After about episode 5 of the show, I wasn't sure if the drama was going to have any "linear" story to speak of (rather than simply using the formula of telling a rakugo story and re-creating it in the "real" world), and was pleasantly surprised to see that just about every plot-line and sub-plot got tied up quite well by the end. But more than that, the thing that I think really sold it for me was the fact that despite the focus on the conflicts between Ryuji and Tora, this drama knew that the heart of the show was about the relationship between Nishida Toshiyuki's Hayashiatei Donbei and Kotora, and summed it up so nicely!
Ah, that was totemo satisfying!
