Akane-banashi

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox animanga/Header Template:Infobox animanga/Print Template:Infobox animanga/Footer Template:Nihongo is a Japanese manga series written by Yuki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Moue. It follows teenager Akane Osaki as she aims to reach the highest rank in Template:Transliteration, partly to avenge her father, who was expelled from the profession six years earlier. The Template:Transliteration in the series is supervised by professional Template:Transliteration Keiki Hayashiya. Akane-banashi has been serialized in Shueisha's [[Shōnen manga|Template:Transliteration manga]] magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump since February 2022, with the chapters collected into 14 Template:Transliteration volumes as of November 2024. Viz Media has licensed the series for English release in North America.

Akane-banashi has received a positive reception from reviewers and has been nominated for various awards.

Plot

Growing up, Akane admired her father and his Template:Transliteration, a traditional Japanese form of storytelling where a lone performer, called a Template:Transliteration, depicts a long, complicated, and usually funny story involving multiple characters, who are distinguished by changes in pitch, tone, slight turns of the head, and hand movements, all while sitting in place. But when she was in elementary school, her father and all the other applicants were expelled from the Arakawa School during the promotional test to obtain Template:TransliterationTemplate:'s third and highest rank of Template:Transliteration. Six years later, Akane, who had been secretly receiving lessons from her father's former master, sets out to become a Template:Transliteration of the Arakawa School to avenge her father and prove Template:Transliteration is a legitimate profession.

Characters

Osaki family

Template:Nihongo / Template:Nihongo

Template:Voiced by

A 17-year-old high school girl with a love of Template:Transliteration that she developed while watching her father, a former Template:Transliteration. As a child, she got angry whenever a classmate or their parents looked down on her father for his chosen career, and hates that he was forced to give up his dream and get a "real job". Akane becomes a formal Template:Transliteration apprentice, starting at the first rank known as Template:Transliteration after graduating high school, under Shiguma Arakawa (II).

Template:Nihongo / Template:Nihongo

Template:Voiced by

A former Template:Transliteration who used the stage name "Shinta Arakawa" while studying under Shiguma Arakawa (II); he was expelled following his Template:Transliteration promotion test. Before the Template:Transliteration test, he participated in Template:Transliteration events with his friends Chocho Konjakutei and Taizen Arakawa. After leaving the Arakawa School, he became a salaryman, selling concrete.

Arakawa School

Notes Template:Notelist

Arakawa masters

Template:Nihongo

Template:Voiced by

The top-ranked master and head of the Arakawa School, who is considered one of the greatest Template:Transliteration of his generation. Six years ago, he was the chief judge who expelled Akane's father and the other Template:Transliteration applicants. He is the first-born son of the Kurogane family who was disowned for his vow of independence, and later worked at Soba Shop Kikuhiko with Shiguma (II). Educated in the Kashiwaya school as Template:Nihongo.

Template:Nihongo (VI)

Template:Voiced by

The number two master of the Arakawa School who specializes in sentimental tales of the Template:Transliteration style and who taught Akane's father. After Shinta was expelled, Shiguma felt unfit to take on any more pupils. But he has been secretly teaching Akane Template:Transliteration for the last six years, and agrees to formally take her on as a pupil after she graduates high school, which is unusually late. Grew up without formal education in the backstreets of Tokyo, later working at Soba Shop Kikuhiko with Issho. Born as Template:Nihongo, he was educated in the Kashiwaya school as Template:Nihongo and later took the legendary Template:Transl stage name of his master and founder of the Arakawa School, Shiguma Arakawa V (formerly Kiroku Kashiwaya).

Template:Nihongo

The media-savvy master of the Arakawa School who also acts in the television drama Yin-Yang Cops. He is billed as the brains behind the Arakawa School.

Template:Nihongo

Zensho holds a grudge against Shiguma; he is honest to his feelings.

