Opening Songs
OP 1 - Rashisha (SUPER BEAVER)
Ending Songs
ED 1 - Innocence (NoisyCell)
Genre: Comedy, Slice Of Life
Episodes: 12
"Barakamon"! What can I say about this? Its an anime about a man who moves into a deserted island to work on his calligraphy skills. That's...pretty much it. Don't think lowly of it though, because "Barakamon" is funny, its light hearted, it has a ton of fun characters and its animation/visual style is really appealing. Honestly, its one of the better shows I've seen last year, and if I didn't lay it off till 2015, I would've potentially placed it on my top 10 anime of 2014 list, because its that good. I do enjoy my slice of life/comedy hybrids, and especially when they are NOT in cliche, overused, high school settings that are done with mediocre standards. I do think that "Barakamon" is unique, manages to STAY unique throughout, and brings us some quality time in a very standard genre but in a very different setting. If you want something to watch that's not too overly serious and has tons of charm "Barakamon" hits it out of the park.
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| Everyone keep calm and dip your hands in ink! |
The opening theme is "Rashisha" from SUPER BEAVER, a band/artist that I've never heard of. Oddly enough, "Raishisha" sounds like a song that Galileo Galilei would do, and it fits well for "Barakamon"'s light hearted and somewhat philosophical theme. Its actually a soothing song to listen to. "Innocence" by NoisyCell is the ending theme and that one I'm not too big a fan of. Its slow, and its got some country mixed in it, but you know me, I don't like these types of songs too much.
Rating: 8.0/10
"Barakamon" is a story about self searching. It might seem like a deep and serious theme, but its actually not so much so. For an anime that focuses on a man trying to search for his own unique style of calligraphy, "Barakamon" has tons of laughs and scenes about children trying to screw around a rather immature grown up. "Barakamon" is full of charming characters and well written scenarios, and as mentioned, its unique island settings brings us some rather weird situations. It says a lot that I'll miss most of the characters from this show when it ended, just because they have so much personality to them! Also, our protagonist goes through some nice development throughout the series, and watching him change for the better is really nice (not many shows do this well). However, "Barakamon" is extremely lighthearted, if you aren't a fan of slow paced shows, this might not be for you. If you're the kind that doesn't really care about what you watch as long as its good, then give this one a go.
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| GAH! WHAT?! GAHHH! BUAHHH! |
Kanda Seishu is a calligraphy artist. For his entire life he has been practicing like a madman, just to make it to the top of the popularity charts within the industry. One day, after having his calligraphy masterpiece being insulted by a well renown veteran at an exhibition, he punches the shit out of the old man with a walking stick, causing a scene and severely damaging his reputation. To punish him, Seishu's father sends him on a journey to reflect upon his actions on an isolated island in the middle of nowhere. Stuck out in the boonies, Kanda only hopes to improve his calligraphy, there, he meets the amazing locales that reach out to him. Finally earning the meaning of friendship, he seeks to improve his calligraphy, not only for himself, but for everyone else.
Thumbs up for writing Japanese characters with style. I really liked "Barakamon", with its endearing characters and adorable style, I hoped that it would stay for just at least a couple for episodes. Good things come to an end I guess. I'd highly recommend this one for slice of life fans.
