Barakamon, Vol. 1 (Barakamon, 1)

When I ordered this volume I was a bit worried by how well done the translation would be for this series. And I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked how the dialect was written and how they kept the Japanese characters and just had the translation in small text underneath it in certain panels. The art is a bit rough in the first volume compared to the rest of the series and was a bit awkward to look at at times. I'm looking forward to owning the other volumes when they come out.If you're looking for a nice feel good manga I'd recommend picking this up!

I was a little hesitant to read this since it just sounded like a standard slice of life comedy manga, but it's actually a pretty heartfelt story about overcoming your limitations and setting aside your ego to become better in your chosen path. It balances these ideas and messages against fun slapstick humor, so it avoids being too preachy.

The likelihood is that you're looking into purchasing this manga because you enjoyed the summer 2014 anime adaptation.Well if you liked the anime, chances are you'll like this just as much. All the characters are enjoyable, and the humor is great as well. Along with that, quite a bit of stuff was cut out of the anime release, so you'll still be getting plenty of new material.While I can't judge the whole manga series based on the first volume, as of yet I do feel that the anime surpasses the manga ever-so-slightly (an 8.5 for the anime, in comparison to my current score of an 8 for the manga), but that doesn't stop me from wholeheartedly recommending it. If you want more Barakamon, that's exactly what this is. My few flaws were that the art could look a bit awkward at times (with the proportions sometimes looking 'off'), and a couple things that I found to be touching or heartwarming in the anime felt downplayed in the manga.That said, this is one volume I'm happy to have on my shelf, and I'll certainly be picking up future releases. I highly recommend getting it!

Just don't read for the first time after just finishing the anime. I did. I'm just glad I had sense enough to try it again now that all this tine has passed. 10/10

after i read the honda-kun series i had to try this and im glad i did. this small island with fun and lessons to be learned is just great. every chapter had me loving each chacter even more.

This was funny, and cute xDI rate 10/10 naru was my favorite character through this whole manga : D

Enjoyed the anime, the manga is better

Seishuu Handa is 23 years old and already a master calligrapher, but his achievements and awards fail to impress a gallery director who calls his work contrived and dull. Getting caught up in the insult to his pride, he punches the director and is sent by his father to an isolated island village to "cool his head" and "overcome his flaws as a human being." Peace and quiet isn't in the forecast though, as the house he's renting has been claimed by the rambunctious six-year old Naru as a base for her and her friends.Barakamon has a number of unusual elements that give it a nice twist on the "city slicker comes to the country" cliche at its core. The calligraphy aspect is unique and well integrated into both the main character's personality and the plot of the manga. The culture clash isn't too overdone and Naru and the villagers are quirky and endearing (for the most part). The humor has a subtle feel and generally works. There's also nice underlying themes of what success really means and the value of creativity and individuality.There a couple of small drawbacks here worth mentioning though. The pace feels a bit frantic for some reason to me. It never really achieved that laid back feel the best slice-of-life stories have. It could be stemming from the main characters' "auras." Seishuu's low-self esteem makes him sensitive and gruff to the point of unlikeability sometimes. I understand characters need flaws, it's an important part of the premise, and he always apologizes, but the way it's done made him a little off-putting as a point of view character. Connected to this is Naru's constant presence despite being told to leave his home. Again, I understand someone needs to break him out of his shell and that Naru is cheerful, amusing and innocent-natured in her intrusions, but the approach makes her annoying at times. To be clear they're fine main characters overall and I did enjoy the manga. The disconnect here is likely growing pains as Yoshino finds his characters' voices as well as the effect of the unavoidable comparisons of Haru to Yotsuba, which is an incredibly high measuring stick.Barakamon is a fairly original slice-of-life manga highly reminiscent of, if not yet quite reaching the heights of, great works such as Yotsuba&! and Bunny Drop. I'm definitely interested in reading more and seeing if the potential here can be fully realized.

