Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu Rakugo: a classic Japanese method of storytelling often told in public or on a stage. Rakugo utilises varying tones and mannerisms for comedic effect and to demonstrate emotion. Those who practiced Rakugo can be compared to actors, constantly preforming solo acts with multiple roles. Dating back to 1623 Rakugo is certainly a treasured part of Japanese culture, important to know when watching Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (SGRS), with the anime being described as nothing less than a love letter to this art form. Short Synopsis Our story begins in Tokyo, our character Yotarou is freshly out of prison and seeks to learn Rakugo. He has been inspired by the Master of Rakugo who preformed a piece while Yotarou was serving his sentence. The Master is named Yakumo, a title given to the one who stands at the forefront of Rakugo, Yotarou seeks to learn from the best begging Yakumo to teach him. Convincing the Master, who at this point has never had an apprentice, with surprising haste (This is meaningful to the plot). We then meet Konatsu, the woman living under Yakumo, who can be described at this point as an old friend’s daughter. Episode One is an outlier from the rest of the series, being set in the present and documenting the strife of Yotarou when attempting to dedicate himself to Rakugo. This is quickly flipped by episode two, where our focus lies on Yakumo’s past to explain his journey through Rakugo and the drama that surrounds it, as well as uncovering his relationship with Konatsu and the once great Rakugo practitioner Sukeroku for the remaining twelve episodes. Story SGRS’s story is nothing short of a masterpiece. Structurally switching to the past SGRS presents us with a beautiful backstory, while simultaneously uncovering all the questions we had in episode one. For example, “Why did Yotarou get accepted so quick”, or “What is this tension between Yakumo and Konatsu”. Slowly it all becomes apparent, paralleling our decayed and less prominent modern story of Rakugo, with the more popular past of Rakugo, (The decline mostly due to the increase of entertainment methods). The backstory is the most important aspect of the series serving as ideal exposition for the upcoming seasons. Tonally the series is very realistic unlike melodramatic titles such as Kids on the Slope, it spans over many years and takes time for the drama to come to fruition. Our characters of importance being Sukeroku and Yakumo or Bon/Kiku as he is known in the past, as they battle for their spots in the metaphorical Rakugo hall of fame. Both characters sharing a passion and other mutual interests the, achievement or collusion of said passion ultimately leads them down very different paths. There are many little details in the story and things you might not expect. These twists and the need for explanation are what drives the shows ability to captivate the viewer. Combined with powerful events, and multiple occasions of dialogue that supplement the emotional attachment to our characters and series. I would describe the story as being full of, ‘calms’, and,’storms’, with the conclusion of the story having an elongated moment of calm before what is already known as an inevitable, ‘storm’. If this seems confusing now, I only phrase it like this to avoid the finer details that will spoil it. Thus, the story is concluded in such a powerful way, leaving the doors open to the rest of our characters in the present. Art and Animation Art an animation in the show is something I would heavily praise, its nothing experimental or ground-breaking but its beautifully consistent. With the soft colour pallet and vivid lighting In appropriate scenes. Artistically it is better than most, with Studio Deen doing a great job. The world feels lived in and extremely indicative of the time periods it is set in, another contrast to Kids on the Slope, that seemed hard to acknowledge at which point of time we were watching until effectively being told. Animation is extremely solid and again consistent; Which is what we come to expect of Studio Deen producing The Rurouni Kenshin OVA’s which still to this day are some of the most beautifully produced episodes of anime ever. Voice Acting To me all the roles are perfect, each sounding how I would imagine the characters to sound. With Rakugo being such a large aspect of the series with a lot of screen time being used to carry out and reflect the performances, its impressive how the voice actors achieved this perfectly. Each character having their own form of Rakugo and tonal draws. Music and Ambience Sound effects/Ambience during the Rakugo performances are stand out, again making the world feel more authentic. Hearing the individual laughter and clapping of the crowd is what makes the Rakugo performances gratifying for the watcher. Music, the opening in my opinion is fabulous, with the use of traditional Japanese music in the performances and at various times adding again to the authenticity of the show’s depiction of the classic art form. Conclusion Initially it may come of slightly slow, but it is one of the most masterful anime I have ever seen. Would recommend it to anyone willing to explore a series that is intelligent and critically appealing. This along with Nana in my opinion are masterpieces of drama anime. I hope you enjoy.

The first time I watched Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, I turned it off ten minutes into the double-size first episode. It seemed dry and unengaging. Other anime from the same season had, in the best attention-deficit traditions, included some big dramatic hook or reveal early in their opening episode to grab the viewer. Set against them, Rakugo felt tedious. But I dropped almost every other anime from that season, and I picked this one back up, finishing it in two days. What I realised was that Rakugo is unique among anime, in that it's a novel. Its strengths lie in the naturalistic rendering of human behaviour and situations as well as the detailed evocation of a historical period. It draws you in by slowly revealing fascinating, damaged characters locked in a poisonous stalemate: Konatsu, an orphaned girl who loves rakugo and could never perform it, and the foremost rakugo artist of his time, the former rival of the girl's father - Yurakutei Yakumo, who I will call Kikuhiko. Konatsu hates Kikuhiko enough to want to kill him, but lives in his house; he treats her with indifference and condescension, sometimes shading into irritation, but he never throws her out. Why? What debt does he owe her, and why does she hate him so much? How did her father die? Animes tend to be driven by very different questions, which are forward-looking. Usually, the protagonists are either striving to fulfill their dreams or trying to deal with a situation which provides the impetus for the plot. Rakugo is unique, and more like a novel than almost any anime, because it's about the past, and about how the combination of your circumstances, your personality, your desires, the people you meet, and the society you live in, shape your life. Which is an excellent thing to be about when the subject of your questions is Kikuhiko. A diffident, strait-laced neurotic with a deep loneliness at his centre as well as a bitter determination to not give up and be abandoned again, Kikuhiko is one of the all-time great anime protagonists. He is deeply flawed and often cruel, but an innate idealism and a wounded innocence at his heart keeps him sympathetic. His psychological development is profoundly well-realised. Kikuhiko's foil, Sukeroku, is jolly and uninhibited, a supremely talented rakugoka who has a gift for drawing people to him and making them laugh. It would be predictable for Kikuhiko to simply hate him, and for them to be contrasted as dark and light, but Rakugo is far more intelligent about its characters than that. They may contrast, but they also inform each other. Sukeroku's lack of inhibition leads him to debauchery and a disregard for proper conduct which comes to hurt his career even as Kikuhiko overcomes his lack of talent with obsessive study to develop his own style of art, and his rigid decorum makes him the preferred child of the rakugo establishment. But they don't become enemies; they like each other too much. The strange relationship between Kikuhiko and Sukeroku, with love and mutual artistic appreciation and jealousy and resentment all tied up in it, is at the core of the anime: their introvert/extrovert opposition shades into its depiction of the paradoxes in the art of rakugo - a totally solitary performance which requires a rakugoka to know and truly understand people, and be able to impersonate many at once, to succeed. It is steeped in tradition, and rakugokas must conform to strictly conservative standards of behaviour, as if they represent the old values of Japan. But at the same time, rakugokas are working stiffs with an especially precarious occupation, and socially speaking, just lowly entertainers. Kikuhiko cannot be in a relationship with a geisha if he wants to advance in rakugo, but the stories he tells are often bawdy; overt sexuality is in fact his specialty, despite his personal frigidity. Sukeroku's enthusiastic caricatures are at first depicted as the gold standard, but they lack the subtlety of Kikuhiko's art; it's to the anime's credit that you begin to notice and appreciate rakugo enough to realise how their art reflects who they are. The fine layering of detail combined with the naturalistic development of the characters, all scored spectacularly by a traditional shamisen-and-taiko-drums soundtrack, makes Rakugo as satisfying on a sensory level as it is intellectually fascinating. These contradictions and the way the protagonists navigate them while being inevitably changed in the process, give a deep thematic richness to Rakugo, which uses the rise and fall of Sukeroku and Kikuhiko both as a way to examine artistic obsession, jealousy, love, and brotherhood, and as a way to depict the cultural shifts in Japan after World War Two. Here, its insights are not as sharp; it's more a character piece than social commentary, but the thirty-year canvas on which the story is painted allows for a sense of epic scope to the stories of the characters. Much like rakugo itself, the anime combines acute observation of humanity with a slightly artificial shape to its narrative. Its tragic end, where Kikuhiko and Sukeroku's selfish mistakes result, with karmic symmetry, in two always-expected and yet shocking deaths, feels more melodramatic than naturalistic, and yet it is brutally sad and horrifying. This anime can make what should seem false and contrived into something that hits you on a visceral level, and that's appropriate: it's what rakugo's all about.