BARAKAMON

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ComedyBarakamon
ONA ComedyBarakamon: Mijikamon
ANIME ComedyHanda-kun

REVIEWS

• 

  Zaphkiel

  95/100
  Barakamon is the slice of life anime of 2014.

  __Slice of Life done right__

  Intro

  Barakamon was not the series I expected it to be. The last time I saw something set in the country was in a show called Non Non Biyori, which felt really slow at times and was, in my opinion, the very definition of slice-of-life. But Barakamon, which may turn off viewers because of its slice of life label, does not disappoint, for its goofy cast and silly story make it one slice of life show worth watching.

  Story

  

  Seishu Handa, an aspiring calligrapher, gets a little too mad at an elderly critic of his own calligraphy and ends up punching him. As punishment, Handa leaves the city for the country until he is able to apologize to the old man. He meets Naru, a little girl who was hiding in his cupboard in his new house (for whatever reason...) and many of the other villagers who receive him well. Each episode introduces a silly event or problem that involves Handa and one or two of the villagers. Though each episode may not relate to one another, the show is able to stay refreshing and fun.
  
  Animation/Sound
  

  

  The animation is nothing special, but it definitely shines in Barakamon's silly moments, such as when Naru achieves her "manhood". The OST is very mediocre with some run of the mill background music but the OP and ED are well done and both use interesting art styles. But other than that, nothing really stands out in this department.

  Characters

  

  This is probably the best part about this series. Handa by himself is probably not that interesting, but his interaction with all the villagers who are quite lively is a pleasure to watch. Every character somehow has that silly side, such as Handa's mother and the village leader. Handa and Naru make an amazing duo when Naru tries to play with Handa and the addition of Naru's friends makes the core cast very entertaining. She is definitely one of my favorite characters this year because of her enthusiasm and just how lovable she was. They make every episode lively and fun and that's why this series is gold.

  Enjoyment

  

  I really enjoyed this series because of all the times it made me laugh out loud. It also give you a good look into Japanese countryside culture, which is one of the reasons I enjoy Slice of Life anime. The silly characters and the setting of the Japanese country make for such a wonderful series. Barakamon is very refreshing because it's so mellow and you really don't need to think hard when watching this series. Just relax and enjoy the show.

  Overall Thoughts and Conclusion

  

  Stop reading this review and start watching! Barakamon is one of my favorite series of Summer 2014 and maybe one of the best of 2014 overall. It's colorful cast and silly skits are something you won't want to miss. Its simplicity is what makes it such a good series and is one of the reasons that made me watch anime in the first place. Watch this show for some light-hearted laughs.

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• 

  EXistential

  100/100
  Sometimes, Less is More

  Slice of Life, amirite? Those shows that ya watch for the nice feels or just to have fun with. Not often something to think long and hard about. Great examples including BLEND-S, K-On!, and our subject for today, Barakamon. What makes Barakamon one of the best Slice of Life anime ever? Where does it differentiate itself, and are these differences executed well? Let's have a look.

  Story:

  Slice of Life are known to have simple enough stories that do the one job of getting everything set up for the meat of the show. Barakamon starts out with Handa Seishu getting pissy because his calligraphy piece got shit on by some boomer. After acting violently in a fit of angery release, the boomer of the Handa household sends Seishu off to some remote island to reflect on himself. There he meets local cinnamon bun Naru along with a couple other nutty individuals he is now neighbors to. And thus began Barakamon. Handa acting out in a fit of rage may seem completely okay as a tipping point, but that's if we don't consider the prequel series. Since Barakamon came first, though, that would be points off of "Handa-Kun" instead.

  Characters:

  Characters are the soul of any good Slice of Life. I learned this very well during my time in the Church of Hirasawa. Barakamon's characters are just as fan-fucking-tastic as you'd hope. Handa Seishu is that one guy that's just a little too obsessed with his work, then basically evolves into Handad as the series moves forward. That is mostly due to Naru, a munchkin girl of 6-7 years old that is about as energetic as you'd expect a 7 year old on crack to be. Others include the fucking weeb Arai, her relatively normal friend Miwa, absolute bro Hiroshi, and more kids. Lots more kids. These dinguses are fleshed out over a perfect amount of time. That one window where it feels like they could be actual people but not so much time that they start feeling forced onto the viewer. You don't need a massive amount of characters in order to have a good cast. It all relies on execution.

