For one still so young, your calligraphy is highly conformist.
I don't know if it's better described as copybook-style,
or made simply to win calligraphy awards.
Did you even attempt to scale the wall of mediocrity?
Eika Prize Award Reception
With all due respect, Director...
Managing the hall for many years has given me a discerning eye.
And your calligraphy is just plain dull.
Say, I took these photos earlier...
Hey! Handa!
What's wrong with my calligraphy?!
What are you doing, you idiot?!
Let me go! He can't insult me like that!
He doesn't even know how hard I've worked!
Ow!
1 New Message
From Kawafuji Sub [None] How's the island?
Not much to it...
Airport Gotou Bus
Runs 6/14-7/31
*Buses 1-7 only in service June 14 to July 31 Note: Bus service may be suspended in the event that flights are suspended.
Is nobody here?
Barakamon
Baraka Kodon
Translation: Cheerful Child
Haneda Airport: SNA033 dpt 10:00 Nagasaki Airport: arrive 11:50 Nagasaki Airport: AHA 4674 dpt 13:20 Fukue Airport: arrive 14:00 Board taxi at Fukue Airport. After you arrive at location on map, contact Village Chief Kido Yuujirou. Do not act rude. - Seimei
Yer lucky, sonny!
If I hadn't come by,
it mighta taken you more'n half a day get to Nanatsutake Village!
Huh?
Mighta taken half a day's walk!
Uh, I can't understand what you're saying.
Huh?! Whaddya say?!
Huh?!
Ain't got no clue what yer sayin'.
Whatever. I'll just ignore him.
There's nothing here...
Look there, sonny!
It's th'sea! Th'sea!
"Th'sea"?
Oh...
What d'you think?
My grandkid sure loves th'sea.
Always a-squealin' with glee at th'sight.
What's to think?
It's just the ocean...
Maybe it doesn't look pretty because my heart's gone hard?
Ow, my ribs...
This's as far as I take you.
Gotta get to th'field.
Okay...
The sea not lookin' pretty to you, sonny,
ain't 'cause your heart's gone hard.
It's just 'cuz it gets cloudy in th'afternoon.
Oh... so that's it.
Th'sea's worth seein' 'specially when your heart's gone hard.
You just don' see that.
Kijima Shipping
Handa-san!
Handa-san?
Handa-san! It's Kijima Shipping!
I'm here!
Huh?
Kijima Shipping!
That should be everything.
Uh, could you help me bring them inside?
Oh, our company doesn't do that.
Well, I'm off.
Customer service turns lousy when they don't have any competitors.
I was waiting for you.
Er, um...
Village Chief?
You've had a long trip from Tokyo, eh?
Here's your house key.
Does this place have no buses, or trains, or anything?
A bus stops by once a day.
You can call for a taxi, but there aren't many of them.
You can borrow my car when you need to go to town.
At any rate, could you leave me alone for a week?
I want to immerse myself in writing.
Sure, got it.
Here, let me try the key.
Take all the time you need for writing.
You won't have to worry about food, either.
Huh, that easily?
Um...
There's nobody living here, right?
Yeah, that's right.
It feels strangely lived-in, somehow.
Huh?
Shh!
You're... You're just imagining it, really.
Talismans?!
Oh, don't worry about them.
They're just talismans.
A pit toilet...
What is this?
Never used a balanced-flue bath heater before?
You crank this to light the flame.
See?
I have to live in a place like this?
You all right?
I'm fine.
There's definitely something in here...
You found me!
Village Chief! Who is this kid?!
She's the village scamp.
Seems she's made this house her base.
Base?
Oh, more of a colony, really.
Uh, that makes even less sense.
I'm terribly sorry.
I told her to leave, but...
Hey, mister! You a Junon Boy?
Huh?
Naru! It's rude to ask questions like that.
But Miwa-nee was sayin', Junon Boys look really cool.
This guy looks really cool, so he's a Junon Boy!
That's not entirely incorrect, but this man is a master calligrapher.
Oh! I get it, Village Chief!
He's a Junon Boy who can also do calligraphy!
No, that's wrong!
I still think he's a Junon Boy.
But he's past the age where you'd call him a "boy," see?
Hey.
But don't people on TV claim they're younger'n they are?
Miwa-nee said...
Hey.
Well, fudgin' numbers in their favor may just be part of the job.
Oh! And "cowboys" are "boys" even when they're old!
I'm sorry about that.
That child never listens.
Uh, could you leave, too?
He locked it?
Damn!
This is her "base," huh? Like hell it is.
But it's lucky for me that it already has some semblance of living space.
I wanna write, too!
How did you get in here?!
Who does he think he is? Just because he won a prize.
He punched the exhibit hall director.
Now he's basically dead to the calligraphy world.
He has no manners.
Don't talk to him. They might think you're like him.
Don't have anything to do with him.
Spring Summer Fall Winter Praying To Deaf Ears Independence And Self-Respect Enemies On All Sides
Damn!
I keep getting distracted!
Is there a kettle in this house?
You gotta eat Corn Cones in stacks like this!
I've got metabolic syndrome, so one at a time's plenty.
Hey.
Oh! Handa-sensei!
Want some finger-corn?
Roll, roll...
Yay! A new technique!
That's pretty cool, Naru!
Teach me how, too.
I can't do calligraphy like this.
Focus... focus... focus...
How?!
Kotoishi Naru
Look! Pretty good, right?
Did I say you could write anything?
Don't be so uptight, Junon Boy.
