Satsuki YoshinoBesprekingen

I just love Naru.

I just love Naru.

This is such a fun series.

It's cute.

This series is pretty heartwarming with the mangaka coming to terms with his insecurities. The idea of a book signing would give me anxiety too, so I thought Naruhiko's fears were relatable. It's so satisfyingly to see how everything turns out.

If the little girl character didn't exist (I get that kids can be annoying, but she could simmer down a bit), this manga would be that much better.

If you enjoyed the Barakamon series as much as I did, then you'll want to peruse this volume of Bonus Features. Half of the book consists of humorous black-and-white short stories, many with an absurd or fantastical bent like what if the cast had super powers or swapped bodies. The other half is a gallery of full-color illustrations.

This final volume stays true to the tone and spirit of the entire series, finishing out with the same low-key, slice of life humor and a focus on character interaction and personal growth over big dramatic developments. Nothing flashy happens here, but it is all very heartwarming and satisfying.

Nothing of importance ever happens in Barakamon -- for instance this volume features sequences of squid fishing and picking up litter -- but I love the warm fuzzy feeling I get whenever I revisit the rural Japanese island where it is set and its slightly wacky inhabitants. I've grown to depend on this gentle oasis in my graphic novel reading, so my stomach dropped when I saw on the last page that the next volume is the last volume. Noooooooooo!

This is one of the best volumes of the series as the creator deals with the theme fathers. First, a new work of calligraphic art by his father challenges Handa-sensei to try to master some of the same techniques. Also, Handa-sensei finds himself stuck in a cycle of frustrating correspondence with Naru's absent and wandering father. Finally, the village chief, a more traditional and easygoing father, sees his son off to college.

It's gentle humor and mild drama in a rural setting, but very addictive all the same.

Handa-sensei incompetently tries to open his calligraphy school on a remote, rural Japanese island, but he may just get it off the ground with a little help from his friends. This is a low-key and gentle series, but I will certainly keep reading it as long as the creator keeps making it.

A bizarre but moving Christmas story focusing on Handa and Naru highlights all the strengths of this excellent series.

A pleasant and sweet read still, even if nothing much of importance ever happens.

A weaker entry in an otherwise strong series. The big idea in this volume is to have all the city characters come to visit the rural island, causing Handa some stress as he watches his two worlds collide (and even mesh a little) and a ton of emotional turmoil as he directly compares his calligraphy skills to his father's. The book is full of nice moments, but the sheer size of the cast - each with their own problems, issues and quirks - was just overwhelming. And nothing of importance really seemed to occur until the final page. That cliffhanger, though, has me looking forward to the next volume.

A gentle, warm comedy set on a remote and rural island. Very, very Mayberry.

The humor in this series is almost getting too gentle (one chapter is spent bug hunting), but fortunately it seems the author is going to switch things up a bit next time. The protagonist is still a fish out of water in the rural lifestyle of the remote island where he has been living to help him focus on his calligraphy skills. Just as he has come to accept the islanders as a sort of extended family, he also realizes it may be time to return to the life he left behind.

This volume was way too mild for its own good. All the ingredients that I usually like are present, but the resultant dish is bland and disappointing. Here's hoping to a return to form next volume.

I read through six volumes of this series in three days, and I'm giving it three stars overall, but mostly on the strength of the first and last volumes and the Barakamon series of which it is a spin-off. This series is actually pretty disappointing. The set-up seems humorous at first, with our hero believing himself to be the most hated person at his high school, while he is actually admired as the coolest. But the repetition of all the gags around this single theme stretches the limits of my patience by the end. I like the introduction of the side characters in the first few volumes, but then the creator flounders about, filling the latter volumes with high school manga cliches such as a class trip to Kyoto and a school festival. And having introduced the side characters, all the creator can think to do with them is pit them against a set of exact doppelgangers from another school for several volumes? Wasted potential.

This series is pure comfort food, so sweet and satisfying. This volume is in top form, with humor, a little romance, and a major turning point for the main character.

While this is far from being my favourite series, there is something about it so far that keeps me interested and wanting to know more about the island and its inhabitants. Naru is a well-depicted character who often reminds me of my daughter. Since so far I have pretty much read manga that is full of magic, horror, and/or action, it has been kind of a nice surprise to find that a "slice of life" manga can be good too.

It reminds me a lot of one of my favourite shows, Doc Martin, but with a grumpy calligrapher instead of a grumpy doctor. It's not the most unique thing I've ever read but yes, there is something pleasant and sweet about it. Finding out that it is based on a real place where events really do occur like they do in the story raised it a bit in my eyes. I will read the next volume.

An interesting read. The main character moves from a major city to a small town. It's about finding out who you are and you are at the starting line with what you want to do.

Although I'm delighted this volume is out, I felt it wasn't quite as compelling as the previous few. The dynamic between Handa and the islanders, which I love, is left aside for visit back to Tokyo. While I enjoyed his interactions with the Tokyo crowd, it's not what I came for. Still a solid volume, with the usual great art and well-imagined characters. Handa continues digging himself into unnecessary holes.

A very enjoyable, quietly lively story of a calligrapher who moves to the countryside (well, an island) to hone his art and self-control. It's mostly about social interactions and village dynamics. Very solid art and good, relatable characters.