Descending Stories

A multi-generational human drama set in the world of rakugo, a traditional form of Japanese comedic storytelling, Descending Stories follows an ex-convict whose life is changed by his apprenticeship to a famed storyteller, and Konatsu, who yearns to perform rakugo but cannot because women are not permitted in the craft. A NEW ERA 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... The story of Kikuhiko, Sukeroku, and Miyokichi reaches its final act