I told you, I'm not a Junon Boy.
Just like you have the name "Kotoishi Naru"...
I have a name, too.
How'd you know my name?!
You a psychic?!
Are you really that stupid, or do you think I am?
I know your name too, Junon Boy!
Well, good for you.
It's...
It's, um...
Village Chief was sayin' before...
By golly!
Pretty outdated cry of realization...
Junon Takeo!
Handa Seishuu
Handa Seishuu.
Junon aside, where'd you get Takeo?
This's like a middle schooler's pen name!
That's "pseudonym"!
Amazin'! Your calligraphy's real good, Sensei!
It better be.
It's just like how my teacher at school writes.
Your calligraphy is highly conformist.
I don't know if it's better described as copybook-style...
Your calligraphy is just plain dull.
Oh, right! For dinner, Village Chief—
What're you doin'?!
You worked hard to write that so good!
Shut up!
What do you know about my writing?!
Don't talk like you know anything!
Ow!
Hey!
I'm horrible...
What's a grown man doing, flipping out whenever someone hits the bull's eye?
Huh? You're going to an island?
Why would you do that?
Dad said... I should go cool my head...
He said, "You're still flawed as a human being, let alone a calligrapher."
What are you laughing about?!
Kawafuji House of the Arts
You punched an old man who uses a cane. You get no sympathy.
You could apologize, you know.
Like hell I will!
Dad and that geezer just don't get it.
What's wrong with being faithful to the fundamentals?
Look...
Is writing calligraphy that way
any fun for you?
It's a given that the fundamentals make the most beautiful writing.
I'm not wrong about that.
...the most important thing...
What's the most important thing?
She heard me singing?!
Well? What's the most important thing?
Well? Well? Well?
What do you want?!
I'm not going to apologize!
Why should you apologize?
I'm the one who was pesterin' you.
So anyhow,
I tried rewritin' your words.
But, I just couldn't write 'em the way you do.
I'm sorry!
Hey...
You didn't do anything wrong.
Then, you forgive me?
Yeah...
There's nothing to even forgive.
Thank goodness!
I'm so glad you forgave me!
I was mighty scared of apologizin' to you.
But now I'm really glad I did.
I'm sorry I yelled at you.
Hm?
Nothing!
Come on, get up.
Okay!
Still, you worked hard to write this.
Nah, it was easy!
You write just like the copybook!
What'd you do that for?!
Sorry, just a reflex.
Anyway, you don't even get why I was upset.
This is just practice calligraphy, so it's meant to be thrown awa—
You did it to me first!
Huh?
Sensei?
Sen—
Don't go scarin' me like that!
I thought you up an' died!
I'm about to die in these heavy clothes.
That's the problem with you city folk!
When that happens...
Do like this!
What the heck?!
First, plug up the neck of your T-shirt.
An' catch a bunch of air under your shirt.
Then you just swim!
I'm impressed, in spite of myself.
Do you always swim in water this deep?
Yep!
The power of childhood is terrifying.
Hey, Sensei! I'm gonna show you somethin' real nice!
Huh?
If you climb that there wall, you can see a mighty fine sunset!
Hold on a minute!
You're climbing this bulwark?
Yep! Gotta climb to see it.
I don't need to see the sunset.
Look at the sky.
You can't see anything through all those clouds.
You won't know 'til you climb up and see.
You don't try, you don't get to look.
Look out!
I'm all right. Just got in a hurry.
And I'm there!
Hurry on up, Sensei!
If you don't climb up here, you won't get to see nothin'!
Did you
even attempt to scale the wall of mediocrity?
See?
Ain't it pretty?
Yeah...
It really is.
Yer back!
First Villager?
Grampa!
He's your grandfather?
That's right!
Hey, Sensei!
Better hurry on down or I'll open yer boxes myself!
Huh?! Why?!
Yer movin' in, so I done come to pitch in!
"Pitch in"?
Yer from Tokyo?
That's a mighty long way.
We'll be lettin' ourselves in.
Uh, sure.
C'mon! You too, Sensei!
Did your grandfather call them over?
Huh? No, he didn't.
Ever'body saw the moving van and came themselves.
Not many people move in 'round here.
But, they don't know me...
I can't make them do that...
My, what a fine young man.
Sorry we took so long.
Hina!
Sensei, lemme introduce you!
This's my friend, Hina!
Nice to meet you.
Hina's mighty shy, y'see!
So, I shouldn't talk to you, then?
What now?!
Looks like Hina wants you to pay attention to her.
I see... Sorry about that.
Huh?! Why?!
Hina cries even when she's happy.
This is hard to deal with!
Butt jab!
You were wide open!
Hey! Kenta!
I told you in our class meeting that butt jabs ain't allowed!
Shut up, stinky smoke-man!
Sorry 'bout that.
That punk won't shape up, no matter what I tell him.
You all right?
I'm fine—
Who is this?
The head teacher at the branch school.
Hi.
Ahh, ain't nothin' funnier than seein' a handsome guy gettin' disgraced.
Why, you...
Mind if we bring the boxes in?
Oh, sure.
Sensei, see you later!
Yeah...
Oh, hey, Kawafuji...
Yeah.
I kind of see the reason why Dad had me come to this island.
If I write anything good, I'll send it for display.
You can help out then.
Also...
Would you apologize to the director for me?
I was wrong, too...
Do it myself? No way, I can't do that yet...
On this island?
Yeah.
FUN
I think I'll manage somehow.
Uh...
I brought...
some champon for you...
Scary...