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a great choice for you if you think you'd enjoy a series that criticizes tradition and the inability or unwillingness to adapt to the progress of civilization. First, let me explain what rakugo is since we're westerners. You see, the show follows rakugo, which is a theatrical japanese performance told by a performer. Traditionally there's only one person telling a single story on stage while acting out all the characters. It's one of those dying out industries which couldn't adapt to modern day standards of entertainment which are varied and easier to access than before, relying on its traditionalism to carry out its greatness. So since there's plenty of people who might be like, oh it's about this niche thing in japan, sounds fucking boring, rakugo, the practice, and Rakugo, the anime, put great value in storytelling and the Rakugo, the anime, has the courage to criticize the fact that the practice was unwilling to apparently adapt to modern times. So even if it sounds like something boring, it is aware of how much of a niche thing it is and exactly why people don't look up to it. Which is something very easy to respect for me. There's one thing that might be damaging to the anime's storytelling performance though, and that is the fact that it starts with an episode in the present day and then afterwards goes on telling 95% of its remaining story before said present day. You see the natural expectations of a viewer here would be that you'd find out what happened in an episode or maybe a few more and then the story would pick up from the current day with the things its presented and with the apparent main character it had tinkered in the first episode. Due to the natural expectations of a story that uses flashbacks, you might have some of your enjoyment killed by thinking the story's is supposed to be in the present day since chronologically that's how we started and that's the relevant part, since why the fuck would you start the story with what's not relevant, but let me explain why the show has chosen to do what it did and why it is relevant. The reason Rakugo chose to present its first episode with the current day situation rather than follow the events chronologically from the very start is to direct your gaze towards what's important to observe in the actual story. Basically think of what you'd think when you'd ask your grandpa who fought in Nam who lost his arm there, "Grandpa, how'd you lose your arm?". You know what the story is gonna be about, you know what to expect from the story. You will expect a story about what made him how he is and why he is how he is right now. Well, that's the kind of story Rakugo is going to tell. And that's why it's important you see the current day situation. So you can ask your grandpa how he lost his arm in the war. As far as I'm concerned, Rakugo had the strongest sense of storytelling in anything I've ever watched in animated form. I've doubted it sometimes when some scenes seem pointless or that they only drag out what is happening, but I admit that I was pretty fucking wrong. Pretty much everything that I saw dragging its feet across absolutely payed off in fleshing out the characters and fleshing out the message that I took away from all this. I ultimately felt satisfied because nothing seemed like it went to waste or was unsensical from the story's perspective and it felt very much like a complete story, with a beginning, a middle and an end, arguably told in that order, and it carried out a point and presented real relatable and if not, completely understandable characters from their point of view and that of the time things took place in. Let me exemplify the compliment I've given the story by talking a bit about its theme which is progression. If you want to take what I said for granted, you can skip this paragraph, since I'm gonna talk a bit about the direction some characters are going to take, which you might want to be in the dark on, however, since from the very first episode Rakugo does exactly that itself, as well as with its title, I promise I'll at least be more reserved than the series itself. As I've said, the story criticizes traditionalism and unwillingness to change, having as a theme progression. This becomes especially prevalent early in the story when the current day master gets taken in by HIS rakugo Master to train him in the arts of rakugo. He used to practice dancing before that and due to the fact his leg got fucked up he could never dance again. How is this following in the theme of progression? You see, a man dancing is frowned upon since it's something done traditionally by women. This set high prejudice on the young master since he can't possibly be part of this tradition and he's forced to progress through life with a practice he has no passion for and his real passion was taken from him. In addition to this he was pretty much abandoned through his apprenticeship assignment to rakugo, so this sets a kid all alone with total strangers, forced to practice for a job he doesn't even like. The young master has to adapt to his current life since this is the bad situation he was thrown in, with which he feels he has no control over. (PS: I'm refering to him as young master due to the fact this character will have many names in the series and the confusion that might be inflicted to you due to this is far less than the possible confusion that might be inflicted if I refered by one random name of his.) Then in contrast to him, there's a stray kid, one who actually wants to do rakugo and is absolutely passionate about it, who has absolutely nothing and came to ask for an apprenticeship from the young master's master. His passion for rakugo is obvious and he's actually quite talented at it. Alike the young master, he also has nothing left and lost pretty much everything he had valuable in his life, but unlike the young master, he still has a passion. They end up growing up as brothers, the series showing how they view each other, how they take for granted what they have and how much they would wish they would have the strengths and life the other person did. The series shows the complex they've developed as a result of getting close to one another as a result of how they adapted. The series makes you understand the circumstances through which their relationship begins, how their relationship has impacted both of them, and what was the end result of their relationship. Everything in the story is like this. Everything in the story has a point. Everything in the story fleshes out who the young master has become. However, I don't want to be overwhelmingly positive, since that always makes me skeptical of the person presenting me the show. So I'll also say what you might dislike about it. My first worry while watching Rakugo was that I might not like the theatrical performances since something that is intended to be traditionally japanese doesn't really follow my interests. However I was positively impressed with the first few rakugo shows in the series, and not as interested with the others. The series somehow picked out the best performances to attract me into its audience, with some comical performances and a more serious story in the mix which made me understand how this can be enjoyable and made me respect it. It would've been very difficult for me to enjoy Rakugo anywhere as much as it is, or maybe even at all, if this wouldn't have had happened. If you don't like theatrical performances by default, I don't expect you to find enough respect for the series to admire it. So I'd say it is dependent on your first impression as an audience, so it's not impossible that you might be unimpressed by the performances themselves. The later performances don't get worse, they're entertaining, but they serve a purpose more than they are meant to be entertaining, showcasing where the characters are at. Another thing you might dislike is the pace, especiall…

Development and evolution are part of the human nature, yet most people are unable to control or predict the course it will take. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo cleverly explores this by presenting the audience with two almost polar opposite protagonists. Yakumo on one hand represents the ideal pupil that tries to follow in his master’s footsteps and Sukeroku who in contrast is an overly talented pupil who doesn’t hesitate in contradicting his master. Their styles of learning also vary greatly, while Yakamo prefers to take a more formal approach by reading and repeatedly reciting his stories. Sukeroku on the other hand prefers to attend the pub or brothel and tell stories from real life experiences; this unorthodox approach is the reason why his opinions and ideas vary greatly from the rest of the rakugo community. Suggestions of change are not always welcomed/accepted in well-established fields as they present a sense of unease and insecurity. The field of rakugo appears to flourish after the war bringing laughter and entrainment to people’s lives; yet the development of technology on the other hand brings new methods of entertainment which rises in popularity at an alarming rate. Illustrating how the development of technology brings fragility to well-established areas, will crumble unless it manages to develop accordingly. Overall this is a very enjoyable anime that explores some mature themes.

