The official web-site for Handa-kun, a TV anime comedy spin-off of Barakamon involving a surprisingly popular high school calligrapher with a sullen personality, has been updated with a new key visual and color character designs for the series.

The characters previewed include:

Sei Handa, a 2nd year high school student who is also a professional calligrapher. Handa has an extremely negative attitude and is convinced that his classmates hate him.

Junichi Aizawa, a 2nd year high school student. Aizawa is a dilligent honor student and also the class president.

Reo Nikaido, a 2nd year high school student. Reo is always reading about popular models and he wants to be popular himself, although he often comes across as conceited.

Akane Tsutsui, a 2nd year high school student. Akane is physically strong and has a fierce appearance, so he's constantly getting into quarrels with his classmates.

Yukio Kondo, a 2nd year high school student. Kondo is a fairly normal high school student, and the only one in his group with any common sense.

Takao Kawafuji, a 2nd year high school student. Takao has known Handa since junior high, and Handa considers Takao his only friend. Takao is highly sociable.

The original Handa-kun manga by Satsuki Yoshino is serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan anthology magazine. An English language version of the manga is published by Yen Press, who describe the series as follows:

"Handsome teenage calligrapher Sei Handa is worshipped by all his classmates as an aloof superstar--too bad Sei's inherent negativity makes him believe that everyone actually hates him...?! A youthful comedy of misunderstanding and melancholy unfolds in the first volume of this hilarious prequel to Barakamon!"

The Handa-kun TV anime will debut on TBS and BS-TBS in July of 2016.

Sources:

Ota-suke

Official Handa-kun TV anime home page

Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.