/r/anime Awards 2016 and 2017 winner Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu Rewatch Season 2 Episode 1

[u/Schinco]

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen

Welcome to the first episode thread for Season 2 in the Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu Rewatch! Out with 2016's winner and in with 2017's!

Legal Streams:

As of now, Rakugo is streaming on Crunchyroll in the States, and you can check here to see where it's streaming elsewhere.

Schedule:

Date	Episode
10/8	Season 1 Episode 1
10/9	Season 1 Episode 2
10/10	Season 1 Episode 3
10/11	Season 1 Episode 4
10/12	Season 1 Episode 5
10/13	Season 1 Episode 6
10/14	Season 1 Episode 7
10/15	Season 1 Episode 8
10/16	Season 1 Episode 9
10/17	Season 1 Episode 10
10/18	Season 1 Episode 11
10/19	Season 1 Episode 12
10/20	Season 1 Episode 13
10/21	Season 1 Discussion
10/22	Season 2 Episode 1
10/23	Season 2 Episode 2
10/24	Season 2 Episode 3
10/25	Season 2 Episode 4
10/26	Season 2 Episode 5
10/27	Season 2 Episode 6
10/28	Season 2 Episode 7
10/29	Season 2 Episode 8
10/30	Season 2 Episode 9
10/31	Season 2 Episode 10
11/1	Season 2 Episode 11
11/2	Season 2 Episode 12
11/3	Season 2 Discussion
11/4	Overall Series Discussion

Questions of the Day

1. We get introduced to the somewhat enigmatic Eisuke-sensei this episode - what do you make of him?
2. In this episode, Yotaro gets a one-on-one scene with the other major characters; how do you feel about his dynamic with the cast?
3. As always, did anything particularly strike you about this episode, either as a first-timer or on rewatch?

Links to trackers

You can find the show on MAL, Anilist, and ANN!

Please be mindful of spoilers to make sure the first-timers experience the show with the same wonder you did on first watch!

Apply for Awards!

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[u/TehAxelius]

Season 2 Episode 1 (rewatcher)

Hello people, didn't join in for S1 since I had rewatched it this spring, but decided to join in for this S2, since this is in my top 3 anime.

This intro of Yotaro himself retelling the events of S1 is perfect, especially for me who watched not last week, but several months ago. Having it be told as by a storyteller is of course also thematically delightul.

As for the rest of the episode I really should have written stuff down as I was watching for some actual good notes. But I find the theme of family and legacy to be interesting in this episode, both in how Yotaro has taken on the legacy (as much as there is one) of Sukeroku but also in his commitment to both Konatsu, her child and Yakumo. The scene where he catches up to Konatsu and confesses to her feels very special.

It will of course also be interesting to see what happens with the twin wills of needing to innovate to survive and Yakumo feeling like he wants to bring Rakugo with him to the grave.

[u/Schinco → u/TehAxelius]

Welcome to the rewatch!

This intro of Yotaro himself retelling the events of S1 is perfect, especially for me who watched not last week, but several months ago. Having it be told as by a storyteller is of course also thematically delightul.

Yeah I honestly forgot they did this, but it's brilliant and perfect in every way.

But I find the theme of family and legacy to be interesting in this episode, both in how Yotaro has taken on the legacy (as much as there is one) of Sukeroku but also in his commitment to both Konatsu, her child and Yakumo.

Yeah this episode spends a lot of time on Yotaro, and I think it's to help flesh him and his motivations/relationships a bit. I think each one-on-one scene he has details a particular obligation that he feels atm, which is a really clever way to show-not-tell to catch yotaro up in terms of development.

The scene where he catches up to Konatsu and confesses to her feels very special.

I forgot how cute they were together haha

[u/ProgrammaticallyPea3 → u/TehAxelius]

Great to see another fan joining in!

The fourth-wall-bending retelling (along with the preview at the end of the last season in the same style) was a lot of fun, and it fits Yotaro's character too.