Some time ago I was thinking that anime was lacking a good show with historical premise, and then Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu arrived. Considered by many the underrated gem of this season, it has undoubtedly become on a smart and beautiful masterpiece. While the story starts with Yotarou, an ex-convict, begging for the opportunity to become Yakumo's trainee in the hope to become in a rakugoka someday, the real plot develops when Yakumo starts to tell the story of his life. From this point we embark on a trip full of irony, rawness and above all karma. The topics covered in the show are realistic and adapted to the period in which it develops, and although never seems to be any unexpected twist, near the end there are some revelations that will make fit some pieces that did not seem important at first. The way in which Rakugo is introduced, is efficient, making it shine artistically, but while still being entertaining. Despite its historical and artistic theme, it never holds on unnecessary symbolism or abstract art to seem more interesting than it is. A great story is not the most complicated, is which has control over its plot, knows how to give it a good closure yet still manages to be entertaining, and Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu meets and exceeds that purpose. And if the story is already great, the characters are no less. Kikuhiko (Yakumo) and Sukeroku, the main characters, are two guys who had to go through several difficulties in their childhood, and learn Rakugo under the lessons of the 7th generation Yakumo is presented as an opportunity to continue their life. Although with different initial perspectives on the Rakugo and despite their opposite personalities, both end up with the same ambition to become Shin'uchi. The main repertoire is strong, but the secondary still manage to shine with characters like Miyokichi, a woman who depends on men to be happy or the aforementioned 7th generation Yakumo, a master with many secrets under his rank. There is not a single stereotyped character, each one of them has a definite personality and the luxury of developing a backstory which allows us to understand the reasons for their actions. However, the icing on the cake is the very accomplished interactions between all of them. But the strengths of the show do not end there. The art is well drawn, directed and embodied, with an ambitious atmosphere and a beautiful and cared color palette that highlights the details of each scene. The character design is simple but detailed enough to give personality to each character and their animation is smooth yet dynamic when they interpreting the various Rakugo stories. The sound proposal is a masterful blend between traditional Japanese music and jazz. The compositions of Ringo and Kane are outstanding and the Japanese musical instruments used as taiko, biwa, fue and other ones are several, but the overall sound does not feel overproduced, it's entirely organic and suits the show in an impressive way. The opening is a pleasant piece of jazz sung by Miyokichi's voice actress and the ending is an instrumental track that closes every episode on a melancholic note. The voice actors also do a quality job, although it is expected with big names such as Akira or Megumi in the repertoire. Stellar in all its nuances, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is not just a highlight of the season, but of anime itself and deserves every second, every minute of your time and attention.

This is the best anime I have seen in a LONG time. Fucking beautiful. I really didn't think I would like this that much based off the premise. The characters are so well written. The story, oh the story. Fucking amazing man I don't even know how else to say it. The art was on point too. Sound was epic, Sheena Ringo's tracks were amazing, I've been listening to her albums because of this show too. It embraces culture while not being too artsy fartsy about it. The comedy and drama was amazing. This season was like the peak of what anime can be. Overall, I enjoyed this immensely. This is the most artistically pure anime I have ever seen in my life. Really rich stuff.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is one of the most refreshing anime to come out it recent times. Before it aired, many had average expectations for this anime due to its niche premise and somewhat uninteresting key visual. However, with the series ending, many can agree that this is easily one of the best anime of the season. It’s not just the characters in the anime that tell a story using their rakugo, but the anime itself too with their characters. This anime sets a standard for character studying in anime and it’s so satisfying. The genre and content may not be for everyone, but nonetheless, it’s a really well written series. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is easily the dark horse of the season. ~{Story}~ The story focuses on Yuurakutei “Kikuhiko” Yakumo and his life as a rakugo performer. It shows how his life was before he got successful and how he came to be. You see from his point of view on certain aspects of his past and how he copes with them. First of all, the plot is just a backbone for its characters. Besides the unique premise on focusing on a niche topic like rakugo, everything else doesn’t sound to special, We’ve seen many different stories on a man’s journey on how he became successful, but Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu embraces this plot structure and uses it as its frame for its characters. The things that happen to Kikuhiko and the way he deals with them is impressive. The story stars off with telling you the ending, and you’re just seeing everything unfold. You know the outcome so it should still be predictable, yet when the climax happens, your still on the edge of you seats. If that’s not good writing, I don’t know what is. The way the story unravels, the way multiple tones are used throughout the series, the way you see these characters develop, it’s just marvelous. And knowing that we’ve only seen half of it, and there’s a second half, I couldn’t be more satisfied. Story: 10/10 ~{Presentation}~ As a mentioned before, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, uses its plot to support the characters, rather than using the characters to support its plot. This makes this series a character-focused series and its done so well. The somewhat non-linear structure of the series is also a nice option. First you see the present Kikuhiko, the older one. Then you jump back to his past to see how he became such a person. This is a smart choice because the series already tells you what he turns out to be, but the thrill comes from how became like this, what did he goes through. It interesting to keep in out mindset the final outcome, and seeing how these pieces fit together. Very smart structure indeed. Would it have been nice if the story jumped back and forth between the past and present, I’m not sure, but the anime worked very well the way it is. The dialogues in the anime are really good too as they improve on the character relations. The series is slow-paced, but it adds to the relaxation. However, the early episodes aren’t as interesting because of the pacing. Also, the anime is filled with a good amount of rakugo performances. These moments are very entertaining and it’s nice to feel like an audience at times. However, these rakugo performances aren’t used to showcase the characters’ skills, but rather to show how they feel and what their sanity is. A very good example would be the Shinigami story Kikuhiko tells near the latter half of the story, it shows how he can use such a twisted story that relates to something tragic that happened in his real life. It showed how he as a character not only got better at rakugo, but lost a bit of his humanity. This mind-blowing development was done by a rakugo performance, just one! My only tiny gripe might be that some of the performances drag out a little too long, and it wants you to go back to seeing more of the story. Other than that, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu did a fantastic job here. Presentation: 9.5/10 ~{Character}~ The best thing about Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is its characters. It not just the characters and how they change, nor is it the interactions they have with one another, but rather it the realism these characters bring. Every character in every way is fantastically written. First