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Barakamon(ばらかもん) is a Japanesemanga series written and illustrated by Satsuki Yoshino. It started serialization in Square Enix's Gangan Online February 2009 issue. The story follows Seishū Handa, a calligrapher who moves to the remote Gotō Islands off the Western coast of Kyūshū, and his various interactions with the people of the island. An anime adaptation was announced that began airing on July 6, 2014 and ended on September 27, 2014. Funimation has licensed the series for streaming and home video release. In February 2014, Yen Press announced they have licensed Barakamon for English release in North America.
A spin-off mangaHanda-kun(はんだくん) started serialization in the November 2013 issue of Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine. A television anime adaptation began airing on July 8, 2016 and ended on September 23, 2016.
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Plot
Seishū Handa is a pro calligrapher, despite his young age. When the elderly curator of an exhibition criticizes his Calligraphy for being too unoriginal ("like a textbook"), Seishū gets angry and punches him. Because of this, his father sends him off for a retreat on Gotō Island, near Kyūshū. There, he meets the colorful villagers, interacts with them, and begins to find his own style.
The title of the series means "easy-going person" in the local dialect, and in the beginning of the series Handa is anything but one.
The story of prequel spin-off Handa-kun is about hilarious high school days of calligraphy genius, Seishū Handa - so in short - Barakamon's protagonist school times.
Main Characters
Seishū Handa (半田 清舟,Handa Seishū)
Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese, adult); Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese, young); Robert McCollum (English)23 year old master calligrapher who dedicates his life to the art. His real name is Sei (清). After punching a gallery curator for calling his calligraphy "unoriginal", he is sent by his father to a village in the Goto Islands to chill out. He's a childish and short-tempered adult. He's also easy to scare. He's affectionately called "Sensei" (先生) by the people of the village.
Naru Kotoishi (琴石 なる,Kotoishi Naru)
Voiced by: Suzuko Hara (Japanese); Alison Viktorin (English)A 7-year-old (6-year-old in the beginning) girl. Energetic and curious, she likes Seishū and enjoys bug catching. She visits Seishū's house every day to play. She is a first-year student at a local elementary school. Her parents are never seen.
Supporting Characters
Miwa Yamamura (山村 美和,Yamamura Miwa)
Voiced by: Nozomi Furuki (Japanese); Lynsey Hale (English)A 14-year-old middle school student with a bit of a boyish personality who is friends with Tamako and Naru. Naru learned many weird things from emulating her (mainly things she shouldn't know), for which Seishū scolded her. She created five copies of the key to Seishū's house back when it was the kids' base, one of which she lost in the hills behind his house.
Tamako Arai (新井 珠子,Arai Tamako)
Voiced by: Rumi Ōkubo (Japanese); Apphia Yu (English)A 14-year-old middle school student. She has been a lover of manga since childhood and recently began aiming to be a manga artist. She has been struggling with her repressed yaoi interests ever since Handa moved in. She also owns one of the keys to Seishū's house.
Hiroshi Kido (木戸 浩志,Kido Hiroshi)
Voiced by: Kōki Uchiyama (Japanese); Clifford Chapin (English)Son of the village chief. He is a high school student who hates how he is average in everything, such as looks, grades, sports, and activities. He delivers meals to Handa's home and sometimes cooks for him. He likes to fish, and aims for the hisanio, or the striped beakfish, when fishing with others. He also owns one of the keys to Seishū's house.
Hina Kubota (久保田 陽菜,Kubota Hina)
Voiced by: Rina Endō (Japanese); Lara Woodhull (English)She is a child from the island, and Naru's best friend. She is very shy and quick to cry, especially when dealing with strangers.
Kentarō Ōhama (大浜 謙太郎,Ōhama Kentarō)
Voiced by: Seiya Kimura (Japanese); Leah Clark (English)A boy with a buzzcut and friend of Naru. He is just like Naru: a really energetic kid. He loves to hunt for beetles and other insects. The first time he meets Seishū, he gives him a butt jab.
Akihiko Arai (新井 明彦,Arai Akihiko)
Voiced by: Megumi Han (Japanese); Morgan Berry (English)Tamako's responsible younger brother. He loves gaming, and frequently watches his grandmother's store for her.
