padberg.janis - 2014-09-29 00:46:04

Story: Five girls spend some time talking and doing silly things... but there's a catch, they're also doing Rakugo!

Ok let me tell you the whole story... kind of...

Actual premise: Marii, Kigurumi, Tetora, Kukuru, and Gankyō are apprentices at a Rakugo theater, a classic form of Japanese comedy. When they're not on the stage, they're making random banter about everyday life.

I like this idea, but then again I love comedy and slice of life so there's that, but I also like the concept of Rakugo (they don't give much an explanation with it though and just show it to us time and time again). The comedy is all over the place and is a hit and miss. It's funny to see the girls interact and talk about/ make fun of every day life (some have been done before, but some are pretty original like the 'blue episode'. Not even the pop culture references and otaku pandering were so bad), but on the other hand it isn't funny to see one of the girls act like the butt monkey. (in other words, getting tortured for no reason other than shits and giggles, especially when the character does not deserve it) While the slice of life aspects, aside from some of the conversations that the girls have, rarely are present and only show it from time to time. They just focus more on the parody and comedy and to be fair its not bad, in fact it can make me chuckle from time to time, but man when it misses, it really misses. I'm also not a big fan of the ending but that's just kind of a nitpick and it could have been done better.

Animation: The animation is very subpar. There are some moments where it can get stiff and choppy and there isn't much movement with the characters in the show (the OP and ED have more movements). The designs are bright and colorful to look at but I wouldn't call it good either, its just average.

Sound: Easily the best part of the show. The OP shows us what we're in for and is very cute and catchy. But man, that song is dull compared to the ED song, which can only be described in two words: UNGODLY CATCHY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ljLd4kfNjY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IutBaKY6hoA

Oh and... the voice work is ok too.

Character: The characters are all one dimensional and have one character trait. Tetora lives a carefree life with an incredible amount of luck. Gankyo is smart and violent, ya know, cause she wears glasses. Kigurumi is basically Akira Kogami from Lucky Star acting all cute and innocent when really she's just manipulative and cynical. Kukuru is depressed and is pessimistic. And Marii is basically a tomboy and a buttmonkey. And the less I say about a certain character in the last episode, the better :X

So yeah, even though they all have simple characteristics, the interactions that they all have do make up for it and lead to some pretty funny comedic antics (and also some painful moments too, like those dang buttmonkey moments, they really love to overplay those sometimes. That and that one character is so annoying).

Enjoyment: I really do enjoy this anime, its not perfect but its not too bad either. The comedy is a hit and miss as well as the character interactions, the art and animation is decent, the music is awesome, and I don't know what else to say about this, go and see it for yourself and you'll know what I mean.

Pros: Music is so awesome and ungodly catchy, story is unique from the cute girls doing cute things genre, pretty good artwork, conversations are funny and charming (for the most part).

Cons: Sub par animation, one dimensional characters, voices are meh.

Overall: Love comedy/parody/satire on Rakugo or want to see a show about/with Rakugo? Then this is the show for you, even if you don't know what Rakugo even is :P

Thanks for reading my 65th review~

kling.leda - 2014-08-03 23:31:05

This show is crazy. And I mean it, CRAZY. Not "Excel Saga crazy", just...Well, how do you call a show that jokes about North Korea and the controversy with Japan about their missiles ?
Or that mocks their own channel airing the show, breaking the 4th wall every now and then ?
That's right.

Now, this show really has 2 levels : the standard comedy, which is more based on the characters and the situations (mostly slice-of-life situations, every episode consisting in three 3 scenes, including one where the 5 girls just... hang out in various cities), and the crazy stuff : mostly, Japanese culture and references.

Don't get me wrong : I had to check, and watch with the great Vale notes (http://notredrevie.ws/tag/joshiraku/) to achieve the full "100% watch" of Joshiraku.

IMO, that's the point where it gets to be a comedy masterpiece. It managed to make me laught to their jokes AND their references, mixing both without losing my curiosity (or my laugh, actually).

Hell, that's probably the only show where I'd find acceptable to pause every 30 secondes to get a reference (and so, a funny joke) right. Some are very, VERY obscure (I think I know about Eb*su enough now, thanks girls), but some others are worldwide-scaled jokes that any viewer can laugh at.

In any case, Joshiraku is a short, meta, good-paced, interesting, crazy and FUNNY comedy that I'd recommand to anybody who likes absurd comedy a little bit.

Have fun.

P.S. : Both OP and EP (seriously, that ED) are great.

sheridan.skiles - 2013-07-08 00:30:06

If I had to sum up the show in a few words: "A comedy based on a group of 5 girls taking turns with the old boke-tsukkomi routine."The show is about 5 girls who are studying the art of Japanese stage storytelling dubbed: "rakugo" hence the title of the show "Joshi (meaning woman/girl) raku".When it comes to the story and art one character's line, Kukuru's: "Stop that! The animators are doing their best even though there's little to animate," pretty much sums it up. As well as a literal frame in the first episode: "This anime is full of 'ordinary' dialogue so views can fully enjoy how cute the girls are."I quoted because ordinary, as much of what they discuss is chock-full of anime , pop-culture, and nonsensical humor and gags, which is the show's selling point. I often found myself smile and laugh unconsciously. That being said, it can be difficult to understand the comedy sometimes as some rely on timing of the joke or make reference to an obscure topic. I can't say that I didn't have to pause a few times throughout the show and look up meaning of punchlines or nuances in wordplay, but it didn't distract me from enjoying the show's humorous banter.Many of the tracks in the OST use Japanese instruments which compliments the traditional atmosphere a rakugo has.Overall, I had a blast watching the show. I believe if you have some knowledge of Japanese pop-culture, a bit of knowledge in the Japanese language itself, a somewhat subtle sense of humor its not difficult to find this show an interesting watch