My Master Has No Tail

At the dawn of the Taishou era, the age of tanuki mischief is fading fast. With modern technology making old tricks harder to pull off, most shape-shifting raccoon dogs have stopped trying to fool humans. Mameda, a spirited young tanuki determined to carry on her father’s tradition, heads to Osaka convinced she can still pull one over on people.

Reality hits quickly: her disguises don’t convince anyone, and she ends up chased through the streets until she ducks into a theater for safety. There, she encounters Bunko Daikokutei, a rakugo performer whose storytelling conjures vivid scenes through voice and gesture alone. Captivated, Mameda sets her sights on a new kind of deception—rakugo—and begs Bunko to take her on as an apprentice.

Bunko is hesitant at first, but Mameda’s persistence wins her over. Juggling her duties at the theater, training as a taiko apprentice, and drilling performances by heart, Mameda throws herself into mastering the one craft that might still “trick” an audience—through the power of performance.