MANGA REVIEW | "Akane-banashi" - Volume Fourteen
In the last volume of Akane-banashi, our titular character played second fiddle as Maikeru earned his Shin’uchi title. Now with that out of the way, our young rakugo performer can once again take center stage in her tale. However, considering that we’ve witnessed one character reach Shin’uchi, it should be obvious that it won’t be easy for Akane. And as the fourteenth volume of Akane-banashi shows, reaching futatsume is no walk in the park!
Being a rakugo performer isn’t just about hitting the stage and telling stories; they also need to promote themselves constantly! Akane experiences that for herself as she follows around Shiguma, who has chosen the young woman to be his opening act for the next show. But to prepare, she’s gotta hit the streets, get their names out there, and even buy the right outfit to perform in. Needless to say, life as a performer is a lot more tiring than you could even imagine!
There’s a very nice father/daughter moment between Akane and Tohru, the latter of whom gives her a bank book with enough cash to buy her rakugo kimono. Although Tohru is far away from the rakugo life, his support for his daughter shows that there’s still a burning passion for the art form in his heart. And while he’ll never take the stage again, a part of his pathway still continues through any sort of guidance he can give to his daughter. With that being said, Akane’s got plenty of support outside of her own family, with some being able to help her out slightly more towards her goal of Shin’uchi.
That goal is an interesting point to Akane-banashi, as this wasn’t the original mission. As Akane reflects, she realizes that she got into rakugo for revenge, as she hoped to take down Issho for expelling her father years ago. But with the aid of Shiguma and the rest of her pals, she’s found a real love and passion for the art of rakugo. No longer is her heart black for revenge; it’s red and filled with life due to her having so much fun telling these stories.
Her opening act for Shiguma is a fun story called “First Tenjin”. The tale of a boy bothering his father at a festival, Akane pulls out every trick to make it a memorable performance. Her acting, her emphasizing key moments, and even sneaking in cameos of other rakugo characters aids in making her opening act one that gets the entire audience behind her. But then, Shiguma goes on and shows how it’s truly done!
“God of Death” is not a funny rakugo tale; in fact, it feels more like a ghost story than anything else. With the way Shiguma performs it, the audience finds themselves hypnotized into the story. As it reaches the climax, the imagery — brought to life brilliantly by artist Takamasa Moue — dives into the creepy, feeling more like a Tales from the Crypt chapter than a Shonen Jump one. Naturally, as she watches Shiguma, Akane has an epiphany: she can still get plenty better at rakugo!
Volume Fourteen of Akane-banashi brings us back onto Akane’s path to Shin’uchi. The road towards that goal can’t be paved merely by performances, but rather the hustle of getting one’s name out there. And as Akane witnessed before, during, and even after Shiguma’s performance, the amount of room to grow into a true rakugo pro is plenty enough! The question is, will she have the stamina to make it to the top of the pedestal?
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
