Joshiraku

It is my first review, so don't go harsh on me.

So far, this anime has been funny. The references they make are funny, even if I don't get it. As well, the Ending song will be stuck in your head. This anime does what the synopsis says. Its just girls talking about stuff really. The characters are cute too.

So, here I go with my first review.

Joshiraku is not the typical moe anime due to the fact that it was created by Kohji Kumeta. For those who are not aware of Kohji Kumeta, he is the person behind Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. This work is different from SZS because the girls of Joshiraku are just cute rakugo girls, unlike the students at SZS, where everyone has a certain disorder, if you can put it in that way.

There is this notion hanging above my head once I watch Joshiraku:
"This anime is full of ordinary dialogue so that the viewers can fully enjoy how cute the ... girls are."
In fact, that sentence can summarize how many people would view the anime, but the hidden genius of the anime lies in the dialogues. A hodge-podge of references, parodies, and comic reliefs have given Joshiraku the atmosphere of watching Lucky Star blended into SZS. Be warned though, many of the puns are Japanese references, so if you're watching a subbed episode, go for gg Fansubs, for they have translation notes (you can just google it).

Story: 8/10
What is the Story? A typical person may ask after taking a glimpse at Joshiraku. As I stated earlier, Joshiraku is about five rakugo girls discussing random topics, which typically drifts away until the original topic is buried. Though, this must not deter you from watching it, for it is hilarious nonetheless.

Art & Sound: 7/10
J.C. Staff has somewhat neglected it, though it should be noted that they're putting a lot of effort in Little Busters! ( three episodes of LB has been released as of the time of writing of this review), but the art used in the anime is quite similar to the manga.
As for the sound, I find it lacking in the way that it needs more than just dialogue and background noise. Overall, I have no major criticism of the Art and Sound.

Characters: 9/10
The standout character for me is Kukuru. Even though the rest have those moments of brilliance, I feel that Kukuru's dark humor and paranoia has twisted the series in a way that it is genuinely enjoyable.
Some characters which appeared only as a part of parody can only be described as awesome. Case in point, in episode five, where there is a parody of Japan's former PM. Also, the way that the characters bash their own producers is brilliant, like how Marii made a pun about J.C. Staff and their rivals (KyoAni).

So, another work of Kohji Kumeta gave me the sense of humor not usually found in many comedy-themed anime. For those who enjoyed Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, don't worry about the overall appearance, for it still has the great humor found in a work of Kohji Kumeta. Also, this is a must-watch for those who are looking for anime which reflects the dark and humorous side of life.

"Which do you prefer? Left or Right? Me...I prefer down...I like to look down." Kukuru. Joshiraku was my surprise hit of the 2012 season and honestly I'm surprised that I have not seen more love for this series. This show isn't about being a politically correct melodrama that'll make you shed a few tears for the beautifully crafted characters...It's just FUNNY! Kouji Kumeta's stories are supposed to be taken with an open mind and if you are willing to come at this series willing to make fun of anything then this series will have you looking at the world in a whole different light.

Story: ... The story really isn't linear whatsoever and is more like random pieced together small stories (as it was in the manga), something that I would say is akin to Nichijou's story. I find it hard to really judge how to review the story other than by looking at each 1/3 episode as an individual story. From this perspective every mini story has an effective tale that never feels cut short (unless the humor is that the story is cut short) and everything in them has a purpose (even if that purpose is to have none). 9/10

Art: My only complaints that I really have with the series is that it is obvious that J.C. Staff didn't put a lot of effort into the artwork of this show. Which makes sense because with Little Busters! coming out the next season (A show that could literally make or break that company) the logical conclusion is that this show was just put on the back burner. It's not bad per say, it just doesn't have that same artistic flair that the other Kouji Kumeta's adaption had (although not every show can be animated by SHAFT). 6/10

Sound: I thought that the OP does it's job, in that every week I heard it at the beginning of the show I got excited to watch the show. It doesn't necessarily have the stand alone value as a good song that I'd put on my iPod , but it is catchy nonetheless. The ED is also hysterical if you know the story that is behind the lyrics of the ED. If you don't know I'd suggest that you go look it up (Valeraku, gg's translator for the series, actually has pretty good translation notes). Finally the backdrop music throughout the show seems very fitting to the series and at times can add to the comedic depth. 9/10

Characters: The main pinnacle of any of Kouji Kumeta's work, beside the sea of references, has always been his characters and the characters of Joshiraku are only a brilliant illustration of that. Kukuru and Marii are both two characters that I feel have absolutely no character archetype I can pin them to and it helps solidify their originality. I thought that Kigu was just there to actually be one of the "cute girls" at the beginning of the series, but the depth that gets added to her later in the series (listening to death metal music and going on malicious explicit rants in her head) made her one of my favorite characters of the Summer 2012 season. And that perfectly illustrates what makes these characters so fantastic is that they are so unpredictable that their humor can get you from literally anywhere. 10/10

