The Genuine Storytelling of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

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A Video Essay on the qualities that made Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju a highlight of both the Winter 2016 anime season and this year as a whole.
It's not often that I've watched a new show and honestly been floored by its characters, presentation and just overall determination to tell an interesting story. It highlights the life of one man as told through his eyes, as he recalls how he grew up, learned about his artform and the friends he made and lost in all that time.
It's actually incredibly interesting how the story itself is then about a story told within it, and somewhat in the same way as its namesake performances. Rakugo is the Japanese art form of telling a short story to an audience, and typically it has a comedic slant to it, making it somewhat akin to stand-up comedy. However it's really the characters that shine in this tale, and the art form or Rakugo itself is just one way in which they help to show character growth and set the stage for how everyone in the cast changes.
It's among the first anime I've ever watched where I thought to myself, "Wow, this could've been a live action television series" because of how well it presented itself. For how much it taught me along the way, I'm glad I finally get to outline what made it such a rewarding watching experience with you.
Keep in mind this isn't a review. As always, I just enjoy sharing why I like the stuff I like. Hopefully you'll enjoy it, too!
Thanks to everyone for continually being patient in waiting for new videos. I'm always out to keep the quality of my videos ever higher and to really push my skills, so that makes it extra rewarding when these connect well. Not only that, but seeing as I'm back in college that will take priority over videos at times.
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Footage Used, in order of appearance:
Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
Bungo Stray Dogs Season 2
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash
Sweetness and Lightning
Erased
Girlish Number
Hibike Euphonium Season 2
Bill Burr: Let it Go
Bill Burr: You People are All the Same
Bill Burr: I'm Sorry you Feel that way
Konosuba
Dimension W
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Music Used:
Freddie Joachim - Shadow of Smiles
J Dilla - Strugglin'
J Dilla - Everytime
Freddie Joachim - Foolish
J Dilla - Illasoul
J Dilla - R U Listenin'
Freddie Joachim - Close Love
J Dilla - Alien Family
Nujabes - Music is Mine

Опубликовано:

15 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 75

@PauLtus_B 7 лет назад

I think people often underestimate how much more important the way you tell a story often is than the actual story. So well done for actually talking about that.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

I appreciate that! Yeah, I think that's something that can be mixed up at times, so I was happy to discuss it in context with Rakugo.

@PauLtus_B 7 лет назад

Wally The Legend It was an interesting video. I'll try to find a way to watch the Rakugo. I think especially in the context of videogames people overestimate how good the story is. Especially in the Legend of Zelda when you boil it down the story isn't great but it just flows really well with your actions.

@PauLtus_B 7 лет назад

I think a calm way of telling a story is often confused with a slow pace. You can create something incredibly busy without much happening, something I have to say animé is often guilty of.

@Mpoil777 7 лет назад

This is my favorite anime of 2016, while everyone was on the Erased hype train, here I was sitting on my Showa Genroku hype bicycle. I love your show and I hope you keep doing it, for now I have to go watch the opening of the show witch capture the anime so well, in my opinion.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Hey, thanks very much! I kept up with Erased and enjoyed it over all, but just as I said in this video, Rakugo was what I was most excited for every week. I'm glad I wasn't the only one, as you and a few others have said much of the same in comments. As always, I'm glad you enjoy what I'm putting down. Just seeing a few comments like this really bolsters me, so thanks for that. And yes, the opening captures the show incredibly well. Agreed!

@Mpoil777 7 лет назад

Erased was amazing too but yeah Showa was what I was waiting for every week. You put into words why I like it so much and why I love some of my favorite anime too. P.S. I'm glad my comment could make you a little bit happier. P.S.S. If you're not already watching it March comes in like a lion is my favorite this season you should consider watching it.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Well - again - I'm glad to hear that! And I've heard good things but haven't checked it out yet. Its on my list, so I'll try to check it out soon!

@IcedOften 7 лет назад

I wish I hadn't let this one go under my radar untill very recently, my favorite series of the year if not one of my all time.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Definitely a gem among a whole year full of some damn good viewing options. Its definitely cemented itself as one of my faves as well, so I'm with ya there!

