Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Descending Stories: Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū
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MikeNeko San
Posts: 51 |
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Sukeroku reached for his wife with the last of his strength, and Konatsu was swept along in his wake towards the abyss but was saved by Kiku. Kiku had a split-second choice where he could have grabbed Sukeroku, but he unwaveringly chose to save Konatsu. Kiku chose Konatsu over the love of his life.
Oh, my heart. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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This time the OP changed the images of Miyokichi on the record label. Not sure what that signifies...
Poor Matsuda. He loves them all so much, he's convinced himself that the deaths were no one's fault. But somebody got all stabby that night, so somebody's at least somewhat at fault. Random thoughts and seeing things between the lines that probably aren't there: Even though in Yakumo's version of the story he casts himself as the hero who tried so hard to save them, he still takes all the blame for everything in his conversation with Miyokichi. Subconscious guilt? Conscious guilt he couldn't bear to completely cover up? I just don't think the entirety of that version was to erase Konatsu from the scene, because as he told it, it was an accident (she leaned back and the railing broke) and no one was really to blame. What I mean is, his version took responsibility for everyone's misery, but not for their death. It's interesting that in Shibahama, a lie improves the couple's lives and makes the merchant a better man. And because of that his wife was forgiven for the lie. Can we expect Konatsu to forgive as well for not having to grow up with the guilt of her involvement (telling her she's not to blame is really not going to help her cope with it)? Did the lie make her life better? I don't know the name of the story Kiku told (Itako?) about the Inari brothel, but rewatching him tell it twice (ep12, ep7), I was struck by how the three characters were bound together. If one tried to leave without the others, he'd be stopped at the gate. If the other two tried to leave without the third, they too would be barred from leaving. Is this alluding to the idea that Yakumo can't die until he puts Sukeroku and Miyokichi to rest as well ("You're saying I still haven't let you go?" And Sukeroku pushes him off the path to the gate.)? That they can't move on until he's ready to go? Last edited by Gina Szanboti on Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:42 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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crosswithyou
 Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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The revelation in this episode was unexpected and it was absolutely spectacular. WOW! This show always delivers. Here's to another week of being at the top of the ANN rankings. (Has there ever been a show that got the #1 spot during its entire run?)
Anyway, I feel like Konatsu is going to find out when Yakumo is on his death bed or something. If this is how it plays out then it's going to kill me emotionally because it'll be far too late for them to reconcile and spend quality time together. Dammit, if Ishida Akira doesn't win the best actor award at this year's Seiyuu Awards.............. |
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SaneSavantElla
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Just my knee-jerk thought on that... The original images shows us the woman as "Miyokichi", when she was acting as somebody else (escort, geisha, etc), aka "fake". The new set of images shows us when she's "Yurie", all those times when she could be herself (i.e. with Kiku). I think it ties up with the fact that this episode shows us the "truth" incomplete though it may be. |
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crosswithyou
Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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Man, going back to the first episode of the first season... The look on Yakumo's face as Konatsu insists that he killed her father. =(
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AholePony
 Posts: 330 Location: Arizona |
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I'm back to say I'm glad this show has been hitting it out of the park for several weeks now. The drama in those opening 3-4 episodes still feels disjointed to me but I'm glad to see where the story has gone from there. Here's to hoping it just keeps getting better!
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crosswithyou
Posts: 2892 Location: California |
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Ep 8
I don't know what it is about this week's episode that had me so overwhelmed, but I was literally tearing up from beginning to end. Yotaro performing Shibahama, the last story that the late Sukeroku ever told, in front of Yakumo was just... Man... It seems Konatsu also watched the tape so I really do wonder if Yakumo will ever tell her the truth about her parents' death. Amazon Japan has the first three volumes of the manga available for free on Kindle (Amazon Prime perk??) so I tried downloading it. I'm only a few pages into the first chapter but boy is it difficult to read! The way they talk is kind of "slurred" so while listening to them speak in the anime isn't difficult, reading the way they talk is much harder since it's not normal speech. |
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Merida
 Posts: 1945 |
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Gabriella wrote:
Like what exactly? The only "hint" i noticed was Yakumo talking to the boss about "a huge debt he could never repay"... Anyhow, another very emotional episode. Loved Yotaro's performance, and all those heartbreaking Yakumo moments, like when he was looking at the pictures of Sukeroku or when Konatsu handed him the fan. I'm absolutely floored by Ishida Akira's performace every week! |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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I was wondering the same thing. He may be the father, but at this point I don't have any reason to think that's more likely than his father being the father. This was a strange review. As I was scrolling down the page, I was wondering what sort of grade it would get, because the general tone made me think that Gabriella didn't like the episode very much at all. I was expecting a B or B+ at best from her. As for my own thoughts, the scene on the bridge was devastating. I think I'm not entirely convinced that he went out there with suicidal intent, but that when he got there, the water just started looking really inviting. That is, I think Yotaro wasn't wrong to buy his story, nor was Konatsu particularly insightful - they each just tuned in on different components of the reality. I also really love the scenes when Yakumo and Kido are together. Two old gentlemen who are both at the top of their professions (legit or otherwise) dealing with each other with respect as equals, which I guess I like because my gut reaction is that a yakuza boss would be a few rungs above an artist, power and prestige-wise. So it emphasizes Yakumo's dignity and status to me (not explaining that very well - I just like those scenes). The debt made me feel that somehow Kido knows the whole story and may have been instrumental in helping cover it up and/or smooth things over with the police? It seems more likely the kept secret would have to do with that than Shin-chan's parentage. I also felt bad for Yakumo on another front - he kept being hit over and over and over with things everyone had been doing behind his back. How irritating is that? 
