Love is mysterious. It connects us, tear us apart, makes things special to us, it makes us hate. It's twisted, corrupted and scarring, but at the same time, contradictorily, it's genuine, honest and salvation. Perhaps the beauty of love lies in that aspect of a contradiction. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is about love. How love connects, disconnects, saves and harm. This anime is a deeply moving human drama, rich with its impactful main characters fleshed out through brilliant storytelling.
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is an anime adaptation of the josei manga by the same title from Haruko Kumota, mostly known for her yaoi manga. That would explain the minor BL elements present in the series. Animated by Studio Deen, the series has two seasons and a combined 25 episodes. The animation is pretty good, and the soundtrack helps elevate the atmosphere very well.
The first season consists of 13 episodes, focusing on Yuurakutei Yakumo (Kikuhiko, Bon), a master rakugo performer, his past, rise to fame and relations. The show begins (there are two versions of the pilot episode. there is a 48-minute episode and an 82-minute director's cut.) as an ex-yakuza Kyoji is released from prison. Incredibly moved by a performance by Yakumo at the prison, he meets with the rakugo master and requests to take him as an apprentice. Yakumo, who is known for not taking an apprentice, surprisingly accepts his request and takes him home. Yakumo gives him the name Yotaro (fool) and introduces him to Konatsu, the daughter of late rakugo performer Yuurakutei Sukeroku, Yakumo's former friend. During a show, Yotaro imitates Sukeroku's style and is exhausted and snores during the following performance by Yakumo. Furious with this Yakumo expells Yotaro, but later agrees to take him back under three conditions. With Konatsu accusing Yakumo of the death of Sukeroku, Yakumo makes the both of them sit down and starts telling the many stories of his past. The rest of the episodes follow Yakumo's past. From the day he became an apprentice to 7th Generation Yakumo, till when he took in Konatsu. The pilot episode plays an important role in this show as we see many changes occurring to Yakumo. He takes in an ex-criminal for an apprentice. He is willing to open up. Perhaps he was looking for something or someone, which could help him lay off the weight dragging him. And that was Yotaro, who reminded him of Sukeroku, the one he loves as his brother, the one he hates for leaving him behind. The key to his closed heart.
The genius of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu lies in the layered characters and their intricate relations. The complex feelings these characters have for each other and the conflicts born from those are beautifully explored. The main triangle consisting of Kikuhiko, Sukeroku and Miyokichi is the main driving force of the season. Through Kikuhiuko's perspective, we are taken on a journey through his success and struggles. The friendship formed between Kikuhiko, a shy introverted kid, abandoned and forced into rakugo, and Hatsutaro (Sukeroku), an outgoing, energetic kid, dedicated to becoming the next generation Yakumo, is beautifully portrayed with time. And with Miyokichi entering the show later to provide the romance element and complete the trio, the show dives a level deep. The rakugo stories, used as a narrative tool to represent the characters, is nothing less than impressive. The rakugo performance is stunning to watch as the camera goes macro so that we can truly feel the tension and see the expressions and the body language of the storytellers, which also contributes to their character depth. The voice acting deserves a round of applause as their work brings out these characters to life, especially for their rakugo performances, which was able to keep me hooked. The jokes present in these rakugo stories might leave us blank as Japanese humour is known for being limited to the native people.
Towards the end of the season, the show starts playing with our heart. Somewhere along the line, the characters stop being characters. They become someone in our own life, someone special to us. The show also explores post-war Japan going through a socio-economical change, the technological advancements dominating many other entertainment sources, art forms that don't keep up with time dying out and much more. The show dwells deep into human nature, the grey shades leaning towards black and the grey shades leaning towards white is equally portrayed. The show ends with the past revealed and taking a short time skip from the pilot episode, providing hope and pain. Not many shows leave such an impact on me with just a single season. So it goes without saying that this show is special to me, and I'm sure that it is also the case with thousands of other viewers.
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is an outstanding anime, elegant with its splendid characters and stellar storytelling. A profound human drama, so good that it deserves multiple watches, a masterpiece.
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