A talk event featuring the voice actors of the TV anime "Akane-banashi," based on a manga about rakugo (traditional Japanese storytelling) serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), was held on March 29th at the Aniplex booth stage of "AnimeJapan 2026" at Tokyo Big Sight (Koto Ward, Tokyo). The event featured Anna Nagase, who plays the protagonist Akane Sakurazaki, who aims to become a master rakugo storyteller and joins the Shiguma school led by Shiguma Aragawa; Nobunaga Shimazaki, who plays Michael Aragawa, Akane's senior apprentice; Chiaki Kobayashi, who plays Koguma Aragawa; Yohei Azakami, who plays Koji Aragawa; and Seiichiro Yamashita, who plays Guriko Aragawa.
Under Nagase's guidance, they challenged themselves to a sketchbook talk based on a given theme. When asked about their "first impression of the work," both Kobayashi and Yamashita answered "(Weekly Shonen) Jump." Yamashita said, "There's an interesting aspect to how Akane properly finds challenges in each and every story. It has a passion that's somewhat similar to sports," while Kobayashi said, "It's packed with friendship, effort, and victory. You might wonder if 'victory' has anything to do with rakugo, but there are competitions in the work. The question of whether effort leads to victory is incredibly exciting and interesting."
Azagami answered "humanity." "Many rakugo stories are about human feelings, and the characters that appear are those who carry on the legacy of the Edo era, which valued human kindness. Akane goes through various experiences, and I felt that they all boil down to human kindness."
Shimazaki, who answered "sparkling," explained, "The word 'sparkling' is sometimes said to be a relic of the Showa or Heisei era, but I think being sparkling is important. In our line of work, where we deal with words, we see that people who are particular and pursue their work to the fullest are the ones who accomplish amazing things. Although the story is set in modern times, it's not just about modern sophistication, but there's a certain grit, a 'sparkle,' to it. I think Akane's responses also have a 'sparkle.' You can't climb the ladder in the arts without that much 'sparkle.' But that sparkle is beautiful. I felt it was a great work." Nagase nodded emphatically, saying, "Indeed, each character has a different type of 'burning passion,' and that's what makes it such a cool work."
When asked, "Which character would you want as your senior apprentice?", Shimazaki answered "Michael," Azagami answered "Koji," Kobayashi answered "Guriko," and Yamashita answered "Miku-chan (Mikuya Mamoru)." When asked why she chose "Miku-chan," Yamashita said, "Akane has connections with many different people, and even outside of rakugo, she receives hints and insights that connect to rakugo, and Miku-chan is one of them. I love that episode!"
"Akane-banashi" is a rakugo (traditional Japanese storytelling) manga written by Hiroki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Bajō, which began serialization in the magazine 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 will air on TV Asahi's anime block "IMAnimation" every Saturday at 11:30 p.m. starting April 4th.
