Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

[ditch_gospel]

This anime series is so good. The characters, the relationships, the story, the art, the music, the voice acting, the sound. Everything is so well put together.

And I can't help but think that Kikuhiko and Sukeroku (screenshots behind the cut) remind me of Hakkai and Gojyo. It doesn't hurt that they're voiced by Ishida Akira and Yamadera Kouichi. (And I can see why Hirata Hiroaki was chosen to replace Yamadera for the role of Gojyo, as they do sound quite similar at times.)

Comments

[ditch_gospel]

Oh, is it only ten episodes? I thought twelve. (I've watched up to episode 9, look forward to it weekly and have watched each episode twice so far. Totally enthralled!)

I agree with everything else you wrote. The rakugo in the anime has been such an unexpected treat. I love that we actually got to watch a couple of full performances in-series.

Have you watched/read House of Five Leaves? If you like Shouwa Genroku, that one might also be to your taste. It's one of my faves. Or how about Space Brothers? It's an amazing series, too.

[helliongoddess]

Wow, we really do have similar tastes! I've not quite finished House of Five Leaves - since each episode is its own little tale, I've been taking that one a bit at a time while I watch/read others, but I like it very much! And I've seen all the Space Brothers anime almost twice, and just caught up on the last several chapters of the manga yesterday! I get a kick out of sweet clueless Mutta, and I've always been a space geek (my dad was an aeronautical engineer) so it's a nice fit for me.

You've probably already found them, but there are a few other series I've gotten very fond of that you might like if you haven't found them. One special favorite is Natsume Yuujjin-cho (Natsume's Book of Friends, since I don't trust my Japanese spelling!) Another is Sakamichi no Apollon - The Kids on the Hill - intriguing to me especially because it's set close to the time period when I was growing up, and centers around jazz music, which is another gift my dad gave me (well, music in general, but jazz was his favorite.) I could go on & on (I don't have nearly enough anime chat anymore since LJ has gone so silent!) but I'll just mention two that have made strong impressions on me. One was Bunny Drop (Usagi Drop) - it's sweet without being treacly, and the main character is a wonderful 30-ish man. I havent read it all the way to the end (the manga goes far beyond the anime) because I caught wind of where they were going with it, and had ambivalent feelings about it. Someday I'll read it all, just to see! The last one is all teenagers and set in a high school, but it's centered around musically gifted students and their competitions, and has a very light touch of both romance and magic that - again - I found touching and sweet but never cloyingly so. The first part of the anime is La Corda D'Oro: Primo Passo. I won't spoiler you as to why, but I will say the series inspired me to actually get a violin and begin trying to teach myself - an idea which I have yet to decide as to whether it was noble or foolish. I suspect a little of both. At any rate it got put on hold last June for major shoulder surgery - it's time for me to get back to it, before I forget what little I had learned, and before the doctor hauls me in to hack on the other shoulder (the worse of the two.) Herniated neck discs don't help,either! 😜

At any rate hope you find something of interest in one or two of those. And anytime you have any recommendations, I'll always be happy to hear them! In fact, I'll msg you my email - I think the only time you might have had mine was back in RP days, and I've switched since then.

[ditch_gospel]

In House of Five Leaves, the anime plays out somewhat differently than the manga. I recommend both!

Your dad sounds like an interesting guy. Space jazz! How cool. And it's inspiring to me that you're teaching yourself violin. I've never learned to play an instrument, all the fault of my own lack of self discipline. Take care of those shoulders and neck, and mend quickly. The music awaits you!

I had tears in my eyes so many times watching Space Brothers. Have not read the manga yet. I have seen both Natsume's Book of Friends and Usagi Drop and enjoyed both. (Also heard about the direction the Usagi Drop manga ended up taking and it's a disappointment, really.) But your other recommendations are new to me. I'll add them to my watch list and check them out.

Got your message and replied!