Joshiraku

Director– Tsutomu Mizushima

Starring –Various

Country of Origin - Japan

Distributor - Sentai Filmworks

Number of Discs - 2

Reviewed by - Scott MacDonald

Date- 01/01/2020

    On paper Joshiraku does not seem like the type of anime series that would work as a whole. Of course, watching the series play out it turns out that the simple concept behind it works quite well, and is thoroughly entertaining. Joshiraku follows a group of young female comedians who perform a comic-art known as rakugo. This style of comedy is built around discussion which goes into unexpected and comedic territory. Conversations touch on a broad range of subjects from pets to money, and beyond.

    The show although has some comedic elements lost in translation, plays out quite well.  The episodes have a great kinetic energy to them, and play out as wild, entertaining, and quite funny throughout. The characters are well written with distinct and interesting personalities that have great chemistry together as a whole.   The animation is quite solid and fitting to the material, and at the same time the score by Masaru Yokoyama fits the tone of animation pitch perfectly.

    The transfer from Sentai Filmworks (Maiden Japan) presents the series at 1:78:1 in a 1080p transfer. Everything here looks solid, and without issue. Colors are nicely replicated and bright, detail is excellent.  Audio is a simple Japanese HD audio track that conveys the sound of the series quite well. Extras include a clean opening and closing. RECOMMENDED.