It makes no justice to write a short review for a great work like Rakugo Shinjuu. There are so many things to talk about and reflect on this show; so many lens you can use to dissect it. It’s rare to have a show that can earn so much praise.
Rakugo has all the makings of a classic - a historical story line, focus on a deep friendship and art that Deen made with respect. Rakugo serves as a base for layers of stories to unravel - a traditional art struggling to find its place in a modern world, and through it a set of characters searching for meaning and self-worth.
Maybe I can summarize the plot as a story of inherited burdens - on how each generation pass on a baton of ensuring the art stays alive and their honor stays intact. Rakugo is not a simple art form or a medium of entertainment - families and friendships are built upon it, dreams fulfilled and lives grown upon each story memorized and perfected. Through it we see Kikuhiro and Sukeroku’s shared journey to represent an art forced to them by circumstance but they end up loving more than themselves.
Kikuhiro built his journey on a quest to find forgiveness - to forgive himself for being not good enough, not being worthy of the Yakumo name, not able to fulfill his promise to Sukeroku to foster a rakugo that can stand the test of time. With the arrival of Yotaro, he’s forced to reflect about his life and realizes that he didn’t lived a worthless life, no matter how many tragedies he’d overcame or how many wrong decisions he’s done. What matters is the present and how he spends his remaining days in the world to ensure the cycle of burdens will be cut off once and for all.
