The Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya recently instituted a new benefit for subscribing members called the “Monthly Staff Pick Sale!” Every month, staff will select a few book titles that members can purchase at a 20% discount. The sale lasts the entire month while supplies last and is available in-store and online. For November 2024, Kinokuniya sheds a spotlight on the Japanese world of live comedy with Show-ha Shoten! and Akane-banashi!
Show-ha Shoten!
Azemichi Shijima is a typical studious teenager, but secretly he’s been studying the art of stand-up comedy. Unfortunately, he suffers from severe stage fright, so he has never been brave enough to perform for an audience. That is until he meets Taiyo Higashikata, an outgoing class clown who wants to perform a comedy act for the cultural festival. The only problem is that Taiyo is missing a partner. After discovering Azemichi’s talent for writing jokes, Taiyo talks him into joining his comedy act. Emboldened by the laughs and the thrill of being onstage, Azemichi agrees to join Taiyo’s dream to rise to the top of the Japanese comedy world. Together, they’ll create a wave of laughter loud enough to reach the heavens!
Akane-banashi
Akane has always been enraptured by her father’s rakugo story-telling skills. She would spy on his practice sessions, copying his movements and learning the stories. More than anything, she was his biggest fan and wanted to see him achieve the rank of shinu’chi held only by headliners and master storytellers. But on the day of her father’s promotion exam, rakugo master Issho Arakawa expels him from school, effectively killing his career. Years later, Akane is hell-bent on becoming an extraordinary rakugoka to prove Master Issho wrong about her father’s art. Her quest to conquer the world of rakugo begins now!
For more information on Kinokuniya’s membership program, please visit their website.
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