Akane-banashi

Episode 8

Episode 8 of Akane-banashi is a terrific entry in its own right while also signalling something important about the series going forward.

This entire episode was dedicated to Karashi's performance of his adapted rakugo. Before even getting into the merits of the performance itself or how it impacts the story, I do want to make note of the production team's decision here. They dedicated an entire episode to Karashi's performance, and I think that sets a really important pacing and tonal precedent. Akane is the main character, but her opponents/peers are also talented performers in their own right. Giving them the full runtime to perform might slow the pace of the show, yes. But the production team made the right call because it highlights their strengths, increases tension for the judging, and communicates their importance to the audience. Just imagine if Karashi and Hikaru had been smooshed into a single episode - it might have gotten us farther along, yet the cost would be that neither performance would feel as impactful. So yeah, good call there.

Karashi's performance is thought-provoking. Rakugo is a traditional performance art, and everything from the garb of the performers to the formatting to the stories told carries with it a sense of history and place. Part of the art is memorizing the place and time these stories were told in. It is a connection to the past that keeps that history alive while also enriching our understanding of the present.

That said… I'm sure we've all had the experience of engaging with a classic work only to be left cold because we couldn't connect with it. Sure, rich history and a grand tradition stretching back across the ages are nice and all, but when these stories were told originally, they were meant to be enjoyed by the masses. They weren't history then, they were pop culture! Shouldn't these stories be adapted to fit the needs of modern audiences? I like that the series poses this question but doesn't definitively answer it one way or another. I know for myself I like to enjoy the original and then an adaptation, then compare and contrast them, so this was a satisfying resolution (or non-resolution, I suppose).

Karashi's actual performance was great. There were lots of terrific little animation details, like Karashi being silhouetted within the conversations themselves. Or the fact that everyone in the story had Karashi's distinctive teeth in their mouths. And, of course, the hilarity of Karashi wiggling his butt that absurd mat-POV shot. Just a fun and jovial performance all around, deftly captured by the animators.

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