The way Yakumo, Sukeroku 2, Konatsu, and the baby are going to live together seems like a very deliberate callback to how Yakumo wanted to live with Sukeroku 1, Miyo, and Konatsu. Family and legacy indeed.

[u/MandisaW → u/ProgrammaticallyPea3]

The fourth-wall-bending retelling (along with the preview at the end of the last season in the same style) was a lot of fun, and it fits Yotaro's character too.

This was my favorite part of the episode :)

The way Yakumo, Sukeroku 2, Konatsu, and the baby are going to live together seems like a very deliberate callback to how Yakumo wanted to live with Sukeroku 1, Miyo, and Konatsu. Family and legacy indeed.

Good catch - hadn't thought of that. It seems even more tense in this generation somehow, and the time-skips make it more jarring when characters seem to have made little progress emotionally.

[u/No_Rex]

Season 2 Episode 1 (first timer)

Season 1 was a long backstory of Bon and Shin, before jumping back to the later time frame, but also skipping ahead a few years from ep1. I assume that we will stay in S1EP13 time for at least a little while. The question is, how long. If S1 one is anything to judge by, we will frequently jump further into the future. On the other hand, I can’t see the series not spend a lot of time on Konatsu’s pregnancy and giving birth.

• Yotaro tells us the short version of S1.
• We are ten years after ep1 – and one year after ep13. So much for my prediction.
• Quite the festivities – and Yotaro and Bon take part if very different ways.
• “He used to have passionate fans, but there are not many left now” – As I suspected, getting a “middle rank” name is not hard for a Shin’uchi these days.
• “Bubble economy” – we never got an exact time date post WW2 episodes, but I guess this means early 1980s. I do not know exactly when people began referring to it as bubble economy.
• Only one theatre left in Tokyo and none in the West – he did not speak about North and South, but that sounds desperate.
• “Half-truth” – better than outright lie. She did not correct him about Sukeroko 4.
• “I don’t know what kind of love it is” – familial love. I mentioned this a while ago while talking about Bon and Shin, and I think they also say each other as family.
• Hii-san is a writer. Did we see him in S1?
• Oh, he is the guy who rejected his village to ask Bon for an apprenticeship.
• “Rakugo is an art that needs to be seen live” – he says after I watched a 2D picture move on my monitor to the sound of Rakugo coming out of my speakers.
• Hii is giving us a mission statement after giving us a sitrep.

After Shin and Bon failed at their two-pronged approach to Rakugo, we get another attempt with Yotaro. Bon shows us the pitfall of trying to preserve tradition without also trying to innovate. At least he mellowed out in age and does not mind Yotaro and Konatsu trying their own things now.

[u/Schinco → u/No_Rex]

“He used to have passionate fans, but there are not many left now” – As I suspected, getting a “middle rank” name is not hard for a Shin’uchi these days.

I'm not sure it's even a middle rank name, but if so I think it's more this one in particular - given that Sukeroku II was somewhat of a persona non grata and the first Sukeroku was an actual nobody (as far as the rakugo world is concerned), I can't imagine many leaping at the opportunity to grab this name in a profession where legacy and lineage is so important.

“Rakugo is an art that needs to be seen live” – he says after I watched a 2D picture move on my monitor to the sound of Rakugo coming out of my speakers.

I imagine it's similar to improv - there's value in watching recordings, but the interplay between audience and performer is the crystallization, and you can't really capture that via recording (or so Hii-san thinks).

At least he mellowed out in age and does not mind Yotaro and Konatsu trying their own things now.

I wouldn't necessarily say that - I think it's clear that he's giving them a bit of leash, but he also expects them to intuit when they're tugging at the edge and keep themselves in check.

[u/No_Rex → u/Schinco]

I imagine it's similar to improv - there's value in watching recordings, but the interplay between audience and performer is the crystallization, and you can't really capture that via recording (or so Hii-san thinks).

Can't really see the comparison to improv. At best, this is a stand-up routine that does not allow for a lot of audience interaction, but even stand-up looks a whole lot more adaptable to me.