So you're not Japanese: One of the biggest problems that many people have had with this series is the fact that if you aren't from Japan then most of the humor will go right over your head. And to be honest that isn't a false statement because Kouji Kumeta's audience is Japanese and he doesn't really care to internationalize his work (and why should he?). However if you feel like you're getting lost then just pick up the translation notes that Valeraku posts and learn them. This isn't a series that you can come into without willing to put in a little work, but I guess in today's anime community people are too lazy to do that. I think it's kind of like reading Beowulf, even if you speak English you'll still need a comprehensive study book just to be able to understand half of it. I really am thankful to gg for making this great work accessible to other people, but if you want to have the full experience you have to put in a little bit of work.

The reason that this series is rated so high for me is the simple fact that it is so incredibly entertaining. Every week I got this show onto my computer I was literally splitting at the seams from the humor. I wouldn't suggest this show to everyone because frankly not everyone will like Kumeta's offensive style of humor, but people who are cynics like me will absolutely love it. If you're reading this review wondering if you should watch this show, then I highly suggest that you at least give it a try.

(may contain minor spoilers)
YOSH! Slice of Life Comedy review here we go!
Joshiraku is an anime adaptaion of a manga from the same creator of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.
Now now, I found this anime by chance but as an avid fan of comedies I couldn't ignore it.
Joshiraku is quite the interesting and funny anime. Be it the interactions between the characters, the parodies or the "breaking of the 4th wall" thingy.
Let us begin

Story:
As a slice of life comedy anime, it doesn't have a specific plot nor anything serious. It does, though, have continuity. Meaning that what happened in an episode will "affect" the future ones, which ... is good.
Personally, I find the comedy throughout the show quite good and enjoyable, although it may not be for everyone. Even so, it will definitelly find a way to entertain you and make you laugh.
With all that said, the story gets an 7/10.

Art/Animation:
The art is quite good and fitting. Each character is easily identifiable by it's characteristics/colours and are drawn nicely. Same with the colourfull backgrounds (not that there are many but still xD).
The animation quality is definitely good. All the characters move fluently and I failed to notice any moment in which such quality dropped.
Art/Animation gets an 8/10.

Sound:
Woo! Great! The Opening and Ending are great and I got addicted to them >.>
Besides that, the bg was fitting and I didn't notice any problems with it.
Sound gets a 9/10

Characters:
The big point of the show, as it focuses on the interaction between these. Joshiraku has a small cast of characters, each with it's own traits and characteristics that complement each other nicely.
Nothing special to say about them, the characters are not at all unique but good and each of them is important for the show as they are. I can't imagine Joshiraku without any of them.
Characters get an 8/10 'cause quite like them and I can.

Enjoyement:
Hell, did I have fun watching this. I sure did! I watched some of the episodes more than 3 times already. What can I say, personally it was one of the best comedy shows I've seen.
Enjoyement gets an 9/10

Overall:
Joshiraku is a quite entertaining anime. The art and animation was good and the OP and ED will get stuck in your head for a while. It's not the best comedy out there but surely enjoyable and worth the time spent watching. One title I would recommend to comedy fans out there.
That said, and Overall classification of 8.


Hope this is usefull
Thank you :)

What to say about Joshiraku, this is a tough thing to answer. It's basically "Translators note" the anime.



-Story is what you expect from an SoL comedy.

-Art is basic fair with basic character art and pretty good backgrounds. Nothing less from J.C.

-Sound is great. I fucking love the OP, if that means anything...

... -Characters are characters

-I enjoyed this series as much as a baka gaijin such as myself can. A lot of the humor is the miss due to culture differences. It's the type of anime that doesn't really need popularity outside of Japan.


Overall I can recommend this anime to anyone and I can highly recommend it when you have some actual knowledge of japan outside of using choice words like "Kawaii" and "desu" and only really knows what they do from anime and dramas.

First of all, English isn't my mother language so forgive if I do some harsh gramatical erros.

Story(?)/argument

Joshiraku is the other manga Kohji Kumeta is writing... Assuming most of you have watched Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, this new manga/anime can be quite a shock on the first episode specially due to how cute everything is and how charming (if not moe) the girls are... but as almost everything Kumeta does, this traits are quite deceptive. If in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei every chapter had an steady progression towards the punchline or "the joke" at the end of the episode, joshiraku completely lacks this: the humour is quite ... smooth and everything is less progressive and more spread. In the end it does superficially suits that remark at the beginning of the series:

"This anime/manga is full of ordinary dialogue so that viewers/readers can fully enjoy how cute the girls are"

DECEPTION. Just like this statement, almost all the humour and social criticism is hidden and concealed. As everything it's treated in the same way as almost all of those "moe girls start talking" anime (Ex: Lucky Star, K-ON, etc) It's more atractive to the mainstream public than Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. This could be the main reason Kumeta went with this setting: to attract more readers... but don't worry, The core that made Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei such an innusual and genius work it's still there so you won't be dissapointed

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Art:

There isn't much to talk about the art of the show: 90% it's on the backstage of a theatre in which the girls work as comedians. Besides, The animators mimic the drawing style of the original manga to the root.

