Manga Review: Barakamon, Volume 2, by Satsuki Yoshino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: December 2014
Volumes: 13+
Spoilers?: No.
Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.
Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

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 equally 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...?

Review:

Now that I’ve finished Yotsuba&!, I must admit that this series is not at quite that level. But, that’s a little unfair, because nothing is really on level with Yotsuba&!. Yotsuba is amazing and nothing can really equal it.
The humor is a little similar, and the setting and main plot is similar. Differently, though, there’s more of a main plot here, and a lot more characters. We’re also following Seishuu, a new adult professional calligrapher new to country life, not a young girl.
Seishuu, a.k.a. Sensei, still doesn’t quite understand country life. It’s very small town, with one convenience store, one school with small classes. He sees Naru’s family often, as Naru goes to his house all the time, along with her friends. He gets pulled into helping the school, he finds out he’s allergic to cats (despite his love for them), he gets sick and goes to the hospital. We find out that Tama, an aspiring mangaka, is an intense developing fujoshi. We end with the arrival of Seishuu’s friends or colleagues, but not knowing where he is in town.
While this series doesn’t quite live up to Yotsuba&! standards, it’s still very enjoyable. It’s funny, I really like the setting, and the cast of characters is great. I look forward to reading the next one.