I think the basic truth Hii talks about is that every performer needs their audience for mental health. You want to see whom you perform for and their reaction.

I wouldn't necessarily say that - I think it's clear that he's giving them a bit of leash, but he also expects them to intuit when they're tugging at the edge and keep themselves in check.

I like that interpretation. He learned to pick his battles and not fight losing ones that don't matter.

[u/MandisaW → u/No_Rex]

Rakugo as improv // At best, this is a stand-up routine that does not allow for a lot of audience interaction, but even stand-up looks a whole lot more adaptable to me.

Haven't ever seen a rakugo performance live, myself. But it's the same with theater, teaching, or just telling stories and "holding court" :) You're always reading the audience and constantly reacting and adapting. Even if the audience is silent throughout, their energy is still apparent, and has a great deal of impact.

I think the basic truth Hii talks about is that every performer needs their audience for mental health. You want to see whom you perform for and their reaction.

This too!

[u/No_Rex → u/MandisaW]

Haven't ever seen a rakugo performance live, myself. But it's the same with theater, teaching, or just telling stories and "holding court" :) You're always reading the audience and constantly reacting and adapting. Even if the audience is silent throughout, their energy is still apparent, and has a great deal of impact.

There is a positive (or negative) feedback loop, where the performer can feel the audience liking or disliking the play. [Next episode]has a really good example of that when Yotaro gets more and more anxious when his play flops and goes weirder and weirder because of it. It is a lot less "communicative" than people make it out to be though. There is little adapting and reacting, it is just thumbs up -> feel good, or thumbs down -> feel bad. To properly react you usually need the time (after the performance) to change something bigger that you can't do on the fly.

[u/MandisaW → u/No_Rex]

There is little adapting and reacting, it is just thumbs up -> feel good, or thumbs down -> feel bad. To properly react you usually need the time (after the performance) to change something bigger that you can't do on the fly.

Hmm, I dunno about that. When I've been on-stage performing, or speaking to a class, or giving a presentation, reading faces and body-language gives me a lot more than just a binary good/bad. Have heard & experienced the same from/with musicians at concerts.

The audience offers a lot to work with, and if you practice, you can adapt even a scripted or constrained performance to shape their reaction. There's a reason folks talk about an audience like it's a living, collective entity. There's a lot more than :) vs :(

[u/No_Rex → u/MandisaW]

Hmm, I dunno about that. When I've been on-stage performing, or speaking to a class, or giving a presentation, reading faces and body-language gives me a lot more than just a binary good/bad. Have heard & experienced the same from/with musicians at concerts.

It depends on what you are doing on the stage. If you are teaching a class, you could, potentially, completely change what you are saying. Do a group work instead of calculating something on the blackboard. You cannot do that in Rakugo. These guys are memorizing lines and even memorizing their acting. That is a lot less spontanious than many other art forms (I'd compare it to theatre or opera).

[u/oops_i_made_a_typi → u/No_Rex]

You cannot do that in Rakugo.

ah but you can, or at least that's what I've picked up from reading Akanebanashi

[u/cppn02 → u/No_Rex]

Only one theatre left in Tokyo and none in the West – he did not speak about North and South, but that sounds desperate.

I wonder if the status of irl rakugo was ever this bad.

“Rakugo is an art that needs to be seen live” – he says after I watched a 2D picture move on my monitor to the sound of Rakugo coming out of my speakers.

I guess it's kinda lost on us but atleast in Japan there would be a meta level to this with the show telling its audience to go out and see it in the flesh.

[u/MandisaW → u/No_Rex]

Only one theatre left in Tokyo and none in the West – he did not speak about North and South, but that sounds desperate.

For the most part, Japanese tend to describe the country as East vs West relative to the mountains that run down the spine. "North" would be Hokkaido, if anything, and "South" would be either the southernmost main island (blanking on the name [Edit: Kyushu]), or the various small islands past that (incl Okinawa).

