Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
MurasameKills
I really don't understand why this anime get's such good reviews, it's average at best hence my rating of 5. There are some nice elements that make it watchable, but ultimately the anime is boring.
SOUND: About what you would expect. It's average, good enough, but not good enough to overlook the drastically detracting qualities of this anime.
CHARACTERS: The characters and character development is good. Their back stories and origins are good. It's nothing special, new, or particularly enthralling, but definitely better than your average Shounen character development by a longshot. In fact, this is the best part of the anime. If you like slice of life, or anime's that focus on characters, their interaction, their development, and their relationships, then you may really enjoy this anime.…
Read at the sourceRESOLVING_POWER
I watched both seasons of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (henceforth referred to as simply Rakugo). Here are my thoughts:
As someone who likes any kind of theater as well as traditional Japanese culture, and often enjoys josei works, I expected that I would enjoy Rakugo.
The show takes place during a transformative time (mid-20th century) in the history of Japanese media. Older, more-traditional forms of entertainment have been overtaken by television and radio. For those who don't know, rakugo is basically a style of traditional Japanese stage performance which involves verbal storytelling. The main focus of the anime is the practice of rakugo, hence the title. Somebody with greater knowledge of rakugo might appreciate the nuances of the show more than I did.
The story of the anime is c…
Read at the sourceTheRealJustMe
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a series that speaks in a very interesting manner about life as a whole, ambition, dedication to one’s work and hobbies and a bunch of other subjects.
Even though the story first is presented as a story about Yotarou, an ex-gang member, wanting to become a rakugo storyteller (Rakugo is an artform from Japan where a story teller sits alone on a stage recounting one of many stories, with only a paper-fan, a piece of cloth and the person itself to use.), it quickly turns into the story of how Yakumo(alt. Kikuhiko), the master Yotarou became an apprentice to, climbed through the ranks of Rakugo with his “friend”(it’s complicated) Sukeroku, an immensely talented Rakugo Storyteller.
One aspect I found very interesting is the very grounded and real story it tells…
Read at the sourceWerty800
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is an incredibly sophisticated show about creating art and the consequences of growing up with it. A story that takes place through not one, not two, but three generations of a rather obscure in the west form of art that is rakugo, best described as Japanese traditional stand up, focused on either comedic or horror-oriented storytelling performed by one person that only uses different voice tones during dialogues and slight gestures, with the only prop being a fan, to convey one of the previously written stories. It can be done in front of a live audience, where it showcases its true beauty, or recorded to pass on for the future generations.
As you may notice, that description doesn't sound promising. A historical show about people performing such a boring a…
Read at the sourceCodeBlazeFate
*Despite both the title, and the first episode spoiling the show in heavy detail, there is so much here to unwind, that I cannot bear not giving you the classic SPOILER warning. Please, watch the show if you haven't; I implore you to do so. For those who have (or those who don't care about spoilers), let's move on*
Art is a powerful thing. It has the ability to captivate an audience, entrance them in a new idea they never thought of, enamor them into a sight that marvels them. There are so many types of art: paintings, drawings, stories, videos, games, and even music. All of these things can enamor us now, but back before even the late 20th century, we didn't have videos or games (aside from maybe betting games and sports). Nowadays, not only do we have all of these things, but we can lit…
Read at the sourceKevstuf
It is no exaggeration to say this show is a masterpiece, a perfectly paced story with unbelievably realistic character development. A viewer need not be a diehard fan of historical shows or even rakugo to enjoy this one.
As one can infer from the title, this show is a tragedy, and that is made clear in the first episode. It's easy to pull off tragedy if you simply throw in a lot of death flags, but this show manages to tell a tragic story without using a single one. There is no "incurable disease," or even "star-crossed lovers." There's nothing wrong with using those types of themes, but if that's all there is to it, it's difficult to make any real emotional impact; death is obviously tragic, but there are more ways a person's story can be tragic than simply death. That is what Rakugo doe…
Read at the sourceZerathus
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu has been hyped to me as the best anime of this year. Mature historical drama with amazing voice acting and editing.
First lets tackle the voice acting which is truly spectacular. Especially during Rakugo scenes where voice actors shine at almost mindblowing levels. It really shows how great Japanese voice acting is. I am not japanese speaker so I can't really appreciate or criticize the rakugo perfomances but I can hear how the voice actors can jump between characters during the performance and it's pretty fantastic.
