drokstar's Blog

Anime Relations: Barakamon

Simple.
If there is a word that neatly sums up this series, "simple" it is. The idea of simplicity is present in every facet of the show, all the characters lead very simple countryside lives, have simple motivations and a simple attitude towards other people, which boils down to "be friendly to others and they will be friendly back." All events that take place in the island are quite unremarkable and mundane (one of the symptoms of being a slice of life comedy). All about this anime is quite basic, except for Handa, the protagonist. A frustrated calligrapher struggling to find an identity for his work, sometimes a petty rich boy, sometimes a daring artist. His learning from the new home and embracing of a more carefree life describe his character arc, and make him a symbol for those who desire to lead tranquil lives.

"Stressed young man moves to rural town to find new meaning in life and improve his art". When I first read this premise I looked down on it. My preconception was that the series would be some mumbo jumbo about how miserable modern civilization makes us and how we need to reconnect to nature. Luckily, that was not the anime's intention, its focus is actually on human interactions.

And how great those interactions are! The pair that steals the spotlight is Handa and Naru, the latter being one of the best little kids in all of anime. They have the funniest and sweetest conversations in the entire series, it is not overselling to say that you watch the show for these two. The rest of the cast is solid as well, although nowhere near as charismatic as the duo, they all have funny moments and do not come off as tropes. The other character besides Handa with a clear development throughout the series is Hiroshi, even if his arc is a bit rushed and could have been more fleshed out.

One of Barakamon's more remarkable accomplishments is how it demonstrates the characters' lifestyle, a very important task considering it is the basis for the main concept of the show. Even if you watched the anime soundless and unsubbed, you would still understand the villagers through their character design (generally short hair, plain clothes such as t-shirts, shorts, sandals, hardly ever wearing school uniforms) and mannerisms. This serves to contrast with Handa, who is always fidgety, paranoid and wore traditional kimonos before changing to casual clothes once he got integrated to the community. The exception to the rule is Hiroshi, who does not sport the carefree visage, reflecting his adolescent wish to move away to achieve greater goals, but still unable to leave his hometown.

The portrayal of simplicity is not perfect, however. Even the loveable characters can not make up for some of the uninventive storylines. Summer festival and beach episodes are the most infamous among 'fillers', and even if in Barakamon these episodes are not complete garbage, they feel lazy and take the viewer away from the experience of the otherwise good series.

Barakamon is sweet and heartwarming. It does not have the most complex themes or characters, but achieves everything that sets out to do competently, even if it could have expanded in several directions and chose not to in favor of consistency. Nevertheless, it is a good anime series. For all these reasons, and having possibly the best depiction of real children in anime, I suggest you watch it, especially if you are going through a particularly chaotic period of your life.

Anime Relations: Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

This is a really sweet and yet down to earth romantic comedy, while in other anime the protagonists are actively seeking out love, be it in a subtle or extreme manner, the romance in Tonari comes naturally. Mizutani is an interesting lead due to her apathetic attitude towards most things, including romance (which may come off tsunderish to some, but I'd argue against that). She cares more about her academic life than her almost-boyfriend, but not to an exaggerated degree, making her refreshing in comparison to the typical horny teenager protagonist that only thinks about getting laid. As for the second half of the couple, there isn't much to say about him in comparison. Haru is a run-of-the-mill anime delinquent (that turns out to be the smartest student in school somehow), but he still remains fun to watch and his interactions with Mizutani are the highlight of the series, as you'd expect. All the side characters are very amusing to watch and provide a lot of the show's comedy which is genuinely funny and made me laugh out loud more times than I had anticipated from a RomCom.

A noteworthy aspect of the series that absolutely amazed me was the fact that I found myself rooting for the side characters in the multiple love triangles that appear throughout the series even though they directly obstruct the main couple. Take that as a testament to the character's likeability.

A point that could be viewed as a downside is the fact that the show stays lighthearted for all of its duration and never gets heavy with the drama like most romances. I personally think that made the anime better, but viewers expecting something more intense might get disappointed.

The anime is the standard 12 episode length so there isn't much reason not to watch it, even if the ending is inconclusive and begs for a second season that I would most certainly love to see. If you want a serious, drama-filled romance then look for something else, but otherwise Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun has my recommendation.

Anime Relations: No Game No Life

A mediocre, but extremely popular anime based on a video game-related light novel? I have no words to describe how shocked I am! Unfunny jabs aside, I did not hate No Game No Life, mostly because I wasn't expecting much from it to begin with. The most positive aspect of the show was the enjoyment I got from it, even with its flaws. The characters are amusing, the comedy is above average and the premises for the various games played by the protagonists are interesting (even if their developments and conclusions don't live up to promise).

The anime's flaws outnumber these aspects, however. Ignoring the plethora of problems intrinsic to bad harem series and the existence of an unbeatable protagonist, No Game No Life also wastes its potential to do something new with its main characters. Most 'overpowered' smart characters are lone wolves, scheming up plans by themselves and manipulating others to their advantage, but NGNL could've changed that with the existence of Shiro and Sora (Blank), a possible deadly duo that complements one another strategically. The anime instead chooses to give most of the dialogue and screen time to Sora, while his sister does barely anything to contribute to the story, instead becoming just another girl for Sora's harem.

The most glaring issue with No Game No Life is the method which Sora uses to solve problems and win games. A few of them are quite clever and logically sound, but the majority are so convoluted and nonsensical that they become more akin to Deus Ex Machinas rather than tactics, a theme that goes on until the very unsatisfying conclusion of the series, which boils down to "See you next season... maybe."

With all that said I do not regret completing the series, it was an easy to watch, short and fun distraction. I wouldn't recommend it to people looking for depth, but if you have a few hours to kill and are not in the mood for a heavy anime, go for it.

Anime Relations: Durarara!!, Durarara!!x2 Shou

This was a pleasant surprise. I watched it on a whim and because I was getting bored with the shows I was watching at the time (I was expecting to watch this when all three new seasons were dubbed), I came with low expectations even though I enjoyed Durarara a lot. I didn't really like the idea of a new season because it would get dull in my mind and the fact that Izaya's lesbian sisters were prominent characters had me worried that the series would devolve to pandering and fanservice.

Fortunately, Durarara x2 Shou is just as good if not better than the original 25 episodes. One of my major complaints with the first season was the late introduction of Saika and some new characters that left a bad taste in my mouth, however now that all the supernatural and superhuman elements of the series have been established all that is left to see are the crazy shenanigans and interactions between these larger-than-life characters, which makes for a very enjoyable watch.

Since this is an intermediate season I can't very well say "THIS IS AMAZING GO WATCH NOW", but it gave me high expectations for the two seasons to come. The ending (spoiling a bit here) made me very curious, seeing Izaya, an almost omnipotent figure in this world, toying with all the superhumans, being defeated left me eager to know more about the new characters. The development with Aoba and Mikado is also interesting, I hope Mikado becomes more of an anti-hero, but maybe that's going a bit too far. In any case, high expectations for Durarara x2!! Ten;