of all, Kikuhiko is one of the best written characters I’ve seen in a long time. The way he changes as a character was fantastic. What first started out to be a social introvert who looks at rakugo in one way and one way only, slow starts to become a character who realizes the diversity in rakugo, how there’s different styles to choose from, and how creating bonds with other people made him stronger. It’s not like he started off flawed and ended up flawless. No, he still ends up being a flawed character, and that’s exactly why he’s so damn realistic. The other main character of this series, Shin, isn’t as well developed as Kikuhiko (because the anime really is about just him), but even though he’s not our protagonist, he’s still very well developed. The doesn’t change too much throughout the series and that’s a good thing. From beginning to end, he ended up sticking to his ideals and believes. This shows how consistent of a character he was. There are some slight developments he gets at the end that shows how he did change a bit (which I don’t want to spoil), and that shows the flaw he has, that he couldn’t always be consistent. And other supporting characters like Konatsu, Yotarou, Miyokichi all get fine development to add some realism to their characters. They don’t need to be likeable characters, but they are well written characters. However, the real star of the show is Kikuhiko and Shin… mostly Kikuhiko. Character: 10/10 ~{Art}~, This might just be Studio Deen’s most polished art to date. To simply put it, it’s fantastic. The character designs are really interesting. The way Kikuhiko and Shin looks really matches their personalities so its seeing these two characters together as they create some sort of contrast. The backgrounds, is not only impressive by Deen standards, but by anime standards in general. The backgrounds are very well detailed. What’s even better is the architecture designs, as they have so much detailing to them. The color palette is restricted to colors with lower contrast and it really does improve the mood. Also the facial expressions made in the anime are very realistic and very well chosen for its situations. Overall, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is Deen’s best art work to date. Art: 9/10 ~{Animation}~ Studio Deen not only manages to make the art much better compared to their standards, but they managed to keep consistent, good animations that looks better than a lot of other anime today. Not once was there a quality hiccup. The character movements are fluid and fantastic. During the Rakugo scenes, there’s a lot of character movements, such as hand gestures and expression changes, and they were all done really well. It made me feel like I was watching a real rakugo performance. The background animations aren’t too special though. At times it does feel a little static, but it’s fine. But overall, the animation in Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is very consistent and it complements the art. Animation: 8.5/10 ~{Voice Acting}~ For an anime about rakugo, you would expect some fine voice acting. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu doesn’t disappoint. The cast itself is really impressive, especially since there’s a lot of well-known old school seiyuu here. Ishida Akira is perfect as Kikuhiko. Ishida is a talented seiyuu no doubt, and he uses all of his talent in the role. He manages to depict the flawed character flawlessly. The way he was able to present this character and change his tones as the character changed his actions was great. Also, during the rakugo scenes, Ishida manages to make Kikuhiko look like a completely different character, one who is either constricted or one who is in character. Yamadera Kouichi, who is another talented seiyuu from the past, does an excellen…

You know something? I love the josei genre. It's rare to find a lot of these these days but josei series always have a knack for having an original story and letting the characters do their own thing instead of relying on a formula for the upcoming consequences. I will come up and say this is the first 9/10 I have given an anime since Oregairu (which premiered 3 years ago) and the best anime since Hunter x Hunter 2011. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is absolutely the best anime of the winter 2016 season and is a strong candidate for anime of the year 2016. Story: The story takes place during the Shouwa Era in Japan which occurred from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989. It starts of a little closer to the end of the era in the beginning (which would be the present) but the story mostly takes place in the flashback during the times of World War II in the first season of the show. It tells the tale of Bon (an ex-geisha dancer who retired because of a crippled leg) and Shin (just some boy from the streets) as they are taken by their master Yuurakutei and learn the foundations of a Rakugo performer. Rakugo is a form of comedic storytelling in Japan that was popular in the older times but has been slowly dying out because of the country just moving on to what is modern and what they consider more popular. The directing is without a doubt the strongest part of this anime. It relies on the characters with however they express themselves and the story just naturally flows making things more realistic and believable. It provides development for the 2 main protagonists from children with ambition to grown ups with a certain vision of how they view things that was created by their experiences. While the show is dialogue heavy, the conversations between the characters and especially the rakugo performances bring out the best of them even though they may not be able to reveal it that easily during normal interactions. My only complaint would have to be at the climax. NOT SPOILING. The climax was more unfitting than it was disappointing. It just did not feel right since maybe us viewers may have expected a lot after all of the greatness they offered from the first episode. People may take the climax if different ways but I see it as the anime's largest fault but thank God it does not detract from this wonderful experience. Characters: The funny thing about this anime is that the character's aren't even human beings (they are moving drawings) but they are still portrayed with so much emotion and humanity to keep you invested in the historical setting they live in. Everything the characters do feel human and that's what helps the wonderful writing and directing of the series shine. You have goals when you are younger, some will excel using less effort than those who struggle, you give up on distractions when youre goal becomes a dream, you feel trapped when you are bombarded with expectations and are blinded to see only one direction, and sometimes when you fulfill your dream you can't help but feel this small bit of unsatisfaction like there is something missing or there is something else that you need to find that you were not seeking before. Shin and Bon go through all these trials with their heads held high and they carried the story with so much passion and held on to their true selves while developing as people. Even Miyokichi was a character that stood out and almost stole every scene she was in. She was a fascinating woman when she was introduced but viewers began to hate her for the bitch she becomes in later episodes. In my eyes, her development was negative but it was still understandable and made her change for the benefit of the story. Some anime fans seem to mistake the fact that good characters DO NOT ALWAYS EQUAL good people. I have no complaints with any of the characters. Sound: The opening was very enticing but the score was phenominal. The sound of the koto and shamisen brings you into the setting of ancient Japan and you can feel the customs and old culture. This original score will also rival the upcoming anime this year. Art/Animation: Animation was solid for the most part but the visuals not only look nice but it helps in expressing the characters feelings and thoughts when they are the ones struggling to express themselves. Final Verdict: Studio Deen does not have the best track record and the last amazing anime I remember from them was Higurashi. But they totally stepped up their game and put so much heart into this anime. This anime just made my top 10 and I really hope for an anime with this level of depth, mature themes, and realism very soon. This anime gets a high, well deserved 9/10.