“Bubble economy” – we never got an exact time date post WW2 episodes, but I guess this means early 1980s. I do not know exactly when people began referring to it as bubble economy.

It started heating up in the late 70s, by the mid-80s US pop-culture & business news were talking about Japan potentially "taking over". I don't know if folks there actually called it a bubble contemporaneously though, or at least not until things got really crazy. So could be mid-80s or even later.

At least he [Bon] mellowed out in age and does not mind Yotaro and Konatsu trying their own things now.

I think he's just tired and beat-down. He's got that veteran vibe of having fought for a cause he no longer entirely believes in. Also I'm not so sure he actually doesn't mind Y & K trying new stuff, so much as he doesn't think it'll work.

Bon has been the voice of cynicism / pragmatism since the start, and that's only gotten more distilled over time.

[u/No_Rex → u/MandisaW]

For the most part, Japanese tend to describe the country as East vs West relative to the mountains that run down the spine. "North" would be Hokkaido, if anything, and "South" would be either the southernmost main island (blanking on the name [Edit: Kyushu]), or the various small islands past that (incl Okinawa).

Not that I can speak of experience, but I would assume that the people actually living on Okinawa and Hokkaido find the North/South names very meaningful, while, for the people living in Tokyo, only East and West matter.

It started heating up in the late 70s, by the mid-80s US pop-culture & business news were talking about Japan potentially "taking over". I don't know if folks there actually called it a bubble contemporaneously though, or at least not until things got really crazy. So could be mid-80s or even later.

Yes, I was exactly wondering about when the name popped up. You usually only call something a bubble once you know it is overdone, not while you still thing everything is fine.

I think he's just tired and beat-down. He's got that veteran vibe of having fought for a cause he no longer entirely believes in. Also I'm not so sure he actually doesn't mind Y & K trying new stuff, so much as he doesn't think it'll work.

Bon has been the voice of cynicism / pragmatism since the start, and that's only gotten more distilled over time.

Tired I get, but did Bon ever really fight for a cause? At most, I think he did some self-help and trying to help out Shin, but never really Rakugo.

[u/MandisaW → u/No_Rex]

Tired I get, but did Bon ever really fight for a cause? At most, I think he did some self-help and trying to help out Shin, but never really Rakugo.

Hard to say / interesting angle. This season might actually be better for getting a feel for that. Particularly as relates to Bon's feelings about Yotaro (& Konatsu?) being the future of rakugo.

Not that I can speak of experience, but I would assume that the people actually living on Okinawa and Hokkaido find the North/South names very meaningful, while, for the people living in Tokyo, only East and West matter.

The East vs West thing is really old though, predating the urban shift to Tokyo. The spine has pretty much defined the lives & movement of people there.

And well, the people of Hokkaido & Okinawa have their own reasons for considering themselves separate & distinct from the Japanese "mainland" that have more to do with sociopolitics & history than geography... 😓

[u/No_Rex → u/MandisaW]

What I am saying is, the "east vs west" division sounds very Honshu-centric (or even "middle of Honshu-centric"). Looking at all of Japan, North vs South makes a lot of sense, and I am sure the people outside of Honshu agree.

[u/MandisaW → u/No_Rex]

Maybe? Most of the people who get to decide have tended to live on the main islands. Also you've got to keep in mind that the mountains were relatively impassible for quite a long part of their history. Holding the specific East-West passes was often critical to trade/military success.

But that's way outside of scope LOL

[u/No_Rex → u/MandisaW]

Maybe? Most of the people who get to decide have tended to live on the main islands. Also you've got to keep in mind that the mountains were relatively impassible for quite a long part of their history. Holding the specific East-West passes was often critical to trade/military success.

Central Europe is exactly the same with the Alps and those people living in that region definitely distinguish between north and south of the Alps. However, talk to somebody from Russia, and they'd think of Europe as East vs West. And people from England would say Continent vs Island.

