Oct 2, 2019
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.
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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.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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