@Lukas-bo8rq 7 лет назад

Definitely one of the best if not the best anime from 2016, and now with 2nd part broadcasting right now, it's too much for my heart and if I could say, to my soul. This video actually reminded me why this anime was so good, I just didn't know at all which elements where, but thanks, Wally, first video I've seen and i think it's very well done both editing and the script you made, to think it hasn't that much view I think more people should look at this kind of analysis to appreciate this kind of anime where you can actually be part of the story and manages to tell it in such a genuine way it's just breathtaking. Thanks and I hope you keep doing videos and grow, gonna press that subscribe button, however, the only detail I'd like to see in the video is parts of rakugos to exemplify about the way they used this art, but just to rewatch the scenes, nothing that important haha. Well, thanks and I hope we can see after S2 another video like this.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Hey thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed this one and thank you for subbing. I tried my best to cover all the bits that stood out to me and made that first season such a rewarding experience. If anyone out there would want to really delve into what makes the performances even more special looking into the really small details I'd welcome it. And I might get around to making a video on S2 sometime in the future. For now I've got another anime from the last season I wanna talk about. I just gotta find the time to get cracking on it!

@SuperPiposaru 7 лет назад

No words can express how joyful I am whenever Wally uploads a video.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

:D dang that's awesome to hear. Thank you!

@king0n140 6 лет назад

I know right, when I watch his videos...he inspires me to make my own. His videos are that amazing.

@daltonriser1125 7 лет назад

i enjoyed the hell out of this show when it premiered and as it went on not enough people have seen it and i'll admit not being the biggest fan of erased and seeing every person with a crunchyroll sponsorhsip telling people to go watch erased (which im sure was in their notes nut still) rather than telling them to go watch this utter gem of a show the wonderful writing of this show just completely captivated me and it wasn't until i finished the show in that fainal epsiode did it set in that episodes 3-11 were one giant long rakugo performance and when you rewatch the show with that knowledge it's har to not for it to bring a tear to your eye if it it didn't already on first viewing

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Spot on my friend!

@syrenawebb2605 7 лет назад

after watching only 2 episodes of season one, I was hooked! such a heart wrenching, powerful story. I cant wait for season 2! can't tell you how many times I cried watching this show. it is so unique and I'm glad that someone made this traditional art form of storytelling into an anime. I REEEALLY wish that it were a live action series, that would be freaking epic if it were. and I love listening to the opening and ending themes over and over again.

@oliviaw589 7 лет назад

I would love for you to do a video on the second season. It was an amazing finale and great continuation of the first season! One of my favourite shows!

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Yeah, the 2nd season really solidified it as one of my all time faves so it would be neat to cover it sometime in the future. I'd like to get around to it eventually, but it's nice to know that there's some interest!

@oliviaw589 7 лет назад

Any discussion around SGRS is welcome my friend! - especially since the other reviewers don't generally discuss second seasons

@GNOtaku13 7 лет назад

Didn't expect this being a video from you! Loved this show

@animelibrarian6525 7 лет назад

Searching for Rakugo on youtube ended up being good way of finding new awesome channels.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Well I'm glad you stumbled upon mine that way and I hope you enjoyed the vid!

@Shaunacarli93 7 лет назад

I really enjoyed this video! The editing is A+ too, I'm looking forward to more

@Zentagon 7 лет назад

Clean editing and a great breakdown on the show. Great job as usu. Wally. Been hitting off right.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Yo thanks, Zen! Glad you enjoyed this one, bro.

@Zentagon 7 лет назад

No problem bro. Keep it up! Your editing is definitely one that I hold in high regards.

@Swishyhead 2 года назад

This is my favourite anime, and I'm delighted that you like it just as much! Would you consider reviewing season 2?

@SJmapler 7 лет назад

This is one of the few videos I've gone out of my way to watch a second time. This is paired alongside my new knowledge and the new season. I think I actually like it more. Perhaps the addition of my increased understanding is a contributor to this statement, but this video still feels new to me.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Dang, thanks so much. Honestly, that means a lot to hear you'd watch a 2nd time. I know all too well even with my own habits that rewatching a video for me means it hit well, so I take it as a huge compliment. I'm also super glad to hear its helping even with season 2!

@moonlightdragon671 6 лет назад

Incredible video. Glad I found your channel recently, your anime videos are so great!

@JoshuaKano 7 лет назад

I've only watched the first 30 seconds of this video and its so high quality good stuff

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Thanks! I'm always trying to push the quality of my stuff, so I'm glad you think so

@tobsmonster2 6 лет назад

Superb show and an equally thought provoking analysis. Would love to hear your thoughts on the second season as well.