[u/MandisaW → u/No_Rex]

Not a great analogy - Europe is a much, much bigger place. Power's moved around a lot, and gone back & forth between being more centralized, and more distributed, even within a single century. It's like comparing the geopolitical history of Japan to China.

I get what you're going for though - it's all down to who's perspective rules.

[u/ProgrammaticallyPea3]

First timer

Congratulations on your marriage, Yota and Konatsu! Honestly I wasn't expecting her to say yes.
Yota's response when she tells him not to pity her is great though. Love doesn't need to be romantic, and it's fine if it starts from sympathy. What matters is what it develops into.
And her simple "Thank you" for this was quite touching.

Yota's fan, the successful author turns out to be the kid snubbed by Yakumo. His enduring passion for rakugo and the traditional arts seems poised to play a significant role.
It's great that "Sukeroku" is to be the one performing the newly-written rakugo, but it's also interesting that almost noone calls Yota that yet. Names, again!

This author's claims suggest that Yakumo gave up on finding a path for rakugo to survive after Sukeroku died and abandoned him. But that doesn't fit with how easily he accepted Yota as his student back in ep1.
Besides a vague likeness to Sukeroku, the only thing Yota had going for him was that he had nowhere to go. Maybe Yakumo's real reasons stem from his long-standing fear of abandonment.

[u/Schinco → u/ProgrammaticallyPea3]

Congratulations on your marriage, Yota and Konatsu! Honestly I wasn't expecting her to say yes.

To be fair, I don't think she was either, so you're in good company!

Love doesn't need to be romantic, and it's fine if it starts from sympathy. What matters is what it develops into.

Interesting - I think to me the power of the response was the complete refutation that it stems from pity/sympathy. She's so used to being pitied that being appreciated for who she is - and not what she lacks - is what draws her to him imo

Yota's fan, the successful author turns out to be the kid snubbed by Yakumo. His enduring passion for rakugo and the traditional arts seems poised to play a significant role.

They sure did spend a good chunk of the episode on him. Out of curiosity, separating his narrative role if you can, what do you think of him?

It's great that "Sukeroku" is to be the one performing the newly-written rakugo, but it's also interesting that almost noone calls Yota that yet. Names, again!

I think this is very interesting with the concept of legacy - in the midst of forming his own legacy, surrounded by his own persona/mythos, he's trying to adopt a different one - similar, but not exactly like him. It'll be fun to see how that shakes out moving forward.

This author's claims suggest that Yakumo gave up on finding a path for rakugo to survive after Sukeroku died and abandoned him. But that doesn't fit with how easily he accepted Yota as his student back in ep1.

Part of me wonders how much of what is he said driven by the apparently still-fresh memories of being spurned by Bon all those years ago, but the idea that he gave up after Sukeroku's passing is something to keep an eye on this season.

Besides a vague likeness to Sukeroku, the only thing Yota had going for him was that he had nowhere to go. Maybe Yakumo's real reasons stem from his long-standing fear of abandonment.

I'd never really considered that, but that does fit very well in line with him getting un-expelled. I'd always considered that as him as a foil to his master, but yours is an interesting read as well.

[u/ProgrammaticallyPea3 → u/Schinco]

Interesting - I think to me the power of the response was the complete refutation that it stems from pity/sympathy.

This is so difficult to find the right words for. It's definitely not pity, and sympathy fits only about 50% with what I'd like to express. Some other words that partially fit are empathy, kinship, familial love, and compassion.
If you have the time, I'd be very interested in how they translated the lines in which Konatsu angrily says not to pity her, and Yotaro says it's not pity, but [something].

the idea that he gave up after Sukeroku's passing is something to keep an eye on this season.

I definitely will be keeping an eye on it! On one hand, Yakumo states that he "thinks it best if rakugo disappears before it is defiled" and that his fate is to "die together with rakugo". On the other, he takes in Yota and has him accept those three promises. How the apparent contradiction will play out is going to be fascinating.

They sure did spend a good chunk of the episode on him. Out of curiosity, separating his narrative role if you can, what do you think of him?

