The anime adaptation of Blue Period will stream exclusively on Netflix, and unlike some other exclusive anime series on the service, the streaming giant will release new episodes of the series on a weekly schedule.
Netflix announced that they had acquired the show for distribution outside of Japan on the company's YouTube channel. The series premiere in Japan on Netflix on Sept. 25, and will make its way to traditional Japanese TV broadcast networks on Oct. 1. The series will begin streaming in territories outside of Japan on Oct. 9. Previously, Netflix has waited for many of its exclusive anime titles, such as Hi Score Girl and BEASTARS, to finish airing a full season in Japan before they release the entire series in one binge-able batch internationally. No reason was given for why Blue Period is breaking with the company's usual method of distribution and is being given an episodic release.
Tsubasa Yamaguchi's Blue Period manga began publication in 2017. The series tells the story of Yatora Yaguchi, an academically gifted and popular high school student who struggles with expressing himself. After a friend encourages him to visit his school's art club, Yaguchi falls in love with the process of painting and the creative outlet it provides. The series details Yaguchi's growth as an artist, as he first struggles to learn the basics, and how he eventually decides to pursue art as a lifelong passion.
The anime is being produced at Seven Arcs, the animation studio best known for its work on the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise, as well as other series such as Seikirei and Dog Days. The series will be directed by Read or Die's Koji Matsunari and Yu-Gi-Oh!'s Katsuya Asano. Reiko Yoshida, who previously worked on Kyoto Animation productions such as K-ON! and Liz and the Blue Bird will serve as the scriptwriter for the new show.
Blue Period is the latest anime series to be picked up by Netflix. The streaming company also secured the exclusive streaming rights for several other popular shows, most notably the next season of the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure anime, as well as Baki Hanma and the next season of the long-running Pokemon anime. Earlier this year, an animator working within the anime industry accused Netflix and its associated anime studios of paying animators on its shows well under the industry standard rate. Netflix did not respond to those allegations, but one of the animation companies named along with them, MAPPA, vehemently denied the claims. MAPPA, which produces several popular series such as Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen and collaborated with Netflix on the production of the Yasuke anime, recently announced that it is now offering new animators higher-than-average wages for working on its upcoming Chainsaw Man adaptation.
Source: YouTube
