Publishing company Shueisha announced a television anime adaptation of Yuuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue's Akane-banashi manga at the fourth installment of the Jump Press program on Monday. Production company Aniplex simultaneously opened an official website, revealing the main cast, staff, a teaser visual (pictured), and teaser promotional video. The anime is scheduled to premiere on TV Asahi's IMAnimation programming block in 2026.

Cast
Akane Ousaki: Anna Nagase (Zenshuu.)
Karashi Nerimaya: Takuya Eguchi (Spy x Family)
Hikaru Kouragi: Rie Takahashi (Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu)

Staff
Director: Ayumu Watanabe (Summertime Render)
Assistant Director: Yuu Harima (Cop Craft)
Series Composition: Michihiro Tsuchiya (Cross Game)
Character Design, Chief Animation Director: Kii Tanaka (Zom 100)
Music: Akio Izutsu (Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle)
Studio: Zexcs

Suenaga and Moue began serializing the rakugo-themed drama manga in Weekly Shounen Jump in February 2022. Shueisha published the 17th volume on June 4, with the 18th volume planned for a September 4 release.

VIZ Media simulpublishes the manga in English and released the 12th volume on June 10. The 13th volume is scheduled to be released on August 12. Shueisha's Manga Plus website also simulpublishes the manga in English, Spanish, Thai, and French.

Akane-banashi placed fourth in the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023 rankings' male readers division, and was nominated for the 16th Manga Taisho award and 47th Kodansha Manga Awards.

Synopsis
Rakugo, a traditional form of storytelling, takes years for any apprentice to master and ascend to the top rank of shinuchi. Ever since she could remember, Akane Osaki has been mesmerized by her father Tooru's rakugo performances. Peeking in behind a sliding door, she would spend hours watching and mimicking his work.

For Tooru, the only thing separating him from that coveted rank is a promotion test in front of an audience and a senior rakugo master, Issho Arakawa. Despite his passionate performance, Tooru finds himself expelled from the rakugo school following the exam. This makes him give up on rakugo entirely and settle for a regular job, breaking his daughter's heart.

Filled with grief and anger, Akane now seeks vengeance on the man who refuses to see the genius behind her father's rakugo style. She begs Tooru's former rakugo master, Shiguma Arakawa, to take her under his wing. But Shiguma feels unworthy of taking on another pupil after what happened to her father six years prior. In order to see if she has what it takes to enter the rakugo world, Shiguma urges Akane to test her resolve by performing in front of an audience. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Teaser PV


Official site: https://akane-banashi.com/
Official X: @akanebanashi_PR

Source: Comic Natalie

Akane-banashi on MAL