Blue Period in English: where it stands before volume 18

What Blue Period is about

Blue Period is a manga by Tsubasa Yamaguchi. It started in Japan in 2017. It is a drama and slice of life story about drawing and growing up.

Yatora Yaguchi gets top grades. He also stays out all night with his friends. He is good at reading what people want from him. Art is the one subject he has never taken seriously.

That changes when he sees a painting by Mori from the art club. He cannot look away from it. So he picks up a brush himself and paints Shibuya at dawn. Putting what he saw onto the canvas hooks him.

His new target is Tokyo University of the Arts. It is the hardest art school in Japan to get into. The manga follows the work that goal takes in real detail.

What kind of manga it is

This series teaches as it goes. Lessons on drawing, color and composition are part of the story. Its themes are drawing, coming of age, education and philosophy.

Art students are an obvious fit. So is anyone who found a passion late. Fans of grounded coming of age drama will like it too.

Where it stands in Japan

Blue Period is still running in Japan. As of October 2026 it has 19 volumes there. The series is not finished.

Where it stands in English

Kodansha publishes Blue Period in English. There are 17 volumes out. Volume 17 came out on 3 February 2026.

English readers are two volumes behind Japan. That gap closes by one when the next volume lands.

When volume 18 comes out

Volume 18 arrives in English on 1 December 2026. It comes out in paperback. The Blue Period volume 18 page has the details.

After that release one Japanese volume will still be waiting for English. That is volume 19.

How to start

Begin with Volume 1. It is the place to start the story. Each step Yatora takes toward art school builds on the last one. Skipping ahead would cost you the lessons that come along the way.

New readers have 17 English volumes to read before December. Readers who stopped partway can pick up where they left off. Every English volume and its date is on the Blue Period series page.

Quick answers

• How many volumes does Blue Period have? It has 19 volumes in Japan so far.
• Is Blue Period finished? No. It is still running in Japan.
• How many volumes are out in English? There are 17. Volume 17 came out on 3 February 2026.
• When does volume 18 come out in English? On 1 December 2026.
• Where should I start? With Volume 1.