MANGA REVIEW | "Akane-banashi" - Volume Seven
The entertainment world is a cutthroat place, especially in Japan. Even if you’ve paid your dues and have become a legend in your field, you still need to audition for roles just like the newbies. Whether it’s acting, music, or the world of rakugo storytelling, earning a spot is just that: earning it! And in the seventh volume of Akane-banashi, our shin’uchi-to-be seeks her spot in what could be a career-changing event.
Akane’s next hurdle to jump over is the Zenza Renseikai. If she’s able to be victorious in this rakugo competition, she’ll have the chance to appear on the same stage as the future stars of the Arakawa school. But she’s not the only one that’s aiming for that spot; three other performers want it for themselves, too. We already know quite a bit about Zenmai and Hikaru, but a surprising new face arrives: the elder Kaichi.
This time, Maikeru is in Akane’s corner, as she looks to win at the competition. But unlike the others, Akane has yet to find the thing that makes her a unique rakugo performer. With a little paraphrasing of Sun Tzu’s famous “know thy enemy” quote, Maikeru places a mental conundrum onto Akane. On top of finding her identity, there’s also the next story she must tell, and it’s one with some ties to even her father.
What Akane-banashi does well is show its readers why one can never rest on their laurels. Even when one competition ends, another comes right around the corner. And just because you won the last one doesn’t mean victory is guaranteed the next time around. Akane knows this very well, and after seeing what her current competition will be like, she has no time to stop and smell the roses; she’s got a whole ‘nother garden to take care of!
That garden is “Changing Time”, a story that Maikeru was taught by Akane’s father. In a way, this is a stepping stone for Akane to grow much closer to her former rakugo father. However, she and him have never talked about his past ever since Issho Arakawa expelled him years ago. As such, she now must find a way to bring forth her father’s style of telling “Changing Time” that not only claims victory, but also brings father and daughter closer.
Just one little problem: since Akane is 18, she has no idea on how to act drunk, something that “Changing Time” requires. Thankfully, she’s still got her waitress job, meaning that she’ll be able to witness how her patrons act after have a couple of brewskis in them. With her knack of studying people, she may have just found the proper way of telling the classic tale. The question is, what will her competition bring to the table?
We all know that Zenmai can sometimes be a little over-the-head with his performance, but voice actress Hikaru is a far more experienced storyteller now than she was in their previous performance. She not only figured out the craft, but her skills as a seiyuu allow her to pull out various characters in an instant with ease. And then, there’s Kaichi, a guy who’s only two months in the rakugo world, but has already scored a game-changing teacher. Needless to say, Akane should feel nervous.
But that’s the world of rakugo for you. One day, you’re winning a competition; the next day, you don’t know if you’ll make the final round of the next one. And Akane-banashi does a great job of showcasing that cutthroat world of not just rakugo, but Japanese entertainment as a whole. Volume Seven sets the next stepping stones for Akane’s success. The question is, just how sturdy is the path it makes?
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
