Barakamon

Seishuu Handa is an up-and-coming calligrapher: young, handsome, talented, and unfortunately, a narcissist to boot. When a veteran labels his award-winning piece as "unoriginal," Seishuu quickly loses his cool with severe repercussions.

As punishment, and also in order to aid him in self-reflection, Seishuu's father exiles him to the Goto Islands, far from the comfortable Tokyo lifestyle the temperamental artist is used to. Now thrown into a rural setting, Seishuu must attempt to find new inspiration and develop his own unique art style—that is, if boisterous children (headed by the frisky Naru Kotoishi), fujoshi middle schoolers, and energetic old men stop barging into his house! The newest addition to the intimate and quirky Goto community only wants to get some work done, but the islands are far from the peaceful countryside he signed up for. Thanks to his wacky neighbors who are entirely incapable of minding their own business, the arrogant calligrapher learns so much more than he ever hoped to.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Barakamon
Other:	Mijikamon
Prequel:	Handa-kun

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Characters & Voice Actors

Kotoishi, Naru

Main

Hara, Suzuko
Japanese

Handa, Sei

Main

Ono, Daisuke
Japanese

Arai, Tamako

Supporting

Ookubo, Rumi
Japanese

Kubota, Hina

Supporting

Endou, Rina
Japanese

Yamamura, Miwa

Supporting

Furuki, Nozomi
Japanese

Handa, Emi

Supporting

Takamori, Yoshino
Japanese

Kido, Hiroshi

Supporting

Uchiyama, Kouki
Japanese

Kawafuji, Takao

Supporting

Suwabe, Junichi
Japanese

Sakamoto, Kazuyuki

Supporting

Tachiki, Fumihiko
Japanese

Oohama, Kentarou

Supporting

Kimura, Seiya
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Nakatani, Toshio

Producer

Ogasawara, Muneki

Producer

Tachibana, Masaki

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, 2nd Key Animation, Principle Drawing, Key Animation

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Opening Theme

"Rashisa (らしさ)" by SUPER BEAVER (eps 1-10, 12)

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Ending Theme

"Innocence" by NoisyCell

Reviews

Dec 31, 2014

Veronin

Recommended

Barakamon shows that you don't need aliens, magical powers and love triangles in order to create an exciting anime. Barakamon is not a tale of good triumphing over evil or a couple finding true love within one another, but rather an example of why our uneventful daily lives is story enough, even if said life involves being assaulted by small children.

There isn't a great deal that occurs in Barakamon's regrettably short 12-episode run. There is no overarching, deep story to keep you on the edge of your seat, and by the end of the final episode, not a whole lot has changed from the ... beginning. If you were to explain the story of Barakamon to one of your friends, they would likely respond by saying "That's it? Sounds boring." And they would be horribly wrong, as Barakamon is easily one of the best anime of the entire year.

The characters in Barakamon are the story. It is about Handa Seishuu, a 23-year-old calligrapher prone to anger and misfortune, and his friendship with the villagers who continually screw him over through a myriad of hilarious accidents. He does not undergo a great transformation by the end of the anime, but simply experiences the joy of human companionship, and no-- this theme is not told through preaching morals. Barakamon is very subtle with its themes, choosing instead to develop characters gradually and believably rather than through melodrama. As immature as Handa and the characters often are, Barakamon is actually a surprisingly mature anime.

When Handa finds himself staring in awe at the starry night, the writers do not feel the need to explain what Handa is feeling at that moment. At that point in the story, Handa has been characterised so believably that empathising with his thoughts and feelings becomes natural. He's not a walking gag, an archetype made to appeal to the audience's most basic instincts. He is his own person, highly flawed and vulnerable to mistakes. Whereas most anime protagonists are so dull, so devoid of personality or history that you could throw them into just about any other show, Handa feels at home in his own series.

And the same can be said for all the other characters. The kids, especially Naru in particular, are unique in the way that they actually behave like kids. Naru is mouthy, aggressive and intellectually inferior to the adults. She collects bugs, finds poop funny, eats live snails (ugh!) and annoys Handa in just about every way possible. Naru is not cute in the same way that loli characters are. She is an actual child, not a pretend-child created to please the nether regions of lolicons. Just like real, living kids, Naru and her companions are often frustrating and bring ruin to just about everything they encounter, but that energy is precisely what makes them so endearing.

The humour of Barakamon is also surprisingly thoughtful, and it hits the mark more than perhaps could ever be expected from an anime. There were no moments where the joke fell completely flat (as was sometimes the case with similar anime like Silver Spoon and Gekkan Shoujo). There are few, if any puns and stereotypical Japanese humour, even if it does still follow the typical manzai format of stupid-thing-happens-and-people-react-to-stupid-thing. The stupid things in Barakamon work because they are actually rooted in reality. It doesn't create its comedy through the characters reacting in some ridiculous, unbelievable way, but through the kinds of accidents that typically follow from playing with children. And from Handa suffering.

