Handa-kun

Handa-kun has a problem...and no, not just Sei Handa's problem of misunderstandings of his classmates...as in the anime has a problem AS well as Sei Handa's problem of misunderstandings of his classmates. Here's LA's beef with Handa-kun...

For what a good-meta first episode of the Handa Force gave LA, Handa-kun quickly turned into a repetitive comedy anime without a reason to watch Handa-kun other than seeing the same thing happen to Handa-kun and the Handa Force and EVERY OTHER CAST MEMBER getting misunderstood sans Yuki Kondou and really the first episode essentially told LA further down the line what kind of anime this was gonna be, ... Handa Force having almost 80% screentime with Handa himself having 20% from the anime itself...ohhh boy...this is gonna be a sit...let's get to one of LA's grips about Handa-kun.

So who's the Handa Force?...they are Reo Nikaidou voiced by Tetsuya Kakihara a classmate of Handa and the fashionista and model, Akane Tsutsui voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya a delinquent and another classmate of Handa, Junichi Aizawa voiced by Yuuya Hirose the smart guy and another classmate of Handa and finally Yukio Kondou voiced by Daiki Yamashita, the only genre savvy guy who doesn't say much besides the obvious in his head (but that doesn't help much due to the paranoid misunderstandings of Handa-kun and the obliviousness of Handa Force in general even when Yukio speaks up), an audience surrogate of sorts. At first their introductory episodes of each of these characters were fine, until they finally formed Handa Force and continuously misunderstood Handa (though even in their intro episodes, ALL OF THEM sans Yukio misunderstands to get them to love Handa and eventually stalk him). Why are they grating on LA?...because they are one of the major causes to the "misunderstanding" to the entirety of Handa-kun's comedy. Yes LA knows that Takao Kawafuji voiced by Kazuyuki Okitsu is the one who initiated this onto Handa but the Handa Force are the ones who misinterpret Handa's actions or words EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Sure Handa himself misunderstands ALOT but the Handa Force are the ones that reinforce the repetitive misunderstandings that get out of control of Handa's hands. Here's the thing, this is Handa's prequel anime to Barakamon as to how he became like he did in Barakamon and although we quickly see how Handa became how he is...Handa-kun doesn't feel like Handa's prequel backstory...it's nothing but a repetitive comedy anime of misunderstanding situations where Handa is the reactant to most of the things that occurs and Handa is not in the forefront of the anime...the Handa Force is...IT'S EVEN SHOWN IN THE ANIME POSTER!!!. For a prequel comedy anime, Handa-kun could have been another good Sakamoto desu ga?, what with the central character being the "centre of attention" and causes most of the comedy, but Handa-kun is huge miss in that kind of direction because as much as Handa Force likes to think that Handa is the centre of attention, it's easily overshadowed by the Handa Force themselves and them doing the same repetitive misunderstanding comedic skits EVERY SINGLE EPISODE...it becomes annoying and it got to the point LA started HATING on the Handa Force much like Handa did. If there was ANY character LA liked...it was the librarian character voiced by Rie Kugimiya but she quickly got replaced by the genre savvy Yukio Kondou from the Handa Force by default.

Handa-kun could have jumped the chasm of repetitive comedic skits that got old fast, but IT could have, with either ACTUALLY went into a bit more detail on Handa's backstory or went batshit crazy non-repetitive formula anime like Sakamoto desu ga? did...LA continued to watch it just for something new and that came rarely.

Really Handa-kun's biggest sin it did even for the fact it's suppose to be a COMEDY was becoming boring to watch with it's repetitive running gags and nearly every single character misunderstanding things INCLUDING Handa himself. Sakamoto desu ga? works as he works as he is the catalyst of his batshit crazy antics and methods for the other characters to bounce off of and be reactants to Sakamoto's antics, Handa-kun is the exact opposite, the supporting cast are the catalyst and THEY do the crazy misunderstanding skits and Handa is the one who reacts to himself and then the supporting cast have to bounce off THEMSELVES and be the reactants once again, the flow of comedy ends with Handa all due the misunderstanding and his shyness and doing this routine over and over and over and over again is what makes the comedy stale VERY quickly. The second biggest sin is that as LA watched Handa-kun, it made LA question as to whether Sei Handa from Barakamon was ever a genuine and investable character to begin with if his backstory almost literally has him at the whims to his own misunderstandings, his shyness and little backstory shown in his highschool days to get him to who he was in Barakamon. Handa-kun had the material from Barakamon to make a good comedy based on Sei Handa's life, instead we got a wasted potential that has little to do with the main character the anime's title is named after, if your SUPPORTNG CHARACTERS (Namely Handa Force and any other character that gravitates to this group) have more screentime than the MAIN character the anime's title is named after, your kinda missing the point of a prequel of pre-established character, hell the anime might as well be called "Handa Force and Thier Misunderstandings the Anime" than "Handa-kun".