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Almost every other thing is irrelevant to the action onscreen. The only thing that can be considered aside are the opening and the ending sequences but I won't review those mainly because I'm not qualified to do it properly.

Superficially, Joshiraku presents itself as the lesser cousin of Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, making sure to incorporate many of author Koji Kumeta’s previously established elements into its repertoire: traditional iconography, heavy emphasis on kanji puns and cultural references, and Ionescian dialogue. But while it does includes many aspects already present in Zetsubou-sensei, it also omits plenty of the points that made it especially effective, most critically by replacing its large cast of trait-based characters in favour of the more standard treatment of 5 main characters, all of whom meet the expected archetypes within the standard anime comedy format.

The most notable aspect of Joshiraku is perhaps its formatting, ... which is much closer to that of a 4koma manga, rather than an anime episode with a standard A-plot and B-plot – for that matter, it lacks any real conception of a plot at all. Exhibiting a narrative in any capacity is firmly rejected, as they take a much looser interpretation, which is perhaps exemplified by its first chapter title, "Usual Conversation", which appropriately enough leads to a meta-discussion about what constitutes 'usual', and ends with nothing being resolved. Despite the title of the series, it has very little to do with rakugo, as while its main cast are all performers of the artform, this aspect of their lives is rarely discussed or even acknowledged, and the only time any actual rakugo is seen is at the start of each episode, wherein only the closing moments are shown, and naturally there is little to infer from a story that the viewer is only able to capture one sentence from. This technique may appear comparable to Seinfeld, but it remains distinct, as Seinfeld's use of a narrated monologue to open its episodes carried significance by remaining at least tangibly related to the episode as a whole, and sometimes retained an extra purpose as it was at times used again as a segment to end the episode, to conclusively wrap it all together. Joshiraku de-emphasises its own existence, which is also exhibited in that its rakugo receives very limited applause, which alongside the fact that its characters are all deeply removed from any conception of the Yamato-nadeshiko, may seem to suggest that Joshiraku advances some form of argument about the erosion of Japanese tradition, in culture, in language, and in attitude. Alistair Swale once stated that "There is arguably a point where aesthetic ideals from classical literature, for example mono no aware or wabi and sabi, engender a certain awkwardness; it is something of a struggle to employ such concepts usefully in relation to cinema without drifting into a certain pastiche of cultural references." This is where the core of Joshiraku lies, through the disconnect in attempting to transfer meaning and ideas from one medium to another. Rakugo does not provide much of a recognisable framework in the story it establishes for a modern Tokyoite audience, and while Joshiraku may seem to display elements in its imagery that appear distinctly Japanese, including in sections where the characters make visits to classic landmarks like the Sensoji Temple or Tsukiji fish market for no given reason (in the latter case, going to the fish market, proceeding to talk about fish, and then going to buy ramen instead), it neither contains a cohesive integration of this classical iconography, nor does it accept it wholesale in a nostalgic manner.

With this in mind, Joshiraku does manage to operate effectively as a firm consolidation of all the conventions and ideas that have come to be expected from a modern comedy anime. Particularly, it avoids the rakugo notion of developing a singular, long story with a simplistic punchline. Instead, its dialogue is equal parts manzai, Irvine Welsh, and Eugene Ionesco, allowing it to retain the same sort of tenacity and idiosyncratic particularities exhibited in Zetsubou-sensei. Of the above influences, Ionesco holds a specific connection, due to the fact that The Bald Soprano was originally planned to end via the audience being shot by a firing squad. The confusion from the Ionescian dialogue becomes familiar, and thereby in a sense it grows comforting, before it creates a violent upheaval which destroys this established idea, and resets it again. This is a point that Joshiraku makes use of, by establishing situations that are entirely Ionescian, creating a semblance of understanding with the points of discussion, and likewise, a similarly violent upheaval, which also evokes a similar tradition seen within manzai, as this sudden change is used for comedic effect, rather than to punctuate a philosophic or linguistic idea as Ionesco chose to. In this area, it is undeniably effective, the sound design and animation keep these moments impactful, providing a sense of weight and power with these movements. Even so, one detriment that Joshiraku holds is that even with the strengths of its dialogue acknowledged, its main characters do not appear to have the same level of thought put into their creation, being a largely standard array of genre archetypes, without offering much new insight into the prevalence of these archetypes: the glasses-wearing otaku, the quiet one, and the comparatively normal one who barely even has any lines. There aren’t any other recurring characters, meaning this main cast is all the viewer has to engage with, and so to have produced more original, or at least evocative characters would have done a lot to elevate the series.

