"This anime is full of ordinary dialogue so that viewers can fully enjoy how cute the girls are."

Ordinary Dialogue

Joshiraku has no overarching plot to speak of. Each episode is split into three skits that either take place in the dressing room of a rakugo theatre or on the streets of Tokyo. No matter where they are, the five main characters deliver their punchlines with straight faces and impeccable timing.

In general, the jokes stand on their own and land spectacularly. The visuals do a lot to support the "ordinary dialogue" - from dream sequences that take you out of the dressing room to complete shifts in the animation style - and the banter between the characters is complemented by recurring gags that always managed to make me smile. It's hard to say more without giving away the punchlines; it just works, even when it doesn't.

A good chunk of the humour relies on Japanese puns that don't translate well, but the jokes get sold anyway by the voice acting and physical reactions and the dialogue flows easily from one punchline to the next. Other jokes draw from the current events in Japan at the time, but end up having a timeless quality about them like their skit on flu vaccines. Others still lead in from surprisingly informative dialogue about the landmarks around Tokyo.

Joshiraku is no stranger to breaking the fourth wall and poking fun at their own publishers or their existence as an anime/manga adaptation, and references to Japanese and Western media abound complete with pixelated copyright-dodging imagery.

How Cute the Girls Are

My favourite thing about Joshiraku isn't the great humour, it's that the cast's casual outfits and hairstyles change every episode. It does a lot for making their world feel all the more ordinary, and it's one more visual treat to look forward to during their trips to the city. This isn't something unique to the show by any means, but it certainly makes the show stand out after all the high school comedies I've seen.

The art style is always detailed enough as it needs to be to get the visual gags across, and the backdrops of the city are a joy to look at.

In short, the girls are very cute.

Joshiraku is a show I can't wait to rewatch when I've forgotten all the punchlines. It's a show about nothing, but it's as cute and clever as nothing gets. What else could I ask for? (Nothing.)