Descending Stories

A quiet, deeply moving immersion into a fading art form, where every performance carries the weight of personal history and loss.

Created by

Mamoru Hatakeyama, Naoki Murata

Genres

Animation, Drama

Starring

Tomokazu Seki, Koichi Yamadera, Akira Ishida

Tagline

Flourishing Shōwa – Rakugo Double Suicide

Overview

When a certain man is released from prison, he knows exactly where he's heading first. After falling in love with a traditional comic storyteller's rendition of the story called "Shinigami," he is determined to become his apprentice. The performer, Yakumo, has never taken an apprentice before, but to everyone's surprise, he accepts the eager ex-prisoner, nicknaming him "Yotaro." As Yotaro happily begins his new life, he meets others in Yakumo's life, including Yakumo's ward Konatsu. Konatsu was the daughter of a famous storyteller, and Yakumo took her in after her father's tragic death. Konatsu loved her father's storytelling, and would love to become a performer in her own right—but that path is not available for women.

How it feels

Melancholic, warm, earnest and tense. Slow-burning and demanding.

About

Art, family, grief, identity

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)