[Manga] Akane-banashi - Currently Publishing

19/04/2025 - Volumes 1 & 2

At the recommendation of a trustworthy friend, I have picked up a new manga ٩( 'ω' )و

Akane-banashi is a story about Rakugo, something I’ve never heard about before so everything feels so fresh. Though it’s kind of an example about how anime fans will watch a high school girl do anything and enjoy it LOL

Now that sounds shallow, but this story truly is amazing, not just because the main character is a high school girl. 

We start off with Akane as a kid. Her father is a Rakugoka, someone who performs Rakugo, a performance art that features a lone storyteller dressed in kimono, kneeling on a cushion, who entertains the audience with a comic monologue followed by a traditional story using only a hand fan and a towel for props.

Though her dad doesn’t make a lot of money, Akane and her mom both support him in pursuing the art that he loves. Specially the dad’s relationship with the mom, it’s so beautiful. She just wanted to see him doing what he loves, even if it technically meant more work for her to help provide for the family. 

And, what’s even more beautiful is how the dad acknowledges this support, he notices it. Something that might seem like a given, but many people aren’t actually appreciative like that, since the act of moral support is rather subtle, despite being so important and impactful. You might even be getting moral support at this very moment without even knowing. It’s so hard to notice that I only realized it when I lost that support, how easy it is to overlook it. 

But Akane’s father didn’t overlook it, even though it was as subtle as his wife simply not telling him to quit, which is admirable. It wasn’t even an action, it was a non-action filled with enough love to give him the strength he needed.

But, though it’s sad, the power of love and stuff isn’t really all there is to success. So, for reasons still unknown, the head judge of the exam for advancing to the next level of Rakugoku expelled all the participants from the Arakawa Rakugo school, including Akane’s father, thus destroying his dream of becoming a Shin’uchi (the highest rank of Rakugoku). 

And so, her father got a “real” job. People stopped calling him deadbeat, Akane’s family’s financial situation became more stable, she said they go eat out more often now.

But that didn’t exactly make her happy, because her father wasn’t doing what he loved. It’s so wonderful how, despite still being a kid, she noticed something like that. She noticed that her father lost what he was passionate about, and she sympathized with him. 

Enough that she decided she’ll inherit his dream, and aim to become a Shin’uchi.

I mean, we always hear about parents supporting their children’s dreams, but I just thought how wonderful of a feeling it’d be if your children supported your dreams.

Anyways, now starts Akane’s story!!

She’s such a great character, admittedly the first thing that “attracted” me to her was her design, I love her pink stripes (〃ω〃) But her personality is great too. You can tell that thought of giving up on her father’s dream never once crossed her mind, she’s so hardworking and I love characters like that. 

The first “arc” is kind of like her training arc I guess, where she learn “Kibataraki”— the mindset of taking tactful actions. Apparently, she is already pretty talented, but she lacks awareness of her surroundings. Like, it didn’t occur to her to change her performances depending on the audience and stuff like that. I guess it makes sense though ‘cause she never really performed in front of anyone before this. 

And, even though it’s hard for her since she had to change her entire mindset about performing, she gets through it and learn Kibataraki. She remembers something her master told her, I really like this page. I know it’s kind of a cliché thing you hear all the time, but I think it cannot be said enough. We “understand” it, but we need to keep it in mind, how our struggles are the only thing that will help us grow.

Now for the last thing I want to talk about regarding these two volumes— Akane’s teacher. She tries to guide Akane away from pursuing Rakugo, since it isn’t a “proper” career path. She feels like it’s her responsibility to do so, to guide Akane towards living an easier, proper life.

I’m sure that if I was in the teacher’s place, I would’ve done the same regardless of any past experiences. We later learn that the main reason she’s so stubborn about this specific topic is because she had a student who wanted to become a comedian before, but failed. She felt responsible for his failure, and didn’t want a repeat of it. 

After seeing Akane perform, she decides to accept her career plan form which had “Ra” written for the first choice college, “Ku” for the second, and “Go” for the third. I guess Akane’s talent moved her into believing in her student. Believing in someone is scary, specially when what they’re trying to do is so risky. Rakugo is a “dying art” and all that. So I admire the teacher’s courage. I’ve personally never had that kind of courage.

The second volume ends with the start of the rakugo tournament the teacher recommended Akane to join. If she wins, she gets a chance to talk to the judge who expelled her father, and hopefully learn about why he did it. I’m very excited to start the third volume, I’m liking this so much. o(^▽^)o