  Setting:

  Most Slice of Life likes to go about setting as something that doesn't have much impact after the initial set-up. Mainly just a way for the characters to be together, which is probably why there's SO MANY school Slice of Lifes. The rural setting of Barakamon, however, feels like the prospect of it, doesn't feel ignored. The peace and serenity of the locale along with its uniqueness gives Barakamon a special vibe compared to its peers. Two massive focuses of the show are community and being forced to come out of your shell, and the setting exemplifies both to a point of bliss.

  Key Focus:

  If I had to describe the one key focus of Barakamon, it would be "community". The characters all bounce off of each other in a way only possible if most of these idiots hold special bonds that have developed throughout quite a while. Handa learning to become a part of this community is a big focus of the show, and an appeal is watching the bonds grow as Handa interacts with his new neighbors. Take Persona 5, take out all that thieving crap, set it in some back ass rural area, and focus entirely on the relationships formed. That could be a generalization of Barakamon.

  Barakamon fits all the checkboxes of what makes a great Slice of Life so well, I think it broke one of those boxes. Well-developed characters, unique and important setting, a story that does its job well, and a key focus that settles well with viewers that can feel attachment to any sort of character. A show that can do all that and then some is something truly special. By that logic, Barakamon is truly special.

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• 

  digisoulwings

  90/100
  For someone like myself, who doesn't normally watch 'Slice of life' anime, this one hooked me.

  Please note: this review uses the scoring and rating system from MAL, and was copied over from there.

  For someone like myself, who doesn't normally watch 'Slice of life' anime, this one hooked me and I'm now finding myself asking for a second season which I know is never going to come...or will it? This was something I never thought I'd come to both enjoy and love so dearly now.

  As the MC is a bit of an introvert, someone who'd rather spend time indoors than outside actually interacting, he goes through so much growth over the course of this 12 episode series. Seishuu ends up forming a lasting bond with a young child that spurs him to create the best calligraphy work he's ever done and in a place so out of touch with the natural society of Tokyo where he came from.

  __Story: 8/10___
  As a 'Slice of life,' it really gave insight into the struggles of a city man being forced to move to an extremely remote island and experience many things he'd not have to deal with back home. But overall his experiences are learned ones that help him grow and become attached to people he'd never before even interact with. The way the story is interwoven with all of Seishuu's hopes and dreams, even with the actions of the character, and the dialogue, it speaks volumes even if the person watching knows nothing about the art.

  Art: 8/10
  The art was very nice, a great mix of scenery with bright colors and lots of background elements at times, and other times the background was null and things in the foreground caught your attention. The use of colors was very poignant and helped to establish the mood.

  Sound: 8/10
  The music was very subtle but played a great role in the story, not many scenes actually needed music or background tracks as the emotions displayed were enough to make me feel like the point was conveyed beautifully. That being said, both the OP and ED were something that I came to love and listen to over and over, more specifically the ED, as it really spoke about the relationship between Seishuu and Naru, which was a huge main focus of the show as a whole.

  Characters: 9/10
  The characters were all great. All of the island residents were a sharp contrast to Seishuu's personality and tastes, helping him to grow as a person while on the island. Also, seeing a 23-year-old man who had resigned himself never to be married interact with children was priceless. My favorite character was probably the two girls, who were always messing with Seishuu, and of course Naru, whose ongoing laughter and pertinent curiosity about Seishuu never failed to make me smile.

  Enjoyment: 9/10
  Every episode was a breath of fresh air of a genre that I'd never really watch otherwise, except that I have a small interest in calligraphy. The humor aspects were neatly tied into the theme of calligraphy as well and always had me on my feet laughing.

  Overall: 9/10
  Having heard about this show back in 2015-2016 or so, I never gave it a watch because I felt like the 'Slice of Life' Genre wasn't for me. Now that I've watched it, however, I'm banging my pots and pans for more, and currently reading the manga.

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