In Fallen Words, Yoshihiro Tatsumi takes up the oral tradition of rakugo and breathes new life into it by shifting the format from spoken word to manga. Each of the eight stories in the collection is lifted from the Edo-era Japanese storytelling form. As Tatsumi notes in the afterword, the world of rakugo, filled with mystery, emotion, revenge, hope, and, of course, love, overlaps perfectly with the world of Gekiga that he has spent the better part of his life developing.
These slice-of-life stories resonate with modern readers thanks to their comedic elements and familiarity with human idiosyncrasies. In one, a father finds his son too bookish and arranges for two workers to take the young man to a brothel on the pretext of visiting a new shrine. In another particularly beloved rakugo tale, a married man falls in love with a prostitute. When his wife finds out, she is enraged and sets a curse on the other woman. The prostitute responds by cursing the wife, and the two escalate in a spiral of voodoo doll cursing. Soon both are dead, but even death can’t extinguish their jealousy.
Tatsumi’s love of wordplay shines through in the telling of these whimsical stories, and yet he still offers timeless insight into human nature.
Fallen Words has finished publishing and it has 8 Chapters. It is also Known as: 劇画寄席 芝浜, Gekiga Yose: Shibahama
Genres: Comedy , Slice of Life
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Top Manga Like Fallen Words (Gekiga Yose: Shibahama) [2024 List]
3. Isekai Rakugo
The story of how a Japanese storyteller, or "Hanashika," saved the world using Rakugo.
Isekai Rakugo has finished publishing and it has 22 Chapters. It is also Known as: 異世界落語, Isekai Rakugo
2. Uchi no Shishou wa Shippo ga Nai
The time is the Taisho Era. Mameda, a tanuki girl who came to Osaka dreaming of becoming a human, meets a popular rakugo artist, Daikokutei Bunko. Mameda, who was impressed by the storyteller's way of storytelling, which is a technique taught by a human being, decided to become a disciple. Rakugo artist training has begun!
Source: Kodansha
My Teacher Has No Tail is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: うちの師匠はしっぽがない, My Master Has No Tail
1. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
A hapless young man is released from prison with nothing to his name, but he knows exactly what he wants: to train in the art of rakugo comedic storytelling. After seeing an unforgettable performance from one of Japan’s greatest masters, Yakumo Yurakutei VIII, during his time in jail, he will settle for nothing less than to become apprentice to the best. Yakumo, notorious for taking no students, is persuaded to take him on, and nicknames him Yotaro—the fool. Yotaro has no formal training or elegance, but something about his charisma reminds Yakumo of someone from his past.
Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju has finished publishing and it has 31 Chapters. It is also Known as: 昭和元禄落語心中, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