Unlike most slice-of-life comedies, Barakamon knows how to strike a perfect balance between its humour and the more heart-warming moments. These moments are well-placed and purposely kept rare so that they may carry meaning. What most anime are incapable of grasping is that in the real world, we find beauty in between mountains of hardship; it is not something that can be created artificially and sold and traded at the dollar store. Barakamon understands this, which is precisely why its events feel so natural, even if they do not carry any huge wave of emotion along with them.

Barakamon also deserves some praise for its willingness to tell a story with characters of all ages. There are the kids, a few teenagers in the local high school, the adult protagonist and his friends from the city, and the middle-aged and elderly villagers. It does not focus solely on 15-year-olds, and for that Barakamon is all the more special.

The calligraphy aspect of the show does have its share of issues, though. Because the focus is almost entirely on the comedy and the slice-of-life, there isn't much detail given to the calligraphy world that Handa is a part of. What makes a good piece of writing? What makes a bad one? Why is Handa's new style so much more meaningful, and what is it even like to be a calligrapher? None of these questions are fully answered. If you don't have any knowledge of calligraphy (and I expect you won't-- I certainly did not), then it's likely these scenes will not do much for you. I found myself much more invested in all the immature shenanigans that occurred between Handa and the villagers. At the very least, I suppose it did show that there's a bit more to calligraphy than simply slapping cool-looking kanji on a piece of paper.

Barakamon looks and sounds great. While there's no gorgeous setpieces and scenery to bring heaven to your eyeballs, the artwork is still very attractive and consistent. The opening track is also pure bliss. I would recommend giving it a listen any time you're feeling awful; it's like magic.

Will Barakamon shock and bring you to tears? Probably not. But it will almost assuredly change the opinions of anyone who previously found the slice-of-life genre boring, and what it lacks in emotional value it makes up for by being executed nearly to perfection. It is one of the most enjoyable, pleasant experiences I've had with an anime in a very long time, and anyone who simply wants to have a good time and relax would be doing themselves a huge favour by giving Barakamon a try. Its greatest sin is that there just isn't any more of it to watch.

As for the best anime of 2014, Barakamon is the winner in my eyes.

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Feb 22, 2021

Venormous

Mixed Feelings

The concept of slice of life always has their own unique feature it in.The genre can have a lot of elements.It could be a comedy series that make you laugh.It can be a romance series that make you smile.It can even took a more serious tone with dramas that make you entangled with the story,or it could be a more lay back type of show where you just sit down and watch the show,not because it's an interesting type of story to watch.It's because it's relaxing and it cools down your mind.The genre can have an interesting stories and it can have a more lay ... back type of story.

Barakamon is an example of a more simple lay back type of slice of life.Many people praises the show and till this day,people still think this one of the best slice of life ever made.However,I beg to differ.

The show starts of with a unique premise.A failed caligrapher gets sent to an island,where he will learn the ways of life and somehow build him into a better person than before.It's basically an underdog story.As much as the underdog type of story has been used for so many times.It's always satisfying to see our hero starts it journey and developed a long the way becoming the champion that they always wanted to be.It's not the end that we wanted to see,it's always the journey.The beginning of the show makes you thing that you will be witnessing an incredible underdog story that will be a rollercoaster of emotional ride.The opening did make it seems that way.However,it fails to keep that premise halfway through the show.

The show focuses more on the comedy rather than the main plot.Well,it is a comedy show.I don't like how the comedy keeps getting in the way of the main plot.The humour isn't even funny and keep using the same recycled joke idea.I don't understand why the show keep having the need to make a funny moment every second.I get that this is suppose to be a comedy.But,i just don't like how they keep squeezing joke in and out just to furfill the comedy quota.The joke felt relly force as you can tell,that they make jokes not to make people laugh,but to fill the comedy quota because this is a comedy show.

Spoilers:
They also display a joke at the wrong time as well.When the director came to Handa's office to see his work.All of the sudden,Handa fucking cumshot a tea(i forgot what he threw) to his work and the director because he is insecure which is a dumb reason.Ruining his hardwork at the island.They couldn't come up anything better and has to use a shitty joke to progress the story.It actually pisses me of and made me hate the MC for a second because he decided to do a stupid thing again.It kind of ruined the moment as well.It's probably the worst scene in the series.It's not funny,it's annoying,stupid and felt forced.

