01x08 - Brain-Racking

[bunniefuu]

Wait!

What?

What? Are you giving up?

For an artist, you've got bad eyes.

What else does it look like?

BRAIN-RACKING

It's started.

The assignment of the first exam,

a self-portrait.

A self-portrait is a difficult assignment
because it's so simple.

The easiest way is
to just draw your own appearance.

But it has to be art.

Self-portraits have been made
by various artists throughout history.

Some say that they reflect
the artists themselves in that instant.

That's what a self-portrait is.

In other words, this assignment...

is about how the examinees
interpret themselves.

The time given to me is five hours.

Not finishing in time would be pointless,

so I have to make a decision quickly.

And now,

I understand the importance
of having advantages.

Among all these people,

if you can't stand out,

you're sure to fail.

Last year's acceptance rate
of the Oil Painting Course

was about five percent.

Only one or two people in this room
will be accepted.

A mediocre and unremarkable piece
would be the worst.

On the contrary,
a terrible but eye-catching piece

can at least leave an impression.

First and foremost,
I need to make something I like.

But the composition should be
simpler and more striking than usual.

So, what do I really think of myself?

A version of myself outside the mirror,
and another one inside the mirror.

Right now, there are two versions
of myself in this world.

The delinquent and the honor student.

The hard worker and the coward.

The romantic and the realist.

Duality.

Antinomy is inherent in everything!

I'll express my duality by showing both
versions inside and outside the mirror.

It's too lame and obvious.

It's not a bad theme though.

It's hard to improve a picture
in a simple way.

And are there only two sides of me
in the first place?

Are you kidding me?

I'm so sorry!

What happened?

-Everyone throws a look of pity at me.
-Excuse me...

And immediately,

the sounds of pencils resume
as if it's not their business.

Dammit!

I won't be disqualified
for something like this, right?

They'll bring a mirror here
in five minutes.

Please go back to your seat.

Okay. I'm very sorry.

When the mirror was not broken,

I was too caught up
in the image of duality.

But the broken pieces reflect
various aspects of me.

The shattered composition is not bad.

But it's not really doing it for me.

Perhaps I should divide up
the duality image even further.

A horizontal surface can be cracked
into more pieces than a vertical one.

Instead of facing each other...

A new mirror for you.

Thank you.

This composition is simple.

The key is to show more details in it.

In other words,

it's a race against time.

First, I'll use masking tape
to make frames.

It's not a collage, so it should be okay.

Paste the masking tape
on every other frame.

Pick a shade of the frame and fill it.

Powders are not allowed,
but rubbing should be fine.

Peel off the masking tape
and consider the shadow on the face.

Make sure the image is
contrasting and distinct.

I should draw as many details as possible
to make the art rich.

But with too many details,
the canvas will lose focus

and the art will be vague.

So what should I do?

Yaguchi.

When drawing curved areas,

you can lighten the shade and lines

to make them look more three-dimensional.

I can purposely lighten certain parts.

Since the composition is simple,

I need to exaggerate the depth of field

to condense it.

We will take a one-hour lunch break now.

You won't be able to enter this room,
so bring your stuff before leaving.

Two hours left.

I'll add details in the afternoon

and focus on the eyes, the mouth,
and the earrings before finishing.

But I've got to say,

the atmosphere is so tense.

I might be able to make friends
during the lunch break of the exam.

But most of the people here will fail.

It's certainly stressful
even while eating.

Excuse me.

Are you talking to me?

I'm really sorry
about breaking your mirror before!

I sincerely apologize!

Oh...

Never mind. It's totally fine.

On the contrary, it relieved my tension.

You're too kind.

I'm glad that I didn't ruin your work.

And...

Let's...

Let's both do our best!

Eh... okay.

Bye then.

So cheerful.

I've never seen someone like that
among art students.

Looks like not all examinees
are openly hostile.

No, that's not it.

Everyone's just scared.

STUDY CHARM

Including me.

