Welcome to the first episode thread for the Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu Rewatch!
Legal Streams:
As of now, Rakugo is streaming on Crunchyroll in the States, and you can check here to see where it's streaming elsewhere.
Schedule:
| Date | Episode |
|---|---|
| 10/8 | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| 10/9 | Season 1 Episode 2 |
| 10/10 | Season 1 Episode 3 |
| 10/11 | Season 1 Episode 4 |
| 10/12 | Season 1 Episode 5 |
| 10/13 | Season 1 Episode 6 |
| 10/14 | Season 1 Episode 7 |
| 10/15 | Season 1 Episode 8 |
| 10/16 | Season 1 Episode 9 |
| 10/17 | Season 1 Episode 10 |
| 10/18 | Season 1 Episode 11 |
| 10/19 | Season 1 Episode 12 |
| 10/20 | Season 1 Episode 13 |
| 10/21 | Season 1 Discussion |
| 10/22 | Season 2 Episode 1 |
| 10/23 | Season 2 Episode 2 |
| 10/24 | Season 2 Episode 3 |
| 10/25 | Season 2 Episode 4 |
| 10/26 | Season 2 Episode 5 |
| 10/27 | Season 2 Episode 6 |
| 10/28 | Season 2 Episode 7 |
| 10/29 | Season 2 Episode 8 |
| 10/30 | Season 2 Episode 9 |
| 10/31 | Season 2 Episode 10 |
| 11/1 | Season 2 Episode 11 |
| 11/2 | Season 2 Episode 12 |
| 11/3 | Season 2 Discussion |
| 11/4 | Overall Series Discussion |
Questions of the Day
- For newcomers, what is your first impression of the show? For returners, was there anything fun you missed in your first watch?
- There were a few rakugo performances this episode – what was your favorite?
- Did any aspect of the production of the show strike a particular chord with you?
Links to trackers
You can find the show on MAL, Anilist, and ANN!
Please be mindful of spoilers to make sure the first-timers experience the show with the same wonder you did on first watch!
Apply for Awards!
Enjoying watching and discussing this modern classic and want more? Think the Jury got it hopelessly wrong? Apply now to be a part of the 2024 r/anime Awards! Applications open until October 22.
by Schinco
6 Comments
**Episode 1 (first timer)**
100% blind. Never heard of this anime, not even the title. However, when I check my MAL ratings “award winning shows” always is on top of all other categories, so I am hopeful I’ll like this.
**Episode thoughts**
* Just out of prison, no social network, no money (presumably), only optimism – well, not much, but better than nothing.
* “All my plans down the drain” – your entire list of plans was to spend all your money on a suit and a haircut and hope for a position from a guy you don’t know?
[](#blankblink)
* Well, I guess you don’t need plan B, C, and D, if plan A works out.
* “Try to be considerate” – I guess the emphasis here will lie on “try”.
* *asking her to perform a favorite piece of hers* – clever, clever.
* “I’ll kill him” – yep that meddling went well.
* “You’re like a dog. You never forget the smallest bit of kindness shown to you.” – hmmmmmm.
[](#rengethink)
* Nice defusing of the situation.
* Quite a long play for being in the middle of an episode. I guess there is a reason for the double length opener. The audience is impressed, the girl is impressed, the boss is somewhat impressed, and the master *might* be impressed. Or not.
* “You must not be obsessed with things that have already passed.” – Hard for her to accept, when she clearly *is obsessed* with the past.
* “I don’t like teaching. This is what I get for leaving him on his own.” – If some embarrassment for him reflecting badly on you as a master is all you get, you deserve it.
* Expelled for snoring during the master’s performance – definitely not a great place to catch up on sleep.
* Preview: Backstory time.
A story of grown-ups, but is it a grown-up story? I am not so sure about that. There is a very devious comedy hiding behind the calm and serious exterior here.
My thought for today: Rakugo. Just like the series, never heard about it before, but the mixture of storytelling and comedy is obvious. In very typical Japanese fashion, the form seems to be extremely constricted and the mastery lies in using what little room is given. If I had to guess, I would say that this is an art form that demands a lot of its viewers, similar to classical opera, if you want to really appreciate it. I wonder how strongly the series believes in its own Rakugo, however. The cuts during the story episodes were noticeable. The mastery lies in portraying different characters, while being only one person, in one costume, on one seat. Yet, the anime helps out the performer by cutting from side to side to emphasize the different personalities, just like it cuts to props and effects to emphasize those. It is using the tools of cinema (which undoubtedly stole the thunder of Rakugo in Japan, just like it diminished the importance of oral performances around the globe) to enhance that which does not possess them. Ironic?
Rewatcher here. I watched the first season once as it was airing, but never got around to the second season – now’s a good chance to refresh and catch up.
Looking back, 2016 was the year I had by far the most time to watch seasonals (65 shows completed, over a 100 started) and so a lot of shows I look back on very fondly are from that year, including Rakugo Shinjuu somewhere near the top.
The order of events in the first episode was a little different than I remembered, but once Yotarou’s full performance started I was back home. One thing I recall is how much different from everything else this show has seemed to me at the time with the adult cast, unique soundtrack and subject matter and the absolute gall to put an uninterupted rakugo performance in the middle of the extended first episode. It was maybe the first seasonal I’ve seen, or better put a show I picked out myself without prior hype behind it, that I could feel real intent behind the **direction** and pacing. Yeah, this was probably the first actual hidden gem I found at the time.
Some of that aura was lost for me this time around, which is interesting but I’ll just have to slightly readjust my rose tinted glasses I suppose. Is it the mystery box? Yakumo is excellent here and you can’t help but wonder about his ties to Sukeroku. In general, the character work and VA performances are fantastic.
Rewatcher here
I do hope every first timer will enjoy the show as much as I did when I first watched it!
The post time is a bit unfortunate for me as it’s getting late here, but I will try to hop in whenever possible
Also as this was organized by the r/anime Awards 24 host team, I hope to see you participating in the Awards!
Rewatcher
There’s definitely a lot to say about the first episode. Fresh out of prison Yotaro had been inspired by a Rakugo master Yakumo to pursue it and even begs him to become his student. Despite apparent former objections to having a student, Yakumo takes him as a student. It was nice to learn alongside Yotaro about Rakugo but based off appearances Yotaro’s preferred style is different from Yotaro or rather he still doesnt have his own style. There’s a lot of character stuff going on such as Yakumo talking about another character Sukeroku and how his style is more favored by Yotaro. Theres also Konatsu who loves with Yakumo and wants to also perform.
One thing is the fact that we spend an interesting amount of time with Yotaro’s Rakugo performance. It was an interesting choice and one that I thought is able to at least highlight some of the differences of Rakugo between Yakumo and supposedly Sukeroku.
1. I did pay way more attention to Yakumo’s conversations
2. I actually liked Yotaro’s Tomokazu Seki is really good in this role.
Rewatcher
This is one of my favorite anime shows ever and I can’t wait to experience it again after all these years.
Rewatcher
I’m a bit late, but this will be the first rewatch I’m participating in & I wanted to say thanks for organizing it!
This is one of my favorite pieces of fiction ever, across all mediums, & I’m quickly reminded why as I’m getting choked up by so many small moments in this first episode.
It was my first time watching the director’s cut of EP1 & I don’t remember clearly enough to know which scenes were added so I won’t go into details, but I appreciated the pacing & extended character introductions. I think it could probably feel a bit too long for a first-time watcher, but it was perfect for me considering my pre-existing attachments to these characters.
I don’t feel like I have much to contribute to this first discussion, but in my mind this is one of the most *human* stories in anime, & I’m so excited to go on this journey again.