Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (昭和元禄落語心中, Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū, lit. "Shōwa Genroku Era, Rakugo, and Double Suicide") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Kumota. It began serialization in Kodansha's ITAN magazine in 2010. The manga is licensed in North America by Kodansha Comics USA. The manga was adapted into two original video animations which were bundled with special editions of the seventh and eighth manga volumes on March 6 and August 7, 2015, respectively. It was also adapted into a television anime series which aired between January 9, 2016 and April 2, 2016. A second season of the television anime series aired between January 7, 2017 and March 25, 2017.
A man is released from prison and becomes the apprentice of a famous rakugo performer. The story focuses on the backstories of the performers and their struggle to gain popularity. Whilst learning he befriends another performer who has a completely different style.
Main characters
Eighth Generation Yakumo Yurakutei (八代目 有楽亭 八雲, Hachidaime Yūrakutei Yakumo) / Kikuhiko (菊比古)
Voiced by: Akira Ishida
A rakugo storyteller known for his perfectionist style of rakugo. His birth name is never specified, although Sukeroku took to call him "Bon". He was given the name "
Kikuhiko" when he became a student of the Seventh Generation Yakumo. He was originally a dancer, but he ruined his leg in an accident and ended up being given to Yakumo. During his time as a student, he would struggle to find his own rakugo having placed too much emphasis on flawless execution, but he was able to find inspiration thanks to Sukeroku. He would go on to inherit the Yakumo name, but initially he refused thinking that he was not worthy of it. Following the deaths of Sukeroku and Miyokichi, he inherited the name to fulfill Sukeroku's vision of keeping rakugo going in a time where tastes in entertainment change. He would later on become the head of the rakugo association.
Second Generation Sukeroku Yurakutei (二代目 有楽亭 助六, Nidaime Yūrakutei Sukeroku) / Hatsutaro (初太郎, Hatsutarō)
Voiced by: Koichi Yamadera
A rakugo storyteller known for his freestyle brand of rakugo. His actual birth name is never specified, but Kikuhiko used to call him by the diminutive "Shin"
(信). He was given the name "
Hatsutaro" when he became a student of the Seventh Generation Yakumo. Later on, he would change his name to "
Sukeroku". Despite his talent for rakugo, Yakumo refused to pass on his name to him due to the rebellious nature of his rakugo. Following a heated argument, he was expelled from the school. He would move to the countryside to marry Miyokichi and start a family where he would spend his life drinking away in depression until Kikuhiko arrived to bring him back to doing rakugo again. He and Miyokichi died when they fell from a balcony in an inn where Sukeroku gives his last performance with Yakumo.
Third Generation Sukeroku Yurakutei (三代目 有楽亭 助六, Sandaime Yūrakutei Sukeroku) / Yotaro (与太郎, Yotarō) / Kyoji (強次, Kyōji)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki
An aspiring storyteller who was recently released from prison. He was born "
Kyoji" and was given the name "
Yotaro" when he became a student. Having been a big admirer of Kikuhiko's rakugo he decides to become his student. His desire to inherit Sukeroku's name that leads to conflicts between him and Yakumo due to Yakumo not wanting his brand of rakugo to be corrupted. Ten years after being accepted by Yakumo, he is promoted to a shin'uchi and formally becomes the
Third Generation Sukeroku Yurakutei.
Miyokichi (みよ吉) / Yurie (ユリエ)
Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara
A young woman who worked as a Geisha who first appeared as the Seventh Generation Yakumo's mistress whom he met in Manchuria. She became attracted to Kikuhiko due to his aloof personality and the two developed an on-again-off-again relationship. Eventually Kikuhiko rejected her and out of spite she began a relationship with Sukeroku which resulted in her becoming pregnant with their daughter, Konatsu. Sukeroku and Miyokichi eventually left for the countryside after Sukeroku's expulsion. However, she did not care for Sukeroku or Konatsu and instead turned to prostitution to earn money. After Kikuhiko appeared and rejected her advances again, she attempted suicide, but Sukeroku convinced her to stop. However, she slipped from a balcony and in his attempt to save her, both Miyokichi and Sukeroku fell to their deaths. However the actual cause of her death was revealed much later in the series. Her true given name was "
Yurie".
