Episodes: 12
Generes: Comedy, Slice of Life
Barakamon came out last summer (2014), and it has such a summer feeling. This is definitely a must-watch (summer) anime! And since the summer vacation is soon over (at least where I live), what is a better way to end the vacation (and getting pumped up to do your best in life) than watching this beautiful anime?
And as you might have guessed, Barakamon has become one of my all-time favorite anime! (●´ω｀●)
Barakamon is about the young man Handa Seishu (called sensei by most of the people in the anime), who due to his pride, punched a famous calligrapher, who btw is old. As a punishment, he is sent to live on a small island. Having never lived outside the city, sensei has to adapt to his new home, where silly yet very nice people live!
About two weeks ago I re-watched the first and second episode of Barakamon. And I realized that I had forgotten how funny the anime actually is! Every episode is filled with a scene that is bound to make you laugh, whether it is sensei’s misfortune or something another character says or does (which I will talk about shortly 😉 ). The humor never feels forced, and you just can not help grinning from ear to ear at the lovely scenes that are in the anime.
The story is so simple, yet so powerful. Honestly, you do not need more than these 12 episodes. The story is easy to grasp, and beautiful to watch as it plays out. What I really like about this anime is that the characters face obstacles in life, which we all do and you just gain so much motivation from them! Sensei’s hardship might not be something we encounter every day, but we also meet teenagers that are finishing high school and have to choose what to do next with their life. (Which fyi, I just encountered myself )
A quote from the second episode which I really like:
“Being able to work hard is the best talent of all.” – Hiroshi Kido
Barakamon also has such diverse, loveable and quite true-to-life characters. It also contains characters in all ages; kodomo (meaning children), a few teenagers (that goes to the local high school), sensei and his friends/rival from the city, and middle-aged and elderly villagers.
Though the story is first and foremost about sensei (and his problem), the noisy, boyish (yet super kawaii) and talkative 7 year-old girl Naru plays an important role in the anime. A lot of the comedy comes from this young little girl. She is always full of energy, as well as finding almost anything and everything hilarious. The relationship she has with sensei does somewhat resembles a father-daughter relationship. Or maybe more like an uncle XD He takes care of her, even though he is reluctant in the beginning.
When it comes to the music the opening fits the anime perfectly. Not just the lyrics, which is meaningful about finding and being yourself. But right from the beginning the opening creates a nice and lively atmosphere that really represents the anime, as well as making the audience comfortable. (I just love the opening!) The ending is also very nice.
I also have to mention the voice actors, because they did an absolutely fantastic job conveying the different emotions to the characters. I really love the dialect and the way Naru talks
Honestly speaking, when I am watching an anime, I never really notice or think about the background music/ost. I do notice them if they are for example dramatic, sounds really nice, made louder so it is meant for you to hear it or constantly being used, because when you are watching an anime, you pay attention to the characters (their expressions, what they are saying etc.), the scene and if you are like me, you also need to read the subs, so there is quite a lot we have to focus on and therefore I do not really have the capacity to actively try and listen to the background music. I think most of the music in anime (this is also relevant for movies, tv-shows etc.) is to create a specific mood or help convey the emotions of the particular scene or characters in the anime, and therefore it is not really meant to be noticed. It should make you feel sad if the scene is sad, happy if the scene is happy and so on. I would actually consider it bad work if I notice the music and just think it is annoying and disturbs my enjoyment. So my opinion is that osts/background music should rather create a mood and making you feel all kinds of feelings, rather than being noticed. But ofc a big applause to all the composers out there, you guys are doing a fantastic job!
The reason why I wrote such a long paragraph about background music/ost in anime, is because honestly, I did not really notice that many scenes in episode 2 had background music. It does make such a difference having it there ( even though I did not notice it). But that is exactly my point, it is there and it helps the mood of the episode. But if you listen carefully the background music is really lively and happy ^^
The anime style might be a little simplistic, but it is very beautiful with bright colors! So it will not ruin your experience at all, and frankly speaking I liiiiike that kind of art style. Not to forget the hilarious facial expressions the different characters make! xD
Naru’s mandom face! It really looks like Ichiya from Fairy Tail! MEEEEEN~
(^Ｏ^)
To end this post I will say that is is an absolute must watch anime! You will laugh your ass off, while it also has a serious undertone. The characters are really lovable, with amazing voice actors. I also really love the opening. And it is actually quite amazing how it only has 12 episodes, but yet manage to have you on a little journey. So definitely go watch it now! Also, after each episode, after the ending song is finished, there is always a little scene, so remember to watch it because they are also really funny!
M.A.K Corner 