I won't stop until the very last moment.

I'm making art
willingly, stylishly, and desperately.

Wow, this is awesome.

My brain is firing up.

I'm racking my brain.

Right now, my hands are connected
straight to my brain.

All the feelings coexist.

My desperate wish to pass the exam,

and my desire to k*ll everyone.

I don't care about the exam anymore.

Just please let me make this piece.

Make sure to put your name on it.

It's over.

Is this art piece

-Please put down your pencils,
-good enough to pass or not?

-unless you want to be disqualified.
-I have no idea.

Anyway, the first exam is over.

Your mirror?

That must have been a disaster, Yatora.

It sure was.

But I guess that's a part of luck.

In my room, there was a guy with a topknot
who danced while drawing,

and a pretty woman who kept groaning.

That must have been like hell.

Well, the first exam's finally over.

It's been a while since we got together.

-How about having some barbecue...
-Let me go home and sleep today.

How about you, Yotasuke?

It was okay.

Not as intense as I thought.

There were a few people
who were ahead of the others.

But a third of them
just came for the experience.

Now I understand
why TUA's acceptance rate is so low.

There's a trend to apply
to TUA no matter what.

I'll probably pass the first exam.

But with so many people,
there must be some who pass by pure luck.

What's really scary

is the second exam.

An all-out brawl
between the lucky and the strong.

Well, that's only
if I pass the first exam.

Some were ahead of the others...

Speaking of that,

I peeked at her piece on my way home
and it was good.

Okay, stop.

There's no point thinking about it.

Anyway, the first exam is over.

Good work,

me.

I'll worry about the second exam

after passing the first one.

TOKYO ART INSTITUTE

That's unfortunately
not the case for the TUA exam.

Hey!

Good work, everyone.

But there are only seven days left
until the second exam.

Let's keep making art today.

It's too tough to go to prep school
the day after the exam.

My brain is not working.

The results of the first exam
will be out in three days.

There's no time to waste waiting.

But still,

I totally can't switch up my mind.

All right.

How about we all go out
and take a breather tomorrow?

What?

Take a breather?

-At this time?
-Yes.

You've all worked really hard.

Sometimes you just have to
get some fresh air.

But...

there's only one week
until the second exam.

Every year, in the three days
leading up to the first exam results,

no one can concentrate on making art.

Besides, for the second exam
coming up in seven days,

they'll ask you
to finish an oil painting in three days.

One more thing,

you'll need to submit a sketchbook.

About this sketchbook,
I've heard of it before.

But what exactly is it?

A sketchbook is a sketchbook.

You'll have to do roughs,

and write down the intention of your art
in the sketchbook.

By the way, have you heard
how TUA exams are scored?

For the first exam, you will pass
if one professor says "okay."

But for the second exam,

you'll need the acceptance
of two professors to remain in the game.

Then with consideration to
all of their submissions,

all the professors
will judge the expressiveness

and idiosyncrasies of each examinee.

Basically, they'll scrutinize the intent
behind your art more closely.

To sort out your thoughts,

isn't it a good idea
to go out and get stimulated?

-Let's go out!
-Let's go out!

-Go out...
-Go out...

-Yay!
-All right. Just switch up your minds.

I'll be interviewing you now.

Man.

I really can't concentrate.

You look so beat.

I feel bad for him.

He said that his mirror got broken
during the first exam.

Perhaps he couldn't draw properly.

Yaguchi.

How was the first exam?

To be honest,

I think I did a pretty good job.

I see.

It's interesting.

If you can finish it properly,
it'll be very impactful.

It'd be a shame if it doesn't work out.

Somehow, I feel like I was able to
incorporate what I've learned so far.

But...

I don't know if I can make anything
as good as this in the second exam.

I've made far fewer oil paintings
than pencil drawings.

And I've done nothing
but drawings recently.

I started making art
later than everyone else.

The compositions that worked for drawings
might not work for oil paintings.

