Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Yotarou is a former yakuza member fresh out of prison and fixated on just one thing: rather than return to a life of crime, the young man aspires to take to the stage of rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of comedic storytelling. Inspired during his incarceration by the performance of distinguished practitioner Yakumo Yuurakutei, he sets his mind on meeting the man who changed his life. After hearing Yotarou's desperate appeal for his mentorship, Yakumo is left with no choice but to accept his very first apprentice.

As he eagerly begins his training, Yotarou meets Konatsu, an abrasive young woman who has been under Yakumo's care ever since her beloved father Sukeroku Yuurakutei, another prolific rakugo performer, passed away. Through her hidden passion, Yotarou is drawn to Sukeroku's unique style of rakugo despite learning under contrasting techniques. Upon seeing this, old memories and feelings return to Yakumo who reminisces about a much earlier time when he made a promise with his greatest rival.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a story set in both the past and present, depicting the art of rakugo, the relationships it creates, and the lives and hearts of those dedicated to keeping the unique form of storytelling alive.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yuurakutei, Yakumo Main

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Yuurakutei, Sukeroku Main

Yamadera, Kouichi Japanese

Yotarou Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Konatsu Supporting

Kobayashi, Yuu Japanese

Miyokichi Supporting

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Matsuda Supporting

Ushiyama, Shigeru Japanese

Tsuburaya, Mangetsu Supporting

Yusa, Kouji Japanese

Ochiyo Supporting

Itou, Yui Japanese

Rakugo Association President Supporting

Shibata, Hidekatsu Japanese

Tsuburaya, Bansai Supporting

Chafurin Japanese

Kamei, Hiroshi Producer

Yada, Shouko Producer

Yamazaki, Yoshihiko Producer

Urasaki, Nobumitsu Producer

Reviews

Mar 30, 2024

_gt_ohn

Recommended

Passion -- it is something that drives up human ambition. Since time immemorial, passion is what has allowed humans to pursue dreams in hopes of finding themselves a place in this world. It has allowed human creativity to flourish and evolve over time, changing what would've been a very monotonous world into something that been colored with countless artists of the past.

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a very touching, realistic drama on the nature of passion. It attempts to twist, question, and deliver how such a small thing can change the lives of people forever. When you are bound by your passion, can you make ... room for others to enter in your life and set it aside?

This anime is a masterpiece that delves deep into the intricate complexities of passion and its profound impact on the human experience. Set against the backdrop of the traditional Japanese art of rakugo storytelling, this anime takes viewers on a poignant journey through the lives of its characters, exploring themes of love, ambition, sacrifice, and of course, family.

At its core, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a deeply human story, resonating with authenticity and emotional depth. Through its compelling narrative and richly developed characters, the anime explores the struggles and triumphs of aspiring rakugo performers in post-war Japan. It deftly navigates the delicate balance between personal ambition and the desire for connection, posing thought-provoking questions about the nature of passion and its consequences.

One of the anime's greatest strengths lies in its ability to capture the essence of rakugo as an art form, immersing viewers in its captivating performances and intricate storytelling techniques. The meticulous attention to detail in the animation and voice acting brings each rakugo performance to life, evoking a sense of intimacy and reverence for this traditional art. From Akira Ishida's portrayal of Kikuhiko, who starts off as a newbie to a professional, to Koichi Yamadera's Sukeroku, you can almost feel like they themselves are natural rakugo performers.

Moreover, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is not merely a story about rakugo; it is a profound exploration of the human condition. Through its nuanced portrayal of characters grappling with their desires, fears, and regrets, the anime offers profound insights into the complexities of the human psyche. It challenges viewers to confront their own passions and consider the sacrifices necessary to pursue their passions and dreams.

In addition to its compelling narrative and thematic depth, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu boasts stunning visuals and a hauntingly, if not melancholic, beautiful soundtrack that enhance the overall viewing experience. The animation captures the subtleties of emotion with precision, while the music sets the tone for each scene, evoking a range of emotions from melancholy to euphoria.