Although it may present some interesting points, Joshiraku is undeniably an entry into the comedy anime genre – as idiosyncratic as its dialogue may be, it is not a series that is immune to simplistic labelling or categorisation. R.G. Collingwood once suggested that requiring artists to create work that is able to be sold and enjoyed to a mass audience contradicts the fundamental nature of what art is, and with this in mind, perhaps if Joshiraku were developed for the purpose of providing some further exploration of the historic and aesthetic ideas it presents, it may have been a much more interesting work. But nonetheless, it is able to be easily categorised, and as with any comedy, part of this categorisation lies on the inevitable and fundamental question, "is it funny?" It manages to be funny enough, Zetsubou-sensei, Ionesco, manzai, and Seinfeld have all had much greater comedic moments than Joshiraku, but it is consistently funny across its runtime, which by any metric makes it a successful work.

Joshiraku is not a perfect anime. If that is the case, then, why the hell did I grade it a Masterpiece 10? Because just like rakugo itself, Joshiraku is surprisingly hilarious.

This anime does not try to challenge what it means to be a comedy-- it simply reintroduces the old ways of doing comedy and proves its mind-blowing relevancy within the landscape that is Twenty-First Century. Each episode comprises of three sub-parts: the first is all five so-called Rakugo Girls simply hanging out in a dressing room and discussing the weirdest topic, the second is the Rakugo Girls sightseeing and clamoring the weird trivia surrounding each ... location, and the third is really just the repeat of the first sub-part. With this formula, this anime shouldn't have worked-- yet it did in a very splendid fashion. Why is that?

After numerous re-watching sessions, it can finally be deduced that Joshiraku is actually the art of rakugo but with more proactive (literally proactive) execution. Rakugo may be an unfamiliar world for most people but dissecting it further, rakugo is just another form of observation comedy. With different method of being funny, though, there comes a different perspective that makes what is old and overused seem fresh and brand new. The strongest element of Joshiraku is how each Rakugo Girl delivers a very different observational comedy and once they come together, it becomes the unlikeliest puzzle pieces that fit with one another. What lacks in story, the geniuses at J.C.Staff made up for it with characters and what lacks in characters, they made up for it with outrageous observational perspectives. This is something that is difficult to pull off for even a live-action fixture, let alone 2-D.

It is unfortunate, though, knowing that a beautiful gem such as this has yet to enjoy the highest credit and popularity it actually deserves. However, words are powerful and just like the art of rakugo itself, this one requires a major preservation stat!

#felixlovesanime

Today was finally the day when i wasn´t able to suppress my desire to review Joshiraku anymore. A show that fascinated me in a very unique way: Joshiraku is great by intentionally beeing bad. I know you probably already think i´m a jerk and stopped reading by now, but i will finish this anyway...

Joshiraku is a 13-episode comedy released by JC Staff in the summer of 2012. While i wasn´t expecting much out of this initially, it became one of the biggest pleasant surprises of the year for me. Every single episode made me laugh out loud while at the same time captivating me ... with it´s tremendous creativity. The writer´s bravery to take risks is also worth mentioning, as Joshiraku does not take itself serious whatsoever and purposely makes every single mistake that killed other shows in the past. All we get to see is five girls who are totally aware of the fact that they are animated characters in a TV show discussing the most uninteresting topics u can imagine while constantly breaking the fourth wall...and it is HILARIOUS.

Furthermore, the show openly states that it is "full of dialogue so the audience can fully enjoy how cute the girls are" (they aren´t cute...) and even introduces a new character in the final episode only for the others to
rant about how stupid the writers must be...

Overall, this is a wonderful comedy show because it does not try to be anything else but a comedy show. It´s a heavily dialogue driven, fast paced in your face gag firework with opening and ending sequences so annoyingly addictive that they will haunt you in your dreams. And which other show will introduce us westeners to the traditional japanese art of rakugo theatre? So love it or hate it...but watch it first!

First off, if you don't know a lot about Japanese culture, you'll be very confused.

Secondly, if you don't speak Japanese, a lot of the puns will fly over your head (though the fansubs certainly do their best to localize it).

If you'd rather not bother with Japanese cultural references, you're probably better off watching Nichijou. If you are interested, however, in talk about places such as Tokyo Tower and Skytree or references to Japanese politics in combination with wacky one-liners, you might like this anime.

I personally am enjoying it a lot, but honestly, around half the bits I thought were funny will probably not be understood ... by many Western fans, not to get all condescending about it. Those learning Japanese should definitely check it out, as it's heavy in wordplay and Japanese humor!

"This anime is full of ordinary dialogue so that the viewers can fully enjoy how cute the girls are."
That literally sums it up.

