As with Zankyou no Terror, a major problem with Barakamon was expectations. As I mentioned in the Daiya post, my sisters are in town from the USA just as I’ve been hit with a bad cold, so posts are going to be shorter than normal and possibly not quite as […] Read more
Welcome to the Barakamon I know, and haven’t seen as much of as I expected or hoped. To say that this was the best episode of Barakamon since the premiere seems self-evident to me, though I’m certain not everyone will agree. The effect of it, though, is that it feels […] Read more
At last, things start to get serious. There’s actually a chance Barakamon could sell pretty decently (though there is an event ticket in the first volume inflating numbers), if the Stalker projections are to be believed – which I suppose justifies the fundamental changes Kinema Citrus made in commercial terms […] Read more
If you’re a Entomophobe, this just may not be the country for you. Yesterday while at the Yasukuni Jinja flea market I saw Osuzumebachi (which no one seemed much concerned about considering it’s the deadliest animal in Japan). Then inside the suupa I saw a moth so big I quite […] Read more
Such a tease, an episode like this one… As always, I find what the anime adaptation of Barakamon chooses not to adapt as important as what it does adapt, and it seems to have a penchant for skipping my favorite chapters with unerring accuracy. The trend here is obvious one […] Read more
No doubt about it, Tai sashimi is the most delicious sashimi there is. This episode very much represents Barakamon the anime in its elemental form. Pleasing idyll, cute girls being cute, the occasional razor-sharp gag, great distorted faces, and cap it off with a life’s lesson to take home with […] Read more
Cloudy, with a 100% chance of Kaji. Anyone who saw the weather forecast for Western Japan knows today was a fitting day for Kaji Yuuki to arrive on the scene in Barakamon. Like an approaching typhoon his ominous presence has been bearing down on this defenseless island, its residents helpless […] Read more
I guess it isn’t surprising, but watching Barakamon has roughly paralleled the stages of grief for me. Denial: “That premiere was really good. They changed a couple of things, but I’m sure it’s nothing. The manga is so could they couldn’t possibly screw it up.” Anger: “Fuck! How could they […] Read more
Baby steps, I suppose. I’m in the mode of desperately wanting to find something in Barakamon to make me fall in love with it again – the proof that it’s the great series I hoped it would be rather than the good one it’s started to turn into. I haven’t […] Read more
To say that my feelings about Barakamon are complicated would be quite the understatement. If there’s anything that pisses me off, it’s manga readers who constantly whine and bitch about every change made in an anime adaptation, often spoiling in the process. At worst they lecture you on why an […] Read more