@swayingpalmtree23 7 лет назад

Hey guys, let me tell you about Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, its got a great story. They convey character development well vs reading words off a page. Its great. It demands your attention. Here's an example of good story telling I like. Its just like Rakugo, and it's great. Poetic telling of a rakugo performance then a description of what rakugo is (western audience, necessary description). Other anime of the season was good too, go watch those things too. But Rakugo is still great, let me tell you why in the first episode. Its like another anime. The first episode takes the concept of time away from me. Small mention of how others perceive the show. 8 minutes in, now let me tell you just about all the major plot points (admittedly the show is more about how the story is told rather than the captivating leaning to noir story itself). 10:44 finally describes what adds to/ makes the story telling good in the show. I haven't watched any of your videos before, obviously you have made other videos since I can comment on this and I don't really expect this to be seen. I've seen Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, and while I greatly agree with the points you make, your pacing of your video is a turn off for me as a first timer. I can see if you are going for an introduction and a sell to people without giving away spoilers, but you also take up a Japanese mystery-telling style where you mention a thing many times without expanding on it utill much later rather than saying what you mean on either the first or second time. By you stating how great Rakugo is about 5 times without an explanation as to why its great for about 8 minutes (if you don't count your 45 second Bill Burr example), I doubt any possible insight you could have for the rest of the video. If it wasn't for me wanting to see what else you can add to the conversation with the remaining time in the video, as a newcomer, I would have clicked off. Weather or not you see this, who knows, but I like to see people succeed on RU-vid. Figured I'd give some insight from an outsiders perspective.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Hey, fair enough. I understand some of the gripes about pacing. It's funny that you get at this a little bit with your critique because I'm looking to improve upon that a lot in the future. I do think just about everything I say in this video is great, but yeah, I could've gotten there more concisely.

@Daidan21 7 лет назад

Excellent analysis.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Thank you!

@SJmapler 7 лет назад

Two things I want in life have become one. This just might be my favorite video of yours, given the context and circumstances, let me explain. First off this is a show which I believe to be overlooked, I think it deserves more attention. Given how Crunchyroll's first ever, upcoming anime awards have surprisingly and rightfully acknowledged Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, this is a chance for a show of this caliber to really shine among more people. This is reinforced by the fact that I think you're overlooked as a video/discussion producer, and with a strong video like this alongside your other ones, I think you can really shine among more people. This is video of hope and despair on some intertextual levels. This is strengthened by the fact that you're presenting a discussion on presenting discussions. You're representing presentation by presenting representation. It's like a magnificent ouroboros that strengthens itself by consuming itself. The medium is the message is maxed out to the meta. You even take time to compare it to other forms of media. You acknowledge and summarize its differing competitors within its own medium. You take time to acknowledge why it may appear weak to another viewer. You emphasize why this series stands on its own and how it mechanically and narratively achieves its goals. I gotta say, I'm very impressed. Ya givin' me hope Ian, Love and Respect.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Dang. Thank you so much. This comment makes me super happy. I'm really glad that you both think this was well put together in general, but that it resonated with you enough to conjure up these words. Honestly, I'm humbled.

@cassif19 4 года назад

"Absent parents"... Not entirely. Sure, Kiku's mother abandoned him, but there's a reason he is sent precisely to the 7th Generation Yakumo. He had a debt to his mother... He also is later shown to be spending time with gheishas behind his wife's back. He's certainly Kiku's biological father

@_Adie 7 лет назад

I'm sold

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Awesome!

@_Adie 7 лет назад

I also subbed to you, cause I've seen an amazing FLCL (my favourite series right next to Samurai Champloo) video some time ago, and it turns out it was yours. It really helped me understand it, or at least it showed me what to look at while watching. I must say, I really like your style.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Whoa, that's cool! I'm really glad to hear that video was helpful in some way! Glad you're diggin' my style, too, and thanks for subscribing.

@RegalPixelKing 7 лет назад

This show sounds like it is right up my ally, it's too bad that there is no dub of it though, I always have more trouble getting invested into a show if I need to pay attention to the bottom 8th of my screen the whole way through. Your video was still fantastic as always though. You were very elegant when talking about this show and I can see a lot of care was put into this video.

@thefrogger6507 7 лет назад

Regal Pixel King Trust me, its worth it learning to multitask. If you only watch dubs you'll miss out a ton of great stuff (not to mention you'll have to wait another 9 months for season 2)

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

well thank you very much! I'm glad the quality of the vid shined through, and thanks for watching. I'm not sure when a dub would happen, but if it does definitely remember to check it out then. I'd love to sit here and tell you to just give it a try now with subs, but if it isn't your thing then nothing I can do to change that, and that's fine.

@pencokun 7 лет назад

Regal Pixel King Although I'm sure that a dub will be wonderful, this anime is one of those (rare?) cases in which the anime is way better with the voices from the original cast. The rakugo performances will be tricky to translate since there are plenty of wordplay (puns) in Japanese. Translating it to English might make the anime lose its humorous aspect.

