Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Yotarou Hourou-hen

Leaving prison, a young man is determined not to return to his former life. A performance of the tale Shinigami by the rakugo master Yakumo has stayed with him, and he asks to become the man's apprentice, hoping to learn an art in which one storyteller brings many characters to life.

Known as Yotaro, he begins again under a demanding teacher. Enthusiasm alone cannot master the craft or sever every tie to the past, however. As he works toward becoming a performer, he enters a household shaped by relationships and memories he has yet to understand.