Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju
Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Kumota. It was serialized in Kodansha's Josei magazine from 2010 to 2016 and collected in ten volumes. The manga was released in North America by Kodansha USA. The manga was adapted into two original video animations by Studio Deen 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 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 between 12 October and 14 December 2018.
Plot
A man is released from prison and becomes the apprentice of a famous rakugo 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
;Eighth Generation Yakumo Yurakutei / Kikuhiko;Second Generation Sukeroku Yurakutei / Hatsutaro
;Third Generation Sukeroku Yurakutei / Yotaro / Kyoji
;Miyokichi / Yurie
;Konatsu
Supporting characters
;Eisuke Higuchi;Matsuda
;Fourth Generation Mangetsu Tsuburaya
;Seventh Generation Yakumo Yurakutei
;Amaken
;Ani-san
;Bansai Tsuburaya
;Shinnosuke
;Koyuki
Media
Manga
The manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Kumota began its serialization in the magazine published by Kodansha 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 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 DVD entitled Yotarō Hōrō Hen produced by Studio Deen.An anime television adaptation also produced by Studio Deen premiered on 9 January 2016. It was directed by Shinichi Omata 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 "Usurai Shinjū" composed by Sheena Ringo and performed by Megumi Hayashibara. The first episode combines both parts of the 2015 Yotarō Hōrō Hen original anime DVDs. Crunchyroll added the anime to its simulcast stream in 2016. The first season had been licensed for a UK home video release by Anime Limited 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 Descending Stories: Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū, premiered on 7 January 2017. Crunchyroll 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 "Imawa no Shinigami" composed by Sheena Ringo and performed by Megumi Hayashibara.
Live-action series
announced in July 2018 that a live-action series adaptation was green- The live-action series is directed by Yuki Tanada, Makoto Kiyohiro and Tatsuo Kobayashi, with scripts written by Daisuke Habara, music by Takatsugu Muramatsu and rakugo supervision by Kyōtarō Yanagiya. Masaki Okada, Ryō Ryūsei, Riko Narumi, Aya Ōmasa and Ikusaburo Yamazaki 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 at the Tokyo Theatre Orb from February to March 2025, in Osaka at the Festival Hall from March to April 2025, and in Fukuoka. Koike Shūichirō will be writing the script and directing. The stage play starred Ikusaburo Yamazaki as Sukeroku, Rio Asumi as Miyokichi, and Yūta Furukawa as Yakumo.Reception
The series was nominated for the 5th Manga Taishō, receiving 49 points and placing fourth among the fifteen nominees. It was also nominated for the 17th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. 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 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. The manga won Kumota the New Creator Prize category of the 21st Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2017.Volume 3 sold 24,541 copies by 7 October 2012.
Nick Creamer from Anime News Network 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."