As expected this show is really good. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was refreshing, something I haven’t seen done in any anime that I’ve watched so far. I think there is a few rakugo type of anime before, but this is actually my first one. Quite a unique form of art, think I’ve heard this from the radio before, long time ago. Rakugo is a form of entertainment in Japan, where a lone storyteller sits on the stage and tells a story by himself, using different pitches and tones, to act as different characters in a conversation. I enjoyed watching this way more than I expected. It was a pretty long anime, just about 50 minutes long. The characters is pretty loveable, the animation is good, great dialogues, josei, with a unique setting. What more can I ask!
Lets start with the characters, the main character is Yotarou, a guy who just got out of prison, he knows exactly where he’s heading first. After falling in love with a rakugo that was done in the prison by an artist named Yakumo, he is pretty determined to become his apprentice. That’s where it all started. I like Yotarou so far, he is very lively, expressive and really direct. A funny one as well. The other characters are pretty great as well, Yakumo the rakugo storyteller has an interesting character as well. He seems very calm, and very much has that characteristic of an old wise man. The other character is Konatsu, a very interesting girl, who acts like a tomboy and live a life of trying to be like his father. She really wants to follow her father’s path, but rakugo is only performed by men. She looks like a meany at first, but is very kind towards others.
Aside from the characters, the animation is really well done by Studio Deen. Everything from the settings are really well animated, and I really feel like watching something from the old days in Japan. It’s probably set around the 60’s or 70’s but the houses and everything really looks oldschool. A mix of traditional and modern setting, pretty unique. I really love the soundtrack that they use in this anime. You can hear all the Japanese music instruments from the soundtrack, and everything fits just well with the anime. The sound design is just great too. A very well produced anime.
The story seems good. Very serious, just the thing that I need from a josei anime. We don’t get much josei anime, so it’s just great to have one this season. There is a mix of drama so far, but pretty light on that. I find some part funny as well. The story revolves around rakugo. We don’t see those type of show that much, so it’s really a unique experience for me, actually a first for me. Although the rakugo is kinda long, it was still entertaining for me. I loved the little details during the performance like the zooming into their feet and hand gestures. It really makes it feel like we’re watching a live performance and gives the show an extra charm. For a first episode, I think it’s more than just an introduction to the series because it’s 50 minutes long. The length really did the show justice. I’m not sure if the next episode is going to be this long, but I think it’s probably just going to be around 24 minutes or so after this.
Overall this show tops most of the anime that I’ve watched so far for this season. It’s as good as Boku Dake ga Inai Machi for me. Actually I was a bit surprised that it’s this good. I got more than what I was hoping for. If you want something unique, you should give this show a try. I know many actually love this show as well, and was just as surprised as I am when they watch it. Really great start, now I’m excited for the next episode. Thanks for reading guys, there will be more first impressions coming up soon, so look forward to it. Bye for now. 🙂
