is a Japanese
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series written and illustrated by Haruko Kumota. It was serialized in
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
's ' magazine from 2010 to 2016 and collected in ten volumes.
The manga was released in North America by
Kodansha USA
Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, US, and a subsidiary of Japan's largest publishing company Kodansha. Established in July 1st 2008, Kodansha USA publishes books relating to Japan, Japanese culture, and man ...
. The manga was adapted into two
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...
s by
Studio Deen
is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1975 by former Sunrise producer Hiroshi Hasegawa, along with a team of ex-Sunrise animators. The studio owns three subsidiaries: Danny Donghua (), a Chinese sub-contracting studio; Megumi (め組), a di ...
which were bundled with special editions of the seventh and eighth manga volumes on 6 March – 7 August 2015, respectively.
It was also adapted into an
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series which aired between 9 January and 2 April 2016. A second season of the anime television series aired between 7 January 2017 and 25 March 2017.
A live-action series adaptation aired on
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
between 12 October and 14 December 2018.
Plot
A man is released from prison and becomes the apprentice of a famous
rakugo
is a form of Japanese verbal comedy, traditionally performed in '' yose'' theatres. (Bibliographyvolume 38(1)
article
T ...
performer, Yakumo Yurakutei. The story focuses on the backstories of the performers and their struggle to gain popularity, following Yakumo's apprenticeship and rise to fame and his friendship with fellow performer Sukeroku.
Characters
Main characters
; /
:
:Played by:
Masaki Okada
is a Japanese actor.
Personal life
On November 19, 2024, Okada and actress Mitsuki Takahata jointly announced through the media that they are getting married.
Filmography
Films
* ''The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locke ...
:A rakugo storyteller known for his perfectionist style of rakugo. His birth name is never specified, although Sukeroku took to calling 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.
; /
:
:Played by:
Ikusaburo Yamazaki
is a Japanese actor and singer who is represented by Ken-On.
Personal life
Yamazaki married singer and actress Natsumi Abe
is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and a member of Dream Morning Musume.
Bio ...
: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 . 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 gave his last performance with Kikuhiko.
; / /
:
:Played by:
Ryō Ryūsei
is a Japanese actor. He is signed with Ken-On.
Career
Ryusei was scouted on his way to a hair salon on Takeshita Street in Harajuku in the summer of 2009, and officially joined Ken-On in January 2010. In April 2010 he made his acting debut as ...
: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.
; /
:
:Played by:
Aya Ōmasa
is a Japanese model and actress.
Career
Omasa co-starred with Shōta Sometani in Natsuki Seta's 2010 film ''A Liar and a Broken Girl''. She appeared in the 2011 film '' Paradise Kiss''.
Filmography
Films
TV dramas
* '' Tokyo Girl'' Episode ...
: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. Her true given name was "Yurie".
;
:
:Played by:
Riko Narumi
, known professionally by the stage name is a Japanese actress and Model (person), model.
Personal life
On September 23, 2020, Narumi's agency announced that she had registered her marriage to a non-celebrity man. Her spouse's name was not dis ...
: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 Kikuhiko 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 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.
Supporting characters
;
:
:A popular writer who is interested in helping Yotaro in writing new rakugo. In his youth, he had admired Miyokichi and had a crush on her. This eventually extended to his obsession with Yakumo, whose apprentice he tried to become.
;
:
: Matsuda is Yakumo's retainer and driver. He has been employed by the Yakumos since the Seventh Generation.
;
:
:Yotaro's fellow storyteller from Kyoto. He had stopped performing rakugo for some time after his father's death.
;
:
:A famous storyteller and Kikuhiko's and Sukeroku's teacher.
;
:
: Rakugo critic and fan of Yakumo. His father Amano was a literary critic. Amaken is disliked by Yakumo.
;
:
;
:
;
: (child) /
Yūki Ono
is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He was represented by Atomic Monkey and is now a freelancer. His major roles are Josuke Higashikata in '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable'', Taiga Kagami in '' Kuroko's Basketball'', Zenki ...