However,the show also focuses on the slice of life.Because this is a slice of life series,it has some good life lessons that i couldn't help but to like.The life advices also inspire Handa to do his work and shaped him into a better person.It's pretty sweet and wholesome,the show can teach a lot of lessons that make you smile.The show can be poetic sometimes that will give you food for thought.

The characters are pretty bland and forgettable.A lot of them has their own unique charm,but there's only that.There's not much that they can give you about others.I don't really think it's a problem,since not every character needs a supervillain background story.But, a lot of characters are pretty bland and uninteresting.Like there's this one guy that's introduced as guy who keeps failing at school.Then,one day he went to Handa's house and saw his hardworking.Then,he realized his mistake and starts to workhard for school.I found that to be forgettable.

The only decent character that i like is probably Handa himself.He's a relatable protagonist and has a good character development.Although,sometimes he does thing that pisses me off honestly.But,he is not a horrible character.Naru is also pretty decent,sometimes annoying but i think that's the purpose.

The animation is beatiful and so is the artstyle.The soundtrack is pretty cute as well.

The show ended at the most horrible way possible.I didn't believe that the show just ended like that.It doesn't feel like a proper ending to an ongoing story with likely no season 2.I feel like when the story just getting somewhere,it ended and made you go like "that's it?" and now we go back to square one.

Final thoughts:

I don't find this show to be a the best slice of life ever.It's not a disappointment,but it could be so much better.The premise is actually interesting,they just couldn't find the right way keep up with it.I don't know about the manga since i only view this from the anime.I do stiill enjoy this anime,but i was pretty disappointed to find that the story didn't really go anywhere and just ended at the most bullshit way possible.I do understand why a lot people do like this show,but it just wasn't for me.Overall despite the criticism that i have for this show,still go give it a watch.Maybe you will have a different thought than me.

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Apr 24, 2020

katsucats

Not Recommended

Barakamon tries hard to push a message of moving forward, but it's just as much about a show of giving up. In the premise, Handa punches an art director in the face after being criticized as not being original enough, and after a whole 10 episodes of filler-like frolicking about an island in self-imposed isolation, he practically gives up on his original mission. The narrative seems to push a familiar message about engaging the community and making friends, while being unable to let go of the premise, leading to progress in bipolar spurts.

So not only has Handa given up on his calligraphy, the author ... himself seems to have given up on his manga. Barakamon is rife with potential moments of genuine personal growth and inspiration, but the narrative isn't mature enough to confront these sensitive moments head-on. It's sort of like someone trying to fill in awkward moments with awkwardly placed jokes due to insecurity and low self-esteem. And so the show never gives any of the characters proper treatment in their development. It doesn't use comedy as a breather between the drama like other shows might, but it supplants the entire drama with awkward comedy, as if being unable to bare its genuine self without embarrassment. Entire personalities are devised for running gags, while the narrative asks us to take the relationships between the islanders and Handa seriously. None of it is really funny. What would have been touching moments are all diluted.

The episode structure seems to follow an episodic rom-com format cliche. Handa plays around with the children, realizes he's not making any progress, angst, and then draws some kind of forced conclusion about island life in respect to calligraphy. He gains inspiration and is able to create a piece in that exact window, but never any time else. Each time he invents a completely new style that can barely be called calligraphy (e.g. stenciling, etching, modernism, etc.) completely discontinuous from his previous style. And after the episode, he forgets how to reproduce it. This structure is designed to build a kind of cheap euphoria with a rollercoaster of brief emotional spurts, from joy to sadness and anger to contentment, but with no lasting consequence overall.

In one episode, Handa laments, "Yet another unproductive day...", before stopping to get shocked by the beauty of the sunset (AGAIN) and tripping (AGAIN). He climbs back up, only to get freaked out by a bug (AGAIN), and falls back down. And I think this sums up this show perfectly -- unproductive, repetitive, and ultimately a let down. All the jokes are so played out like the author cut about 10 tiny pieces of paper and drew them out of a hat to pad episode lengths.

In another episode, Handa is working day and night, striving for some ascendant result, before proudly announcing that the most important things in his life are not what he's been working on all this time. And it wasn't an organic conclusion developed over a sequence of events. It wasn't something he contemplated in stillness. It's like when a student pulls an all-nighter to study an exam, and declares in exasperation early morning that he's learned a lot so the test score doesn't mean anything anyway. And for the manga-ka to pass this as a genuine feel-good moment is, frankly, insulting to any reader who has an attention span of more than one episode. One might feel euphoric taking each episode in isolation, but when two episodes are considered in sequence, the show falls apart in non-sequitur. And if it weren't for 10 episodes of mediocre content weighing the average, it might actually be described as trash.

There's nothing more disheartening about an author that gave up, but wants his readers to push forward.

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Handa, Sei

Arai, Tamako

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