A very good series start! It might help that I've seen the anime first, so I can fill in the gaps of the rakugo stories we don't see, but overall I enjoy the characters and their relationships and the universe Kumota has created. Kikuhiko's sexism is quite naked, which was also demonstrated in the anime, but it's nice at least that Konatsu is relentless, even if she smokes all the time.

The art is also quite beautiful. I love the way the characters are drawn, and Yotaru is quite cute when his hair grows out. My one issue is the tongue-out face, but it's meant to be stupid, so I guess it's successful.

A good first volume. ( )

I adore the anime for this, high recommend on every level. This first volume had a lot of the same feel and cadence, but didn't hit as hard. I think, especially for a Western audience, the animated and audible portrayal of Rakugo is very key to creating the world. I will definitely keep up the manga, though. Love the art and the characters are real people depicted well. ( )

This sedate little tale revolves around an ex-con who has become obsessed with becoming involved in a traditional but dying Japanese artform of theatrical storytelling called rakugo. He's a bit dumb and dense, but he has enthusiasm, energy and a positive attitude, all of which reminds an old master of a dead friend and convinces him to take our hero on as his first ever apprentice.

Deliberately paced (a/k/a "slow") this is a gentle but appealing kick-off to a series that will probably be rich in character interaction and gentle humor if lacking in much action. ( )

This is the first volume of the series. The tale revolves around the apprenticeship of an ex-convict who takes on the name Yotaro which in Japanese slang means "dunce" or "blockhead." He convinces a rakugo master named Yakumo to take him on as an apprentice, something Yakumo has never done before. The story is primarily character driven with three main characters, Yotaro, Yakumo, and Yakumo's ward Konatsu who is the daughter of a deceased rakugo master who died under mysterious circumstances. Konatsu pines to become a rakugo performer herself, but women are not allowed to perform (this has actually changed somewhat as there are now a few female rakugo performers of note, such as the comedienne Showko).

In addition to learning about the people who perform in the rakugo universe, you also learn about the rakugo performance environment itself. In that, this is highly recommended for those who have already seen performances who wish to get a deeper understanding of how the rakugo environment works. E.g., a zenza is a beginner who gets to warm up an audience before the main performances and subsequently serving tea and snacks to customers as well as assisting the sensei in his preparations; a "yose" is the venue for the rakugo performances; rakugo performers' names can be passed on from master to apprentice (Yakumo's full name is Yakumo Yurakutei VIII as he is the eighth in succession to carry the name).

I wouldn't call this a true introduction to the Japanese art form of storytelling, rakugo, as it assumes a familiarity with the art form at the outset. If you already have been introduced to the basics of the art form this doesn't really do that as it's more about the people and the environment of the performers. I have been to two "academic" presentations of rakugo where stories were told in English and Japanese; between the performances mini-lectures were given about the specifics of the form. The wikipedia article on rakugo does a good job of explaining it, and there are quite a few YouTube videos of rakugo performances in both Japanese and English.

The art is fairly typical of manga and leans towards more realistic drawings of people rather than caricatures. The story and text lean strongly on Japanese culture and slang, some of which are explained in footnotes.

For the non-rakugo initiate, Haruko Kumota's book might not be a good fit. However, if the reader is interested in learning about this part of Japanese culture, and true Japanese culture in general, Descending Stories is a real gem.

Note: I received a free copy for review purposes via the Amazon Vine program. ( )

半透明で小粒なゼリー玉を口いっぱいに頬張って、舌でかき混ぜながら感触を味わいながらで食べたい。そんな一冊。 ( )