:Konatsu's son who greatly admires Yakumo's rakugo. Yotaro believes his father to be the boss of the gang that he once belonged to. His parentage is never confirmed.
;
:
:Konatsu and Yotaro's daughter.
Media
Manga
The manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Kumota began its serialization in the ' magazine published by
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
from 25 March 2010 to 7 June 2016. The manga has been compiled in ten volumes, with the first volume being published on 7 July 2011,
and the tenth and final volume being published on 7 September 2016.
Kodansha USA
Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, US, and a subsidiary of Japan's largest publishing company Kodansha. Established in July 1st 2008, Kodansha USA publishes books relating to Japan, Japanese culture, and man ...
licensed the manga for release in North America in December 2016, with the first volume published on 23 May 2017
and the last on 31 December 2018.
Volumes
Anime
The seventh and eighth volumes of the manga included a 2-episode original
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
DVD entitled produced by
Studio Deen
is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1975 by former Sunrise producer Hiroshi Hasegawa, along with a team of ex-Sunrise animators. The studio owns three subsidiaries: Danny Donghua (), a Chinese sub-contracting studio; Megumi (め組), a di ...
.
An anime television adaptation also produced by Studio Deen premiered on 9 January 2016. It was directed by
Shinichi Omata
is a Japanese director, storyboard artist, and former producer best known for directing '' Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju'' (2016) and '' Kaguya-sama: Love is War'' (2019).
Career
Omata began his career in the industry in the ...
(under the pseudonym 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 6 October 2015, the second on 10 November 2015, and the final PV on 14 December 2015. The opening theme of the first season was composed by
Sheena Ringo
, known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen.
She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...
and performed by
Megumi Hayashibara
is a Japanese voice actress, singer, lyricist and radio personality from Kita ward in Tokyo and is affiliated with self-founded Woodpark Office. One of the most prominent Japanese voice actresses since the 1990s, Hayashibara is best known for ...
. The first episode combines both parts of the 2015 ''Yotarō Hōrō Hen'' original anime DVDs (edited down to 48 minutes for the broadcast version, whereas the home video release is the full "director's cut", with a runtime of 82 minutes).
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
added the anime to its simulcast stream in 2016. The first season had been licensed for a UK home video release by
Anime Limited
Anime Limited, also known as All the Anime, is a British anime distribution company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It releases anime for British, Irish, French and other European audiences. The company was established in 2012 by Andrew Partridge, ...
in 2016, but in 2017 they announced they lost the rights and canceled all plans for home video releases.
An announcement revealing the anime's second season was posted on the creator's Twitter account. The second season, titled , premiered on 7 January 2017.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
later added the series for its streaming. The staff from the first season reprised their roles in the second season. The opening theme of the second season was composed by Sheena Ringo and performed by
Megumi Hayashibara
is a Japanese voice actress, singer, lyricist and radio personality from Kita ward in Tokyo and is affiliated with self-founded Woodpark Office. One of the most prominent Japanese voice actresses since the 1990s, Hayashibara is best known for ...
.
Live-action series
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
announced in July 2018 that a live-action series adaptation was green- The live-action series is directed by
Yuki Tanada
is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Born in Kitakyushu, Tanada pursued theater in high school before entering the Image Forum Institute of the Moving Image to study filmmaking. Her newest work, My Broken Mariko, released on September 3 ...
, Makoto Kiyohiro and Tatsuo Kobayashi, with scripts written by Daisuke Habara, music by Takatsugu Muramatsu and rakugo supervision by Kyōtarō Yanagiya.
Masaki Okada
is a Japanese actor.
Personal life
On November 19, 2024, Okada and actress Mitsuki Takahata jointly announced through the media that they are getting married.
Filmography
Films
* ''The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locke ...
,
Ryō Ryūsei
is a Japanese actor. He is signed with Ken-On.
