Barakamon Simulwatch and Calligraphy learning.

Late to this, but I've watched up to episode 7 and it's a lovely series. It being as much or more about the island inhabitants as the main character is so cool. Everyone's loveable and the comedy is mostly great. Even the kid who I thought was definitely going to be annoying fit in like a glove with the rest of the cast!

The voice acting is on point and I love picking up on references every now and then. Enjoying this a lot!
 
This heat is scrambling my brains... Doing a selection of photos for my favourites from episode 6:

Great comedy start with our lovable, enterprising rascal
Screenshot_20210907-114652_Funimation.jpg
Screenshot_20210907-114709_Funimation.jpg
Screenshot_20210907-114722_Funimation.jpgCertainly knows how to use mimicry appeal to customers!

Screenshot_20210907-115226_Funimation.jpg
Whilst all the grown ups flap around overthinking matters, Naru's oblivious innocence is exactly what's required to snap Handa out of the temporary funk induced by rivaru-kun.
Screenshot_20210907-121821_Funimation.jpg
Screenshot_20210907-121836_Funimation.jpg
The cringe-worthy magazine cutouts/flyers and Handa's reaction to the sarcasm are hilarious!
Screenshot_20210907-122052_Funimation.jpg

But unsurprisingly my favourite bit is the BL, I mean NON-BL, loving eyeglasses girl!
Screenshot_20210907-115103_Funimation.jpg
Birdie Num Num said:
Also I remember seeing the fujoshi girl at the door when everyone was freaking out about the bugs, and I'm glad the gag after the end credits showed what happened with her.
Click to expand...
I had completely missed her in this shot but also very glad for the inclusion in hilarious end credits gag heh:
Screenshot_20210907-122132_Funimation.jpg
Screenshot_20210907-122142_Funimation.jpg
 
Neil.T said:
Yeah... Sea cucumber. 😬
That was a bit disturbing.

Trying to move on from that, I wanted to say how good the voice cast are in this series. We've got some real anime stalwarts here:

Our main man Handa is voiced by the excellent Daisuke Ono. I first heard him as the elegant and mysterious Koizumi in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. He's also the reluctantly violent Shizuo Heiwajima in Durarara!!.

Then there's another star performer in Fumihiko Tachiki, who plays the head teacher. You may be familiar with him as Gendō in Evangelion, of all things! I guess he was deliberately cast against type in Eva, because (based on the anime he's in that I've seen anyway) he typically plays pretty jovial characters, just as he's doing here.

We've got Junichi Suwabe here as well, who you may know as the title character in Space Dandy, and also Kōki Uchiyama, who's playing the role of Hiroshi, the village leader's son. I mentioned him in a recent simulwatch post of mine because he plays male lead Takumi in Anthem of the Heart.

Konomon.
https://otaku-recipes.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F158258303617
Click to expand...
Great points on the VAs in addition to what others said about the youngsters being played by 9-year-olds. The voice acting really is on point. And speaking of Eva references:
Screenshot_20210907-132820_Funimation.jpg
 
Episode 7

Stupid heat, I think it's finally a bit cooler tomorrow, and then meant to be cooler still for a good bit after that.

Man these guys aren't that good at fishing are they? not that I can talk, I'm sure I'd be just as bad, but fishing has never interested me personally. That was an epic hook that Naru made though!

I think the crew are really gelling more and more each episode, I can't imagine Sensei wanting to leave the island, but I have a feeling he won't stay forever 😢

Rival-kun really did start to chill out a bit, I think he was starting to become attached to the location as well.

Funny watching them drive off without a care in the world leaving them to catch a bus back. Knowing the schedule on that island, probably two busses a day 12 hours apart! 🤣

Geriatric hedgehog said:
I had completely missed her in this shot but also very glad for the inclusion in hilarious end credits gag heh:
Click to expand...

I saw that it was really good, including her bashing her head to relieve the tension!
 
Lordhippos said:
Funny watching them drive off without a care in the world leaving them to catch a bus back. Knowing the schedule on that island, probably two busses a day 12 hours apart!
Click to expand...
This bit stuck out at me and I think I finally figured out why. It's a gag where Sensei isn't the butt of the joke for once, but the usual pranksters are instead. It's like a bit of astral revenge.
 
Episode 7 more light-hearted fun ending with the sting always felt when an event or holiday finishes with friends and family parting ways (though there's no better way than to be laughing at the parting; who'd have thought Japanese metal detectors could be so funny?!). Aside from the comedy, this one seemed be on rolling with the punches and being able to laugh at one's failures without letting them get in the way of inspiration (fish calligraphy anybody?) & the fight-on spirit.

Lordhippos said:
I think the crew are really gelling more and more each episode, I can't imagine Sensei wanting to leave the island, but I have a feeling he won't stay forever 😢
Click to expand...
Neither Sensei nor the kids really as everyone grows up and moves on. Such is the emptiness a parent feels when the kids fly the roost.
Lordhippos said:
Think he normally takes the jokes like a champ though, but you're right, he's often the victim :)
Click to expand...
He really does, and that's why it's difficult to actually notice this gag here as @Vincentdante mentioned (I certainly missed the subtext). Interesting that, that Handa already seems pretty mature to me from the get-go, but more in need of a getaway for his calligrapher's block.
 
Episode 8

Heat finally dying off? still fairly warm here, but had some thunder and rain earlier.

Man Sensei is really not that great at bug catching is he? It seems unusual to me that bug catching is featured in many anime as something kids often do, I don't remember doing that, must be a cultural thing.

Whenever I see people catching cicadas I'm always reminded of the cicada hunting in Haruhi Suzumiya.

It's the same for the respect of the dead, in Japan they seem to really revere them, I've seen pictures of lost relatives with shrines, incense gets lit, they have mini festivals, and even leave food for them. In this country, lucky if you get a passing grave visit I think! 🤣
 
Episode 9

Man kids can be hard to deal with can't they? Glad I don't have any! 🤣

I enjoyed seeing the girls trying to perv on Sensei in the bath, normally the anime trope is the other way around! I am reminded of this scene from Overlord.

Sensei was often stooping to childish levels in this episode rather than acting like a grown up, I could be wrong, but it kind of feels like he's making up for lost time where he didn't play about as a kid?
 
Back
Top