Overall, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a poignant and thought-provoking anime that transcends the boundaries of its genre. With its masterful storytelling, rich character development, and profound thematic exploration, it stands as a testament to the enduring power of passion and the human spirit. For those who are seeking a truly immersive and unforgettable viewing experience, this anime is not to be missed.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Aug 30, 2021

RESOLVING_POWER

Mixed Feelings

I watched both seasons of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (henceforth referred to as simply Rakugo). Here are my thoughts:

As someone who likes any kind of theater as well as traditional Japanese culture, and often enjoys josei works, I expected that I would enjoy Rakugo.

The show takes place during a transformative time (mid-20th century) in the history of Japanese media. Older, more-traditional forms of entertainment have been overtaken by television and radio. For those who don't know, rakugo is basically a style of traditional Japanese stage performance which involves verbal storytelling. The main focus of the anime is the practice of rakugo, hence the title. Somebody ... with greater knowledge of rakugo might appreciate the nuances of the show more than I did.

The story of the anime is complex and intelligent. There are many well-developed characters, each of whom has their own motivations and feelings. The dynamics of these characters are woven together to create a rich character-driven story. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, the writing suffers from a serious flaw, in my opinion. Although the characters are complex, they are still boring and very often unlikable. I didn't empathize with any of the characters, nor did I enjoy any of their personalities. In fact I detested some of the most important characters. This is an admittedly subjective but nevertheless serious problem for a highly character-focused show such as this. My distaste for the cast seriously impaired my enjoyment of this anime. There is a buffet of hateable characters in this show to pick from. There were multiple characters for whom I came to loathe their appearance on-screen. This is true for both seasons of the anime. Another thing worth mentioning is that a lot of the plot mechanisms through which drama is derived are cheesy soap-opera material. This isn't an objectively bad thing (I'm fine with cheesy drama), but it does clash starkly with the show's sophisticated reputation.

Much like the practice of rakugo itself, the delivery of a story is as important as its content. At its core, this show has an okay story (regardless of the character issues). However, I think it could have been executed much better. I am fine with slow pacing in anime, as long as the screentime is used in some way that delivers value to the viewer. For example, if I really like a cast of characters then I'm completely fine with the show having zero plot. In fact I usually prefer slow pacing and little plot because it means that the screentime is used for something that I appreciate more. In this anime the pacing is slow, but there's little corresponding upside to this. The show is often very dull and boring. The screentime isn't used effectively. Episodes are often completely mundane but without any of the usual positive characteristics of, for example, a typical SoL show. There is no humour, very little romance, generally unremarkable visuals, etcetera; there's often just nothing of entertainment value. This anime sometimes feels like watching paint dry.

Visually, the show is kind of dull. It's not poorly animated, but it is fairly 'no frills' and doesn't have much discernable artistic flavour. Sometimes there are some nice backgrounds, but these frames are infrequent. To put it another way, the show is visually adequate but certainly there is room for improvement. Occasionally the cinematography is nice, but again this is not the norm. I think there was a general trend of the outdoor scenes appearing higher effort and visually richer, as compared to the duller indoor scenes where most of the show takes place. Also, I didn't like the character designs at first but eventually they grew on me. Another subtle aspect here was character animation. During more-emotive scenes the character animation can be very smooth and detailed (for example, facial expressions during rakugo performances).

Given the importance of oration in the show, I'm thankful that the voice acting is pretty great. In fact, the voice acting was a significant source of enjoyment for me. Most of the main characters have very distinctive and refined voices that match both the time period as well as their own style of stage performance. The script is also sometimes quite thoughtful, as one might expect from a rakugo-focused show. As for the OST, it is nice overall, and the frequent sound of traditional Japanese instruments suits the theme of the anime. There is also a lot of 50s-ish-era music, which frankly I'm not a fan of but it is appropriate for the time period.

The actual rakugo scenes themselves are kind of boring to watch. They are often long and without any accompanying visual flair at all. Watching a character recite a simple short story (that you've often already heard!) for many minutes is not particularly exciting. I'm usually quite patient with this sort of thing. I think more could have been done to make the rakugo scenes entertaining. For contrast, take for example the shogi scenes in Sangatsu no Lion. I quite enjoyed these scenes because I could strongly feel the emotions of the characters, in addition to the creative visuals provided by Shaft. Rakugo could learn some lessons from these shogi scenes. Of course on the other hand, having absolutely no visuals at all is a more authentic depiction of rakugo. I suppose how one feels about the rakugo scenes will depend on how they prefer to balance cultural authenticity and entertainment value.

