<p>Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju manga volume 1 features story and art by Haruko Kumota.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>The saga of a generation of love, art, and storytelling begins here.</p> <div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-2-9781632364708.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to next volume in series">Next Volume &rarr;</a> </div>

<p>Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju volume 2 features story and art by Haruko Kumota.</p> <p>After proving himself on stage, Yotaro has been fully accepted as Yakumo’s apprentice and a member of his household. But taking in this brash young man forces Yakumo to confront his own past, and the promises left unfulfilled to his late best friend and rival, Sukeroku. Yakumo decides to share a tale that begins not when he was a dignified artist, but an orphan named Bon. Bon’s history is also the history of fellow orphan Shin, a changing Japan in the face of war, and a woman named Miyokichi, who would hold the future in her elusive hands…</p> <div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-1-9781632364692.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to previous volume in series">&larr; Previous Volume</a> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-3-9781632364715.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to next volume in series">Next Volume &rarr;</a> </div>

<p>Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju volume 3 features story and art by Haruko Kumota.</p> <p>The last great rakugo storyteller of the Showa Era, Yakumo Yurakutei, continues to tell his apprentice, Yotaro, of the promise he made to his late best friend and rival, Sukeroku. As both men work towards their debut as shin’uchi, they are left to confront what drives them forward – for Sukeroku, it’s to create a path for the future of rakugo, and for Kikuhiko, it’s to discover a rakugo that’s uniquely his own. Can he and Sukeroku continue to walk the same path, or will their journey through the world of rakugo together be severed?</p> <div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-2-9781632364708.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to previous volume in series">&larr; Previous Volume</a> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-4-9781632364722.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to next volume in series">Next Volume &rarr;</a> </div>

<p>Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju volume 4 features story and art by Haruko Kumota.</p> <p>After Sukeroku’s expulsion, Kikuhiko’s path to stardom seems clear, but the idea of inheriting the Yakumo name is a cold comfort. Sukeroku, disgraced, makes the heartbreaking decision to put his art aside and take responsibility for his new relationship with Miyokichi. As years pass and distance grows, Kikuhiko decides it’s up to him to bring his friend back to the theater. His determination takes him to the country, where Sukeroku now lives with his spirited young daughter. Kikuhiko is ready to stay as long as he needs to convince Sukeroku, but old wounds may come back to haunt them both.</p> <div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-3-9781632364715.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to previous volume in series">&larr; Previous Volume</a> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-5-9781632365439.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to next volume in series">Next Volume &rarr;</a> </div>

<p>Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju volume 5 features story and art by Haruko Kumota.</p> <p>Time, which had stopped for Kikuhiko and Sukeroku, begins to move again at last. Sukeroku retakes his place on stage, and the warmth of the audience’s love reminds him of what it means to be a storyteller. The stage is set for his triumphant return to Tokyo with Kikuhiko, and there, together, they can build the future of rakugo they’ve been dreaming of. But before they can, a ghost from both Kikuhiko and Sukeroku’s past returns, threatening to drag them both under…</p> <p>The story of Kikuhiko, Sukeroku, and Miyokichi reaches its final act!</p> <div style="text-align:center;"> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-4-9781632364722.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to previous volume in series">&larr; Previous Volume</a> <a href="https://devstore.crunchyroll.com/products/descending-stories-showa-genroku-rakugo-shinju-manga-volume-6-9781632365446.html" onblur="this.style.outline='2px solid transparent';" onfocus="this.style.outline='2px solid #000000';" style="display:inline-block; width:180px; margin:10px; padding:10px 20px; background-color:#fab818; color:#000000; text-decoration:none; border-radius:5px; font-weight:bold; text-align:center; outline: 2px solid transparent; font-size:16px;" aria-label="Go to next volume in series">Next Volume &rarr;</a> </div>