Career
Ryusei was scouted on his way to a hair salon on Takeshita Street in Harajuku in the summer of 2009, and officially joined Ken-On in January 2010. In April 2010 he made his acting debut as ...
,
Riko Narumi
, known professionally by the stage name is a Japanese actress and Model (person), model.
Personal life
On September 23, 2020, Narumi's agency announced that she had registered her marriage to a non-celebrity man. Her spouse's name was not dis ...
,
Aya Ōmasa
is a Japanese model and actress.
Career
Omasa co-starred with Shōta Sometani in Natsuki Seta's 2010 film ''A Liar and a Broken Girl''. She appeared in the 2011 film '' Paradise Kiss''.
Filmography
Films
TV dramas
* '' Tokyo Girl'' Episode ...
and
Ikusaburo Yamazaki
is a Japanese actor and singer who is represented by Ken-On.
Personal life
Yamazaki married singer and actress Natsumi Abe
is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and a member of Dream Morning Musume.
Bio ...
portrayed Yakumo, Yotarō, Konatsu, Miyokichi and Sukeroku, respectively.
It aired on NHK between 12 October
and 14 December 2018 in ten episodes.
Musical
A musical adaptation ran in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
at the Tokyo Theatre Orb from February to March 2025, in
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
at the
Festival Hall from March to April 2025, and in
Fukuoka
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
. Koike Shūichirō will be writing the script and directing. The stage play starred
Ikusaburo Yamazaki
is a Japanese actor and singer who is represented by Ken-On.
Personal life
Yamazaki married singer and actress Natsumi Abe
is a Japanese singer and actress, a former member of Morning Musume, and a member of Dream Morning Musume.
Bio ...
as Sukeroku,
Rio Asumi
is a Japanese actress and former leading ''otokoyaku'' (男役, "male role") of Takarazuka Revue.
Biography
Asumi Rio was born on June 26, 1985, in Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan. Asumi participated in many sports and arts growing up. She did swim ...
as Miyokichi, and
Yūta Furukawa
is a Japanese actor, singer, and model. He is best known for his roles as Shusuke Fuji in '' Musical: The Prince of Tennis''; Sebastian Michaelis in the '' Black Butler'' musicals, and Kirikaze in '' Fuma no Kojiro''. He is managed by Ken-On.
...
as Yakumo.
Reception
The series was nominated for the 5th
Manga Taishō
The is a Japanese List of comics awards, comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer Tankōbon, collected volumes in length. The Manga Taish� ...
, receiving 49 points and placing fourth among the fifteen nominees. It was also nominated for the 17th
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize
Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan.
Current ...
. It ranked second on the 2012 ''Kono Manga ga Sugoi!'' Top 20 Manga for Female Readers survey, and it was fourteenth in the 2013 edition. It was also number seven in the 2013
Comic Natalie
is a Japanese entertainment news website that debuted on February 1, 2007. It is operated by Natasha, Inc. The website is named after the song of the same name by Julio Iglesias. ''Natalie'' has been providing news for such leading Japanese p ...
Grand Prize and it won an Excellence Award for manga at the 17th
Japan Media Arts Festival
The Japan Media Arts Festival was an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition.
Based on judging by ...
Awards. It also won the 38th
Kodansha Manga Award
is one of Japan's major manga awards. The event is sponsored by publisher Kodansha. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga in its third iteration since 1977.
Categories
The award was originally called the until 1968. In 1970, it was ...
for Best General Manga. The manga won Kumota the New Creator Prize category of the 21st
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize
Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan.
Current ...
in 2017.
Volume 3 sold 24,541 copies by 7 October 2012.
Nick Creamer from ''
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
'' gave the first season of the anime 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."
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{Animeism
Animeism
Anime series based on manga
Crunchyroll anime
Historical anime and manga
Josei manga
Kodansha manga
Rakugo
Studio Deen
Theatre in anime and manga
Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (General)
Winners of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (New Artist Prize)