With that also comes the editing which smartly uses cuts and camera angles to enhance the rakugo scenes and I absolutely loved it. Really great stuff
The drama is good and not so good. I appreciate the maturity of the series and how it tackled…
Read at the sourceliteraturenerd
Overview:
Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū is the first Josei demographic anime I’ve reviewed on this site. It was getting such rave reviews though that I decided to give it a try. This is a rather unique anime and certainly worth watching if you haven’t seen it yet!
Background:
So what on Earth is Rakugo? Rakugo is a traditional Japanese form of storytelling that is sort of like a combination between a 1 man play, standup comedy, and beat poetry. Rakugo can trace back at least as far as the 1200s AD in written form and perhaps as early as 900AD in oral form. The period of Rakugo that this story covers is right in the title, the Showa era. The Showa era was the reign of Emperor Hirohito from 1926 to 1989. Specifically, most of the story takes place before, during, and just after WW2.
Plot…
Read at the sourcejzathejenius
Rakugo. Essentially, the art of storytelling. But through the course of these 13 episodes, we discover there is so much more to this ancient Japanese art-form. There is great attention to technique, pacing, the teller's voice, the genre of story and so on. What SGRS does is transport us to a time when this beautiful yet under appreciated art-form is stagnant and slowly dying, due to other emerging entertainments such as television. Yet also the stubbornness and pride of the elder Rakugo masters to stick to old traditions and their disdain for anything new and different.
I wont go too much into the story as one of the joys is its slowly unravelling nature. But it is fairly simple on paper: it shows the friendship of two young men, both up and coming Rakugo students, and how they approach…
Read at the sourceBrottoy
To be excellent, an anime doesn't always need to be endowed with great ideas. It doesn't always have to explore overwhelming themes. It doesn't need to have deeper meaning. Sometimes, subtlety and proper execution of everything it does is sufficient to make a masterful series. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is such an anime.
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 atmo…
Read at the sourcektulu007
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a historical Josei manga written by Kumota Haruko that began in 2010. Just this year, an anime adaptation aired, being brought to us by Studio Deen. You may recall them as the studio behind Read or Die, Gravitation, The law of Ueki, & Sakura Trick. Just to name some of their series I've looked at. How does this historical drama compare? Let's take a look and see.
Story:
We open our tale with a young man getting released from prison. He makes his way to the theatre and begs the Rakugo master, Yakumo, to make him his apprentice. Yakumo reluctantly accepts and take Yotarou with him. At Yakumo's home, Yotarou meets Konatsu, a young woman who was raised by him. After committing a massive faux pas during one of Yakumo's Rakugo performances, Yotarou begs for for…
Read at the sourceCauthan
(This is a spoiler-free review adapted for this site)
[Synopsis]: After his release from prison Yotarou (Seki, Tomokazu) seeks an apprenticeship in Rakugo from Yuurakutei Yakumo (Ishida, Akira), a renowned master of the art who was known as Kikuhiko in his earlier years. After some coercing the elderly master accepts him as his first pupil and through Yotarou’s personality and the style of his developing Rakugo, Kikuhiko is reminded of somebody from his past. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is the story of Kikuhiko’s upbringing alongside his friend and fellow apprentice Sukeroku (Yamadera, Kouichi) and how their relationship with Rakugo and each other shaped their lives.
[Characters]:
Where better a place to start discussing Shouwa Genroku than with its phenomenal main characters alongsid…
Read at the sourceTozzy
A diamond in the rough, that’s for sure. Who could have thought that a show dedicated to the art of sitting down and telling a story could be so engaging? Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu has blown me away with its ability to create a thoroughly fleshed-out cast, packed to the brim with personality. I hung on to every word that was said, and in a show revolving heavily around dialogue, that would be critical to helping the anime hit the mark. The performances are always entertaining but always serve that dual purpose of opening up a window into our characters’ lives and their troubles. This is a character drama at its sumptuous best. Coupled with some beautiful character design, charming music and expressive animation, Studio DEEN have created the criminally under watched darling of the Winte…
Read at the sourceZa_Warudio
The anime itself is about story telling and this anime has one of the best stories I have ever seen!
So this is the second time I have ever really written a review and it doesn't help the fact that I'm a little half awake right now. But I wanted to write this while the series was fresh in my mind.