I have a soft spot for shows like this. Similar to another one of my favorites, Bakuman, this is a show about artists and storyteller, and as a self-proclaimed storyteller I find it much easier to attach myself to the show. Aside from personal bias, however, this show quickly rose to one of my all time favorites by merit alone. As a note I will refer to the show as Rakugo, since the name is super long and all. I don't know what musky dungeon Studio Deen was keeping the team that made this and several other brilliant anime from the past few seasons, but wherever it is they need to keep them down their so they can keep pumping them out. The craftsmanship that went into this is beyond what I've seen in quite a while, mixing visual and audial elements in a masterful blend. Rakugo has a lot of things going for it, but I'll only touch on a few since I'm lazy and don't really want to write too much. So I'll keep it down to the character, dialogue, and storytelling performance . To start, the character work in this show is amazing. There is only a handful of main characters and each have a wonderful chemistry with each other that makes all of their interactions spark with such energy and emotion you can't help but get caught up in it all. Their personalities are all fairly distinct from each other, some working well together and others clashing. In either case you never really feel like you're dealing with just characters in the show. They all have a realness in their complexity, all of them bringing their own ingredients to the big melting pot of drama. It's this drama where I think this show's strongest point lies. Especially in the dialogue. Thank the nippon gods that this show does not fall into the same hole shows like this, and other anime, fall into. The hole of shitty, expository dialogue. It's really for a show like this to make that mistake, too. When you have so many characters dealing with all of these different problems it's easy to be a lazy writer and just the characters explain it in a way that's stilted and bland. Rakugo, however, has a great mix of visual story telling and realistic dialogue that give you everything you need to know. If a character has beef with another they don't exclaim what it is so the viewer understands right away. The show invests time to build tension, to reveal the complexities of characters and the story over time in such a way where you are invested in the characters and understand things from multiple angles in a way that you don't find too often. All of this wouldn't be possible without the great writers, but also not without the voice actors being as top quality as they are. This really comes through in the Rakugo scenes. To be brief, Rakugo is a traditional Japanese Storytelling art-form similar to one-man plays. There is a singular storyteller who engages the audience with a story, typically with some moral, and the only restrictions are that they must be sitting and their only prop is a fan. With that out of the way, Rakugo shows off it's stuff during these scenes. Watching a character sit down and tell a story could easily be made incredibly boring, but amazingly enough the show manages to make each performance breathtakingly engaging to the point where you can just feel the quality of the performance. Their use of dynamic angles, music, and lighting enthralls the viewer to the point where you just kind of forget that you are watching a story within a story. The voice actors themselves do an incredible job of acting as another character acting as well. Keeping the original characters personality through their performance. The quality gets to the point where you can actually tell if someone is doing "good Rakugo", as the show likes to call it, just by watching it. Almost as if you were actually watching someone performing it, crazy idea I know. Now all of this isn't to say this show doesn't have its flaws, because it does. The story itself, though amazing, is a bit slow at times. Whether this be through the necessity of proper storytelling or just natural slumps in it, it does have it's moments where you are just crawling through an episode. And since it is a drama that is heavily reliant upon dialogue and visual storytelling, I'm sorry to tell you that it's VERY talking heavy. But hey, what else would you suspect. As of now only season 1 is out, which focused a lot on the backstory of a few characters rather than some of the newer characters in the show. I understand that quite a few people had some problems with that, but personally I enjoyed that part of the story anyway and I felt that the context was very much needed. Season 2 promises to move on with the story of the current characters, and with some juicy cliffhangers and a heart wrenching final scene. Overall this series gets a...9.8/10 for. Not perfect, like I said it has it's slumps. But really it's such a great show, and a particularly favorite topic for me, that I can't help but love every moment of it. Trash, but oh so close to perfect. P.S. Mastuda is best girl.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is one of the standout anime of Winter 2016. This anime is definitely not for everyone specially not for those who don’t like Josei-drama thing. Story: The story takes place world war II era. It’s a story about A man’s journey of becoming country’s one of the most renowned rakugo master (basically you can say it’s about story teller). Not often you can see a drama-josei story pretty charming. So, in a statement I can say, the plot is pretty much simple. However, the execution was PERFECT and I mean absolute PERFECT. Art & Animation: The art was pretty good and easy on the eye. The animation is at its best. Credit definitely goes to Studio DEEN. Voice Performance: Not that, you can see this section often in a review but I definitely had to say something about the voice performance because you watch the series, the voice performance is very critical. Akira Ishida (it was also heard he has recorded it one take) and Kouichi Yamadera has done a outstanding job to fully bring out characters perfectly itself. Music and Sound: In two words absolutely beautiful. It’s just fit perfectly with the environment of the series. Characters: There are definitely some characters that are stands out for what their purpose is. There are good characters, bad characters, stupid characters and each character had done their purpose very well, like I said before the seiyuu performance is absolutely top notch about bringing the personality. Final Thoughts: All I had done in this review is praising how good Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is and there are simply no negatives that I had talked about. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu will become one of the best series in coming years. Words can’t describe how good this anime is, you just have to watch it and see for yourself.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is such a good show. If you're curious, on the fence, or wonder why this is such a high-rated anime despite having and odd premise (like I was), then I 100% recommend this anime. Go watch it now and see how good it is. The show has incredible characters, a complex (yet easily understandable) plot, and shows a realistic portrayal of an enthralling comedic art form (Rakugo) exclusive to Japan. The story is such an intriguing narrative, and just as you get comfortable, or think that the episode is just there as filler or padding, they hit you with some crazy plot element/twist out of nowhere. The music, animation, art, and overall sound design are top-notch. Nothing that necessarily stuck out while watching. However, when looking back, I realized that they really did do a great job with everything, but it's just that the plot and characters are what really grab your attention and take center stage. I won't go into the plot, because I know that if someone tried to convince me to watch this particular show by describing the plot to me, I would disregard their recommendation out of sheer boredom of the premise. Instead, just trust me that this show is well produced, and incredibly well written. I never thought I would like a show like this. The only anime that I can think of that resembles this one is March Comes in like a Lion. There are a lot of similarities to be drawn between the two shows, but let's just say that if you like one, then you'll probably like the other. TL;DR: 10/10 incredible show. WARNING - SPOILERS BELOW - ONLY READ IF YOU HAVE SEEN ALL OF THE ANIME There couldn't have been a better ending. I wouldn't especially mind if they had continued the story of the two siblings in a 3rd season, but this ending really wraps things up perfectly. It's really cool to see an anime that shows the full life of the main character all the way up until their death, as well as the impact they had on others after their death. My ONLY critique is that I didn't really like the afterlife parts, as the rest of the show was totally normal and realistic, but suddenly things got supernatural. However, the supernatural parts were still good and relevant. Plus they only lasted like 2 episodes out of both seasons, so I'm willing to let it slide.

THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS !! I did not know anything about Rakugo, and when I went to see this anime surprised me a lot, I started to like Rakugo and I was looking on youtube about videos in Japan of people seeing Rakugo as much as I liked. (Story = 9,5/10) I like it a lot when you explore the past of a character who suffered with certain losses in life and how he got that way. And the way they explored was excellent, the story is very rich and captivating with their main characters who are: Bon and Shin. Rakugo was something very well presented to those who do not know and his presentation of Rakugo with the characters were very well directed, it was not boring, they were creative and very interesting and sometimes funny depending on the kind of story they told. In the dramatic moments they were very well consistent to the scene with each perspective of the character very well presented during the plot, with certain moments very sad, but very realistic within his narrative. A pity that did not present Yotaru very well, but this season was made to show more of Bon's past. (Characters = 10/10) I loved the characters of this anime, even though they were few, were very well developed. The dialogues during Bon and Shin were a lot of fun, it's cool the interaction between them, and they developed their relationship very well during the journey, which is very nice when they recognize the work and style of Rakugo of each one during the work and how they are perfecting the skills to make a better Rakugo. The conflicts they had with these characters were essential, with good messages of lives, often exciting. The Miyokichi was a character who had a good importance in the plot, focusing well on the main drama about this character, managed to convey well the emotions to the viewer during the scenes with her. (Art, Animation = 9/10) I loved the art, color palettes well selected, design of very well made characters. The background are very beautiful as are the used clothes. Now what struck me was how well used were some well-heeled Rakugo art scenes, also used in certain dramatic scenes to increase the weight of the scene. About the animation is very good and consistent but nothing spectacular. (Sound = 10/10) I love Jazz as in Baccano, and a well-done jazz like this is appreciated, it was very well used during the scenes of Rakugo that gave more immersion to the work, besides the fun moments that became very cool. During the dramatic scenes they used the violin and piano very well done, leaving the scene more dramatic still. The sound effects with the instruments of ancient Japan contributed much with the immersion experience. The dubbing was something that impressed me, they did an excellent dubbing, combined the voice with each character, and during Rakugo they managed to convey a sense that the story was real, with the voice acting of each person told during Rakugo. (Enjoyment = 9/10) Rakugo was a unique experience, I hoped it would be a rather dull journey with some interesting things, but good thing I was completely wrong, I loved the stories of each character and his conflicts, very well done, and had a lot of fun during Rakugo. Every aspect like sound, art, animation, direction contributed even more to the experience that was Rakugo. (Overall = 9,5/10) This show probably will not please everyone, but if you are looking for a work with a unique premise and a well made storrytelling with slower pace this work is for you. It lacked little to be masterpiece, I think that if it were a little more impacting would have my maximum score, I hope it in the 2 season will do it.

