As of this post, Barakamon is a currently airing anime from the summer 2014 season, halfway through its run slated for 12 episodes. When young calligrapher Sei Handa punches an elderly curator in the face for calling his work unoriginal, his father forces Tokyo-boy Sei to take a sabbatical on the rural Goto Islands chain off the coast of Kyushu. The show revolves around Sei's interactions with the island's inhabitants and does a fantastic job of creating a clear cultural barrier while not setting up either the islanders or Sei to be the butt of societal jokes. Another key theme is Sei's self-pity and artistic uncertainty stemming from the incident at the start of the series. Anyone who has ever made an art their passion in life and experienced hardship will immediately empathize.
Barakamon has a wonderful sense of comedic timing and at its core is indeed a comedy series. The presence of 7-year old Naru Kotoishi both upsets Sei due to her constant interruptions and reinvigorates Sei's drive for rediscovering the beauty of heartfelt calligraphy. The other prominent islanders (who also tend to interrupt Sei to no end) include middle-schoolers Miwa Yamamura and stupid fujoshi girl Tamako Arai (one of the show's few missteps, but that's just my opinion) as well as high-schooler Hiroshi Kido, a bunch of Naru's friends, and all the island's elderly folk.
By far the best praise I can give to Barakamon is how genuine almost every piece of dialogue feels. The voice actors did an outstanding job with this (and kudos for having actual children voice the children) and the show's color palette is beautiful as well, creating a relaxing atmosphere and also demonstrated by the show's great
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For fans of comedy-laced slice-of-life with enough of an adult tone to be realistic but enough childlike sensibilities to still be fun, Barakamon has proven itself to be not just the best series in its genre this season but also one of the best in the last few years. For fans of say, Space Brothers, Silver Spoon, Kids on the Slope, or Bunny Drop, this is a must-watch, and I highly encourage the rest of you to check it out as well.
