Barakamon – 09
Sensei’s Blue Period
Welcome back everyone, thanks for joining me. Well, that was an awful wait, wasn’t it? I never thought that I would jones for an SoL fix quite this much!
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Furo
Obligatory Naru is HNNNNNNNGGGGworthy!
So we start off with Handa feeling the strain of his approaching deadline. Lots of us have probably been in a similar place. This gets even more and more frustrating when you are waiting for inspiration to strike. If you had to find the underlying thread running through this episode, it would be that frustration, and the concern, maybe even anxiety that it creates. Of course, life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans, and when that dogpiles on and around you, perhaps it’s best to take a long soak and relax. Reset the internal batteries as it were.
But to get that bath, Sensei has to take the long road. Looks like a faulty pilot light, but I’m like Handa in this regard…looks like a bunch of random stuff in there to me. So that will take a week with no relaxing bath time. Makes me wonder if the island has any public bath house in any of the villages. Seems like it would be the perfect place for several really. But the easy fix it to go even more primitive and go green. And it does rather take some skill to build a proper long burning fire. Of course, he doesn’t have it. That would be that if not for the sudden arrival of Naru, Miwa, and Tami. And of course Naru is just the person for the fire job, and Tami is just the girl for the potential man service.
Kids
Just some fun n’ games…
Ok, so now that we know not to let either Sensei of Hiro cook for us, we can learn yet one more important thing. Not to let them manage children…or at least snot nose little bullies. But then, I can hardly blame the big lugs, as that one kid that smacked Naru on the noggie needed such a….yeah, I won’t say it out loud.
This is the way that Naru swings, Naru Swings, This is the way that Naru swings, all day long…
But I did love how this scene dovetails to the last set of scenes in establishing just how stuck in character Sensei really is. It’s hard to accept someone that “just knows calligraphy” but there he is, as plain as day, not being of any real use to the situation. Yeah, they do try to calm things down, but it’s Tami’s younger brother Akki that actually gets things done. And he didn’t even have to try that hard. And again, it does make me wonder how much the pressure Handa felt contributed to this.
Tarzan
Oh, this brought back so many memories of me when I was just slightly older than these children. You know, much like Handa-sensei, I am a Great Indoorsman, so long as I don’t have to fix anything that is. I’ve changed a great deal since childhood, as I used to be quiet the Tarzan myself, and I was spoiled for choice in my back woods for vine swinging.
Of course, I was also spoiled for choice in nearly drowning several times in the creek, getting covered head to toe in poison ivy (I wore absurdly large mittens, and had to basically be drugged by codeine into spaceland for about two days), and almost having my entire foot trapped underneath a rock that my ten year old self had no business moving out of the creek-bed. That was rather horrifying, and I didn’t even have mugwort. Luckily, only about 15 minutes passed, and not 127 hours.
Hoshi
I have to admit, that I do love that piece of calligraphy. But, a diligent Google search for hoshi/star yields me 星. I’m trying to squint and see it and just can’t, so maybe my Google-do is whacked? Now this is something that I am on the fence about with the show. Sometimes you simply cannot wait for inspiration to strike you like this. It either happens or it doesn’t. The inspiration particles that fly around the universe are a much talked about yet hard to explain phenomena. Sometimes you can’t wait. Sometimes you really have to push to find it. Having said that, I have to admit that I take what inspiration particle physics gives me, few questions asked.
OK, so…not totally like him. This would not freak me down a cliff.
So yeah, hiatus is bad. We can all agree with that. But it was well worth the wait. But, oh how they do love to drop a drama bomb on us post ED. We kinda knew something like this was coming last episode when they entertained the fact that Sensei would some day leave the island and go back to Tokyo. I know most of you are thinking what I am thinking. Naru had better have the “Do Anything” ticket handy. But goodness, that will be hearto rending no matter what.
Good thing we didn’t have to wait two week for this to resolve, right?
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: iLurker with 7 comments
I like this anime but this episode was bit of a mixed bag for me. I thought there would be some sort of resolution after a long arguments between Handa and the bullies. Oh well, the fact that he is virtually a kid himself I guess is amusing.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
The bully scene was a straight adaption from the manga. It felt a bit like Micky Spillane getting stuck on a story point; so in come some gunsels, only with this it was another character…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I could see 星 pretty well in what he made. The part with the bullies pointed out an issue with general power imbalances, and when one group’s power is trumped by another’s.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
…well, it’s all about limitations. You have power, but how much of that can you enact in what situation? Both of the “adults” choose to act like kids….
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I thought it’d be Naru who’d build the fire up too much, but I can totally see Miwa and Tama doing so. And of course they’d want to see Handa nude. Naru may be the island’s biggest scamp, but she’s not the only one.
I think they overdid the “Handa’s a city boy who can’t handle nature” bit. A caterpillar freaking him down a cliff? Oh, come on! Now a snake I can see doing that.
We all knew Handa was going to be returning to Tokyo by the end of the series. The only question is, Does he return to the island or promise to? Permanently doesn’t seem likely, but perhaps he’d spend part of the year there and the rest in Tokyo. It would seem that to make it on the art scene he’d have to spend most of the year at its epicenter in Tokyo. But spending a few months a year on a remote island would help foster his artistic legend. Plus give him a chance to recharge his creativity. And hang out with Naru.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Oh, yeah, our mischievous middle-schoolers definitely pulled that stunt; should have know better, but that’s what makes it funny to them.