Lol when Yakumo was practically thrown out onto the stage. And yes, Ishida's work continues to floor me. Along with everyone else doing amazing work in this, but daaamn, when you stand out in a cast like this, that's really saying something. 
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Doodleboy
Posts: 296 |
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Yotaro is an odd viewpoint character for Rakugo. In a series where very few characters tell the entire truth and every character plays a role of some sort, Yotaro is for the most part who he appears to be.
It's actually throwing me off a little bit. In the first scene most of the most melodramatic staged moments are when characters are being the least honest, a bit less so in this season. |
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chaccide
Posts: 295 |
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I really felt bad for Yakumo this episode too. The review seems to be making light of his feelings and situation, but he's an old man on the brink of death, seeing himself fall apart, knowing he can't be what everyone wants him to be. And he's hit that point as a senior where everyone else starts deciding what's best for him and and when that happens sometimes people feel the only control they have is choosing their own death, and then they have to worry and wonder how much longer they'll have the ability to make that choice. It's a terrifying place to be.
And the younger generations are terrified of losing him and pushing their needs upon him, somewhat selfishly but also trying to improve his outlook on life because what else can you do? You can read all their frustrations and fears in this episode on the bridge, one of the most affecting scenes I've seen in anime. Then after that one broke me a little inside, Yotaro's performance shattered me. Last week's revelation didn't hit me the way it did many viewers. It seemed a typical kind of twist in storytelling, even though it was done well. But this week's treatment of old age and a family dealing with it, it's a small thing to write about that becomes great by having this incredible cast, writing and director and crew dedicated to making it the best. This to me is an A+ episode. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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^All of this, except the part about the last episode.
Since it wasn't out of the blue (there were a number of tells in the first season that Yakumo's story was just that: a rakugo performance and not the truth), it felt like a well-earned revelation and not just a lazy "It was me, Dio!" moment. So I wasn't surprised by it, just happy to have a true account, and I'm waiting with bated breath to hear the rest of it from Yakumo about what really happened before Matsuda and Konetsu arrived.
Could you elaborate on this a bit more? I don't understand your last sentence at all. Which first scene are you referring to? Does "staged" refer to the story or the performances? |
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Doodleboy
Posts: 296 |
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I mistyped season. Sorry. By staged, partially performances, but mostly the way the (pretentious but for lack of a better word) cinematography. The first season had a habit of boarding some scenes so they look like a stage-play. One obvious one is where Kiku breaks up with Miyokichi, and Miyokichi is framed in a spotlight where she pronounces her vengeance. You can argue my interpretation as wrong at this point but at this point of the series I kind of saw them both playing roles. Kiku playing the role of a person who loved Miyokichi and Miyokichi playing the role of a vengeful woman (where later in the series we find she wanted Kiku to chase after her). Another one that's less open to interpretation is the scene where 7th Gen Yakumo kicks out Sukeroku on the pretext that he disrespected rakugo. The series puts a black bar on the bottom half of the screen at this point to make the frame resembling a stage. And we later find out that the pretext 7th Gen Yakumo gave was pretty much bull and he had alot more petty reasons for kicking out Sukeroku. And obviously there's the melodrama of Kiku's retelling of Sukeroku's and Miyokichi's deaths, which we later learn is a fabrication. Although that wasn't overtly drawn in a stage-like way if I remember correctly. It's not a perfect way to look at the series and for this season I'm taking a lot of what the characters are saying more as face value. But yeah, it was how I watched the series in the first season. Just to explain what I meant by those sentences. The series is open enough that you can argue I'm wrong. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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Ok that makes more sense. And I won't say you're wrong, since 80% of the first season essentially was a play. Whereas this season, it's not a story being told by Yakumo.
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Chrysostomus
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