Yūjirō Kido (木戸 裕次郎 (郷長),Kido Yūjirō (Gōchō))
Voiced by: Tanuki Sugino (Japanese); R. Bruce Elliott (English)The village chief and Hiroshi's father. He is laid back and brings Seishū medicine and food.
Ikkō Sakamoto (坂本 一行,Sakamoto Ikkō)
Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese); Christopher R. Sabat (English)The vice-principal of Naru's school, who Seishū says doesn't look like a teacher. He has a habit of smoking and enjoys fishing in the village's pond.
Takao Kawafuji (川藤 鷹生,Kawafuji Takao)
Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese, adult); Kazuyuki Okitsu (Japanese, young); Duncan Brannan (English)Seishū's art dealer, and friend since middle school. He arranges Handa's calligraphy work and other needs. He says that he prioritizes Handa for his skills as a money maker, but actually cares deeply for him.
Kōsuke Kanzaki (神崎 康介,Kanzaki Kōsuke)
Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (Japanese); Austin Tindle (English)A high school calligrapher. He idolizes Seishū and started calligraphy professionally after seeing an exhibition of his. He got the first prize in a calligraphy competition in which Handa entered. He is generally polite, if a bit effete, and hates bugs.
Kōsaku Kotoishi (琴石 耕作,Kotoishi Kōsaku)
Voiced by: Hiroshi Ito (Japanese); Bill Flynn (English)Naru's grandfather. He gives Seishū a ride on his tractor both times Seishū came to the island. He is kind to Seishū but frequently asks favors of him.
Iwao Yamamura (山村 巌,Yamamura Iwao)
Voiced by: Atsushi Ono (Japanese); Greg Dulcie (English)Miwa's father. He is an eccentric and intimidating man, who Seishū thinks resembles a Yakuza.
Seimei Handa (半田 清明,Handa Seimei)
Voiced by: Kōsuke Meguro (Japanese); Mark Stoddard (English)Seishū's father. He is a man of few words and a little awkward. He was the one to send Seishū to the island, and also lived there when he was around his son's age.
Emi Handa (半田 えみ,Handa Emi)
Voiced by: Yoshino Takamori; Natsuko Kuwatani (Handa-kun) (Japanese); Cynthia Cranz (English)Seishū's mother. She was against him going to the island, and tries to convince him not to go back, believing his time on the island turned him into a strange person. Despite her appearances, she is actually rather outspoken and short-tempered.
Barakamon began serialization in Square Enix's Gangan Online February 2009 issue. The first tankōbon volume was released on July 22, 2009; twelve volumes have been released as of September 22, 2014. The series was licensed by Yen Press in February 2014, who released the first volume on October 28, 2014.
A spin-off/prequel manga, titled Handa-Kun, written and illustrated also by Satsuki Yoshino, started serialization in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan in the November 2013 issue. It focuses on Seishū's life as a high school student, six years prior to Barakamon. The first tankōbon volume was released June 21, 2014; four volumes have been released as of August 12, 2015. The spin-off ended in the Monthly Shōnen Gangan magazine's July 2016 issue, which was scheduled for release on June 11, 2016.
Anime
An anime adaptation by Kinema Citrus began airing on July 5, 2014. Funimation has licensed the series for streaming and home video release. The opening theme song is "Rashisa" (らしさ) performed by Super Beaver, and the ending theme is "Innocence" by NoisyCell.
A television anime adaptation of the Handa-kun spin-off manga was announced on Square Enix's Gangan Online website on February 1, 2016. It began airing on July 7, 2016 on TBS and CBC, and later began airing on MBS, BS-TBS, and TBS Channel 1. The 12-episode series was directed by Yoshitaka Koyama and produced by Diomedéa. Michiko Yokote, Mariko Kunisawa, and Miharu Hirami wrote the series' scripts, while Mayuko Matsumoto designed the characters and Ken Itō composed the music. The opening theme song, titled "The LiBERTY", was performed by Fo'xTails, and the ending theme song, titled "HIDE-AND-SEEK", was performed by Kenichi Suzumura. Funimation has also licensed the series for streaming and home video release and plans a broadcast dub for the series.
