Name: Barakamon
ISBN: 9781975358181

Satsuki Yoshino

It's been a year since Handa arrived on the island, and a lot has changed for the residents of Nanatsutake Village. Hiroshi's in Tokyo, Miwa and her friends have graduation on their minds, and Naru and her classmates are going into their second year of elementary school. With everyone looking to the future, the time to say goodbye approaches in the final volume of Barakamon.

Barakamon

First things first.........Visitors are supposed to come in through the front door!! For a certain reason, a handsome, young calligrapher by the name of Seishuu Handa uproots himself and moves to an island on the westernmost edge of Japan. "Sensei," as he comes to be known, is a city boy through and through, and has never experienced rural life until now. And by the looks of it, he has much to learn! Luckily(?), he has a willing teacher in Naru, the energetic expert islander, to help show him the ropes. But can Sensei keep up with the plucky first-grader, or will he get schooled?! Here unfolds a heartfelt island comedy about a gruff on the outside, soft on the inside urbanite teacher and his new, unfailingly kind island neighbors!

Gavin

The essence of manga is exaggeration. Men with swords taller than them, preteen superheroes, all kinds of bodies which couldn’t be, all kinds of facial expressions and gesticulations which didn’t exist until they memed themselves into real life. But you can exaggerate anything, it doesn’t have to be combat or sensuality. There’s one about being a better chess player, one about being a better baseball player, one about being a better farmer, one about being a better teacher. All treated with high drama, extreme closeups, and OTT declarations. War against one’s own lack of skill and character. So there is nothing inherently surprising about Barakamon, an exaggerated portrayal of a disgraced calligrapher and his attempt to personalise his art.

Calligraphy is itself an exaggeration, paying excessive attention to a functional thing, writing. I don’t mean that as criticism: most of what’s good in the world comes because someone took something way too seriously.

Naru isn’t as cute as Yotsuba, and Handa isn’t as driven or distinctive as Mashiro. Still nice, still good-looking, still the kind of heightening of the ordinary we need.

Bastien Vaucher

Bria

Life never seems to get easier for Handa-sensei in this funny, heartwarming slice-of-life series!

Things are starting to look bleak for Handa-sensei, who still can't get any of the villagers to enroll in his calligraphy school. But as he wastes away in his home, a savior appears?! Everyone's favorite calligraphy teacher makes a comeback in Volume 15 of this hot 'n' hearty island comedy!!

Santa, huh...? Guess each household tends to have its own customs.... Jingle jingle jingle jingle....Christmas has come to the island!Handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa tries his hand at the Santa business for the first time! But could it be that Handa Claus isn't the only one who's come to visit all the nice little children...? The love of every dad warms the world in Volume 12 of this hot 'n' hearty island comedy!

Damn it!! I'm getting married and leaving this crazy island!!!! (teary) Handa's parents' true motivation for coming to the island is made clear-an arranged m-m-m-marriage?!! Will handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa find the resolve to meet his fate?! Add in a fight with the neighboring village's own handsome young guy, Kazuma Higashino, and Hiroshi's spate of delinquency, and you get the super-chaotic Volume 11 of this hot 'n' hearty island comedy!!

Don't lose sight of what you set out to do! The cold north wind sets in on the island and handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa longs for his winter clothes. But instead of Kawafuji making the delivery, Handa's parents decide to make their island debut--and come bearing much more than just winter clothes...! Double the trouble arrives on the island in this chaotic, hot 'n' hearty comedy! Go back to the country and back to the basics in Volume 10 of Barakamon!

No matter if you win or lose, today only comes once! The villagers have chosen handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa to compete in their famously competitive sports-festival relay race! While Handa strives to keep his morning practices out of the public eye, Hiroshi goes job hunting, Tama writes a manga, and the kids do their best to keep up with the adults! Everyone's hard at work in the ninth volume of this super-popular, hot 'n' hearty island comedy!

Miwa and the gang leave the island on their school trip! Meanwhile, Hiroshi-or rather, Kuroshi-tries to prepare for an interview, and handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa gets ready for his first-ever island-wide broadcast. But in the middle of all of this bustle comes the sudden appearance of-an ambulance?!

Heeeeeeave hoooooooo!!! With the exhibition behind him, handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa returns safely from Tokyo. Between a full-moon night spent with the islanders, a grade-school recital, and a discussion of Hiroshi's career plans, life is plenty hectic as autumn arrives at the island! The evening sun warms straight to the heart in Volume 7 of this super-popular hot 'n' hearty island comedy!

This is the most realistic Tarzan make-believe setting that I've ever seen...... Gaining inspiration from nature, handsome young (and bug-hating) calligrapher Seishuu Handa is making strides in his creative endeavors. But while anguishing over the individuality of his calligraphy, he receives a phone call from Tokyo that could change everything. The tale of bumbling Sensei, who doesn't even hold back against children, and his warm island neighbors trundles into the last days of summer, which bring with them bittersweet memories!

An international call...?...Since when is the island outside the country?! Aiming for an autumn calligraphy exhibition, handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa sets out to get in touch with his creative side. Meanwhile, a man whose appearance screams "yakuza," landing him well out of place on the peaceful island, puts in a "request" to have Handa write the name on his boat...?! Kick back like a local and enjoy the fourth volume of this heartwarming island comedy!

What?! The car's GPS only shows the road...!! Kawafuji, the only friend of handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa, has come to visit the island...!! However, the lack of cell phone signal and any useful landmarks is preventing the two of them from meeting up!! And who is this Kyousuke Kamisaki who's come along for the ride...? There's a storm brewing in the third volume of this sophisticated (?), heartwarming island comedy!!

Gahhh! Damn that gossip network...!! His house suddenly a hangout for the local kids, weird rumors about him getting spread all over the island in the span of day...handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa, unused to rural life, can't take it anymore and collapses from the weight of it all...! The heartwarming and hilarious tale of a sullen city-boy teacher and his tolerant island neighbors continues! Will Handa finally start to learn that living life at a slow pace isn't all that bad...?

Spring is coming, but without Hiroshi, the villagers are in a bit of a funk. What will Handa-sensei do to cheer everyone up? Find out in Volume 17 of this hot 'n' hearty island comedy!

Reality is tough, but...surely, the future must be bright. Handa-sensei has returned from Tokyo with a new declaration--he's going to start his own calligraphy school! But will he find any students!? But when an unusually cold winter brings rare snow to the island, is Handa prepared to hibernate the time away...?

Ya can't see the sunset from here. Tagging along on Handa-sensei's visit home, Naru finally arrives in Tokyo! Trains, tall buildings, the zoo-the big city's full of amazing first experiences! But what will Handa decide when his dad asks him to come back to Tokyo? Volume 13 promises growth, courage, and farewells!

I can't write, can't write, can't write at alllllllll!! Handsome young calligrapher Seishuu Handa has returned to Tokyo for a calligraphy competition. But when he's unable to perfect his work even the day before the deadline, will Kawafuji throw him a lifeline...?! And meanwhile, in Sensei's absence, his island neighbors begin to realize...? The Sensei of the city and the people of the island unfurl a mature, heartwarming island comedy, as a bountiful autumn approaches, in Volume 6!!

Barakamon

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