Barakamon (ばらかもん) is an anime about a Japanese calligrapher who goes by the name of Seishu. And probably the only anime that I know of that centers on calligraphy, so it was only a matter of time that I eventually got down to watching it.
As a person who dabbles in calligraphy myself, the story about finding one's own style in calligraphy resonated with me. Yes, I have been copying the style of my teacher all this while. It has helped me reach where I am today, but it is also time I started working on something that only I can create. In fact, this has been bugging me recently. What is my calligraphy style? What can I call my own? So this anime came at a good time for me to explore those questions from a protagonist that is way above my level. But the questions are the same, and I hope the answers are good references too.
The calligraphy work in this anime was provided by calligraphy Hara Ungai, who actually created sets of Japanese fonts. Personally, I think some Japanese calligraphers are more stylistic compared to the more orthodox Chinese calligraphy, and it is a lofty dream for me to eventually be able to reach those heights when I break the orthodox boundaries to create something of my own that can be recognized and appreciated by others.
Until then, enjoy this song used in the opening, which talks about what is one's own style.
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