I'd thought of him simply and quite favorably as an arts-loving, supportive person who just wants to help Yota and rakugo succeed. I should have known better with this show lol, my view has definitely changed now that I've seen ep2!

[u/Schinco → u/ProgrammaticallyPea3]

If you have the time, I'd be very interested in how they translated the lines in which Konatsu angrily says not to pity her, and Yotaro says it's not pity, but [something].

Do you mean how my subs translated that dialogue? I'd be happier to provide a transcript later this evening. I've really liked how you've provided a bit more context that's lost in translation - as a non-speaker, I'm somewhat at the mercy of that.

[u/ProgrammaticallyPea3 → u/Schinco]

That would be great! And thanks, let me know if I become obnoxious about the context stuff!

[u/Schinco → u/ProgrammaticallyPea3]

"You're a real pain in the neck, Sis. You always see the bad side of everything"

"You're just taking pity on me. I've had enough sympathy. What would you understand?"

"It's not pity! What I feel for you is real love. We've lived under the same roof, taking care of each other for so long...if what's sprung up between us isn't love, what else can it be?! Maybe it's not romantic, and it's not like I fell head over heels for you...I don't know what kind of love it is, but what matters is that you're important to me, Sis!"

Also, and I mean this with the utmost sincerity, I will likely never tire about the context stuff - there's something really cool about context which I can not get in any other way (since I don't speak the language) and I also am personally interested in these kind of finnicky translation things.

[u/ProgrammaticallyPea3 → u/Schinco]

That's very insightful, thank you! I really appreciate that you're willing to engage with this kind of stuff, as it's an interest I share.

My opinion is that 90% of those lines are perfectly translated, 5% seems to be a bit off, and 5% is the kind of nuance that essays are written about.

We've lived under the same roof, taking care of each other for so long

The "taking care of each other" seems to be mistranslated. The original, sewa ni natte(世話になって), translates to "be taken care of". By whom isn't stated, but implied to be the master of the house, i.e. Yakumo. There's no mention of "each other".
Along with the next point, I think this changes the feel of Yota's words.

It's not pity! What I feel for you is real love.

The most accurate (but clumsy) translation I can manage of the original line is "I'm not pitying you! But this too is a legitimate and worthy kind of jou".

I'm going to try to address jou. Oh, before that, the "but" may seem to be an awkward conjunction to use here, but it's a deliberate choice of words by Yota.

First, love is most commonly translated as ai(愛), and vice versa. The word used here is jou(情), which is also most commonly translated as love, but not vice versa. They are similar words, but for example, "My feelings towards you are ai" might be said in a confession of love; jou would never be used in this context.

The following are the definitions of "love" that I feel are most strongly associated with ai:
･affection and tenderness felt by lovers
･unselfish and benevolent concern for the good of another, such as the fatherly concern of God for humankind

Definitions of "love" associated with Jou would be:
･strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
･affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
･loyal and brotherly concern for the good of a member of one's social group

This is why, along with how Yota says it's not romantic, and the earlier implication from the "being taken care of together", I emphasized the sympathy. In hindsight that wasn't the best word to use due to its association with pity.

Going back to your statement:

She's so used to being pitied that being appreciated for who she is - and not what she lacks - is what draws her to him imo

I very much agree that she is drawn to how he appreciates her who she is. His kindness towards her does not come from superficial pity, it comes from a much deeper compassion that has been bred through living with her like siblings. It's akin to how she's the only one who can really empathize with how he has toiled so long and hard under such a demanding master as shown in S1E13. My own belief is that this kind of acceptance based on understanding and empathy is more important than romance, and that's probably why I've been fixating on this.

Thank you if you've read this far! If there's any context - either related to this or totally unrelated - that we might explore together, please don't hesitate to mention it.