At least, that's what I would say if it actually summed it up.
The dialogue is anything but ordinary-- the things they talk about are absolutely hilarious and I found myself almost bawling from laughter very often. All the characters had very different personalities, and, as the above statement said, are all really cute.

Story: 8/10
I was first introduced to Joshiraku through an osu! song- the ending theme, to be exact. It was a great, fun song, and the anime looked good, so I decided ... to check it out. It's about five rakugo girls (and a mysterious mask...) that discuss random topics. Usually, they drift away from this topic until they're up to something completely different. It's always hilarious. However, there are loads of Japanese inside jokes/puns that you probably wouldn't understand. I recommend 'gg subs' (I use KissAnime to watch it), because they make it very easy for you to simply look up what certain things mean.

Art: 8/10
The anime's art is pretty similar to the manga. Very cute, obviously. I like how they've done it, because anything more detailed would ruin the theme of the anime, in my opinion.

Sound: 10/10
Okay, I know what you're thinking-- "10/10?! Isn't that a little far-fetched?!?!?!"
Yes, probably.
But, taking in all aspects- the opening is amazing, and I have the ending downloaded onto my phone. I know most of the words from listening and singing along on repeat. IT'S SO GOOD. The voices are also cute, and cute in a good way, not in an intolerable way.

Characters: 9/10
The characters are all very different and amazing in their own ways.
There's Marii. Marii is a very funny, tomboyish character who never fails to make me laugh with her bruised butt. She is often ignored or left out by the other characters. Her name, Buratei Marii, is a pun meaning bloody mary- say it out loud. Buratei Marii. You see?!
Kukuru is a very unlucky, emotionally unstable girl. Her name contains various Japanese puns relating to very dark things. She has a dark sense of humour.
Kigu is a very cute girl with short yellow hair. She pretends to be cute, but often has moments in which she turns very dark, muttering that she is sick of 'their damn expectations', often swearing.
Her name, Kigurumi Haroukitei, is a pun-- say it out loud! Kigurumi and Hello Kitty.
Tetora is a very lucky girl, and considered the main character of the series. Again, her name is a Japanese pun.
Finally, we have Gankyou. Gankyou is a glasses-wearing girl, who often acts very violent towards the other girls. She generally likes reading books and surfing the web.

Overall: 8/10

This is a must-watch for those looking for anime which reflects the dark and humorous side of life- you can thank Kukuru for the 'dark' part :)

Joshiraku is an anime about the lives of five rakugo comedian girls. Instead of focusing on the girls rakugo performances, the show reveals what happens off stage and various things that happens in their day-to-day lives.

You would see this sentence being repeat throughout the show: "This anime is full of ordinary dialogue so that viewers can fully enjoy how cute the girls are". This quote highlights the main attraction of the anime: it's dialogue. The show has the ability to turn everyday, trivial matters into something that is absolutely hilarious and even sometimes philosophical. Seeing the interactions between these girls are entertaining. Just like ... in real life, while you are talking with someone, sometimes, you would wonder: how did our conversation end us on this topic? That is exactly the experience of watching Joshiraku, the character would ramble on things, whether it being a thoughtful discussion on today's politics or a lamentation on their horrible childhood experiences, and spice things up with humor. Now, the humor part of this show might cause some people to dislike it. A lot of the humor in this show involves references, whether that be an homage to another anime show or current events in the Japanese society. A good amount of the jokes are culturally specific to the otaku and the Japanese culture, which might be a barrier to some people watching this show to not get what's so funny. I'd say also as you're in touch with the otaku culture, you should be able to enjoy most of the content in this show. As for me, I had a great time with it.

This is my first review, so I know it can be better.

This anime, which shows us the daily life of 5 five comedian girls is simply awesome, really, I enjoyed it a lot and I laugh so much, it gets a 10/10. You can enjoy it in every single way (alone or with friends).

The story is just AMAZING, it suits so good in this kind of anime (it gets a 10/10).

The characters are LOVELY, I finished it a while ago and I miss all of them (it gets a 10/10).

The opening and ending are just beautiful. I mean, they are just beautiful, it gets a ... 10000000/10.

Don´t forget the references, they are all hilarious if you get them all, so it gets another 10.

Also, watch the OVA, is the best of Joshiraku and have some of the most hilarious jokes.

I wrote this fast because I don´t have so much time, but I promise the next review will be better. See ya!

Ahh, Joshiraku. A series that initially I was skeptical about watching, knowing nothing about Rakugo. Surprisingly, not knowing anything about Rakugo did not matter. The series more so uses pop culture, environmental or political humor more than it addresses anything about Rakugo. The characters are marvelously crafted. Each is assigned a niche essentially that they play quite well and throughout the series, build on. The visuals are clean and clear, the music especially the ending, is addicting, and its overall a very enjoyable anime.

Its worth pointing out however that a lot of jokes in the series rely on Japanese puns and Japanese politics ... which would make no sense to someone not familiar with either, like myself.

