Handa-kun

Episode 12

Handa always thinks someone's out to get him, but for once he might actually be right. A group of delinquents from Kuro High descend on the school festival, and their leader seems intent on finding the paranoid calligrapher. With the help of a small army of supporting characters, the Handa Force mobilizes to protect their school's VIP. Ichimiya and his entourage from Shiro High are the first to find the intruders, and it appears that a fight is inevitable until Handa shows up and accidentally resolves the conflict. With the crisis averted, Handa's class is awarded the crown for best display at the festival. Kawafuji finally reveals that nobody actually hates Handa, though his timing is less than ideal when a giant Handa effigy bursts into flame.

The first half of this episode puts some amusing twists on the usual season finale formula. It starts off with the appearance of the guys from Kuro High, and it initially looks as if we're headed for a big confrontation with everyone rallying behind Handa. Instead, the series finds humor by undermining that standard storyline at every opportunity. Rather than leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, the Kuro High guys find themselves confused and frightened by all the strange supporting characters they come across. Handa's moment of unintentional peacemaking is easy to see coming, but it leads nicely into the final twist that the baddies weren't even looking for a fight in the first place. As a lighthearted spoof of a common narrative formula, the sequence as a whole works nicely.

Much like last week's episode, this storyline is also full of brief cameos by the show's vast supporting cast. Not all of them are uproariously funny, with the Shiro High group in particular seeming more like they're present to fill a role in the plot than to bring their best comedic material. Still, enough characters hit the mark to make up for the occasional weak spot. Hanada's army of fake Handas is worth a laugh for the visual alone, and the continuing adventures of the Bishoujo Picture Club make for a good running joke. Eraser continues to be entertaining in small doses, putting in appearances whenever a scene needs an extra bit of dark humor. Handa might not need his fans to defend him from Kuro High, but this episode certainly depends on them to keep the comedy train rolling.

After putting in a strong showing early on, this episode stumbles a bit in its second half. Handa's utter dismay at having to go on stage is mildly amusing, and the big revelation that everyone likes him is kind of sweet in its own way. The trouble is that the show struggles to find a good balance between offering an upbeat conclusion and sneaking in one last joke. Rather than going for one approach or the other, the writing wanders back and forth between the two. As a result, the tone gets somewhat muddled, and it's not always clear if the audience should be laughing, feeling happy for Handa, or both. At least the image of the giant Handa statue bursting into flame provides a funny ending to the school festival storyline.

While it may not be spectacular, this episode is competent and entertaining enough to wrap the series up on a positive note. The school festival allows viewers to enjoy one last laugh with their favorite characters, be it someone from Handa's core group of devotees or one of the many over-the-top minor characters. Handa himself contributes plenty of comedy, and his personality continues to be the foundation for the series' many scenarios. Unfortunately, it looks like this is the end of the line; with Handa finally coming to the realization that he has friends, it's time to say goodbye to his wonderfully paranoid delusions.

As a standalone comedy, Handa-kun has had its ups and downs. Some truly inspired scenes contrasted sharply with some ordinary ones, though I'd argue that the final balance is still fairly positive. As a spinoff of Barakamon, this show is an oddity. Handa-kun represents a significant shift in tone and structure from its parent series, and those differences make it interesting to look at from a reviewer's perspective. Opinions on how well it measures up are bound to vary, and I'm not sure if I'd rather have watched Handa-kun or a second season of Barakamon. Either way, I enjoyed my time with this series, and I give it a lot of credit for going its own way.

Rating: B

Handa-kun is currently streaming on Funimation.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.