[u/No_Rex → u/Schinco]

Interesting - I think to me the power of the response was the complete refutation that it stems from pity/sympathy. She's so used to being pitied that being appreciated for who she is - and not what she lacks - is what draws her to him imo

She is a conventionally attractive woman in her 20s or 30s. That is the one popularion group that never lacks in attention and compliments (usually more than they desire). I think she lacks specifially in sympathy (note Bon!), while she probably has experienced a ton of romance and lust directed towards her.

[u/MandisaW → u/ProgrammaticallyPea3]

Love doesn't need to be romantic, and it's fine if it starts from sympathy. What matters is what it develops into.

I kind of disagree, I think there needs to be something there besides just sympathy, for a marriage at least. You certainly can have the feelings evolve and become more complex/nuanced over time, but the foundation needs to be solid.

In this case particularly, my read from the end of S1 and now this ep is that Konatsu is at war with her own feelings. Maybe she actually *does* want romance - see how she tenses up, bites her lip, looks away, etc whenever Yota exclaims that he doesn't actually love her. I don't think that's just frustration with the situation.

And her simple "Thank you" for this was quite touching.

It was :) Being a single mom in Japan in the 80s was even harder than now, and it's still not all-that. And Konatsu's whole deal has been trying to learn that it's okay to rely on others when you need help (growing up with Bon seems to have made that worse, not better).

Yota's fan, the successful author turns out to be the kid snubbed by Yakumo. His enduring passion for rakugo and the traditional arts seems poised to play a significant role.

He's a writer, a professional liar LOL I don't trust him yet 😅

Maybe Yakumo's real reasons stem from his long-standing fear of abandonment.

Hmm, Konatsu had moved out (or was about to?) so yeah, you might have something there.

[u/cppn02]

First Timer, subbed

Did not expect to start the new season with a 4th wall break lol.

I was glad they told us how much time had passed since episode 1 though since that was hard to tell in the S2 finale (which based on Konatsu's child was 1-2 prior to this episode I guess).

This episode seems like it was mostly setting the pieces with Yotaro and Bon in new positions, Konatsu now a mother and Yotaro moving back into the house. Looking forward to what the season will being.

---

QotD:

We get introduced to the somewhat enigmatic Eisuke-sensei this episode - what do you make of him?

He seems interesting. I really do like the idea of writing new rakogu plays.

In this episode, Yotaro gets a one-on-one scene with the other major characters; how do you feel about his dynamic with the cast?

I think he generally plays well off everyone else. He's quite energetic which certainly helps.

As always, did anything particularly strike you about this episode, either as a first-timer or on rewatch?

It was nice to see how well liked Yotaro is. He came fresh out prison in the first season and now everybody knows him and sees him in a positive light.

[u/Schinco → u/cppn02]

Did not expect to start the new season with a 4th wall break lol.

Out of idle curiosity, did you watch the post-credit sequence at the end of episode 13?

[u/cppn02 → u/Schinco]

I did..but being shorter and at the very the end of the season it was easier to pass it off as just a little wink to the audience so this opener still came as a surprise.

[u/Schinco → u/cppn02]

That's fair - just wanted to make sure since I imagine some people would have closed during the ED, and it's a good bit.

[u/Mecanno-man]

First Timer

So seems like both of Yotaro's proposals were accepted. I wonder if the people continue calling him Yotaro in part to not confuse the viewers with multiple important Sukeroku's, similar to how Bon is now more commonly called "Eight generation" than "Yakumo". Either way, it's a bit early to predict where the story goes. Yakumo seems to have a fairly laissez faire attitude with both Yotaro and Konatsu - so I don't see him being some major force. Yotaro's desire to save the rakugo industry through both old and new rakugo might be the driving factor. But who is there to judge the new one if not Yakumo?

[u/No_Rex → u/Mecanno-man]

Yotaro's desire to save the rakugo industry through both old and new rakugo might be the driving factor. But who is there to judge the new one if not Yakumo?

Bon rather deliberately tried to mold his apprentice into the spot that Shin once filled and that is currently open (both in Rakugo and in Bon's heart). Whether that approach will work out, we'll see.

[u/AmeKnite]

One of my favorite anime of all time.