If you want something fun, overall positive, and different to watch, I strongly suggest giving this a try.

For some reason, I have very good luck discovering gems like this through screencapped memes. I'm surprised I've never heard of this anime until very recently.

Joshiraku is the pinnacle of anime comedy. I wouldn't be surprised if non-anime fans could find this show very enjoyable as well. Throughout every episode, comedic momentum is maintained quite well. There are no dull moments, and the contents of the show don't pander to any particular viewerbase. Instead, Joshiraku is overflowing past the brim with destruction of the fourth wall, and pokes fun at many stereotypical anime cliches spanning every genre. Joshiraku somehow manages to be something incredibly unique ... to the anime scene, while not doing anything much more complex than making fun of every other genre.

The one and only negative thing I can say about the show is that many jokes rely on the intricacies of kanji, and only native Japanese speakers or someone very fluent in the language would understand them. Just beginning to study the language, I can understand the gist of some of these jokes, but definitely not enough to fully appreciate them. But again, while there are many occurrences of these jokes, the majority of the comedy would be appreciated by anyone, Japanese speaking or not.

Digging deeper, the story is nonexistent. Period. This isn't a bad thing; Joshiraku doesn't need to rely on a story to be interesting. There's not much else to say about this.

The art is clean, smooth, and palatable for a lack of a better word. There's no girls with neon pink hair and breasts the size of pumpkins to deter normies or attract hentai fans. Backdrops are well-made and cozy as well.

The music is simply fantastic. I can confidently say this is the only anime I've never skipped an OP/ED on. They're catchy as hell, absolute bangers. 10/10

The characters feel unique and have good synergy with each other. Obviously they need to have the most effort put into making them out of anything else in the anime, as it's a comedy that does not rely on any story whatsoever. In short, the writers did good.

Overall, this was an extremely enjoyable anime. Would love a second season, but as it is said in the ending, all things inevitably end, and media such as shows or anime are often better ended sooner than later.

"This anime is full of ordinary dialogue so that the viewers can fully enjoy how cute the girls are"

That quote pretty much sums up the attitude of this show. Joshiraku knows what it's about, and it has no problems flaunting it. It's about entertainment - and despite what the above quote says, its not the fanservice kind (although it does have some). This is a fourth-wall-breaking, satirical comedy/cultural lesson. If you're looking for anything else: 1) don't watch this anime 2) go find something else to watch 3) stop reading this review already, there's no point since you're not going to consider watching this anime ... anymore.

Now for those of you still considering the show, here's the lowdown.

The premise of the show is just following a bunch of rakugo performers (a kind of comedian) and their acts of randomness. Each episode of Joshiraku is organized into three skits. With few exceptions, most of the segments are standalone. While the lack of any central plot forces me to give this show a low "story score" on technicality, it is in no way a deal-breaker. You watch this show when you want a laugh, and the compartmentalized nature of Joshiraku lets you alleviate boredom at your leisure.

As for the animation and music, it's nothing special. The opening and ending songs are somewhat catchy, but I find this to be true of just about any anime song that isn't just plain irritating. The characters, on the other hand, are rather distinct and are what define Joshiraku. No, it's not just because they're cute. Their interactions with each other, what the show calls "ordinary dialogue," is really the driving force of the humor. And surprisingly, There's enough depth to the characters that every once in awhile the show pulls something you don't quite expect, only to realize that it completely fits the characters. It helps keep Joshiraku fresh while still establishing a rather coherent identity.

Just a warning though. The show is rather heavy on the outside references, although there's still plenty to enjoy even if you don't get any of those. Still, Joshiraku is a great time-waster whether you choose to marathon the whole thing, or watch it on and off. And yes... I meant that in a good way.

Yappari wakaranai...Japanese humor

Anime fans out there. Have you noticed how many times the subtitle writer has had to put asterisks around the screen to explain some odd, weird, and convoluted Japanese joke or pun? Manga fans out there. How many times have you had to squint at the fine line between panels to read the direct translation from Japanese, and then sit back and wonder how that was actually funny?

Asian culture spins almost directly counterclockise to Western culture. Asians have different eating, sleeping, working, playing, and ultimately living styles. They have different values, different laws, different mindsets, different beliefs. Undoubtedly, they also find certain things ... funny that no American would ever dream of laughing at.

Japanese culture within other Asian cultures is like the taro in taro rice or the yam in yam porridge - it stands out. The Japanese, having isolated themselves on a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean for hundreds of years with limited cultural exchange with China and Korea, developed their own culture that was in part based on the preexisting cultures of Asia and in part their own unique flavors. Thus, even other Asians regarded Japanese culture as something quite foreign and strange, though it was also unusually attracting...

In short. True Japanese humor can only be understood by true Japanese.

Which is why this anime will blow your mind.

