Barakamon

Seishu Handa is a professional calligrapher, despite his young age. When the elderly curator of an exhibition criticizes his calligraphy for being too unoriginal ("like a textbook"), Seishu gets angry and punches him. Because of this, his father sends him off for a retreat on Goto Island, near Kyushu. There, he meets the colorful villagers, interacts with them, and begins to find his own style. The title of the series means "energetic/cheerful one" in the local provincial Goto Islands' dialect. The first episode is also called "Barakakodon/ばらかこどん" which means "energetic/cheerful kid", which refers to Naru Kotoishi, a very hyperactive kid that comes into Handa's life. The prequel spin-off Handa-kun is about Seishu Handa's high school days, six years prior to the events of Barakamon. ==Characters==

Barakamon Main characters ; : : :Seishu's father. He is a man of few words and a little awkward. He was the one to send Seishu to the island, and also lived there when he was around his son's age. ; : :She is a classmate of Handa. Initially, a normal quiet girl who had feelings for Handa. These feelings turn into an obsession after he shows her kindness and she becomes a stalker of his. She is nicknamed the "Eraser" both for how her peers disappear and how Handa returned her eraser. ; : :Maiko is a girl with pink hair in twin-tails. She has a crush on Handa and gives him a love letter, though he takes it as a letter of challenge. She has a way of giving back-handed comments about her best friend, Juri. ; : ; : ; : :Juri is a girl with an oversized head. She seems to have a crush on Handa though she denies it. Maiko is her best friend, though Juri questions why she is friends with her as Maiko often makes insulting comments about her. ; : ; : ; : ; : ; : ; : ==Media==

Manga Written and illustrated by , Barakamon started as a one-shot in Square Enix's Gangan Powered on February 22, 2008. Two other chapters appeared in the magazine, with the third one released on February 21, 2009; the manga continued as a serial on the Gangan Online website from the same day. Starting on July 11, 2014, the manga was published in parallel in Monthly Shōnen Gangan. The series finished in Monthly Shōnen Gangan on December 12, 2018, and on Gangan Online on January 10, 2019. Square Enix collected its chapters in 18 volumes, released from July 22, 2009, to December 12, 2018. The series resumed limited serialization in Monthly Shōnen Gangan from April 12 to September 12, 2023. A 19th volume was published on July 12, 2023. In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Yen Press. The first eighteen volumes were released from October 28, 2014, to August 20, 2019. A spin-off/prequel manga, titled , also written and illustrated by Yoshino, was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Gangan from October 12, 2013, to September 12, 2016. It focuses on Seishu's life as a high school student, six years prior to the events of Barakamon. Square Enix collected its chapters in seven volumes, released from June 21, 2014, to September 12, 2016. Yen Press licensed the manga (first in digital and later in print), and published the seven volumes in print from February 23, 2016, to September 19, 2017. Anime An anime adaptation by the studio, Kinema Citrus, began airing on July 5, 2014. Funimation has licensed the series for streaming and home video release, and Crunchyroll streamed it. The opening theme song is performed by Super Beaver, and the ending theme is "Innocence" by . An anime television adaptation of the Handa-kun spin-off manga was announced on Square Enix's Gangan Online website on February 1, 2016. It began airing on July 7, 2016, on TBS and CBC, and later began airing on MBS, BS-TBS, and TBS Channel 1. The 12-episode series was directed by Yoshitaka Koyama and produced by Diomedéa. Michiko Yokote, Mariko Kunisawa, and Miharu Hirami wrote the series' scripts, while Mayuko Matsumoto designed the characters and Kenji Kawai composed the music. The opening theme song, titled "The LiBERTY", was performed by , and the ending theme song, titled "HIDE-AND-SEEK", was performed by Kenichi Suzumura. Funimation has also licensed the series for streaming and home video release and plans a broadcast dub for the series. Barakamon episodes Handa-kun episodes Drama In April 2023, a television drama adaptation, produced by Kyodo Television, was announced. The series is directed by Keita Kono, with Masataka Takamaru serving as producer, Kumiko Asō handling the screenplay and Juichi Uehara in charge of planning. It was aired from July 12 to September 20, 2023, on Fuji TV. Perfume performed their 28th single titled "" as the theme song. Episodes {{Episode table {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list {{Episode list ==Notes==