By Shanel Kamara

 Before I delve into the review of this week’s episode of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, I would advise anyone who has not watched the previous season or the last two episodes, to watch them. This review will not contain any real spoilers, but in order to grasp what is going on, you need some knowledge of who the characters are and how they relate to one another. For instance, even though Yotarou is married to Konatsu, he insists on calling her “sis.” They are, in no way, related to one another. Moreover, they are not childhood friends.  I could go into a lot of detail about how these two met and so forth, but I will leave it to anyone who is interested in catching up by watching previous episodes.

I don’tknow what I was expecting to find out this episode, but I definitely did not anticipate finding out who the biological father of Konatsu’s son was. I imagined that the truth, regarding the father’s identity, would come later rather than sooner. So honestly, I am a tad surprised; I guess I thought that the identity of the actual father of Konatsu’s son would remain a mystery. However, I cannot say that the surprising tidbits in this episode were at all negative; they were shocking but not disappointing. The identity of the father, in itself, was startling. I will say no more.

What I love about this anime is how it zooms in on the relationships between characters as the plot develops. What connects these two characters is a profound affection for Yakumo’s rakugo and the rakugo art. In the first season, they appear more as siblings; they are frank with another. The change, this season, in their relationship status has brought them closer together, especially with Yotarou accepting Konatsu’s son as his own and openly declaring to the real father that he will not allow him to take Konatsu’s son away from him.

I had hoped to learn more about Yotarou’s past, but I guess I will have to wait for that.

Score: 4/5

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi E.03