In terms of animation, the animation was "decent" overall using pastel colors and a vibrant character cast to go with it. The animation does have some good bits such as Handa's Wall for instance as well as the comedic "moments" of over-exaggeration at times does make the scene transition well. On speaking of which the transitions used in Handa-kun (the calligraphy brush wipes) were also a nice detail. The animation done by Diomedea is overall decent to say the least but the animation CAN'T be the only thing good about it if the comedy can't stand up to it.

In terms of voice acting, well as a good of voice cast as this was, LA had a few annoyances, mainly from the Handa Force especially Junichi Aizawa voiced by Yuuya Hirose as his misunderstood eccentricities were annoying and LOUd to say the least and the rest of the Handa Force weren't much different, at least the majority of the voice cast did some well done reaction grunts/remarks or fanboy/girling that was ok enough. Sei Handa's voice actor Nobunaga Shimazaki, as much as it was "in character" for him to be shy and paranoid, it just felt that was ALL he was doing. The voice cast for LA is slightly mixed but LA's favourite voice actor goes to Miyoko Kinjou voiced by Kaede Hondo for her schizophrenic fangirling over Handa at a flip of a switch...she was really unexpected...seriously.

The ending FINALLY deals with Handa and his misunderstood paranoia and LA really LA just has to say "IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH", the ending pretty much was what LA wanted to see...SOMETHING NEW...slight though but with Handa's revelation, it helped at bit, but not enough for LA to redeem Handa-kun for his comedic sins it placed on the anime and Sei Handa as a character...the ending was good, but the payoff was well enough not worth it.

Really aside from the very good-meta first episode, the intro episodes of the Handa Force members and the finale to it's decent animation and voice acting, these strengths can't outweigh the immense amount of character and comedic flaws LA just kept seeing on repeat and yes LA knows that comedy is subjective but that was just what LA saw watching Handa-kun.

Handa-kun isn't the best comedy anime this Summer 2016 and failed to be funny as it thought that it's "one joke wonder of misunderstandings" could make the anime and nothing else, hell even Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru! this season knew to shake things up from time to time!. Now Sei Handa...please DON'T MISUNDERSTAND this review...LA WANTED to like this anime...LA doesn't hate Handa-kun...just disappointed.

Here is my first review:

Spoilers ahead

Handa-kun is a prequel to the Slice of Life series Barakamon. However there except a few characters there were hardly any similarities between the two. To watch this series you don't need knowledge of Barakamon characters a priori.

Story: 4/10: The story revolves around the main character Handa-Sei in his high school life. There is utter misunderstanding between Handa and other characters. Handa constantly believes that people around him hates him which is not at all in reality. There is no such plot here. In each and every episode a new character is introduced and for some stupid misunderstanding he/she starts ... to worship Handa. The logic may seems funny for one or two episode. However the same annoying thing to happen for 12 episodes gives you an headache.

Art: 7/10: The art is okay. Nothing spectacular in particular.

Sound: 7/10: Opening song "The LiBERTY" by Fo'xTails is pretty rough in my opinion. However, the ending theme by "HIDE-AND-SEEK" by Kenichi Suzumura is nice to hear. The OSTs were nothing worth of remembering.

Character: 6/10: Only 3-4 characters were present probably most of the time. Otherwise remaining characters were episodic. There were hardly any character development in the series.

Enjoyment: 7/10: Handa-kun offers comedy and nothing else. I personally enjoyed those comedies initially. But later on it became quite repetitive and silly.

Overall: 6/10: Handa-kun is a watchable series overall. However people searching for Barakamon elements here should refrain from watching this shit.

The only reason Handa-kun receives a 5 is due to my love for Barakamon. I was wishing so much for an amazing prequel for my favorite anime of all time, Barakamon. Sadly, I was disappointed.
I really only enjoyed the Handa parts and his voice acting. The overall story and other characters (that are not even mentioned in Barakamon) were pretty lame. It was pretty unbelievable that Handa was the most popular kid in school but had no idea that he was that loved by his fellow students. While in Barakamon he does have insecurities of being liked for ... his work, he never seemed so socially inept. Handa-Kun makes Handa look like a complete idiot. Plus the internal dialogue of EVERY involved student in Handa's story was very annoying. I wish the story focused more on Handa's progress as a calligraphy writer and relationship with Kayafugi (his manager in Barakamon) rather than this weird fan club and student body obsession with him.
More than anything I just wanted more Natsu!

