Handa-kun

Episodes 1-2

Handa-kun isn't quite what I expected it to be, but that might actually be a good thing. Part prequel and part spinoff, it follows the main character from 2014's Barakamon during his time in high school. Teenage calligraphy prodigy Handa is well known among his teachers and classmates, and just about everyone admires him. Unfortunately, Handa's dismal outlook on the world leads him to assume that everyone he meets actually hates him or is out to get him. As he tries to weasel his way out of mostly harmless situations, Handa inadvertently makes people look up to him even more.

If you're approaching Handa-kun as a fan of Barakamon, you may end up somewhat disappointed by how different it is. All those lush countryside backgrounds have been traded for a fairly generic high school setting. The tone of the series is also significantly different, going for outright comedy over Barakamon's more thoughtful slice of life approach. In fact, Handa-kun has so little in common with Barakamon that a viewer could conceivably jump right into the former without having seen the latter. Aside from a borrowed main character, Handa-kun is effectively a standalone product.

Admittedly, the first episode gets off to a bumpy start. Rather than jumping straight into the task of adapting the original manga, Handa-kun begins with a self-parody routine that drags on for several minutes. The premise is that a group of the show's characters are upset over missing the first episode and have decided to make their own anime series about Handa. Even if you enjoy stories that break the fourth wall, this joke gets old long before it ends. It's clever enough to elicit a few laughs, but it outstays its welcome and makes it hard to tell just what sort of series we're in for.

It's worth pushing through that rocky opening, because the “real” Handa-kun is very funny. It starts with the basic structure of Handa's impressions clashing with reality and immediately takes off running. Handa mistakes a love letter for a challenge to a fight in the first episode, and the ensuing chaos is a great deal of fun to watch. The second episode sees Handa become class representative despite trying to throw the election, and he later wins the respect of a social rival without knowing that he even had a rival in the first place. The show's strong writing and solid comedic timing deliver consistent humor and quickly endear Handa to the audience.

In some ways, Handa-kun is reminiscent of last season's Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto. Both feature an odd but popular hero who somehow deals with problems and sees off his opponents without ever breaking a sweat. The key difference lies in the characters' personalities and the way they go about working their comedic miracles. Where Sakamoto seemed all-knowing, as if he never did anything by accident, Handa is completely clueless and just happens to win his classmates' hearts through coincidence and misunderstanding.

Even if it takes a little while to find its footing, Handa-kun has a lot of potential. The series has a strong grasp of comedic fundamentals, and its main character is delightfully out of touch with the world around him. However, one character can't do everything. The show will need to develop its supporting cast beyond their initial introductions, and its long-term appeal will likely depend on how much comedic weight Handa's admirers can carry. There's time and space for that development to happen, and these episodes have already done a good job of laying the groundwork. It's a big departure from Barakamon, but there's no reason it can't stand perfectly well on its own.

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.