Bought it as a Christmas Gift

El manga llegó en tiempo y forma, bien empaquetado y en perfectas condiciones.

😄😄😄😄😄

Honestly reading this manga just puts me in a good mood, to start the story follow the calligraphist Handa Seishuu who is used to coming first in calligraphy competitions when his work is insulted and he doesn't take it well... Then he is sent to an island to cool off where he meets many different people bringing a simple country life to someone who has lived in the city. Watching the struggles of the calligraphist attempt to find his new style among the simple and hard life on the island with the villagers who seem to have a few boundary issues, really break Handa out of his shell.

Zum Glück haben Bücher keinen Regionalcode. So kann man auch in Deutschland in den Genuß dieses Juwels kommen.Für den jungen, gutaussehenden Kalligraph Seishuu Handa ist seine Arbeit das Wichtigste und er ist auch recht erfolgreich damit. Als sein Stolz verletzt wird, schlägt er seinen Kritiker nieder und wird daraufhin auf eine ländliche Insel "verbannt". Sensei - wie er von den Dorfbewohnern respektvoll genannt wird - ist eigenbrötlerisch und durch und durch Stadtmensch und muss sich erst einmal mit der ländlichen Lebensweise anfreunden. Und zu allem Überfluss hat ihn die quirlige Siebenjährige Naru als Dauer-Spielkameraden auserkoren.Es gibt Serien, die sind perfekt genau so lang wie sie sind (z.B. Free!), es gibt Serien mit komplexer Handlung, die sich manchmal ganz schön hinziehen (z.B. Bleach) und es gibt Serien, ohne viel Handlung, die könnten einfach ewig so weitergehen (z.B. Natsume's Book of Friends/Pakt der Yokai). Barakamon würde ich zu letzteren zuordnen, obwohl dies ja erst der erste Band ist (ich kenne allerdings schon den Anime). Es ist kein gewöhnlicher Manga; es gibt keine Romanzen, keine Action, keine Mystery, keine Magie, kein Blutvergießen, keine Geheimnisse zu entdecken. Trotzdem wird es nie langweilig.Es ist schwer zu beschreiben, warum Barakamon so wunderbar ist. Es geht um Zwischenmenschliches und um persönliches Wachstum. Oft muss man lachen, manchmal ist die Geschichte aber auch herzerwärmend. Ein richtiger Feel Good Manga.Zum Buch: der Manga ist etwas größer als normale Mangas und kommt mir auch etwas dicker vor - auf jeden Fall hatte ich das Gefühl es gibt viel mehr Lesestoff pro Band als sonst. Man bekommt also genug für sein Geld. Die Zeichnungen sind qualitativ sehr gut, nur Sensei sieht manchmal viel jünger aus als seine 23 Jahre. Farbseiten gibt es keine, aber am Ende einige kulturelle Erklärungen und Übersetzungshinweise. Leider sind die Fotos vom Original-Schauplatz kaum zu erkennen.Mit dem Englisch hatte ich persönlich keine Probleme (ich bin es aber gewohnt, Bücher auf Englisch zu lesen). Nur der "ländliche Dialekt" war kurz ein wenig irritierend, aber ich habe mich schnell daran gewöhnt und er ist nicht so extrem, als dass es Verständnisprobleme gäbe. Die verschiedenen Charaktere werden nacheinander eingeführt, so dass man nicht überfordert wird.Ich bezweifle, dass es dieser Manga jemals nach Deutschland schaffen wird. Die Zielgruppe ist etwas älter, Kalligraphie kein großes Thema und das ländliche Japan nichts für den Massenmarkt. Ich freue mich, dass es trotzdem ein westlicher Verlag gewagt hat und hoffe, dass es sich lohnt. Ich freue mich auf jeden Fall schon auf den nächsten Band.Für die Älteren, die vielleicht mit Übernatürlichem nichts anfangen können und die mit dem Fehlen von Liebe und Action zurechtkommen, eine absolute Kaufempfehlung.