(This is my first review - greetings from Portugal) If you want a very beautiful story, told magistrally, with gorgeaus (quite cinematic) animation and some very serious character development - you need this anime in your life. Rakugo is a japanese form of storytelling. I know it isn't the most exciting thing you ever heard, but you will find it enjoyable, once you understand all the work and passion it needs to function. The underlying narrative is gorgeous, all the characters are very human and that is what makes Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu so special. Watching this anime (and the sequel, for closing this delightful story so well) is like watching a flower bloom. Such a poetic and emotional anime.

This anime in a sense is a story about well story-tellers. These people try and work hard over a course of years to master this form of storytelling known as rakugo. And it isn’t as easy as one might expect it to be. This anime is all about rakugo’s effect on these people’s lives. When I went into this anime- I honestly thought it was going to be boring. But, I realized that wasn’t going to be the case at all after being done with the first two episodes. This anime is actually does not really focus much on rakugo- rather mainly on the characters. Yes, this anime is honestly nothing without the characters. The characters of this anime are not meant to be likeable or entertaining- if anything they are meant to be portrayed as actual real people. I have noticed that all of these characters have both negative and positive qualities- making them as realistic and as human as possible. For, example let’s take a look at our main male protagonist Bon also known as Kikuhiko.He is such a layered character and honestly there are so many things I can discuss about him. But, I will keep it brief in this review. Bon has had it rough all his life, especially since enduring an injury that prevented him from dancing ever again. He was abandoned by his folks and was taken as an apprentice to practice Rakugo. However, no matter how hard he tried he could never live up to expectations. He was constantly overshadowed by his friend Shin. He was miserable cause he felt like he didn’t have a purpose in life. He felt completely useless and so practiced long and hard to be the best in rakugo. Unlike Shin, he didn’t do it because he loved it- but simply because he wanted to gain something that would add some value to his dull life. However, with time he does grow to really love it. In order to do so, he was willing to give up anything or anyone for that matter- making him seem very cold and distant on the outside. But, that’s only because of belief that he needed rakugo more than anything else to make his existence relevant. That’s why he always pleased the elders unlike Shin- and worked to the bone- while even trying to reinvent himself. He also fears being abandoned ever again- and this thing constantly haunts him. It’s also sad to see how this thing comes to back to bite him later on the show. The detailed exploration of Bon’s character was one of this anime’s major highlights. Shin or Sukeroku, might seem like a loveable goof who always drinks and can effortlessly do rakugo- but honestly there is more to him than that. That is also given major focus later on. He was one of the main reasons which helped Bon become so hard working in trying to perfect his own rakugo. I would have liked that they would have explored Shin’s character as much Bon’s, but that’s honestly a nitpick on my part. I also particularly enjoyed the bond these two individuals had in this anime as well. It didn’t ooze with bromance, as their relationship had problems like any other. They were envious of each other for different reasons- but yet they still always had each other’s backs no matter. Because of their complex friendship- no wonder everyone and their mothers shipped them like crazy in this anime! As for the story , I liked how it was a bit different from your average drama anime. This anime educated me a lot on rakugo- which I honestly wasn’t aware of prior to this anime. What I liked, but might irk others is that they didn’t straight up explain what the hell rakugo is to the modern audience. But, with each passing episode we got to learn more about it and how this thing works. Instead of telling, they actually showed us rakugo and how it can make people both happy and sad. That and how it is an art whose popularity has been dying down. This anime does take place in the early the twentieth century at the beginning of episode 2. Despite, all the time skips- the show was really well-paced and nothing felt rushed at all. I found that impressive since they did try to pack a story that takes place over the course of several decades within about thirteen episodes. I would however admit, that some of the rakugo they did tell was boring and I felt like dragged on, but only during the first half of the anime. Even when Shin, a person skilled at telling funny rakugo would perform- I would just wait for it to be over cause I wanted them to get along with the story. But, during the second half I loved all the rakugo they told. That is actually the only gripe I have with the story. That could be due to the fact that some of them get lost in translation or such stories are not entertaining to people nowadays. I wonder, if the rest feel the same or not. Also, there is another underlying theme of how rakugo’s importance was going to disappear with time. And I kind of predicted they were going to go in that direction. Like, how television and movies will kind of take over. But, they touched on the subject just once- and didn’t bother with it ever again. I do hope they will further explore this in the upcoming sequel. The animation was done by Studio Deen, whom I could never ever hate unlike others- because they made Fruits Basket and Higurashi ( two anime I love to death). And now this anime is another reason why I will continue to look forward to Studio Deen’s future projects. In fact, 2016 just might be Studio Deen’s year cause they are coming out with so many great things (Super Lovers excluded though). The animation was really good and I liked how the look was kind of dull- and not anything bright, colourful or sparkly. The character designs like its characters were also realistic. Bon however looks incredibly like Ebisu from Noragami Aragoto though! Am I the only one who thinks so? So, I am hoping Deen will make more shows like Rakugo, cause if they do so- then they will automatically make my list of favourite anime studios. No one hardly looks forward to Deen’s anime (then again I can’t blame people cause they do a lot of yaoi)- but that might change thanks to this anime. Overall, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu had great drama that is impactful and emotional moments that will make you sad. It’s a very simple but yet interesting story that had me hooked episode after episode. It excels thanks to its characters and the development given to them. This is surely a strong contender for anime of the year hands down. So, I will award this anime with a score of 9 out of 10 and that it is a MUST WATCH. I would like more people to check out this anime- but I wouldn’t want people to hype the shit out it. Cause after seeing what happened to Erased, I realized hyping anime or anything for that matter isn’t a good thing.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a great tale about the lost art to Rakugo as I am sure many of us are not native to Japan, so here is a small definition of Rakugo; It is a form of verbal entertainment much like stand up comedy but the main focus is telling comical or sentimental stories without standing up from the position. The anime covers very beautifully both the art of Rakugo and the Edo era of Japan. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a very slow-paced, dramatic tale of two apprentices finding their style in the slowly dying world of Rakugo as Japan is going in the direction of a new era. The synopsis is a bit misleading as this season of the anime is mainly focused on the past rather than the present. The art is not the best but it is very much enjoyable, the characters were made after thorough thinking I must say, the depth and emotions they have shown and how they develop different personalities is very entertaining, to be honest with you there were some scenes where drama felt unnecessary but as it is a Josei I don't think it should be held all negative. The story was pretty entertaining, it was not a lot per se as the anime revolves around more in the direction of character development than the story but it was good nonetheless. This is a bit deep analysis it is fine if you don't want to read this part as I have summarized it in the above paragraph. Here I will discuss the things I liked or disliked about the anime from the pace to sound. The pace of the anime was very slow even for a realistic, history-based anime. There were a few episodes with no progression in the story whatsoever, and it felt boring in some of the initial episodes. The story was not so hard to follow one can even argue that it was too plain and simple but that's what makes it good as it perfectly matches the era and art; the only thing about the story that was amiss in this season of the anime was the importance; the reason for that was it focused on developing characters rather than the story and that undermined the very basic and important emotion; suspense or anticipation. Character development was on another level in this anime and it is one of the few things I liked the most. They did a great job on the interaction of characters and the effect it made on their future even the side characters were thought very carefully. The picture they painted of the Edo era is mesmerizing and the environment around the characters was tense yet amazing; the art was really good but not on the level it should have been for the year it was made and it had minor flaws. The animation was very smooth at times but not perfect throughout the anime. The music and sounds in the anime were lively and pleasing. I will highly recommend it if you are into classical pieces

