Seven Arcs, known for its slice of life and comedy shows such as Dog Days and Tonikaku Kawaii. The series is based upon a highly acclaimed manga penned by Tsubasa Yamaguchi. It is one of the most anticipated shows of the Fall 2021 season and an adaptation that has been highly waited upon for four years.
Koji Masunari and Katsuya Asano are directing the show, with Masunari serving as the chief director. He is a veteran of the industry, having been around for more than two decades and directing shows like Kamichu and Magi: The Kingdom of Magic. Katsuya Asano is known for directing episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh Vrains, among other things. You can read our review of the seventh episode here!
– Blue Period Episode 8 Review does not contain spoilers –
Blue Period Episode 8 Review- Plot and Characters
They say that a show is only as good as its main character. There are merits to this argument despite it being too general of a statement, and a bad cast can certainly derail, if not destroy, a show’s chances to be ever looked upon as good or high quality. However, this doesn’t apply in any manner to Blue Period, as it has shown time and time again that it has a fantastic cast of characters who have several distinguished characteristics and personalities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best among them is Yatora Yaguchi, our main character.
There is a duality to Yatora, which the show saw fit to explore in Blue Period Episode 8. He has the looks of an anime MC but doesn’t really have the personality to back it up. He isn’t even particularly talented in his chosen field of art. He is simultaneously the most and least interesting character in the show, depending on which face he decides to put out in front of others. He is both a delinquent and a hard worker in his own words.
Blue Period is about his journey to self-reflection and being true to himself. He has spent all his life trying to be the best version of what others think of him, and art is the first time he did something for himself. The show didn’t exactly do a great job in making this aspect of his character clearer, and one can make the claim that Yatora deserves better. However, Blue Period Episode 8 did a great job expanding his horizons as a main character and a human being.
Read More- Komi Can’t Communicate Episode 7 Review: Komi Is A Certified Treasure
We saw Ryuuji give up on art towards the end of the last episode, and it is obvious that something major is going on in their life. However, Blue Period Episode 8 was about Yatora and his submission in the first exam. A lot goes wrong while he’s trying to make it to his dream college, but he manages to make it work somehow, even getting inspired by a mirror related tragedy. He wouldn’t be home-free even if he passed the exam, as there are some more obstacles in his way before he can be home free.
That’s where the MVP of the series, Ms Ooba, comes in and does her best to get him out of the dumps again. She continues to prove that she is an incredibly written character and that her students are lucky to have her. We also see some more of Hashida, Yotasuke, and the mysterious pretty girl, Sakuraba. Blue Period Episode 8 was tense and stressful in just the right way, and it was able to capture the exact feeling one gets while sitting in an examination hall.
Blue Period Episode 8 Review- Art and Music
The soundtrack of Blue Period remains its best quality, and if nothing else, we should be glad that it exists even if the adaptation isn’t as good as it could have been. The background score uses a variety of instruments to convey the exact feelings that it set out to do. The opening and ending themes are certified bangers, and I just wish that Blue Period Episode 8 looked as good as it sounded. Some frames look like children’s drawings, and Episode 1 Yatora could have done a better job than this.
Verdict
Besides the usual complaints about the animation quality, Blue Period Episode 8 was a fantastic episode that succeeded in stressing out and making you laugh in equal measures.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!