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
