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Akane-banashi (TV).




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Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2026 4:36 am Reply with quote


Akane-banashi (TV)

Source: Manga (ongoing @ 20 volumes, Written by Yuki Suenaga, illustrated by Takamasa Moue)

Demographic: Shounen

Animation Studio: Zexcs

Genres: comedy, drama

Themes: coming-of-age, performing arts, ragkugo, school, storytelling

Plot Summary: Rakugo--the ultimate form of storytelling, where everything in a story is expressed with just your body and words. Shinta and his daughter Akane have been seduced by this wonderful form of classical entertainment. Having observed her father strive to pass the shin'uchi rakugo test, Akane will take her own steps into this unique world.

Air Date & Platform:
April 04, 2026 (Saturday)
Available on: Netflix, YouTube

Episode Count / Runtime: 24 episodes

Trailer

[EDIT: Fancy opener stuff edited. -TK]
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Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2026 4:49 am Reply with quote
There's apparently some debate whether this will primarily be a shounen or shoujo anime since it premiered in Shonen Jump but has a female protagonist.

If the anime uses lots of imagery metaphors to make the competition pieces more interesting, like March Comes in With a Lion or Flower and Asura, I could get into it. Storytelling should lend itself easily to that kind of thing.
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Eilavel



Joined: 16 Apr 2024
Posts: 477
PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2026 9:17 am Reply with quote
Its a well made first episode and promises to be a good show.

Thing is... I already watched descending stories. That was a great show, but despite that, I just have no fundamental interest in Rakugo. Given that its not so novel for me, I don't think I'm going to bite for a Rakugo based battle show.
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Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2026 8:39 pm Reply with quote
I thought the first episode was pretty great. The main thing that set the anime apart for me was the art style. The characters' personalities really came alive just from the way they were drawn and their facial expressions. I don't know that the voice acting was as incredible as it could have been given the subject matter, but it certainly didn't detract. The set-up of an underdog and the daughter who loves him were effective.

I hated the dillhole I'm supposed to hate. I'm rooting for the plucky protagonist that I'm supposed to root for. That said, I know where Eilavel is coming from. The actual Rakugoing wasn't as compelling as the story built around it, so I'm not a 100% on this one.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 12724
PostPosted: Thu Apr 09, 2026 1:33 am Reply with quote
Edjwald wrote:
The actual Rakugoing wasn't as compelling as the story built around it, so I'm not a 100% on this one.

The problem was that we didn't really get to see/hear much rakugo in this episode. We saw him practice some, saw him start his big moment off with a thud, and then we were pretty much told that he got back on his feet (so to speak) with a montage of one-liners and audience reaction shots. But we never got to experience that recovery for ourselves and make our own judgement of how he did.

The only chunk of rakugo we got was Akane re-enacting why she hit the kid. And that was nice. I think this would've worked better as a double length episode that showed the performances more.
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Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Thu Apr 09, 2026 4:10 am Reply with quote
I'm wondering how much gets lost in translation too, or in the sync problems between hearing the lines and seeing the subtitles. Sometimes I like it when performance-based anime do imagery metaphors to accompany the competition pieces for that reason, but there's a danger of it being overdone and too dramatic and distracting.
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Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2026 4:55 am Reply with quote
Yah, I still had the same problem with the second episode (I'm too immature to call it number two). I like the character and want her to do well, and I enjoyed the set-up with the first-time gig, and I would dearly like to see that prick from the first episode get a good face slapping eventually, but I just didn't find the story telling segment as compelling as the narrative kept telling me I should, and that may be for the reasons mentioned earlier.

This doesn't mean I can't like the show, but it does keep me from getting way excited about it. I had the same problem with Flower and Asura which I watched all the way through. The performed pieces and their delivery didn't overwhelm me with emotion even though the watching crowds were transfixed for what felt like long segments.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 12724
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2026 2:22 am Reply with quote
Ep 6

Still enjoying this, but the lack of performances is irritating. That really boiled over this ep, when they went to learn from Koguma's performance and then stood in the back and talked all through it. I'd've been calling an usher to have them booted out. How's she supposed to learn anything if she's yakking the whole time? People who can't shut the f*** up is why I stopped going to movies. Evil or Very Mad
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GregoRoach



Joined: 28 May 2026
Posts: 7
PostPosted: Fri May 29, 2026 7:56 pm Reply with quote
I've been looking forward to these episodes quite a bit. Maybe because this is my first performance-based sports anime (Rakugo Shinju is on my watch list).

I agree that not getting to hear/see all the performances is a bit disappointing, but I excuse it for time constraints. The bits and pieces we get are quite good, and I really hope we get all of Akane's performance at the competition for the finale.

The character work with Akane meeting other rakugoka (or service industry folk) and learning from them is done well enough to keep me watching, and they've all been well thought out characters.

The main draw for me nearing the final stretch is rooting for Akane, which in a series like this seems like a victory for the showrunners.
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