Blue. A color that holds symbolism to many things of this world. Its somber nature gently gives a calming effect on the body while looking at it. A melancholic and empathic wave. It’s also the color that represents the throat chakra which is associated with communication. All of these are ways that the color blue upholds itself through symbolism. However, every Saturday morning for me as a kid, the color blue was always used to identify the leader of a group of four mutant ninja turtles that were all named after artists of the Renaissance period while fighting a blob, a warthog, a rhinoceros, and a cheese grater.
Did I mention that blue is my favorite color? Bed sheets? Blue. Car? Blue. Running shoes? Blue. Jump rope? Blue. Cigar Torch? Blue. My flag…Nah I’m just playing on that last one but you get my point. It’s a hue that resonates with my being and I am unable to get enough of it. But don’t get that confused in assuming that my style of dress is like Calvin Murphy’s suits at the end of a Houston Rockets home game.
But that’s not at all the point. During my brief stint of attending various anime conventions before everything shutdown like the red team in Hell’s Kitchen, I came across an individual whose art stood out to me. Now that’s not to say that many artists I came across weren’t worthy of being recognized. What stood out to me was the name:
Jereme Brown, being partially color blind (yeah you read that correctly), shared that blue is the only color that is vibrant to him. That being the reason why the name Series Blu stuck with him when it came to him in a dream in 2011. Originally created for entertainment, Series Blu transitioned into a collaboration of music and art. The team is comprised of Nick and Lori in addition to Jereme. Sitting down and drawing has been his place of comfort since he was 8 years old. Drawing characters such as “Animaniacs”, “Gargoyles” and “Looney Tunes” is how he initially channeled his gift and love for drawing. A personal favorite being Taz the Tasmanian Devil whom can be argued as the most popular Looney Toon despite us never understanding a damn word that came out of its mouth. A perfect example of character design that outweighed the character itself.
Around the age of 10, Jereme began to draw comics for the entertainment of his classmates. That was around the same time Jereme was graced with the introduction of anime by way of Dragon Ball Z on Toonami during its late-night runs. Toonami, a segment ran on Cartoon Network, was truly a gem that got many introduced to anime, such as myself, here in the United States which was the only source that was providing such content. Other shows such “Gundam Wing”, “Cowboy Bebop” and “Ronin Warriors” were other classics that set the foundation for anime in the future to come.
Later in life, Jereme became a part of the matrix like all of us by pursuing a career in graphic design and HTML. Being color-blind was just a small setback for Jereme as it birthed the ability to remember HTML and Hex color codes by memory. (Turquoise is his favorite out of the blue series by the way). It’s a way to make a living that expands on his gift for drawing and aligning it with business modalities. But living a life that caters to society and not to oneself isn’t truly satisfying nor fulfilling. The desire to step out of one’s shell that’s encumbered by the summation of societal expectations can cause one to experience depression. In addition, being taken for granted for a gift that is freely expressed can be depreciating when a connection isn’t made to why a person expresses what makes them who they are. This has been Jereme’s story that was transformed by his first convention in Temple, Texas for the opening of Avengers: Endgame. An environment that allowed his inner-being to thrive from other like-minded individuals was the catalyst that gave Series Blu the publicity to allow it to be more recognizable in future conventions such as Anime Matsuri, Bell County Comic Con, Dreamcon and Comicpalooza.
Jereme creative side has not succumbed to the societal effect of current events. He has been pushing out new artwork that reflects his love for anime whether it’s a classic or an on-going series that’s being aired on various streaming services. He is also responsible in designing the car wrap for the Bell County Comic Con. His website provides information for those looking for someone in need for graphic design and catalogues all his previous work for conventions under the Kid Blu alias, the mascot for Series Blu. In addition, he is currently working on creating his own manga and children’s book to further impact others just like he has been impacted for his love for anime.
My curiosity to know how he viewed the world being partially color blind had to be satiated. I asked when sitting in nature what do you see? He responds, “I see some colors. Everything is kind of washed out. Like the green look grayish to me…it just looks weird to me. It’s different. But the sky is clearly blue.”
Favorite Anime: Samurai Champloo
Favorite Manga: Blame!
Favorite Protagonist: Mugen* (Samurai Champloo)
Favorite Antagonist: Pain (Naruto: Shippuden)
Favorite Technique: United States of Smash (All Might – My Hero Academia)
Favorite Battle: Naruto Uzumaki vs Pain (Naruto: Shippuden)
Favorite Videogame: Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation 1)
Easiest Character to Draw: Son Goku (Dragon Ball Z)
Toughest Character to Draw: Its a mix-up between The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and GUNDAM.
Favorite VA*: Reuben Langdon (Dante – Devil May Cry series)
Currently Watching: Fire Force, Jujutsu Kaisen, God of High School and Attack on Titan
Inuyasha 
Sasuke (Naruto) 
Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho) 
Shinra Kusakabe (Fire Force)
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