Joshiraku pays homage to one of the classic modes of entertainment in Japan: rakugo. Rakugo is the art of the stand-up comedian, only...kneeling down. By themselves, rakugo performers are required to spin yarns, tell single-sided jokes, make puns, act out scenes. Often times, rakugo performers will play multiple roles in a scene, distinguishing between each character only by a change in inflection and a slight tilt of the head.

Just so you know, this anime actually has as much to do with rakugo as Angel Beats has to do with actual angels.

This anime is not for the faint hearted. It is not for those who refuse to understand or at least try to comprehend Japanese culture. But for those of you brave enough (or foolish enough), Joshiraku can be one crazy joyride.

Story (7/10)
Art (8/10)
Sound (8/10)
Character (9/10)
Enjoyment (8/10)

For 4koma-esque anime and other slice of life anime, I change the "Story" criteria to "Content" to better fit the grading scheme. And the content receives a 7 because...its really exclusive content. As I spent an introduction saying, Japanese humor is a really elite type of humor. Some people won't get it. Most people don't find it funny. Just like Marii, they end up laughing at the wrong things (HAHAHA!! HIS TROUSERS ARE STRIPED!!!), though not a bad thing since people are laughing regardless. However, this definitely limits the possibility of a wide array of people from truly enjoying this anime. Fortunately, the anime makes it up with a strong cast of lovable characters. You may not understand the joke, but you end up enjoying seeing the characters engage in banter and saying some impossibly crazy things.

Some of the content is somewhat inappropriate, and other parts are downright creepy. The anime even starts off by breaking the 4th wall, which was completely astounding that left me totally bewildered. If you thought Nichijou was confusing, then you'll probably faint after a couple episodes of this.

Also, I was disappointed there wasn't any actual rakugo.

Good art, I especially loved the variety of outfits that the girls wear. They all look wonderful, and the artists really put time and effort into presenting them well.

MAL should have a Favorite OP and Favorite ED list. Because Nippon Egao Hyakkei is one of the most amazing songs of anime ED history. The beginning of the OP also set the mood of the anime really well. I found myself naturally getting hyped about watching each episode, despite knowing that I'd soon be eyebrows-twitching with a nervous smile on my face.

Character is where the anime really shines. Each character is living, bright, and vibrant. They have their own unique style, not fitting into any preconceived mold (tsundere, moe, loli, etc). And the way that they interact with each other brings the entire anime together.

I'd like to spend some time discussing each individual.

Marii is your typical tsukkomi. In English, this would be the "straight man", someone who is serious when others joke around. Marii plays a certain varient of the tsukkomi where the tsukkomi is actually no smarter or more serious than the others, but ends up being the butt (no pun intended) of the jokes or ends up reacting to them strongly. Yuuko from Nichijou plays a similar role in her relationship with Mai and the others. Marii is dumb, rash, red-headed (which, incidentally, means about the same in Japanese culture as it does in Western cultures), and a major klutz. Probably the most dull characterwise out of the troupe, but makes up for that with her fiery attitude. She's definitely the best at drawing out the facepalms.

Tetora is the angel. She's perfect in everything she does, and she's never on the negative receiving end. She plays the calm, quiet controller of the cast, sometimes leading them around by the nose. She does have quite a wild side, and she ends up showing quite a variable display of emotions and personalities.

Kukuru is the possessed spirit. The most unique character of them all, Kukuru is the polar opposite of Tetora - always unlucky, always unfortunate. I'm assuming Imagine Breaker is located on her forehead. Regardless, she's perfectly fine with being unlucky and often plays the role of the old, possessed hag. She's downright creepy, but really awesome in a creepy sort of way. A completely special and unique type of character I'd love to see more of. With regards to the cast, she completely stands out in a corner, surrounded by dark aura, but as the discussion heats up she's able to be an integral, albeit depressing, part of the conversation.

Kigurumi is the masked demon. On the outside she's cute, fluffy, innocent, and sweet. Behind that lies a swearing, angry, heavy metal-loving girl. Her switches between the two personalities are completely surreal, and seeing one side of her makes you almost forget about her other side. An interesting character in her own right, she's able to keep the viewer continually guessing about what her true opinions are.

Gankyou is not your typical glasses girl. On the contrary, she loves beating up Marii and isn't all that smart. Her personality is very cool, but she can equal Marii in terms of heat and passion. Her ideas are out of this world (I swear I'm not trying to make these puns) and are often backed immediately by the rest of the crew with the exception of Marii, which leads to collective teasing and torture of the poor redhead.

Basically, the cast is a wild bunch. Not only do they completely fly against everything that anime has shown up to now, but they also remain endearing and classic. Together, these girls become quite the unstoppable troupe of makeshift comedians.

To say that I didn't enjoy Joshiraku would be a lie. To say that I wasn't at times completely doubting my sanity in watching this show would also be a lie. Joshiraku is an anime that drives you to extremes, often at an extreme pace. I've never been so mindblown by a single anime.

