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Development and evolution are part of the human nature, yet most people are unable to control or predict the course it will take. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo cleverly explores this by presenting the audience with two almost polar opposite protagonists. Yakumo on one hand represents the ideal pupil that tries to follow in his master’s footsteps and Sukeroku who in contrast is an overly talented pupil who doesn’t hesitate in contradicting his master.

Their styles of learning also vary greatly, while Yakamo prefers to take a more formal approach by reading and repeatedly reciting his stories. Sukeroku on the other hand prefers to attend the ... pub or brothel and tell stories from real life experiences; this unorthodox approach is the reason why his opinions and ideas vary greatly from the rest of the rakugo community.

Suggestions of change are not always welcomed/accepted in well-established fields as they present a sense of unease and insecurity. The field of rakugo appears to flourish after the war bringing laughter and entrainment to people’s lives; yet the development of technology on the other hand brings new methods of entertainment which rises in popularity at an alarming rate. Illustrating how the development of technology brings fragility to well-established areas, will crumble unless it manages to develop accordingly.


Overall this is a very enjoyable anime that explores some mature themes.

In Baby Steps, we see how Eiichirou Marou a diligent student who appears to have perfected his note taking through his studies, but has no apparent talent in sport attempts progress in the world of tennis. In contrast to most sports anime were we see the main character constantly developing new skills, this anime depicts nicely how a transferring a skill such as “note taking” to a new area can result in a valuable asset when combined with HARD WORK.

This doesn’t however result in him always having the upper hand; rather it allows him to analyse his opponents, adapting skilfully to different situations in ... order to maximise the effectiveness of the skills he has already acquired through training to develop his game play.

Nevertheless, having played tennis myself, a noticeable flaw in this anime is the lack of relevance given to the psychological pressure during key moments in tennis matches. A sport show, which has undoubtedly done this in a superior fashion, is “One Outs”. This results in the matches having a linear atmosphere, which becomes quite noticeable towards the end of the season and could put off some people.

However, as a whole this is an enjoyable sports shounen anime with a romantic subplot that will keep most people interested.