Konatsu (小夏)
Voiced by: Yu Kobayashi
Sukeroku's and Miyokichi's daughter. She learned her father's style of rakugo to entertain customers at a soba shop in the countryside. Following the death of her parents, Kikuhiko became her legal guardian. She holds a great deal of resentment for Yakumo as she initially believed he was responsible for her father's death, and more recently because he represents the 'old-fashioned' traditional rakugo that does not allow women to participate. She later gave birth to a child named Shinnosuke whose biological father's identity is not yet revealed. Later in the series, it was revealed that she had witnessed the death of Sukeroku and Miyokichi but had lost her memories of the incident.
Eisuke Higuchi (樋口 栄助, Higuchi Eisuke)
Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki
A popular writer who is interested in helping Yotaro in writing new rakugo. In his youth, he had crushes and admiration on Miyokichi. This eventually extended to his obsession with Yakumo whom he had even seek to become his apprentice.
Matsuda (松田)
Voiced by: Shigeru Ushiyama
Matsuda is Yakumo's retainer and driver. He has been employed by the Yakumos since the Seventh Generation.
Fourth Generation Mangetsu Tsuburaya (四代目 円屋 萬月, Yondaime Tsuburaya Mangetsu)
Voiced by: Koji Yusa
Yotaro's fellow storyteller from Kyoto. He had stopped performing rakugo for some time after his father's death.
Seventh Generation Yakumo Yurakutei (七代目 有楽亭 八雲, Nanadaime Yūrakutei Yakumo)
Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka
A famous storyteller and Kikuhiko's and Sukeroku's teacher.
Amaken (アマケン)
Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi
Rakugo critic and fan of Yakumo. His father Amano was a literary critic. Amaken is disliked by Yakumo.
Ani-san (アニさん)
Voiced by: Shou Sudou
Bansai Tsuburaya (円屋 萬歳, Tsuburaya Bansai)
Voiced by: Chafurin
Shinnosuke (信之助)
Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (child) / Yūki Ono
Konatsu's son who greatly admires Yakumo's rakugo. Yotaro believes the father to be the boss of the gang that he once belonged to. However, it is heavily suggested that Shinnosuke is Konatsu's son with Yakumo.
Koyuki (小雪)
Voiced by: Ayaka Asai
Konatsu and Yotaro's daughter.
The manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Kumota began its serialization in the ITAN magazine published by Kodansha from March 25, 2010, to June 7, 2016. The manga has been compiled in ten tankōbon volumes, with the first volume being published on July 7, 2011, and the tenth and final volume being published on September 7, 2016. Kodansha Comics USA licensed the manga for release in North America, with the first volume scheduled to publish on May 23, 2017.
The seventh and eighth volumes of the manga included a 2-episode original anime DVD entitled Yotarō-hen Zenko-pen (与太郎放浪篇・前後編, lit. "Yotarō Arc Part I and II") produced by Studio Deen.
A television anime adaptation also produced by Studio Deen premiered on January 9, 2016. It was directed by Mamoru Hatakeyama and written by Jun Kumagai, with music by Kana Shibue. Three promotional videos were released on KING RECORDS's YouTube page prior to the anime's premiere: the first on October 6, 2015, the second on 10 November 2015, and the final PV on December 14, 2015. The opening theme of the first season was "Usurai Shinjū" (薄ら氷心中, lit. "Thin-ice Double Suicide") composed by Sheena Ringo and performed by Megumi Hayashibara. Crunchyroll added the anime to its simulcast stream in 2016. The first season has been licensed for a UK release by Anime Limited.
An announcement revealing the anime's second season was posted on the creator's Twitter account. The second season, titled Descending Stories: Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū (昭和元禄落語心中～助六再び篇～, Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen), premiered on January 7, 2017. The staff from the first season reprised their roles in the second season. The opening theme of the second season was "Imawa no Shinigami" (今際の死神, lit. "The Death in His Dying Moment") composed by Sheena Ringo and performed by Megumi Hayashibara.
It was nominated for the 5th Manga Taishō, receiving 49 points and placing 4th among the fifteen nominees. It was also nominated for the 17th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. It was number two on the 2012 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Top 20 Manga for Female Readers survey and it was number fourteen in the 2013 edition. It was also number seven in the 2013 Comic Natalie Grand Prize and it won an Excellence Award for manga at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. It also won the 38th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga.
Volume 3 sold 24,541 copies by October 7, 2012.
Nick Creamer from Anime News Network gave the first season an "A" score, describing it as "An intentionally theatrical tragedy, staged something like a rakugo performance itself", and praising its "Strong underlying narrative to gorgeous direction and top-tier performances."
