The TV anime "Akane-banashi," based on a manga about rakugo (traditional Japanese storytelling) serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), has entered the "Karaku Cup Arc," which depicts the Karaku Cup, a student rakugo championship. To mark this occasion, a new visual and PV have been released. The visual features Akane Sakurazaki, a high school girl aiming to become a "shinuchi," the highest rank of rakugo performer; Karashi Renma, a genius of student rakugo; and Hikaru Takaragi, a rising young voice actress.
A character PV for Akane's senior disciple, Koguma Aragawa, has also been released. Koguma Aragawa is voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi.
It was also announced that Blu-ray and DVD box sets of the anime will be released on September 30th. The jacket illustrations will be revealed at a later date. A special event to commemorate the release has also been announced.
"Akane-banashi" is a rakugo (traditional Japanese storytelling) manga written by Hiroki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Bajō, which began serialization in "Weekly Shonen Jump" in February 2022. It depicts the story of Akane Sakurazaki, a girl whose father is a rakugo performer, as she becomes a high school student and aims to become a master rakugo performer, overcoming various challenges along the way.
The anime is directed by Ayumu Watanabe and produced by ZEXCS. It airs every Saturday at 11:30 PM on TV Asahi's anime block "IMAnimation".
