# Hibana: Spark (2016)

> A down-on-his-luck comedian becomes the apprentice of an older genius comedian who agrees to take him on if he writes his biography.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/58728

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 53 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Shuichi Okita, Kazuya Shiraishi, Yasunori Mouri, Shinji Kuma, Ryuichi Hiroki
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Kento Hayashi, Kazuki Namioka, Masao Yoshii, Mugi Kadowaki, Shota Sometani, Nahana, Maryjun Takahashi, Eri Tokunaga
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5301958/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, warm, melancholic, sincere

## Synopsis

Hibana: Spark (2016) is a Japanese drama miniseries produced for Netflix and created by Shuichi Okita, Kazuya Shiraishi, Yasunori Mouri, Shinji Kuma and Ryuichi Hiroki. Across ten roughly fifty-minute episodes, struggling comedian Tokunaga (Kento Hayashi) meets the older, generous performer Kamiya Saizo (Kazuki Namioka) at a fireworks festival in Atami and asks to become his apprentice. Kamiya agrees only on the condition that Tokunaga write his biography, and the story follows the two as the younger man navigates the demanding, precarious world of owarai comedy. Shota Sometani, Masao Yoshii and Mugi Kadowaki fill out the supporting cast of performers and industry figures. Rather than sprawling across seasons, the series is a compact, self-contained limited run that unfolds through intimate conversations, stage rivalries and the slow building of a friendship. Its tone is wistful and warm, with humor tinged by melancholy about ambition and failure. Fans of Barry and Lady Dynamite, and anyone drawn to quiet portraits of artists, will find resonance here.

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