Is Rakugo a complex and intelligent show? Yes.
Did I enjoy watching it?
Only somewhat.


My overall rating: 5/10
There are elements of the show worth appreciating, but this doesn't fully compensate for all its other negative attributes.

Lastly, and I only bring this up because I know that some readers will have this on their minds, I'm completely indifferent to the paternity controversy. It did not change my view of the anime and I think that a lot of people overreacted to that aspect of the story. As far as criticisms of the writing go, there is plenty of fruit that hangs lower. I would even say that the paternity subplot was kind of clever, although its execution in the anime was poor. In any case, I wish people would stop obsessing over this and instead discuss the rest of the anime's substance. There is plenty of fertile discussion material.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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May 20, 2023

MurasameKills

Not Recommended

Funny

I really don't understand why this anime get's such good reviews, it's average at best hence my rating of 5. There are some nice elements that make it watchable, but ultimately the anime is boring.

SOUND: About what you would expect. It's average, good enough, but not good enough to overlook the drastically detracting qualities of this anime.

CHARACTERS: The characters and character development is good. Their back stories and origins are good. It's nothing special, new, or particularly enthralling, but definitely better than your average Shounen character development by a longshot. In fact, this is the best part of the anime. If you like slice of ... life, or anime's that focus on characters, their interaction, their development, and their relationships, then you may really enjoy this anime.

PLOT: Interesting enough. Without going into spoilers you can see above under characters what to expect here. Character relations and interactions are the main focus. However, the plot is also not good enough to overlook the drastically detracting qualities of this anime.

ANIMATION and DIRECTION: I combine these two elements together because they are both easily the biggest issues that this anime has and are related to each other. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THIS ANIME is that it is boring. Specifically the Rakugo is boring. Other reviewers have discussed this as well and it's just bad. I took the advice of another reviewer and searched up Rakugo on an "unspecified video hosting site" (you know the one I just don't know if I'm aloud to advertise it on MAL), and saw a Rakugo performance of the Shinigami, which is one that is discussed and performed in the anime. The one on the video hosting site was 1000x better performed, voiced, and acted than anything in Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. The characters are not animated (speaking figuratively here as they are obviously 'animated') when performing, the voice actors are boring and just speak faster. It is literally just the characters sitting there, talking fast in Japanese, with a laugh track over it. A real Rakugo performer takes on different postures, voices, and characteristics for the characters they portray. A real Rakugo performer will whisk you away to a different world and build imagery in your mind of the story they are telling. A real Rakugo performer is not even close to what is portrayed in this anime. There was so much that the director and animators could have done to really make this a fantastic anime. So, animation and direction get an F.

THINGS THAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN TO MAKE THIS ANIME JUSTIFY IT'S 8 ON MAL: First, it needed to have better voice actors, or rather, voice actors should know how to portray different voiced characters... Really no excuse for the voice actors on this one. I know they are not Rakugo performers but they are VOICE ACTORS! Voicing different characters in a Rakugo performance should be no problem for them. Second, the Rakugo performances would have benefited from some serious sakuga (for the characters characterizations during the performance) or just other animations. They play around with this in one Rakugo performance where we do cut to a black background and see some other images from the story being told, but it's sparce and underperforms. Three, I understand that they need to tell the Rakugo stories fast because there is only 23 minutes per episode (except the first one) and that a real Rakugo performance can easily be 30 minutes. So, if the director cut the stories down to the most essential parts, directed the voice actors to use different voices for characters in the Rakugo performance, and directed the animators to visually animate the world of the story being told, then this anime would justify it's 8 or even a 9. I know that Rakugo is not a visual medium, but anime is, so animation should have been a key factor in this show but instead, it's just garbage.

Overall: 5 Average. The only reason that I scored this as a 5 instead of a 4 is because 4 is "Bad" and this anime is not bad, it's just deeply flawed, had some very bad choices made by the director, and is just plane boring. If I had to sum up this anime in one sentence it would be "A missed opportunity for greatness."

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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