Unable to forget a performance of "Shinigami" performed by the rakugo master Yakumo in the prison where he was being held, Yotaro's first act upon his release was go right to the theater, where he begged, pleaded, and was finally accepted as Yakumo's live-in apprentice. After years of refining his art, Yotaro was promoted to the rank of Shinuchi and inherited the title of 3rd Generation Sukeroku. For the sake of his master Yakumo, Konatsu, and to change the image of Sukeroku inside them both, what kind of rakugo will Yotaro discover? 
 
This celebrated human drama, based on a story by Haruko Kumota, offers an honest and sympathetic look into the lives and livelihoods of rakugo storytellers in the Showa era. 

(Source: Crunchyroll)

Holds a 2nd Dan rank in Kendo. A veteran Japanese voice actor who has played characters in anime, drama CDs and video games. Apart from voice work, Toshihiko Seki sometimes does live-action drama stage work and is a member of 81 Produce.

__Non-anime roles:__
• Dottore (Genshin Impact)
• Chongyue (Arknights)

This multi-generational epic dives deep into rakugo, a rich form of Japanese storytelling theater. Small-time crook Yotaro has never forgotten the rakugo tale "The God of Death," which the master Yurakutei Yakumo performed for Yotaro during his time in prison. After his release, he goes to Yakumo's theater and pleads to be made his apprentice. Yakumo reluctantly accepts, but Yotaro quickly finds the world of rakugo is complex and grapples with a growing bond with Yakumo's ward, Konatsu. Meanwhile, the two young people bring reminders of Yakumo’s own inescapable past.
 
(Source: Kodansha USA)
 
Note: Won the 38th Kodansha Manga Awards for Best General Manga and the New Creator Prize of the 21st Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2017.

Eisuke Higuchi