Manga Review: Barakamon, Volume 12, by Satsuki Yoshino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: October 2016

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 11. 13.

Goodreads Synopsis:

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!

Review:

Oh man, I didn't expect this to be so emotional.

Most of this volume is rather lighthearted. Naru and Hina are learning new things in school, it snows in town and everyone gets excited, no matter how little there actually is. Christmas comes. The big surprise here, though, is that Naru's father shows up in town. But he won't talk to Naru, and instead stalks her, because she doesn't remember him.

This whole plot line is extremely sad to me. It's mostly used lightheartedly, of course, but there's one scene that just got me. Aw man. I just love Naru and her relationship with Handa. It makes some sense, as well, since we've never heard anything about her parents, and we still don't know anything about her mom. The volume ends with the new year, and Naru and Handa's coming trip to Tokyo. That should be really fun.

I love this series. We finally got some character depth here, and it just hurt it was so sad and adorable. I'm excited for the next one.

Manga Review: Barakamon, Volume 3, by Satsuki Yoshino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3-3.5
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: February 2015
Volumes: 13+
Spoilers?: No.
Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.
Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

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!! Also, why has Kousuke Kanzaki, who beat out Seishuu for an award (in the "Second-Place Calligraphy Incident"), come along for the ride......?! There's a storm brewing in the third volume of this mature, heartwarming island comedy!!

Review:

I really want to love this series. I’m trying really hard. And it’s good, don’t get me wrong—but I don’t love it.
In this volume, friends of Handa come to town. To visit, see how he’s doing, but also kind of to get him to come back home. Just like this was an odd town to Handa, it’s strange to his comrades. Such a small town, with people who know everyone, overprotective of their children, with no real sightseeing opportunities.
There are a lot of comedic opportunities. Like when the newcomers are believed to be kidnapping Naru, and then get forced into drinking as punishment. When the group goes fishing and are pushed into the water. How his rival brings old articles about him to embarrass him with his new friends.
But there are also the moments of development. We see Handa really deciding what he wants to do with himself, his realization about his calligraphy career, when his rival pushes him. That he likes where he is and wants to stay in this tiny town. We also get to see how his new friends care about him, helping him when there’s a storm, and trying to keep his rival from causing him trouble.
This series is fun, and the group of characters are vast and unique and a lot of cause for antics. I enjoy those things, but it’s still not hitting me like I want it to. I’m going to stick with it a bit more, hoping it gets better.

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.