Shouwa starts off in the modern day Japan but shifts to the past soon after. This time shift is handled with profound care and in quite an interesting way. The transition is written very well and doesn't feel a least bit disturbing. In such manner, we're presented with a wonderful story of friendship, brotherhood and life. One that will curve a deep feeling in your heart and make you only crave for more.
The defining aspect of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is the atmosphere, which is relayed in a bit peculiar yet strong way. Instead of the environmental design and background musics, what creates its atmosphere is the characters' voice acting, body language and interaction. Being an anime about rakugo, a classic medium of Japanese entertainment which is basically a rakugo performer performing a comedic play, its majority of execution is centered around these plays and characters who performs them. These performance is so brilliantly presented that without making it blatant, the anime makes the viewers understand when a performance is lacking despite a lot of efforts being put into it, or when a performance really reaches the heart easily. Basically, this anime perfectly executes how a performance has been executed; and seamlessly so.
One needn't to hold great knowledge about rakugo or its system to enjoy this brilliant show. I had absolutely no idea about what rakugo is when I started this series, but it didn't at all hold me back from understanding what's happening. Due to the subtle presentation, I was immensely captivated and instantly pulled into its fluid storytelling. No other anime pulled me in its atmosphere as Shouwa did and its all thanks to its magnificent execution.
As a purely character driven drama, Shouwa's main aspect is its characters. Similar to everything else in it, this anime presents its characters powerfully. The characters are introduced perfectly. We see their relations forming subtly as the story progresses and the character interaction really grows on us. The characters feel dear to us and this anime successfully makes us care for them.
The development of the characters and their interactions is consistent; and coherent with the main plot. We see them developing due to circumstances and their relations change accordingly. This is all handled in a plausible and realistic manner. Yuurakutei Yakumo or Bon is one of my top 10 favorite anime characters.
While the writing of the characters is a masterful job, their design and facial expressions are worthy of remark. Not just the characters, but also their attires, surroundings and atmosphere, all was perfectly designed. The mesmerizing and smooth animation does an excellent job in giving the series life. It was an absolute piece of art to behold.
To be fairly honest, I didn't notice much of a background music in Shouwa Genroku. It did have them (I rechecked), but the seamless presentation coated them so well that they support the execution superbly without preaching their existence. It doesn't fill every moment shoving music, but rather uses them where they truly belong. This invites a serene atmosphere that allows the anime to deliver as much as possible. The OP is amazing with great visual exposition, the ending is wonderful as well.
The most important part of its sound system is the voice acting as the anime is about vocal performance. The voice actors literally have to perform vocal rakugo for this anime. I'm not very knowledgeable in seiyuu, but Shouwa's voice actors did it perfectly. From rakugo performance to dialogues between the characters to the characters talking to themselves, this anime's voice acting flourishes. I see no way for this to be done any better.
The writing of the story is one of the most consistent in anime. I personally liked the story a lot. This is touching, this is enchanting. I enjoyed it all through. But if I have to voice a complaint, I'd say it was slightly weak around the end of the past story. I had expected a bit more from it. It was quite out of the blue. And I found it to be quite difficult to believe because it was slightly over the top. But it was still very well directed and successfully made my eyes wet.
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is an experience. It beholds a fine drama with great character emphasis. Truly a brilliant series through and through. Therefore, I bestow upon it a score of 8 out of 10, for it is worth every bit of it. A majestic series that redefines the drama genre. A rare piece of excellence of these day's anime most capable candidate for Anime of The Year 2016.