Such a truly one of under-popular anime of all time, this anime is a seriously hidden gem between the most hyped anime out there and i dare to say this anime is one of the best ever created. Even i honestly didn't notice this anime first, until i saw many people give good impression on this anime, and boi they weren't wrong. And till now, it's still one of my favorite anime of all time... -Warning some spoilers- -Story- (10) This is the unique one, who made this anime always stick on my mind. Story of this anime is about a guy who become a disciple of a rakugoka ( a rakugo master), after he got impressed by the master's performance when he was still in the jail. Rakugo is one of a culture show in Japan which just there is one person as storyteller and narrator to tell story with various themes but full with inspiration. Probably many of you still don't know what it is, same like me at first, but this is the point of the story. This anime, slowly but surely, keeps trying to get us inside more deeply to know and even enjoying rakugo show. The story alone focus on two viewpoint, first the disciple guy, Youtaro, and his master when he's still young. For the next episodes, the story just keeps driving for being more solid than before, so it won't disappoint you till the end... -Art- (9) The animation art is gorgeous and smooth, this proves everyone is wrong about negative critics on DEEN Studio, which many people said always makes shitty anime with trash quality. Seriously, sometimes that just bothers me because people always blame DEEN for what they've done to FSN and always compare it with ufotable's version. And for some reasons, the animation kinda brings nostalgic on me cause it looks similiar with Sakamichi no Apollon, and that's why the animation always fits with my eyes.. -Sound- (10) All sounds factors including voice acting, OP & ED, even soundtrack are really matching for the anime. Ishida Akira and Seki Tomokazu surely knows how to voicing the characters, and even all voice actors for supporting roles, they tried nicely done for this anime. Altought the Opening song is awesome, the Ending exceed my expectation. If you ever watched Mushishi and listen the ending song, this anime ending is not strange for you, the jazz music with slowly pace, will make you lost yourself for one minute, absolutely one of my favorite for this season. About the soundtrack, everything is cool especially when Shamisen (Japanese Tradiitional Guitar) be played in the anime.. -Character- (8) All charcters here are typical of character which make us to never can hate them for some reasons. As i said before, there are two main characters here which have their own stories. First Youtaro, the guy who wanna be a Rakugoka and become a disciple from a Master Rakugo, and then start his lesson how to get that dream. And second one is Yakumo-sensei, a Rakugoka who become a master for Youtaro, this anime also focus on Yakumo's past about how he can be a famous Rakugoka. And also, all supporting characters are nice and have positive sides for the anime story. So far, that's the only my explanation for characters because i don't give too much spoiler here.. -Enjoyment- (10) I REALLY enjoy it so far, and expect more of this anime come soon. This anime surely knows how to make you laugh, amazed, and even give a heartwarming feeling into your heart... -Overall- (10) It's perfect 10/10 anime for me and i hope there will be more anime like this in the future, i hope. I surely suggest this anime for you if you wanna try to watch anime with full of calmness, heartwarming, and slice of life story, you won't be disappointed i swear...

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) I’m lucky enough to still have one of my Grandfathers alive and well. He has been the best Grandpa I could have hoped for. Showing up to my birthdays, graduations, and sports games. Treating me with both love and respect. Handing me a casual fifty-dollar bill whenever he gets the chance. Yet his best gifts are his memories, the stories he tells when my brother and I sit close by and ask about another part of his life. Stories about his time as a milk man, ice man, and salesman. Stories about his tattoos and the gangs he associated with. Stories about my own troublemaking father. I hope to have stories like my Grandpa’s when I grow old; I hope I’m making them now. Until then, the storied Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu proves that, like my Grandpa, the best stories come from the heart. STORY Rakugo begins by following Yotaro, a convict just released from prison. With no money or family, he makes it his mission to become the apprentice of Yakumo, the greatest rakugo artist of Yotaro’s generation. Luckily, he does, and, following a rather rude mishap, Yakumo chooses to tell both his “daughter” Konatsu and Yotaro his life’s story. This opening blurb glosses over much of the first episode. That’s not because it’s terrible but because the anime already has in mind where it wants to focus. Indeed, the first episode performs three duties: introduces the audience to rakugo, gives us the current state of Bon’s (Yakumo’s real name) character, and sets the stage for the true story that needs telling. And what a story is told. The majority of Rakugo (approximately eleven-and-half episodes) is comprised of Bon’s personal recounting of the life he led and the brother he lost. He goes into so much: where he came from, his first love, living with Shin, his turning-point play, and so on and so forth. Throughout all of Bon’s experiences, the anime explores a handful of levels. One level is historical. The audience learns about what rakugo is, how it works, and what it went through during the war and the evolution of entertainment. One level is romantic. What love does to people, as well as what people will give up to pursue their passions. Shin trying to save Miyokichi, Bon letting Miyokichi go despite loving her so he could reach higher rakugo heights, and Miyokchi basically cursing Bon for his mistreatment of her attest to this romantic notion handily enough. One level is dramatic. The deaths of certain characters, Bon’s personal struggles, and the smaller moments – like Bon denying someone an apprenticeship or Shin’s expulsion – create drama that avoids being overbearing while simultaneously being interesting to watch. However, Rakugo is not an intense or thrilling or deep anime. It never tries or claims to be so. But what it does become, through intertwining those three separate levels, is a personal tale told from the heart. That makes sense because, after all, this story is Bon’s. But it is more than that, especially when considering the rakugo premise. Despite the countless stories he has told, he has never told this one. And, even smarter, it is not just a story about him but from him. In every other performance, Bon must become somebody else. But for this tale, histale, he simply has to be himself. Writing of this cleverness can be seen throughout much of the anime. Take the rakugo performances themselves. They more or less reflect the state of the narrative at that time. A story about greed and a story about turning over a new leaf have direct ties to the characters and the events that they experience, adding to the show’s writing prowess. Appropriate enough, Rakugo’s intricate execution can only be understood right before the end while reflecting on the beginning. Where Bon’s story starts with him meeting Shin and slapping the boy’s hand away, it finishes with him desperately clinging on and reaching for the hand of the man that has given him so much. A full-circle narrative whose connecting points (relevantly) speak volumes about the entire tale. Smaller details also fill the narrative. The parallels in the Yakumo and Sukeroku names. Shin giving Bon his precious rakugo fan. Bon, without his cane, running at Shin to bring him into an embrace. Throughout all of Rakugo, it focuses on a specific idea: finding a form of rakugo. Initially, that doesn’t seem very relatable – rakugo is quite a niche role. But interpreting this notion in the context of the story, it is not just about rakugo. It’s about finding one’s self. Obviously, one of Bon’s primary conflicts is this issue. Yet it also extends to both Shin and Miyokichi. Shin has already found himself; it’s what makes his rakugo so strong. And Miyokichi combines them both: She has found herself by not being herself for others. Ultimately, this theme drives the narrative because it is what drives Bon forward. And through his myriad of ups and downs, highs and lows, the audience as well starts to wonder if they have found themselves, too. Given this intense character focus, the show does not have a tangible plot. In fact, the audience already knows the ending: Shin dies. The narrative is nothing more than Bon’s story. What he felt, what he did, and what he learned. And that’s the beauty of it all: It is the journey, not