An Ideal Slice of Life: Barakamon

Synopsis

This is the story of one Seishuu Handa, a prodigy in calligraphy who has been praised by many until one of his award-winning pieces is deemed as “unoriginal,” by a veteran,  and he snaps, resulting in him striking the man.

As punishment for his action, Handa’s father sends him to a small island as means of self-reflection. From his stay on this small island and meeting the different people; most especially a rambunctious young girl named Naru, he discovers much more than he thinks as new experiences strike him at every turn and impact him in different ways.

The Good

Amongst the different works of comedy and slice of life mixed together, this series has shown itself the ideal work for both genres for one reason, balance. For many slice of life works, many viewers may turn away from it due to the low grade of excitement and general monotony it may give off. However, with this series, it grasped simplicity and made something out of it with great execution and interesting characters. It didn’t need high exposition or dramatic entrances, because the plot itself delivered a powerful message to the viewer and that is what makes the series such an ideal comedy slice of life work. Without spoiling much, the series gave good laughs, heartwarming moments and a memorable tale.

The Bad

For a series that has a protagonist as a calligrapher, not much is talked about the subject, which is strange considering how passionate the protagonist was portrayed to be about it. While there is some explanation to it, there is not much of a fully understood concept about it. With how much is being focused on the comedy and slice of life aspects of the series, not much room is left for other genres to take part of. And this does not only apply to the genres but the characters of the series as well. True enough, there was good development on each of them, but at the same time, more could gave been explored about them.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a series that takes on a different turn in the comedy/slice with endearing characters, catchy music and good art then this the series to watch. While it may not have the most dynamic of scenarios it brings simplicity to the table and makes it interesting and memorable to the viewer with interesting interactions and well done execution. Overall, this the anime to watch if you want something different and better with the slice of life genre.

Rating: 8/10