And I have little understanding of colors,

or the properties of the oil,

or the characteristics of the materials.

In other words,

there are a lot of challenges
in front of you,

but you don't know where to start.

Well, just look forward to
tomorrow's outing.

We'll go somewhere super fun and exciting.

I mean, nobody's here.

Hey. Good morning...

She always wears a uniform, right?

Her fashion sense is way different
from what I expected.

Are you into rock music?

Hey!

Sorry I'm late.

What? Just the two of you?

Good morning, Okada.

Seriously, good morning...

Yaguchi, you don't look good.

Oh, Sakuraba.

You look so cute today.

Isn't your outfit cute?

-I'd wear something like this.
-Okada.

-Where do you get these?
-So strong.

Here are your tickets.

Sketching is okay,
but photography is not allowed inside.

I thought we were
going to visit an art museum.

Wow!

The skeletons are so cute!

Look at those curves!

Okada.

She's so excited.

Facts!

I'm amazed
she can properly relax with such ease.

I see.

I've been holding my breath
to stay focused all this time.

But

if I keep holding my breath,

I'll suffocate.

Taking a breather

is not slacking.

Well, well. That was fun.

That frilled lizard skeleton was so cute!

That specimen of
a blood vessel injection was also pretty.

I know.

We should have bought a pictorial record.

Oba Sensei,

are we going back to prep school later?

No, we're going another round.

-What?
-What?

In the first round,
you were just having fun.

In the second round,
you'll look for inspiration for art.

Today's assignment is
to make art from observation.

You'll make art at the prep school
based on your observations here.

Don't just draw.

Think about the difference
between the first and second rounds.

Turns out it's not just taking a break.

But if I was told
it was an assignment from the start,

I would have looked for something
to draw in the first round.

Even though I'm seeing the same things,

my focus is totally different
from the first round.

I don't think it's just me.

Looking at things as art,

everyone would be
drawn to different things.

That's what I thought.

I didn't expect you all
to pick similar things.

Despite having so many options,

why were you all drawn to similar things?

Is this the paradox of choice?

Bingo! Well done, Yaguchi.

When there are too many options,
humans have trouble choosing.

But these two pieces
from Okada and Sakuraba...

Your viewpoints
are different from the rest.

Why did you choose these?

Because... I'm interested in people.

So I was more drawn
to the viewers than the exhibition.

That one had the coolest lighting.

I see.

What is with me?

I was so sure people had different views.

I'm so lame.

Just stupid.

I knew it from the beginning.

I'm just a man of mediocrity.

How's that? We haven't done
an open evaluation in a while.

Did you make any surprising discoveries?

You don't have to force yourself
to be eccentric or imitate others.

In fact,
by looking at other people's work,

you can discover
new things about yourself.

All right. Tomorrow, the results
of TUA's first exam will be announced.

The results will be out at 10 a.m.

They'll be on the university
bulletin board and on the web.

Regardless of the result,
please contact me.

Those who pass should come
to prep school for assignments as usual.

I won't say
that the results aren't everything.

But in the past several months,

you guys faced
your weaknesses and strengths.

You didn't stop making art.

That will surely be
an asset to you one day.

All right. See you tomorrow.

This might be the last time
we see each other before the exam.

What a strange feeling.

Not really.

It'll be a week at the longest, right?

You were like
an unmotivated cat yesterday.

Got your confidence back?

It's not that.

Just don't say I'm creepy.

Knowing that I'll have a long way to go,

it's frustrating, but I was relieved.

I'm still scared to see the results,
but I feel indifferent now.

That's creepy.

I know.

Goodbye, Hashida.

See you.

Yatora is really

such a creep.

TUA OIL PAINTING COURSE
RESULTS OF THE FIRST EXAM

Okay, I see.

Got it. See you later.

Here's the first one
who passed the first exam,

Kuwana.

Good morning.

Morning.

Am I the only one?

No, there are two more.

Good morning.

-Morning.
-Morning.

And the last one is...

Good morning.