Shо̄nen, given the major influence of Shueisha’s Shо̄nen Jump magazine, is a demographic within the media of anime and manga that has developed to the point of being mistaken for a genre unto itself, given the various structural, thematic and contextual similarities of the various big hits to have emerged over the past four decades. Now long past the big boom ofthe Golden Age of Shо̄nen Jump, the various storytelling techniques and motifs that have become synonymous with Shо̄nen, especially those of the battling variety, are being deconstructed and re-purposed for a more modern approach to Shо̄nen manga.
Despite it being far from a battle narrative, features one of the most compelling journeys of a Shо̄nen protagonist, this series employs various tropes from its battling contemporaries to turn a story about the art of storytelling into a sensation.Akane-Banashi, written by Yuki Suenaga, with art by Moue Takamasa, is an extremely compelling Shо̄nen centered on a young girl with a dream of becoming a professional Rakugoka. Here’s whyAkane-Banashiis one of Shо̄nen Jump’s most exciting prospects.
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Plot and Background
Akane-Banashifollows 17-year-old Akane Osaki, a girl passionate about the traditional Japanese storytelling art of rakugo due to her love for her father, Tohru’s manner of performing it. Rakugo is an intense practice as the stories are usually long, complicated and feature multiple characters that the performer, known as a “rakugoka”, must adopt changes in tone of voice, inflection, pitch and various techniques and affectations in order to make each character convincing and entertaining. As a child, Akane had immense respect for her father, who was known professionally as Shinta Arakawa, prior to his expulsion from the craft by a master, or “Shin’uchi”, Issho Arakawa. Akane swore that she would one day avenge her father by becoming a rakugoka and prove that her father’s rakugo was great and deserving of the title of Shin’uchi. Akane’s journey sees herstarting from the very bottom; however, with her immense talent being nurtured under the tutelage of Shiguma Arakawa; her father’s former teacher, Akane quickly begins making a name for herself in the world of professional rakugo.
The originalAkane-Banashimanga serialization began in February 2022, and it is published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shо̄nen Jump Magazine with new chapters being released on Sundays. It has been collected into four volumes as of December 2022, the first of which was released in June 2022. VIZ oversees the manga’s English release in North America, while both VIZ and Shueisha began releasing the series in English via their MangaPlus platform.Akane-Banashit is overseen by professional rakugoka Keiki Hayashiya and has received positive reviews from reviewers, earning the series a nomination in the print category of the 2022 Next Manga Award.
A Protagonist to Root For
One of the best things aboutAkane-Banashiis the titular protagonist, Akane Osaki, whose insatiable drive to not only prove that her father was skilled in their craft, but also to reach the very top of the rakugo world is comparable to the lofty ambitions of any other popular Shо̄nen protagonist. While clearly talented, Akane still has a lot to learn, and her development over the course of the past 50+ chapters is believable, not to mention the fact that the series has a very realistic approach to the harsh nature of competition: usually, there is someone who is better.
However, Akane’s love for rakugo allows her to alchemize every set-back and rival into the tools that sharpen her blade: she always strives to become better, and this makes it very easy to root for her. Not only is she skilled, but she is also confident in herself, a trait that is imperative for a young woman looking to excel in a male-dominated industry. Her interactions with other characters are also interesting as, much like most other Shо̄nen protagonists, Akane draws a special something out of other people; whether they are her peers, seniors or even juniors in the craft, Akane’s presence is part of a major shift in the world of rakugo, and the fact that the majority of her contemporaries are technically superior more often than not, but Akane’s incredible growth keeps everybody on their toes.
A Tournament of Note
Akane-Banashi, a story about a traditional form of storytelling, dropped one of the best tournament arcs in recent times.The tournament arc, a storytelling devicepopularized by the various influential battle Shо̄nen to come out of Shueisha’s Shо̄nen Jump magazine, involves the introduction of various new characters who serve as obstacles in the protagonist’s path but also expand the world of the series in question. In the case ofAkane-Banashi, the tournament arc was worthy of high praise for simultaneously being quite soon after the beginning of the journey, but also presenting plot-breaking stakes: if Akane were to win the Karaku Cup, a competition for amateur and low-ranked rakugoka, then she would gain the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with Issho Arakawa – the very man who expelled Akane’s father from the craft, destroying his chances of becoming a rakugo master.
This arc introduced Akane’s various contemporaries, fellow beginners in the art, some of whom were incredibly talented, and cemented her position as an exciting prospect in the world of rakugo. As the victor of the Karaku Cup, Akane managed to confront Issho and ask about the major incident in the world of rakugo that took place six years prior; a mass expulsion that was intended to save the sanctity of rakugo as a highly-exclusive art form pushed forward in history by only the very best. The reasonwhy this tournament arc is so excitingis because it is the part of the series whereAkane-Banashireally comes into its own, and it ups the ante regarding the protagonist’s journey to be the best.
Diamond in the Rough
Akane-Banashishines among the current crop of Shо̄nen Jump serializations because while the majority of them use battling as the primary mode of conflict and story progression, as has been established by several major titles in the past, the series reconstructs several popular features of Shо̄nen; like a young and ambitious protagonist embarking on a journey to emerge at the top of a particular field. Like several titles to come before it,Akane-Banashiuses humour and a generally light-hearted atmosphere, but is punctuated with hard-hitting moments of seriousness, especially when someone immensely talented steps up to perform their rakugo.
The series use of a traditional art in a modern setting is interesting as it highlights the immense determination of rakugoka throughout time to preserve this aspect of Japanese cultural history, grantingAkane-Banashian educational element to the story. It isn’t the first time rakugo is used as the primary focus in an anime and manga work, with series likeShōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjūexploring the tradition in an earlier time-period; however, there isn’t a series ascommitted to the craftin a modern time as this one, and it is well worth the read, not to mention the series humour, art and pacing feeling like those of an established hit manga several years into its serialization.
