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Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū Casts Kouichi Yamadera, Megumi Hayashibara, Kappei Yamaguchi

This year's 24th issue of Kodansha's ITAN magazine is announcing on Friday the main cast and staff for the television anime of Haruko Kumota's historical manga Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū (Shōwa Genroku Era Comic Storytelling).

• Kouichi Yamadera as Sukeroku
• Megumi Hayashibara as Miyokichi
• Hiroshi Yanaka as Seventh Generation Yakumo Yūrakutei
• Shigeru Ushiyama as Matsuda
• Chafūrin as Master Bansai
• Kōji Yusa as Mangetsu-niisan
• Kappei Yamaguchi as Amaken
• Yasuyuki Kase as Yakuza Brother
• Shou Sudou as Ani-san
• Shinpei Hayashiya as Master Nekosuke

Akira Ishida also plays Kikuhiko (the young eighth generation Yakumo), and he stars in the upcoming original anime DVDs as well. The first OAD will also star Tomokazu Seki as Yotarō and Yū Kobayashi as Konatsu.

• Director: Mamoru Hatakeyama 
• Series Composition: Jun Kumagai 
• Character Design: Mieko Hosoi 
• Rakugo Supervision: Shinpei Hayashiya
• Color Key: Hitomi Sano
• Director of Photography: Shigemitsu Hamao
• Music: Kana Shibue 
• Music Production: Starchild Records
• Sound Director: Kouji Tsujitani
• Sound Production: Dax Production
• Animation Production: Studio DEEN

The manga's seventh volume is bundling a "Yotarō-hen Zen-pen" (Yotarō Arc Part I) original anime DVD (OAD) on March 6. A second OAD, "Yotarō-hen Kō-pen" (Yotarō Arc Part II), will ship with the eighth manga volume on August 7, and the television anime will debut after the second OAD.

The story of the original anime DVDs revolves around a mature prisoner who was released on good behavior during Japan's Showa Genroku era (1960s to early 1970s). He is called Yotarō by others, a term that means an "anti-hero" or a "dim-witted man." When he returns to society, he starts a new life in rakugo (comic storytelling). Touched by Yakumo's role as the "grim reaper," he asks the master to take him in as an apprentice.

Kumota began the manga in ITAN in 2010, and the series received the "Best General Manga" prize at the 38th Kodansha Manga Awards, and was also honored with the Excellence Award at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. The manga was also nominated for the 17th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2013.