It is safe to assume that this is by far one of the most under rated anime series of this season. I first read about this anime during the beginning of the fall seasons. I thought it sounded a bit interesting so I saved it to my "plan to watch folder." with the fall season ending and the winter season about to begin I found myself re-looking through the shows I planed to watch. When I re read the plot of Shouwa genroku rakugo shinjuu I honestly thought it sounded a bit boring. I really though…
Read at the sourcesnapeftw
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu was definitely not an extremely popular show when it aired. And yet, after a few different sources said that this show was different, but definitely worth watching, I tried it out. And the result was an amazing, sorely underrated show that is incomparable to anything else.
Story: There are two sides to the story of Shouwa Genroku. There is the basic rakugo side of the story, and then there is the story of the characters, and their lives. Before this show, I had never really heard of rakugo. However, I did a quick google search, and then watched the show, and I must say, the show did a fantastic job with this element. In the first episode, the show has a character do a full rakugo segment. And it is fascinating. I was enthralled in the actual rakugo presented,…
Read at the sourceZephSilver
When I sat down to write this review I had a hard time condensing my feelings towards it into written format. This wasn't to say the story was complex; on the contrary, it was rather straightforward on paper. But when I tried to articulate my thoughts to virtual ink, nothing came to fruition. Then after I sat back and let everything that had transpired sink in, it just hit me, a simple word, yet one that was able to properly express the feelings that I had wadded up inside for this title. Simply put, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu was poetic.
From the way it delicately crafted its narrative, to the organic transition in which its characters found their placement in it, everything Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu did flowed like a poetic stream of unfiltered consciousness. This anime exuded an…
Read at the sourceFleure
Under the dimly-lit canvas of a rustic theatre, surrounded by the sounds of slowly-plucked shamisen, waits an audience for a performance of great tradition. Gradually, a man wrapped in an dignified air approaches the center of the stage, sits elegantly on his knees, takes a slight bow to welcome his gazers, and proceeds. Thus begins a performance commonly known as Rakugo or the Japanese art of oral story-telling. Rakugo involves the storyteller to orate a comical account designated between two or more characters, generally playing all roles, distinguished only by slight nuances in behavior, tone, and gestures.
Rakugo has been a classical trait of Japanese art and culture since the Genroku period (of the Edo era), but has dwindled in popularity and appreciation in more contemporary times.…
Read at the sourceNervin
It is truly fascinating of what people are capable of doing to survive in society, especially when you are basically abandoned by your relatives. A young boy who once aspired to be a dancer has no choice but to learn the art of Rakugo, a form of Japanese verbal entertainment in which the storyteller sits on stage while performing a complicated comedical story. Audiences may have had the impression that it solely focuses on the profession, yet this is not the case. At first it seems that it simply served as means of survival, but it becomes apparent that the journey throughout his life was more than just Rakugo: it is a tale of a flourishing and wonderful friendship, conflict and realization of oneself.
The story of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, or "Showa and Genroku Era Lover's Suicide T…
Read at the sourceVeronin
Shouwa Rakugo is a story about life. It is a story about the art of Rakugo, of Japan's history during the Shouwa era, of friendship and family, and of sacrificing everything to reach one's potential, but particularly it is a story about life— the lives of two talented, troubled and yet ordinary men.
Shouwa Rakugo may only be thirteen episodes long, but it covers a period of years and decades, a turbulent series of ups and downs, much as life is itself. It depicts the rise, fall and redemption of Yakumo and Sukeroku, and many of those around them. The tearful reunion as Sukeroku returns from the war in Manchuria is powerful— powerful enough that I also felt myself choking up a bit— and yet it occurs just a few short episodes into the story.
This is due in part to the excellent character…
Read at the sourceStark700
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. I have to admit, this show took me by storm. A series about rakugo isn’t something that we see often in the anime industry these days in particular dealing with performances on stage. As such, this series is what I like to describe as a dark horse. And for a lot of reasons, it deserves quite a lot of praise for what is.
Coming into the series, I had little knowledge about rakugo. It’s a form of Japanese art performed on stage using creative dialogues, expressions, and body language. Quite frankly, it’s very entertaining once you get the feel of it despite the performer being stationary. Most of the time, the performances involves a comical act that goes along with a story. Sometimes, the performer brings in drama and bittersweet emotions but the bottom line…
Read at the source