Eh. Handa-kun is eh. It isn't as bad as everyone has rated it. This show deserves at least a 5/10 and everyone who rated it lower is just being needlessly hyperbolic.

Handa-kun is about Handa-kun, Handa, Handa-san, and every other name given to our titular character: Handa Sei. So who is Handa Sei? Well, according to his bio, he's a "well-regarded school idol and prodigy calligrapher". Unfortunately for him, due to a certain past experience, he (wrongly) believes that everybody around him hates his guts. This character, and the misadventures of him and his cohorts are the subject for the anime Handa-kun.

Misunderstanding comedy is pretty funny ... when done correctly. For example, the first few episodes of this anime are actually very enjoyable. If I was just rating those, this show would have received an 8/10. However, as is the case with a lot of slice-of-life comedies, the joke gets old before I could become invested. By no means was the show bad, I just lost interest.

Every joke pretty much plays out the same: Handa is paranoid -> somebody misinterprets the paranoid Handa's actions -> the misenterpreter develops an obsession for Handa. Really, it's kind of creepy how so many characters become obsessed with this guy. It's probably better that he misinterprets their feelings, since he'd probably be even more paranoid if he knew the truth.

Uhhh. The presentation was fine. There was absolutely nothing that blew me away. Really, not a single thing. It was just normal modern anime animation. There wasn't any visual comedy to speak of, and since this is a rather uneventful slice-of-life, there wasn't any need for better animation. Voice actors were okay. There might've been a scene where the dynamics of the voice acting didn't match the intensity of the scene, but I can't remember anything else.

Overall, this show wasn't for me. I got bored of the show after 7 episodes, and with no investment to hold me back, I dropped it. 6/10

Ok so I must admit I never watched barakamon before picking up this anime from the library and seeing as this was a prequel and spinoff, I though it was a good place to start. Seeing as this is my first review, I will just highlight some key thoughts about this series.

Story (5/10): So the story is pretty basic in concept and I sort of find it acceptable. The base concept was Handa being an introvert who was unknowingly popular. It's an interesting concept with some potential for amazing comedy but the show never really goes far with it. Handa does get some subtle and ... slight development but it's almost never about him. The entire focus point ended up just being on the setting around Handa than Handa himself and it tends to get sort of boring as the setting never really changes, just keeps adding small bits more to itself.

Art (6/10): The art is fine, it's non offensive, pretty standard for a slice of life comedy anime like this and it's pleasant to at least look at. Not much else to say here.

Sound (8/10): This is probably my favorite part of the series, not because it stands out or anything but the soundtrack, though quite tame and soft, has a nice rhythm to it that is pleasant and gets stuck in your head after a while. The opening is also decent but I think the slice of life sort soundtrack is a highlight from this anime. It's catchy and pleasant. What else to say?

Characters (4/10): Um, this show has a slight problem with characters. Some of them get development, some don't, when some do develop then it's for the wrong reasons and the show has the issue of constantly adding more characters almost every episode as if we needed more. Then the extra characters stay in the background whenever they do appear and even then some of them only appear for 2 or 3 actual episodes. There's just not enough time to really get used to them or develop liking to them except possibly the main cast which even then can be a bit dislikable for all their shenanigans. it's just bad writing honestly, I would have liked the show more with its characters if they had a better habit of reappearing. Heck we get that psycho eraser girl most of the show as one of the female main support characters and she is unbearable to like at times while a more calm character like the fortuneteller girl who actually figured out Handa gets no real development or purpose in the show. Like 80% of all the characters in on Handa being this divine figure are all grouped in that familiar mold. Whenever we get a character who breaks the mold a bit more and figures Handa out, dislikes/hates Handa for more personal reasons, or is reasonable enough not to jump in on the Handa bandwagon, they're always shoved to the side or not given much of any fair treatment if anything. It's just one of my gripes with the show.

Enjoyment (6/10): Well let me touch up on this in my overall rating.

Overall (6/10): Handa-kun as a show is very tame and plays it safe, rarely if ever being offensive if not a bit weird but it follows it own formula so closely that you never get a kick out of it trying to do something unique. It's got a very neat concept to work with but it just sort of screws itself over. Going into the show, I really expected to find something over the top or exciting and this show did not deliver. That isn't to say it's not impossible to get enjoyment out of this show but at the end of the day it's just gonna be another anime you most like will forget as something among the average anime pile. For me personally, it's a bit hard to hate on a show or rate so low unless it is really frustrating to watch that it's recognizably bad. 6/10 is an average anime to me, at least it's not completely boring. 7/10 would be an enjoyable anime, 5/10 would be a boring anime, and anything below would be a frustrating piece of trash or worse than boring. This anime plays it safe enough that I can at least give it that 6 but that's just my own preference. Honestly would rate it a 5 based on what everyone else says about it.