Overall (8/10)
Yappari wakaranai...Joshiraku

In simple words, its a comedy show that goes on very wild conversations and tangents stringing along many gags and jokes with no true purpose besides seeing how convoluted things can get, in a good way. I started watching this from seeing random clips on YouTube and am happy I chose to watch it.

Things you won't get:
- Conflict based narrative, or any real goal that characters strive towards
- Character development (characters don't change over episodes really)
- Serious or dramatic story beats
- Sakuga more than 1 or 2 times

Things you will get:
- Fast paced skits
- Gags that talk about a wide range of topics that ... I can't even give a proper range to
- Conversation that go in many different tangents and directions
- general hilarity and absurdity

It has the conversational length of something like Monogatari, without any of the philosophical depth and in the package of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things.

"This anime is full of ordinary dialogue so that viewers can fully enjoy how cute the girls are"
Joshiraku is a comedy anime about four rakugo performers and conversations between them, but everything's over the top, obscene, meta and unpredictable. So don't let the opening quote fool you, because Joshiraku is a comedy slice of life but it's also so much more. Joshiraku is life.


Story


Basically it's non existent, each episode begins with an character starting a conversation which then can develope into literally anything, everything can happen during those, girls can end up discussing etymology of japanese words, have a guerilla fight in a christmas tree ... or perform death metal music whilst making laugh of Ho-kago Tea Time. This anime is constantly presenting new ideas and it never gets boring, be prepared tho because there are a lot of references to japanese history, politics and culture which may be really hard to understand, but just as in sayonara zetsubo sensei, the show can be enjoyed without understanding them. The fact that everything is plausible lets the anime explore many interesting ideas while remaining in the genre of comedy and absurd, the show doesn't rely to heavily on one type of comedy but instead tries to make jokes in all of the comedy genres that there are.


Characters


They're the driving force of this anime and thanks to them this anime is as good as it is, all of them have disctinct personalities which work with each other really well and lead to many funny moments, each character brings something new to the table, their behaviours are based on popular anime tropes but here the've been turned up to maximun which means that they excel at all levels of absurdity, the characters are using their personality to it's extent without going out of the role and that makes the show even funnier. Everyone from the main five has something going for them and could be an MC on their own thus their conversation have even more flair and contain even more interesting perspectives than in your average slice of life anime and because the show covers a plethora of topics you're prone to see some interesting things happening.


Execution


OST is definitely this show's weakest element, it's not bad per se but it's barely noticeable, there are no memorable tracks and this soundtrack is kinda there but if you're not specifically trying to hear it then you'll miss it. On the other hand the visuals are amazing, the characters are constantly moving (they even point that out in the first episode) and doing something, their expressions are always rich. It's also worth pointing out that the character designs set up an example that could be followed by all of the series , they deserve a whole review tbh, on every episode main characters are wearing something different, sometimes it can be a pajama and sometimes yankee's suit, one thing doesn't change tho, each and every outfit looks gorgeous, is detailed and fits it's personality of its wearer. All of the things that appear on the screen look good, and that means something when we talk about a series as over the top as this one. It should be also pointed out that the show is very well directed, despite the fact that most of an episode will rely on an dialogue everything is presented in a way that'll be pleasant to watch, many things will be presented on the screen, characters will be constantly doing something in order to draw our attention and the fact that everything can happen will be enough to make us yearn for more.


Overall Joshiraku is a really solid comedy idea, it's humour is really inventive and constantly funny, the characters are well fleshed out and really memorable and the entire thing is made with much care and is full of details.

If I had to sum up the show in a few words: "A comedy based on a group of 5 girls taking turns with the old boke-tsukkomi routine."

The show is about 5 girls who are studying the art of Japanese stage storytelling dubbed: "rakugo" hence the title of the show "Joshi (meaning woman/girl) raku".

When it comes to the story and art one character's line, Kukuru's: "Stop that! The animators are doing their best even though there's little to animate," pretty much sums it up. As well as a literal frame in the first episode: "This anime is full of 'ordinary' dialogue so views can ... fully enjoy how cute the girls are."

I quoted because ordinary, as much of what they discuss is chock-full of anime , pop-culture, and nonsensical humor and gags, which is the show's selling point. I often found myself smile and laugh unconsciously.

That being said, it can be difficult to understand the comedy sometimes as some rely on timing of the joke or make reference to an obscure topic. I can't say that I didn't have to pause a few times throughout the show and look up meaning of punchlines or nuances in wordplay, but it didn't distract me from enjoying the show's humorous banter.

Many of the tracks in the OST use Japanese instruments which compliments the traditional atmosphere a rakugo has.

Overall, I had a blast watching the show. I believe if you have some knowledge of Japanese pop-culture, a bit of knowledge in the Japanese language itself, a somewhat subtle sense of humor its not difficult to find this show an interesting watch