Barakamon is either sophisticated & unique OR boring and not worth a second watch at all. You'll think the former if you EXCLUSIVELY watch and is a HUGE fan of anime. You'll think the latter if you actually appreciate other forms of visual medium (American tv shows, K/J drama, Hollywood/European/Asian cinema).
Here's the problem: if you're a frequent watcher of live action films, you'll know that this premise--a pompous/ empty city boy gets secluded/ostracized to the rural areas where he learns the life of the farm folk and learns about himself--has been done so. many. times. In fact, I can think of an international film (South Korean I think) that almost has this exact premise. And you know what? that film did better with more flare and emotion in 2 hours than this entire series. And it's not the anime's fault. It simply is the advantage and power of a live action movie.
Anime is an unrealistic medium (that's why, infamously, anime can't pull off a good horror series 99% of the time). So when you add "anime qualities" in a story that clearly belongs in the live action realm, many aspects seem boring, bland, and unnecessary. Throughout the anime, I found myself constantly asking why is x character here for? You should be taking advantage of what is unique to anime by incorporating unrealism to the series. Sometimes, it's the silliness and the facial emotions and settings and stories that detach from reality that would otherwise look extremely awkward in live actions that I appreciate about anime. I applaud that Barakamon tried to carve out its own lane and it WILL be a pleasant surprise to anime-only watchers but to me, it stretched its boundaries too much.
I'm not sure if people will understand so I'll leave you with this: Think of a great live action film. I'm confident that, if you were to imagine the film remade into a 2D anime series, you won't feel the same excitement as much. That's how I feel about Barakamon. I came to this series already exposed to many great live action films about this exact premise. (converse isn't true: a great anime series can generate both good and horrible live actions)
One thing I really liked was Naru. I liked that he was "actually a kid." Sometimes both anime and films use a cheap trick in which the plot moves forward by having a kid suddenly blurt out dialogue so eye-opening and mature that it changes an adult protagonist. It almost always seems forced and I'm glad that the relationship between Naru and Handa felt much more organic relatively. I also loved Naru's voice actress--a somewhat husky yet still playful voice that I found very fresh.
Soundtrack was forgettable.
In conclusion, from other reviews, I can tell that Barakamon suffers from what I call the "reverse-Michael Bay effect" -- to warrant any series/film a good rating just because it rejected needless action/explosions/fantasy materials. These qualities of course don't necessarily make a good film but the sheer absence of these doesn't make a good series either. Barakmon suffers from extreme blandness that comes from a lack of originality without effort to add their own twist. I see many people who praise this anime for being able to stand on its own without magical girls/fan service/ and amazing action sequences. Honestly, Barakamon could've used some of those because it certainly wasn't exceptional in the story/emotional impact division.
