Source: Maiden Japan press release
©???????????????????Maiden Japan has announced that it added the slice-of-life comedy series, JOSHIRAKU (?????, 2012), to its growing list of titles. JOSHIRAKU is produced by studio J.C.STAFF (IS IT WRONG TO TRY TO PICK UP GIRLS IN A DUNGEON?, FOOD WARS!, REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA) and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (THE MAGNIFICENT KOTOBUKI, SQUID GIRL, SHIROBAKO), with script supervision from Michiko Yokote (KANEMEMO, PATLABOR THE MOBILE POLICE - THE NEW FILES, COWBOY BEBOP). Marii, Kigurumi, Tetora, Gankyou and Kukuru are five young women with completely different interests and personalities, but there’s one thing that they all share: performing Rakugo, a unique form of Japanese comic theatre in which a single artist sits in front of an audience and tells an entire story, portraying multiple characters solely through changes of voice and minimal movements. It’s a challenging art but all five of our leading ladies are determined to become the best they can... and in the meantime, they find themselves hanging out together, both at the Rakugo theater and around town. And they also have a shared acquaintance, a mysterious stranger who’s always wearing a wrestling mask! What’s that about? To find out, pull up a seat and watch as our heroines put on the best show in town in JOSHIRAKU! JOSHIRAKU’s spirited and hilarious dialogue is brought to life by a stellar vocal cast, which features Saori Goto (FOOD WARS!, GOLDEN TIME, FAIRY TAIL) as Kukuru Anrakutei, Ayane Sakura (BanG! DREAM S2, LAND OF THE LUSTROUS, MY HERO ACADEMIA) as Marii Buratei, Kotori Koiwai (GATCHAMAN CROWDS, REAL GIRL, GINGITSUNE) as Kigurumi Haroukitei, Nozomi Yamamoto (GIRLS & PANZER, SUNDAY WITHOUT GOD) as Tetora Bouhatei and Yoshino Nanjo (THE QWASER OF STIGMATA II, CANAAN, GATE) as Gankyou Kuurubiyuutei. JOSHIRAKU will be streamed on select digital outlets and released on home video. For the latest and greatest from Maiden Japan, follow them on Facebook.
About Maiden Japan
Maiden Japan is dedicated to bringing the very best in Japanese animation to the English-speaking world, from critically acclaimed masterpieces like THE ROYAL SPACE FORCE and MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR to key works by the "who`s who" of creators that includes Hideaki Anno, Mamoru Oshii, Masamune Shirow, Studio CLAMP and Yoshiyuki Tomino. The company’s growing catalog of products also includes classic gems such as ARMORED TROOPER VOTOMS and SPACE RUNAWAY IDEON. These titles are available in North America on Blu-ray and DVD and digitally via HIDIVE, iTunes, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Anime Network, PlayStation Network, YouTube and other top digital providers.