Template:Nihongo

Nicknamed "The Furious". Before becoming a Template:Transliteration, he participated in Template:Transliteration events with his friends Shinta Arakawa and Chocho Konjakutei. After he tearfully begged Zensho for Shinta's reinstatement, Zensho made him feel responsible for the expulsion by telling him Issho faulted Taizen for not making a larger impact like Chocho after Taizen was promoted to Template:Transliteration, the year before the disastrous test.

Template:Nihongo

The most senior pupil under Master Shiguma after Shinta was expelled. He fancies himself a ladies' man. During the story, he passes his Template:Transliteration test.

Template:Nihongo (V)

The founder of the Arakawa School; he was the master of both Issho (Kisoba) and Shiguma VI (Rokuen) in the Kashiwaya school and formerly used the stage name Template:Nihongo before he was expelled and revived the Template:Transl name Shiguma Arakawa, as the fifth to take that name. Served as an officer in the Japanese military during World War II at Rabaul.

Arakawa students

Template:Nihongo

Template:Voiced by

Master Shiguma's youngest pupil until Akane; he joined shortly before Shinta was expelled and just recently reached Template:TransliterationTemplate:'s second rank of Template:Transliteration.

Template:Nihongo

A 28-year-old Template:Transliteration in his ninth year of Template:Transliteration under Master Shiguma. Ever since Shinta was expelled, Kyoji is the disciplinarian who keeps the other pupils in line. His seriousness makes the back-and-forth banter in his Template:Transliteration even funnier. He is a lightweight, and gets drunk after one sip of alcohol. He offers to take Akane under his wing. Educated in the Kashiwaya school as Kiyoichi Kashiwaya.

Template:Nihongo

A 29-year-old Template:Transliteration in his 11th year of Template:Transliteration under Master Shiguma. He is a Tokyo University graduate and the Shiguma School's best Template:Transliteration; master of old literary teachings. He meticulously researches every Template:Transliteration story he performs, including the daily customs of the period it came from, and turns into a completely different person onstage as far as his appearance and demeanor.

Template:Nihongo

An obnoxious Template:Transliteration under Master Issho. He reached that rank at 19-years-old, after only two years of Template:Transliteration apprenticeship. He is particularly skilled at portraying seductive characters, which makes his silly ones stand out even more. Initially knew Issho as a regular patron of his mother's bar who helped with her hospital bills.

Template:Nihongo

Hikaru competed with Akane and Karashi in the Karaku Cup as Hikaru Koragi; specializes in "heart-warming Template:Transliteration" and the heretical "eight blind men" technique, which draws upon her strengths as a voice actress. She is a Template:Transliteration studying under Master Ikken.

Template:Nihongo

Kaichi is one of the finalists in the Arakawa Template:Transliteration event. He is in his 30s, a former salesman who was inspired by Master Issho to leave his job and make his audiences happy; officially, he is Akane's junior, as he joined the Arakawa School later than she did.

Other schools

Notes Template:Notelist

Sanmeitei

Template:Nihongo

Karashi competed with Akane and Hikaru in the Karaku Cup as Karashi Nerimaya; specializes in "adapted Template:Transliteration", which takes a classic story and adds modern elements. He is a Template:Transliteration studying under master Template:Nihongo.

Konjakutei

Template:Nihongo

Master Chocho Konjakutei was the youngest to ever be considered an Template:Transliteration headliner. He is an inveterate gambler, choosing the story he will perform just before taking the stage, based on a roll of the dice. Before becoming a Template:Transliteration, he participated in Template:Transliteration events with his friends Shinta Arakawa and Taizen Arakawa.

Template:Nihongo

Asagao was the senior (Template:Transliteration) Template:Transliteration at the Template:Transliteration theatre when Akane arrived for her initial training. At that time he was a Template:Transliteration known to have a hot temper, which cost him a chance for a Template:Transliteration promotion after he punched Rien Konjakuan for insulting his master. Later, he is promoted to Template:Transliteration at a debut with Akane, Taizen, and Chocho.

Tsubakiya

Template:Nihongo

Master Hassho Tsubakiya prefers his cushion to be precisely Template:Cvt from the microphone and performs in a gentle manner. He takes great pride in the craft of Template:Transliteration and does not wish to see the art cheapened by revenge stunts.

