The master-apprentice relationship, usually with a man in the former role and a woman in the latter, has been a popular theme in recent Japanese films. The appeal to the target audience is aspirational, since learning how to make scrumptious tofu or Chinese food, even from an irascible older guy, sounds more fulfilling than whatever dull gig they are actually doing.
Kazuaki Seki’s “Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey” takes this relationship to cartoonish extremes that may give viewers pause about following in the protagonist’s footsteps.
Based on an autobiographical comic by Akiko Higashimura and starring Mei Nagano in the title role, the film traces Akiko’s path from childhood prodigy (she’s compared by her comically indulgent parents to Pablo Picasso) to successful manga artist. But the focus is squarely on Akiko’s long apprenticeship under Kenzo Hidaka (Yo Oizumi), an art teacher in her native Miyazaki Prefecture.
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