Akane-Banashi Manga Review

 

I think I found a new favorite manga series!

Akane-Banashi by Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue is about Akane, a teenage girl who grew up watching her father practice and perform rakugo. Rakugo is a traditional Japanese art where a sole performer tells a short story and plays all of the characters, usually while seated. While she was in elementary school, Akane's father and a bunch of other candidates took an exam to rise up in the rankings of rakugo performers, but for some reason the judge proctoring the exam decided to expel all of them. Akane's father gets a job in construction work, and Akane decides to take his place in being a rakugo performer to showcase that rakugo can be a real job. Over the years she starts taking secret lessons from her dad's old instructor, and during her teen years she slowly makes herself known among his other pupils and rakugo fans, all while trying to perfect her craft. 

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this! I saw this manga title floating around the internet but I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I really do like reading about characters making big goals centered around their hobbies. All of the characters were great too. I also got to learn a lot about rakugo!

I gave it 5 stars. As of writing this the series is still ongoing, and I will continue to read it!

What's your favorite hobby to read about in a fictional setting?