Ransaika

Template:Nihongo

Master Urara Ransaika is an Template:Ill, a superstar capable of filling a venue on the basis of her name alone. Urara is the sole apprentice of Template:Nihongo "The Unteaching", who believed no one could properly inherit his art until he met her. Sharaku performed Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration set in brothels, which emphasized the importance of dialogue and conversation, and Urara's seductive manner is capable of immersing the audience fully into those settings. Has known Issho, Shiguma (I), and Shiguma (II) since 1964, when they met after she was accosted by the son of a Template:Transliteration (family head).

Kashiwaya

Template:Nihongo (V)

Master Miroku Kashiwaya (V), aka "The National Treasure", was a Template:Transliteration alongside Urara, Shiguma, and Issho. He is the fifth to take the name "Miroku"; these Template:Transliteration stage names are established by legendary Template:Transliteration and passed down within a school.

Template:Nihongo

Rokuru Kashiwaya, aka "The Wonder Child", believes the sound of Template:Transliteration is paramount and styles his performances after musicians, including John Coltrane; on "Coltrane days", the story begins in a gentle manner and ends aggressively. He defended Akane from unfair criticism by Rien Konjakuan and warned that her revenge strategy would have repercussions.

Konjakuan

Template:Nihongo

Rien Konjakuan is an inconsiderate Template:Transliteration nicknamed "the rookie-crusher" for making unreasonable demands of Template:Transliteration.

Production

A Template:Transliteration performance

Author Yuki Suenaga stated that Akane-banashi originated with Akane, a character he created but did not know what to do with. A fan of Template:Transliteration and Template:Transliteration, he was interested in Template:Transliteration, but felt it was too difficult to get into. Suspecting there were many people who felt the same way, and that it would be unexpected of the character, he decided to have Akane perform Template:Transliteration. Suenaga stated that because he is new to Template:Transliteration, he is able to predict the things readers might not know, and can depict them in the manga in a way they will understand. The serialization of Akane-banashi was proposed in the fall of 2021. With the help of Template:Transliteration Keiki Hayashiya, who supervises the Template:Transliteration in the manga, Suenaga interviewed more than 20 Template:Transliteration, including Momoka Chokaroh and Miyaji Katsura.

Artist Takamasa Moue said when he first heard about the series he found it interesting, but worried whether readers of Weekly Shōnen Jump would be interested in Template:Transliteration. Realizing it was his job to make them interested, he said he tried to get readers emotionally invested in the characters, and to broaden the scope to appeal to those unfamiliar with Template:Transliteration. Having previously only had a passing interest in Template:Transliteration, Moue said he had fun researching it for Akane-banashi. To draw the Template:Transliteration scenes in the manga, Moue listens to a performance of the relevant story and thinks about how to convey the speed and intonation.

Gendai Business columnist Kenichiro Horii wrote that Akane-banashiTemplate:'s Arakawa School is clearly modeled after the real-life Tatekawa School of Template:Transliteration, whose master, Danshi Tatekawa VII, expelled a group of Template:Transliteration in 2002, after feeling that they were not showing enough effort to reach Template:Transliteration. Although Kazuhiro Ito of Good Life with Books also noted the similarities, he reported that Suenaga stated Issho Arakawa was instead modeled after Enshō Sanyūtei VI. Horii also pointed out that the Rakugo Cafe seen in the series is modeled after a real café with a similar name in Jinbōchō, Tokyo. According to Hayashiya, the Yasaka-tei and Edobashi-tei theaters in the manga were modeled after Template:Ill in Shinjuku and the Oedo Nihonbashi-tei in Nihonbashi, respectively. For the colored title page of chapter 29, Moue was inspired by The Breakfast Club. The Shikisai Festival seen in the manga was modeled after the Rakugo Association's Sharakusai Festival. The story "Giboshi" that is depicted in chapter 87 is a little-known Template:Transliteration story that was revived by Kyotaro Yanagiya. Suenaga stated that he received permission to use it in Akane-banashi.

Publication

Written by Yuki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Moue, Akane-banashi began serialization in Shueisha's [[Shōnen manga|Template:Transliteration manga]] magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump on February 14, 2022. The Template:Transliteration in the series is supervised by professional Template:Transliteration Keiki Hayashiya. Publisher Shueisha is collecting the individual chapters into Template:Transliteration volumes, with the first released on June 3, 2022.

Both Shueisha and Viz Media began releasing the series in English digitally the same day it began in Japan, the former on its Manga Plus website and application. Viz began publishing Akane-banashi in print in summer 2023.

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

These chapters have yet to be published in a Template:Transliteration volume. They were serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Template:Numbered list

Other media

The first chapter of Akane-banashi received a motion comic adaptation, where voice actors, music and sound effects are heard as the manga images appear on screen. It was uploaded to Jump Comics' official YouTube channel in two parts on June 4 and 5, 2022. Akane and her father are voiced by Akane and Kappei Yamaguchi. In addition to being actual daughter and father, the Yamaguchis are also both Template:Transliteration.

Reception

By September 2022, the collected volumes of Akane-banashi had over 200,000 copies in circulation and volume one had been reprinted four times. With the release of volume 10 in March 2024, the manga had 1.5 million copies in circulation. The series has been recommended by Eiichiro Oda and Hideaki Anno. It was nominated for the 2022 Next Manga Award in the print manga category and ranked third out of 50 nominees. The series ranked fourth in the 2023 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga for male readers. It ranked third in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees Recommended Comics of 2023. Akane-banashi ranked second in the 16th Manga Taishō, losing to Kore Kaite Shine by two points. It was also nominated for the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the Template:Transliteration category in 2023. The New York Public Library included Akane-banashi on its 2023 list of the Best Books for Teens. Anime News Network's Richard Eisenbeis chose it as the Best New Manga of 2023, while Brigid Alverson of School Library Journal included it as one of the Top 10 Manga of 2023. The Young Adult Library Services Association included the first volume of Akane-banashi on its 2024 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens. In 2024, Stephen Paul's English translation of the series for Viz Media was nominated for Best Translation at the inaugural American Manga Awards, which is co-organized by Anime NYC and Japan Society.

Steven Blackburn of Screen Rant praised the first chapter of Akane-banashi. He wrote that the sudden shift in protagonists from Shinta, "a stereotypical hero who embodies everything that makes a successful Template:Transliteration [manga]", to Akane, an unconventional hero who is essentially a Template:Transliteration, already makes the latter character compelling. "That's a difficult dynamic to achieve, but Akane-banashi has somehow succeeded before it's even begun". In a review for Multiversity Comics, Zach Wilkerson gave the "immensely charming and well crafted" first chapter an 8.5 rating, with particular praise for Moue's art. Robbie Pleasant of the same website strongly praised the series and its art for successfully conveying how a performer's demeanor and voice changes as they perform different characters, despite manga being a static and soundless medium.

In May 2022, Kota Mukaihara of Real Sound wrote that Akane-banashi was poised to be a breakout hit. He felt that although Akane's progress in Template:Transliteration seemed to be going unusually fast and smooth, with her not yet being confronted by a tough challenge or failing at something, this allows readers to follow her growth without unnecessary stress. Mukaihara speculated that, while this could simply be because the manga was still new and needed to develop quickly in order to gain momentum, it emphasizes Akane's cleverness and the depth of her determination and is a testament to the charm of the characters and the skill with which the story is written. He also wrote that while Akane's outgoing personality and unprecedented skill make her seem like a maverick, her positivity and down-to-earth nature make her a likable character. Blackburn's colleague Ben Sockol praised later chapters of the series for "subverting the classic tournament arc trope", writing that Akane-banashi feels fresh and different from anything else in Weekly Shōnen Jump and is one of the most exciting manga currently running in the magazine as of June 2022.

External links

• Template:Official website Template:In lang
• Template:Official website
• Template:Official website
• Template:Youtube Template:In lang
• Template:Youtube Template:In lang
• Template:Anime News Network