I had the impression that this was a prequel, well its not(IMO). If i had to say, this is more of a spin-off or a side story than a prequel since it has nothing to do with its successor.
Few things linking this series to Barakamon are 3 Characters and Calligraphy(not even overly implied).

That aside, the anime itself is not bad even though there's not much of a story(there is, just a different one). I still enjoyed it due to its comedy.

If this was a standalone series. I would have rated this differently since its fun to watch and "kinda" resembles a certain show aired ... during Spring 2016.


Overall 6/10

A prologue to Barakamon, Handa-kun gives fans of the first series a peek into Handa Sei's life as a high school student before he became the arrogant yet insecure calligrapher we came to know and love.

First off, what's wrong with Handa-kun? Lots of things, when you compare it to Barakamon. While the previous series allowed us to experience Handa's journey as he discovered different aspects of himself and his work in a very comedic and inspiring way, Handa-kun imply reminds us in each and every episode that Handa is incredibly insecure, overly anxious, and surrounded by idiotic Handa-worshipers who read into everything way ... too much and, in their pursuit of making Handa happy, actually make him pretty miserable.


Putting that aside, Handa-kun will make you laugh, or at least chuckle. It was easier for me to enjoy this series after I told myself this isn't meant to be like Barakamon, it's just a ridiculous high school slice of life comedy that's supposed to show the ridiculous antics of Handa's class mates and how their over enthusiasm affects Handa.

There is no development until the last episode, and I can't even call it development, it was more like someone finally popped the bubble and said "Hey, no one actually hates you!"

The art isn't as good as Barakamon, it actually looked like it took a step down.

The characters were stupid, I'm not kidding here, they were dumb. The only smart one was Kawafuji, but he was barely in the series....

I didn't commit to the series, it took me months to watch all 12 episodes, unlike Barakamon, which I committed to all night and part of a day. It doesn't really add to Barakamon's story, it barely even touches on Handa and Kawafuji's friendship, and if you watched Barakamon and never even considered to watcha Handa-kun, you wouldn't be missing a thing.

In the end, it wasn't all that bad. I laughed, and I even related to Handa (not so much on the popularity scale, but the walls and teen anxiety). Watch it if you want, but you don't have to.....

Reason for watching: Barakamon was really good, I had hopes for this "prequel"

TL;DR: Forget about Barakamon, the only thing here that is connecting them is the main character. Even with that said, this is a comedy that is difficult to appreciate with its awkward and over the top "jokes" storylines (at least for me, 80% of the comedy moments are forced and cringey)

Story
I don't know what story there is in this anime, true to the heavens. This is a show that is definitely not in alignment with Barakamon in terms of story concept, story execution, and morals/meanings. Is basically a whole different genre. This is ... a Comedy show, using the main character in Barakamon as its axis. Honestly, I am more of a "feel good, slice of life, meaningful etc" story person than I am of a comedy jock (Not to say I have not enjoyed much comedies, just not as much as a Slice of Life). But still, I went in expecting it to be comedy after reading the reviews, hoping it would be good comedy. The show just dashed all hope away with its first episode. I almost dropped it in the middle of the first episode, actually. After braving through all 12 episodes, I can write this review in all honesty. The show starts off with some sort of breaking the fourth wall gag storyline, which in my opinion is the worst part of the whole show. But the main story plot isn't exactly enjoyable either, there is very little story-telling going on in fact. The plot just consists of one bad joke after another, there is nothing that pushes the story forward other than the forced comedy that are thrown in. Everything that happens in the show happens just for those moments of "comedy".

Art and Sound is just as good as any other average anime out there can achieve, nothing bad that is noteworthy, but nothing stellar anyway. (Or maybe the story was too overwhelming for me to detect anything.)

Characters
The characters are alright. Actually, pretty decent personas and backstories for the semi main characters. The main character is, well, average in a way. Handa's character portrayal isn't a far cry from the Barakamon series, but it doesn't engages with the story at all. The main character is just a tool for the story to develop, nothing more. As for the other characters that engages with the "Comedy" story plot, they could have shine if not for the story itself. There were no character developments, not much emphasis on the characters themselves either. The many actions of the characters just seem to be FOR the comedic moments, and not more naturally from the characters themselves. I really can see the potential in these character designs, they probably will be well expanded, in a better comedy story plot, or even some other genres, than in this story.