Audience-Alienating Premise: As great as this show is, the reason why it hasn't achieved widespread popularity yet lies in this trope. A historical anime about Rakugo performers that strays away from most of the archetypes fans have come to expect out of seasonals isn't something that is guaranteed to draw in a large audience.
Broken Base: There's been debate over whether the second half is terrible or not. The fact that the final episode/chapter has the implication that Yakumo and Konatsu previously had a sexual relationship and that he was the mystery father of her son had the base split over whether this was a clever twist or completely tarnished the characters.
Cult Classic: Is headed towards this direction. The show is a Sleeper Hit that no one expected to be as good or remarkable as it ended up being, and due to its Audience-Alienating Premise, didn't draw in a large audience in spite of its praises. However, the announcement of a second season and its dedicated fandom helped keep it relevant throughout 2016, and the second season airing is increasing the awareness of this series. There's already a large number of fans declaring this show a "hidden gem" and comparing its situation to that of Baccano! which similarly was not very popular when it first aired.
Designated Love Interest: Even after they're married, Konatsu still treats Yotaro the same way as she did the day she first met him, and it's unclear if she feels any sort of attraction toward him, or was just pressured into it. Yotaro also doesn't have many reasons for liking her, but is more easy to fill in the gaps for considering how simpleminded he is. This lessens out as his arc nears completion.
Epileptic Trees: The identity of Konatsu's baby daddy. Theories were flung to the wall like fastballs, and everyone from Yotaro's boss to Kiku was put up as a possibility. As of the bonus chapter, Kiku is all but outright stated to be the father, with an official Twitter statement calling to attention how alike Kiku and little Shin are in personality and looks.
Even Better Sequel: While the first season was very highly praised, the second season is widely considered to be an improvement, delving deeper into Yakumo's guilt over the past while expanding the cast and giving Konatsu and Yotaro more focus.
Fandom Rivalry: The fandom had rivalry with KonoSuba, Ajin, and ERASED. They are labeled as "Anime of the Season" by respective viewers and Shouwa Rakugo's fans are most vocal in their dislike of ERASED. In the case of Konosuba, however, it also falls in the category of Friendly Fandoms, since both shows were sleeper hits made by the same studio, and both had second seasons that managed to be an Even Better Sequel to their respective first seasons airing at the same time.
Combined with Tear Jerker, Kiku's death and visit to the afterlife, especially in the animated version. It's such a good tie of loose ends and a touching sendoff to some of the primary characters of the series, that more than one viewer has expressed satisfaction in DEEN handling the material.
The scene in episode 11 where Kiku and Shin are doing "Nozarashi". It's the first time in years that Shin has done rakugo since Miyokichi has forbidden him and their daughter from doing so. It also counts as a Funny Moment with Kiku and Shin bouncing off each other's characters.
Jerk Ass Woobie: Miyokichi, for some. She's a deeply troubled woman who sincerely desires to be loved, but her search for affection leads her to commit immense mistakes.
Moe: Konatsu when she was a baby, and her son Shin as a child. Must run in the family. Yotaro's kindness and bond with his family also makes him quite moe as well.
Memetic Badass: Some fans like to joke that Matsuda is immortal or ignorant of death, seeing that he lived all the way through to the epilogue. Some also like to joke that he's a Shinigami, due to the fact that he rows Kiku over after he dies and mentions that he fell asleep by his bedside before Kiku passed.
Nightmare Fuel: The second opening animation. It's clear that Kiku is still suffering guilt for all that happened years ago, and the opening is chock filled with death and suicide imagery. And then Shin comes out of nowhere, gently caresses Kiku from behind... and exposes his ribcage.
No Yay: The idea of Kiku being the biological father of Shinnosuke, and therefore the idea that he and Konatsu had sex at one point. While the series does give hints and the author herself raised the possibility, some fans aren't all that keen on the idea since Kiku effectively became Konatsu's guardian after Sukeroku's death.
Replacement Scrappy: Many fans believe that Yotaro is not as good of a main character as Yakumo was. Mainly it comes down to whether you find his mannerisms annoying and too over-the-top for a show like this grounded in reality, or whether you enjoy those for being "rakugo come to life".
Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Thanks to his kindness and his adorable parental bond with little Shin, many viewers had come to like Yotaro near the end of the series; while some preferred Yotaro as the protagonist right from the start precisely because of that kindness, contrasted with the more cynical views and lifestyles of the other main characters.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Many fans expressed disappointment that Konatsu was underused as a rakugo performer, and wanted to see what she'd be able to do and how she'd struggle from entering a traditionally masculine field of the arts.
Win Back the Crowd: Studio DEEN had been notoriously known for their Off-Model animation of their works in 11 years and had been subjected into Memetic Mutation when it comes to QUALITY◊ by detractors. However in 2016, that all changed when Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu aired and everybody, including detractors, find the animation a massive improvement and praised the studio for putting a lot of effort to it.
. She's a deeply troubled woman who sincerely desires to be loved, but her search for affection leads her to commit immense mistakes.