the destination, that matters. Even its potential negatives are covered. An argument against the show is that one does not really get to see much of Shin and Miyokichi’s relationship. But Shin calling out Miyokichi’s real name (Yurie), when Bon was never told, indicate handily enough the connection the two oddballs shared. Another potential negative is Yotaro’s mob boss appearing literally right after Yotaro mentions him. But this instance has meaning since it follows that ever-present theme of finding one’s self. The background reveal on Bon’s master Yakumo could also be seen as a negative, but it’s made up for by the harshly truthful nature of the conversation. The strongest argument against Rakugo happens in the final episode. Or rather, it doesn’t happen. In an interesting move, the immediate aftermath of Bon’s season-long story is not shown. Instead, it jumps forward in time many years. It seems like a mistake. The anime started off by setting up some intriguing relationships – between Bon and Konatsu, Bon and Yotaro, and Yotaro and Konatsu. Yet the audience doesn’t get to see them unfold, transpire, or change. Again, not even once Bon completes his personal story. It feels like something should have been given. It’s fine, though, for one reason only: A second season exists (soon). To be fair to Rakugo, this story is Bon’s, not Yotaro’s or Konatsu’s. So while it is not a major problem now, it certainly will be if, later on, the anime chooses to ignore the relationships between the master, the daughter, and the apprentice. Regardless, Rakugo’s narrative power does not falter no matter what gets thrown its way. ANIMATION Rakugo’s art and animation are likewise very strong in their execution. Especially on an artistic level. Despite the frequent visits to the theater and its stage, the anime features many different locations and therefore backgrounds. A street on the eve of its first snowfall. A quaint town surrounded by blue sky, green grass, and yellow trails. A row of lighted festival stalls, leading to a darkened lake. The show constantly switches up its backgrounds, allowing it to thrive on variety. But Rakugo’s art truly shines in the symbolic techniques it regularly uses. For instance, some of the rakugo performances inject visual depictions of the stories being told, representing just how masterful that particular performer is at the piece. One of the best examples, however, is Bon’s shinigami rendition. The people being replaced by candles and the reduction in screen-size to include more black space around it, demonstrate the show’s (ironic yet welcome) show-don’t-tell approach. …

I didn't intend to watch this anime initially because I thought it would be another anime like Chihayafuru. Don't get me wrong, Chihayafuru is a nice anime with beautiful art but the story got boring after awhile because there was too much emphasis on Karuta (which I can't appreciate) and very little on characters development. Anyway, long story short is that I'm so glad I decided against my doubts to give Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (SGRS) a shot because Kikuhiko looks so hot! HAHA... First and foremost, SGRS is an anime for more mature audience. There is no kawaii-ness or sugarcoating in the way the story is presented. Every emotion, dialogue, action are as real and raw as they can be. So for viewers who are looking for a feel-good anime with lotsa cuteness, comedy and happy endings, you may be disappointed. Anyway, so here goes... Story and Settings: Despite what is written in the synopsis, SGRS largely surrounds the story of Yakumo Yuurakutei (a.k.a Kikuhiko) in his younger days which brings us back to the Showa period. So aligning with this period, you can expect to see nostalgically beautiful buildings, infrastructures and costumes. And what's nice about the Shouwa period is that not many animes use this setting so it's a refreshing change. To be honest, I almost gave up halfway through ep 1 because I really wasn't keen on Yotaro's story. But I'm glad I didn't give up as it starts to get interesting from ep 2 onwards with Kikuhiko and Sukeroku's past and how they trained to become successful Rakugo Storytellers. Without giving the story away, SGRS is about their friendship, finding their respective futures, romance (but that's not the main theme), dreams, tragedies and regrets - and that's what makes this anime realistic because that's what real life is. Half the story is filled with scenes of Rakugo but I assure you they're not boring which I had initially thought because some stories they tell are actually quite interesting and funny, so don't press the FF button and skipping them. The pace of the story development may also sometimes appear slow but do not be fooled because it can also suddenly pick up speed or take a right-turn. I recalled having to rewind a few scenes due to not paying attention and then missing important scenes and conversations. Artwork: SGRS' artwork is beautiful and the colours are very rich. And did I mention that Kikuhiko is hot? Yes, I did (hehe). And what I really appreciate is that the character designs are beautiful and realistic. What I mean by 'realistic' is that they don't have strange blue/red/pink hair and they don't spot gravity-defying nonsensical hairstyles that lotsa modern animes love to use. Also, the characters change their clothes and appearance, HALLELUJAH! So throughout the whole 13 episodes, I get to see at least 4-5 different Kikuhikos and I love it! Same goes to the other characters. Voice Acting: I'm pleased with all the VOs except Yotaro's who consistently speaks in a false falsetto which sounds irritating and painful to the ears, especially he speaks very fast as well. I love Yotaro as a character but only when he doesn't talk. Enjoyment: I enjoyed SGRS very much and each episode's ending pulls me right into the next wanting to know more. The story nicely wraps up and jumps back to present day which also left me wondering if I've had enough or I should follow-up with Season 2? And I'm so glad I did because although I prefer Season 1, Season 2 contains important information not revealed in Season 1 and continued developments of Kikuhiko and the rest. So if you're planning to watch this, be sure to watch both Seasons.

I made a video: you can find it at my YouTube channel "BasementOtaku" Video Script: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (9/10): Holy buckets a 9 out of 10?! More information on my rating system is in the video description. Now it is time to slip on verbiage as I begin a potentially spoiler filled review. To tell you the truth I dropped this show after its first episode. It was awful, the premise was intriguing and the thug who appeared to be the main character was new, I love most shows in older time periods but IT WAS SO SLOW! The pace was that of molasses, slowly dripping before my eyes, I just couldn’t continue to watch it. It is still an amazing show, but if you don’t want to suffer through the first episode the basic information you need to know is that an old story teller is showing us his past after taking in a student for the first time. He has lives with a young woman who is the daughter of his now dead friend who blames blames him for her father's death. That is all you really need to get out of the first episode. Now back to the review, I figured the history of the old master would take a few episodes and didn’t like what I saw. Lucky for me other more dedicated anime viewers watched the show in its entirety and sung its praises so I had to take a look. Man am I glad I did! This show is similar to Berserk in that its history arc is a fantastic story on its own and even knowing this show has a second season planned I am would be happy with the offering given. I haven’t seen a story have such a gratifying build up with characters that felt this real in a long time. It looks amazing, it sounds even better and the payoff is spectacular. Now I am seriously torn because I want to give this show a 10 out of 10 rating but the fact that the first episode was so repulsive and that the show takes awhile to pick up its pace has me docking it the one point. I understand that the show was most likely trying to be faithful to the manga but the first episode should have been tighter, and I believe adapting it to fit a 24 minute time slot would have been for the best. In the end it was a show that made me think, it made me reflect on my own life and the cruelty of existence, being kind enough to give me a good cry or two along the way.

It would have been a shame if an anime about people who tell stories fell short in plot and narrative. Luckily, I don't believe this one did. From start to finish I was captivated by the story, even as it changes, evolves and crescendos. There's a lot of charm and heart to it without feeling too contrived. The characters were amazingly well developed and relate-able. Writing this as someone who is probably older than most anime-viewers, I feel like this hits on some ideas and concepts that, while they won't be alien to younger viewers, likely rings true to an older crowd. Regrets, old loves, lost ambition and more really flesh this out to make for such a true tale of human nature. There may be points where this show is a little slow in getting to the point. And there are times when the animation goes from magnificent to pretty good. It's beautiful and moving when it needs to be. This isn't an anime if you like fast-paced action or gimmicks. But if you're looking for a heartfelt story and strong characters, this is it.