Warner Brothers Pictures recently announced a live action film adaptation of the manga, Blue Period, following its beloved Netflix anime. Keep reading for more details.
There’s been a lot going on with the Blue Period franchise. If you’re a fan of the Netflix anime, you might be interested to know that before coming to theaters, Blue Period has also been made into a stage play running in Tokyo this Spring with stage actor Kurumu Okamiya (Tabikurage Detective Diary – Crunchyroll) leading as Yatora Yaguchi.
If you’ve seen the anime or read the manga — and noticed all the live action movies coming out of Japan lately — you may have been wondering when we’d be getting a live action version for Blue Period. Well, here’s everything you need to know about Blue Period’s release this year.
What is Blue Period about?
Debuting as a manga in 2017, Blue Period follows high school student Yatora Yaguchi who’s breezing through classes and enjoying his social life but… well, he’s just bore.
Until he stumbles upon a painting that changes everything. Intrigued by it, he finds himself suddenly interested in art and especially painting even though he has never done anything ‘difficult’ before. But in order to understand this feeling, he throws himself into new territories without hesitation — aiming straight for Tokyo’s top art school.
Here’s an anime trailer if you’d like to watch it while waiting for the film.
When will Blue Period live action release?
The movie is set to hit theaters from August 9th, 2024 starting in Japan and hopefully making its way across other cinemas sooner rather than later. (Please.)
Who is in the cast of Blue Period?
Japanese American actor Gordon Maeda (Promise Cinderella, Tokyo Revengers) leads as Yatora Yaguchi — a high schooler who suddenly falls in love with making art and wants to be great at it.
Fumiya Takahashi, whom you might recognize from Netflix’s I Will Be Your Bloom or 2023’s Japanese high school romance Our Secret Diary plays Ryuji ‘Yuka’ Ayukawa — Yaguchi’s gender nonconforming friend.
Hiyori Sakurada, also from Our Secret Diary alongside Takahasi and silent, plays Maru Mori — the upperclassman who first inspires Yaguchi with her painting.
Rihito Itagaki (MARS: Zero’s Revolution, Fermat’s Cuisine) is Yotasuke Takahasi. An art prodigy who acts as Yaguchi’s toughest competitor by always pushing him to learn and create more.
Who is directing Blue Period?
The live action director is Kentarō Hagiwara who also directed Tokyo Ghoul’s live action movie. Reiko Yoshida of the Blue Period anime and Violet Evergarden: The Movie has written the script. Which feels pretty exciting.
Blue Period creator quote:
In a quote from the manga creator published on ComicBook.com, Tsubasa Yamaguchi shares:
To be honest, I was impressed by the movie ‘Blue Period’ where realism was present in every scene opposing artificiality. The actors practiced painting a lot, and when I saw them for the first time on set. I couldn’t believe that each person moved like a painter. Especially when I met Maeda-san [Gordon]. It was so embarrassing that it felt like meeting my classmate Yaguchi-kun.
How do you make this into a movie from scratch? Director Hagiwara has given me faith in this project with his strong views and constant thoughts about how best we can reach out with our films to audiences. Which is why I am glad he took it up. So if only everyone could sense that drive individuals have when they want to start doing something.”
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