@yumehophype5005 7 лет назад

Rakugo is the japanese oral tradition. Getting a dub might ruin it, even if the voices are good. The VAs have done rakugo before, and it's just a cultural/artistic divide between english and japanese. Your best bet would be the Crunchyroll sub

@pencokun 7 лет назад

Yumehop hype! I agree. If there really IS going to be one, the cast should have some actual theatrical experience in my opinion. Even better if they have performed rakugo in English.

@Miragephan 7 лет назад

Fantastic video, I loved hearing your point of view in regards to comedy and its storytelling in contrast to rakugo. Keep up the good work

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Thank you very much! I'm glad my thoughts resonated in some way. And I'll do my best!

@epidemic2.070 6 лет назад

Great Video!

@kanyewestthechair3296 7 лет назад

J dilla? Damn, you have good taste.

@Michirin9801 7 лет назад

I'm planning on watching this one, but I'm not the type who keeps up with anime, instead I'm more of a backlog watcher, and this one is waaay back in my backlog >w>

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Hey that's totally fine! In that case you'll get to it eventually, at which point I hope you enjoy it.

@Michirin9801 7 лет назад

Wally The Legend Oh I will get to it! But it will be a while from now, I mean I haven't even watched Cowboy Bebop or Evangelion yet! I think those are a bit of a priority for the relatively-near future right? Btw, great video!

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Oh, at the least I would say Bebop gets some precedence simply because of its influence. There's definitely any number of big name stuff you could watch first and I would totally get it. Though I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Hopefully, it at least made you a bit more excited for when you do eventually watch it!

@rerunx5 7 лет назад

Excellent video

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

thank you!

@careyunknown3449 7 лет назад

How come he dont make more content...i may have asked this before..lol

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

I'm back in school at the moment, so that's currently my biggest focus. I want to do better on my 2nd visit to college so continuing to put out the same quality of my more recent content just means it's going to take a bit longer for me to get stuff out there. My intention definitely isn't to make anyone wait for too long on videos, but I don't want to sacrifice on quality and making sure I articulate exactly what I mean about whatever I decide to talk about. That's really the big reason behind the gaps between videos. If you're ok with waiting a bit longer between videos, though, you'll still keep seeing stuff from me and it should stay around the same quality as my videos from the last 6 months to a year (from Twilight Princess onwards, basically). As much as I'd love to release videos more frequently I'm not really in the position to do so. School has to take priority, especially seeing I don't make a living from RU-vid whatsoever.

@careyunknown3449 7 лет назад

Wally The Legend its cool man. Love ur content. plan on getting the Switch/Breath of the Wild? Ive already got mine preordered. :)

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Absolutely! I'm feeling way more excited for the Switch and Breath of the Wild after the recent presentation and trailer. I honestly should get on a pre-order pretty soon if I want to get one haha...

@careyunknown3449 7 лет назад

Wally The Legend yeah..to me the presentation could of been better...but hopefully they will have more reveals in the coming months. fintlger crossed for metroid. lol

@errorz9604 2 года назад

1:16 what is this anime?

@WallyTheLegend 2 года назад

Hibike Euphonium

@rayblaze8109 7 лет назад

Wally, Dude...I just discovered you. You only have a few hundred views in this video...I think you need to learn the ways of clickbait. With the amount of work that I can see in your video, you should be up there with The Anime man, Glass Reflection and all those other guys. I suggest that you start implementing a more clickable title too. I almost didn't watch your video from just the title alone. To sum it up, I liked your video, I want you to get to the top and... may the odds be ever in your favor.

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Well, I'm glad you discovered me anyway, and I'm happy you enjoyed the video. To be honest with you, I think the thumbnail is totally fine and I'm not about to change that, though I could change the title itself to something better than simply the anime's proper title. I'll see if I can come up with a better name to make that sound a bit more appealing. However, the kind of clickbait that largely populates RU-vid is something I generally find abhorrent, so I'm not about to make wacky thumbnails for my videos when it would reflect on said videos poorly. Still, thanks for the feedback. I'll work on updating the title a bit.

@rayblaze8109 7 лет назад

Sure thing dude... P.S: I wasn't that serious about the suggestions though. I think I was just confused as to why I never heard of you before. So I just blurted out whatever came into my mind at the moment. Kinda like what I'm doing right now.

@rayblaze8109 7 лет назад

Wally The Legend Cool...And I think the updated title is a much better description/(Idea of what the video is about). Well...anyways, happy holidays if you are celebrating any, and good night or day...or evening...whichever is going on in your coordinates. (P.S:Don't respond to me, I have an uncontrollable urge to respond back...This cycle will never end if you do.)

@WallyTheLegend 7 лет назад

Thanks again. And happy holidays to you, too!