I think he will leave without saying a word. Handa doesn’t strike me as a “goodbye” kinda person.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
Damn you, Spammy!
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
A great episode. While I am a city girl, I do enjoy the atmosphere of the outdoors. When I one day get my own house and family, I’ll probably live in a suburb that can mix both elements.
However, I can understand poor Handa’s troubles. I myself have never been that far in the outdoor element, never played in a creek, never tried to use wild food or herbs for anything, never had to warm up my bath with fire, and I probably too would have fallen off the cliff, since I pretty much have a phobia of insects and arachnids. But some parts of it look really fun, and one day I want to be able to get far enough away from a city that I can see stars like that. The closest I’ve come was when my family and I drove from Chicago to Myrtle Beach and we stayed for a night in Tennessee. That was really beautiful.
However, our poor Sensei is leaving! 🙁 I wonder why?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Oh, I love the outdoors. From a distance. So that makes the outdoors in anime the best ever outdoors.
I don’t like creepy crawlys much myself, but I do hate falling down cliffs more. So we have to bear with these sorts of things for the greater good.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I guess. I don’t mind worms that much, and I might be able to take a caterpillar depending on what it looked like, but that one didn’t look too bad, so I think I would have been okay. 🙂
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
I think the amount of fuzz would be a contributing factor. Increase the fuzz, increase the freak..
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I love being in the outdoors; that’s why I bought a home on 5 acres in the country–deer, elk, mountain lions, coyotes, eagles, hawks–lots to see! And I’m only a few miles from a National Park and adjacent State Park that between them have over 100,000 acres with free-roaming buffalo and antelope. Plus there’s a nearby small wilderness area containing the highest point in the U.S. east of the Rockies which I’ve hiked up several times.
You two ought to come see me. Plenty of outdoors to see from the windows of my home or through the windows of my car as we drive through the parks. And lots of stars and the planets to see through my telescope in my yard.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
If you have climate control (AC/Heat) and a good net connection, I will park it right next to that window. That’s a lovely offer…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I have all you ask for. And my net connection is wireless so you could sit in my four season room and look out the windows on three sides watching the birds at the bird feeders and bird bath and across a meadow to a forested ridge. Many days I see deer grazing in the meadow.
Late July or August would be the best time to visit. I hope that next year several of my cherry trees/bushes bear fruit (4 have so far) as well as my plums, buffalo berries, raspberry, blackberries and grapes. Probably be a few years yet for the apples, pears and apricots, and longer yet for the hazelnuts, black walnuts, butternuts and hopefully the chestnuts I plant next year will make it here.
BTW, I am serious if you want to come to SD some time.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
…just make sure you plant mugwort. Might as well be prepared….
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I don’t have mugwort, but I do have an aloe vera plant. And lots of band aids and gauze pads of different sizes. Good thing you’re a skylion and not a horse so if you break a leg I wouldn’t have to shoot you.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
Ya I missed this show last week and needed my fix, so it was worth the wait to me. This episode was quite entertaining to me, maybe too much, or maybe because I missed it that much? who knows hehe.
I sorta like the bath scene.. and it seems like they are trying hard to pair Handa with Naru, Yuujirou saying something about having a wife take care of the fire, and boosh, Naru shows up to play with fire! I just knew Miwa and Tama would show up, i mean they wouldn’t miss this for the world. Miwa haha “i need research material” poor Handa! but i sure he likes the attention.. just not like this.. haha
Outdoors, well not spend too much time there but i didn’t mind it, the heat was the worst of it. bugs.. well your outside and they are there so.. ya, Spiders the bigger the worst, those are probably the only insect I would have a problem with, large ants, and all the ones that bite id do everything to stay away haha. Other then that.. i enjoy being outside every once in a while, it can be quite relaxing at times.
Kids haha yes some can be quite a handful even if your trying your best to help out without causing to much of a fuss. Though times like these it better to become a kid yourself and have fun, well in this case They tried to be adults and handle it but in turn they themselves became kids and wanted to play haha it what I would expect.
and lastly, Yes the ending bit, we all knew it would come to this, but the ticket still reminds, and we will probably see that here shortly, how it will be used.. well I think it either make a promises or tag along, or don’t go.. or something hehe, marry me? haha yeah right, im think more on friendship terms, I personally would be able to leave little Naru behind hehe, but for some slightly drama and how much Handa has changed reasons.. lets see how this plays out shall we hehe. Anyways Welcome back Barakamon! and thanks again Skylion! may you not fall off any cliffs in the future..
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
It’s quite obvious that they cannot ship Naru and Handa yet. But it’s not for a lack of trying!
Spiders actually have the opposite effect on me. All those legs and eyes are fascinating….from a discreet distance.
I would have a very hard time leaving Naru behind. I’m not good with goodbyes myself.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1692 comments
I’ve been wanting to ship Miwa and Handa, although Hiro seems more likely for her. Handa is such an uptight person that he needs a wife who’d loosen him up and Naru, Miwa and Tama would all fit the bill. None of them would take his periods of angst seriously.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Yes, I wanted to say Miwa and Handa; of all of them that won’t take his crap, she’s in the top tier.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 386 comments
I could totally see this ship haha, nice, Miwa and Handa that is.