It would be a lie to say that we didn’t see this coming but Sokeroku has begun his downfall. A split between Yakumo and Sokeroku was promised from the very start of this show and now we finally see just what causes it. This was Sokeroku at his most vulnerable; with his confidence shattered and drive for Rakugo disappeared. The passage of time for this episode was quick and much like Sokeroku’s descent, sudden. He was always walking a dangerous line with his general disrespect for his superiors and attitude. But the trigger was all within a talk with his master; where he touched on a dangerous topic. Sukeroku’s fears for the future of Rakugo are true and he’s one of the few to realize it. Sadly though as with any traditional art; calls for change is greeted with pure venom. It’s a simple truth that things must change with the times to remain relevant and modernisation does not equal quality. I won’t call the master a fool for outright dismissing Sukeroku’s conclusions as their is a danger of an art losing its true form. There have been plenty of examples of TV shows becoming hollow shells of former glory in order to appeal to a new generation. Sukeroku also wasn’t putting forward a method for Rakugo to change either; instead merely proposing that it should. But the breaking point was when his lack of tact finally hit on a nerve his master couldn’t take. The master already showed us that he doubted that he lived up to the standards of his predecessors and Sukeroku started to criticize his rakugo as Old and boring. It wasn’t a surprise to see his master snap and quite frankly Sukeroku may have already being taking too much of an advantage of his good graces already. The master revealed his decision for Yakumo to carry on the name and said he would never have given it to a stray like him which causes Sukeroku to strike in anger. With that the master expelled him from the art and Sukeroku had lost everything.
Yakumo and Miyokichi have finally broken up and that scene was truly marvelous. As wind kicked up and the cherry blossoms floated in as she swore vengeance upon Yakumo was almost supernatural. The framing of the scene held a certain ambience that made it beautiful despite it being a declaration of her fury. Sukeroku and Miyokichi’s relationship is an interesting circumstance. Miyokichi is a woman of the past; bound by a way of living that is no longer feasible in the new age. Sukeroku is a man of the future; striving to survive for a change he sees coming. Yet both have been abandoned by the present and seek comfort in each other. In a way their relationship is purely mechanical and serves only for survival. Miyokichi needs Sukeroku to live and Sukeroku needs Miyokichi to give his life purpose now that he is without Rakugo. There is no love in this arrangement; merely convenience. Miyokichi is pregnant now and a big question here is; is Miyokichi’s child truly Sukeroku’s?
Yakumo looks to be the one to take Sukeroku’s expulsion the worst as he looks to have lost interest in everything outside of Rakugo. To him it was as if a bright light had been snuffed out; one which he was always chasing. In a sad way he got his wish from last episode. “If I was alone everything would be so much easier” When Sukeroku comes to tell him that he was leaving; you could see it was killing Yakumo to see his spirit so dead. In the heat of the argument when Yakumo’s was ready to hit him; Sukeroku admits that he was jealous of Yakumo. Which is a mirror of Yakumo’s own feelings. He had always felt an inadequacy towards himself when compared to Sukeroku and here we see that Sukeroku felt much the same. Though Sukeroku’s jealousy was more to due with Yakumo’s pedigree and lineage. Perhaps that’s why he was so determined with his Rakugo; because he was desperate to prove he wasn’t some hopeless street urchin.
