Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju episode 1 is one of those rare episodes of a show that leave you with the feeling that you’re watching something very special. In a landscape crammed with shows based on smartphone games or MMORPG adaptations, Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju stands out due to its subject matter: it’s based on an award-winning historical manga of the same name and centers around rakugo, or the Japanese art of comic storytelling.

For all of its protagonist’s comedic flailing and overenthusiasm, there’s a glimmering heart to Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju that seems to beat its hardest in the space between scenes. As the show floats from circumstance to circumstance, it’s hard to see how things will shake out: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju doesn’t really follow the path that other shows do. This results in a show both refreshing and new, as haunting as the dead rakugo master whose ghost seems to dog everyone’s steps.

So should Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju grace your watch list? Yes, and here’s why.

The subject matter is really unique.

The story follows a young man fresh out of prison who begs a rakugo master to accept him as an apprentice in the Showa Genroku era (60s to early 70s). The young man, Yotaru, is taken by the master Yakumo’s spellbinding performance at the prison and has nothing else to keep him. Yakumo ultimately accepts him as an apprentice, though he doesn’t normally take those on. Yakumo’s ward is a young woman named Konatsu, the daughter of a famous storyteller whom Yakumo knew well, but Konatsu and Yakumo have a troubled relationship -- especially as Konatsu, a woman, is barred from rakugo despite her talent.

There’s half a dozen plot threads to follow in that synopsis alone, and episode 1 takes on every single one of those threads. Yakumo and Konatsu, Yotaru’s criminal past, Yakumo’s strange motivations, Konatsu’s talent with rakugo, Konatsu’s dead father -- all of them are touched upon, glancingly, igniting the desire to know more.

I mean REALLY unique.

But Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju is not just about the plot. The heavyweight voice actors include Tomokazu Seki as Yotaro (the voice of Van Fanel in Escaflowne , Manji in Blade of the Immortal and Gilgamesh in Fate/Zero ) and Akira Ishida as Yakumo (the voice of Kaworu in the Evangelion movies, Hakkai in Saiyuki and Athrun in Gundam Seed ). We’re treated to more than one full-length rakugo story by these seasoned voice actors, a cultural treat that’s not often exported in so accessible a fashion as an anime on Crunchyroll. I really look forward to more of the rakugo scenes as time goes on.

I also enjoy seeing both good and not-so-good performances as Yotaro finds his voice as a rakugo artist. By contrast to Yotaro’s youthful and enthusiastic aping of his rakugo elders, Yakumo’s mastery and precision are compelling; there’s a near-palpable gulf there, for all of Yotaro’s boisterous promise. You might not think a 10 minute long character monologue consisting of one character kneeling on a cushion and telling a story is interesting, but between the voice acting and a few tricks of animation, the show easily holds your attention.

The pacing is done really well, which adds to the already considerable interest of the characters themselves.

Nothing feels like it happens too fast or too slow. The rakugo stories have exactly as much time as they ought to have, which is as long as it takes to tell the story. There’s no filler between Yotaro leaving prison and finding Yakumo. Konatsu becomes Yotaro’s de facto teacher, as the mysterious and aloof Yakumo doesn’t deign to give instruction at first.

Because the story moves along neither briskly nor slowly but at a proper pace, the mysteries behind characters’ motivations are established without feeling irrelevant or tacked on. The viewers’ interest in mysteries like what happened between Yakumo and Konatsu or Yakumo and Konatsu’s father grows, right alongside the viewers’ investment in these characters.

In short: should you watch Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju?

Absolutely yes. If you have no patience for things that are culturally new to you, find some so you can enjoy this excellent anime. While the art style and animation are neither flashy nor poor, the plot and characters and subject matter are all so compelling that this anime is like very few others. If you’re tired of yet another ecchi harem anime or more angsty magical teens at space boarding school, give Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju a watch for a total change of pace.

And by the way, the jazzy soundtrack is on point .

You can watch Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju on Crunchyroll here . The simulcast updates every Friday at 4 PM EST. Watch some promotional videos below: