Anime recommendation: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

This anime is an absolute masterpiece. The quality of the drawings, the ambiance, the story… They are all so delicate, so refined. It is one of those works which upgrades your perception of a whole genre.

Promotional video (in Japanese):

The trailer certainly does not capture the depth of the ambiance this anime will suck you into. It has quite litterally entranced me. Watching it made me feel more human. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It softened my heart.

Update 2022-10-08: I’ve just finished re-watching the anime, this time mustering the courage to go all the way through the last two final episodes; and if, like me – and apparently quite a few others – you are incredibly disturbed by the insinuation made about Konatsu’s first child’s father, I warmly suggest reading this excellent review which offers a credible rebuttal.

In any case and despite this one unexpected late speck, my opinion and all the reviews seem to concord: this anime really is a masterpiece 😊🙏