Anime Limited originally announced in October 2016 that they had picked up the rights to release the Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu series in the UK market and then confirmed that it would be a Blu-ray only release. It’s been quiet since and they had no timeline to begin with but they announced at MCM Comic Con London that they have lost the rights to the license and any plans that they had have been canceled.
The series was directed by Mamoru Hatakeyama based on the series composition and scripts by Jun Kumagai. Character designs are being handled by Mieko Hosoi with the series being animated at Studio Deen.
Plot concept: 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.
[Source: TFP Forums]
