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"I suppose we aren't really friends anymore Maybe I shouldn't ever have called That thing friendly at all."

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Akane-banashi extra chapter celebrating the TV Anime announcement!

Raws by Badfella_ (weibo) Translated by me (tum-ume/tumblr; tmmy_taku/twitter)

This was translated without permission from the raws provider so depends on the situation I'll take it down if necessary

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dunno if anyone has done this but my broken japanese and english will do anyway...

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girl chill she's not going anywhere

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Hikaru’s journey of self-realization

Both Akane and Hikaru want someone’s approval: Akane wants Issho’s, while Hikaru wants approval from others.

Although both share a similar goal, Hikaru and Akane take different paths.

While performing at Shiguma’s event, Akane admits that if she had pressed the wrong button, she would have gone down the wrong path, rakugo would have become a obligation for her, something she could have used for revenge.

That’s exactly what happens to Hikaru after her loss at the Karaku Cup: rakugo suddenly becomes toxic for her. What was once a medium to show her skills has now become both an obligation and a weapon for revenge.

A few chapters ago, Chocho said something to Karashi that Hikaru understands all too well:

‘You exist within the utterly illogical and unfair world of the arts’ 

Hikaru has not only experienced this as a voice actress, but is also going through it as a rakugoka. Hikaru and Akane belong to the same generation of rakugoka, study at the same school (Arakawa), and are also part of the small group of women in the world of rakugo.

This situation just makes Hikaru more scared of losing her spot, making her competitive side even more toxic and undermining the little confidence she has left due to the comments she’s received.

Hikaru takes his revenge at the Renseikai, a year after the Karaku competition.

In the first round, Hikaru performs a Kuruwabanashi story. A story she learned from Urara, just as Akane did in the past. Hikaru doesn’t want to imitate her, but she does want to prove that she’s better than her.

As Urara herself says:

Hikaru also uses this story to show Akane what she felt at the Karaku Cup: the feeling of seeing someone from your generation achieve something you haven't been able to.

It’s in the final where she gets her revenge, something the story itself reinforces with the title of the story Hikaru is about to tell: Hanami Revenge.

A story about four guys putting on a play about two pilgrims who meet a samurai they still have scores to settle with. Just like Hikaru still has things to settle with Akane. And, as Ikken says (not sure if it’s him or Madoka), even if it’s August and the season’s over, the cherry blossoms are still in bloom. Even if it took her a year to get her revenge, it’s not too late for Hikaru.

This is Hikaru’s first big catharsis: she gets her revenge and finally beats Akane. This breaks one of the main pillars of his toxic relationship with rakugo. You can see it on her face, a real and proud smile, which Karashi points out, saying she should smile like that in her photo album too.

Even though Hikaru is taking steps in the right direction, she still has a long way to go. She needs to regain her self-confidence and reconnect with her love for rakugo.

In the past three years, Hikaru’s been recognized not only for her work as a voice actress, but also as a rakugoka. That’s helped her confidence, though there’s an even more important factor

While talking with Ikken, Hikaru understands something essential about rakugo: even though the stories are passed from master to apprentice, once an apprentice makes them their own, they become part of them. That’s when a rakugoka has to put their own touch on it: 'Tell the story… the way only you can.' 

Hikaru keeps comparing herself to everyone else, not realizing what makes her specialwhat only she can add to the stories she performs.

That’s why I like this panel so much:

There are a few ways to read this panel (I’ll talk more about them later). It’s not just referencing Akane, but showing Hikaru finally valuing herself as a rakugoka. Her rakugo is unique, there’s no one else like her. Shomei makes that clear, saying only she could perform the story like this.

When Maikeru talks to Akane, he says that once she’s a futatsume, she’ll finally get to learn any story she wants. I like to think Hikaru picked this one herself, for that exact reason.

After watching the flashback with her master, Hikaru admits that all the time she’s put into rakugo has become her pride and joy. This is her second catharsis. Like I said before, she still had two things to recover: her confidence and her love for rakugo. She’s finally got both back.

I think part of the reason Hikaru was able to step away from that path, where rakugo had become an obligation just to get her revenge, is because of Ikken, who’s always supported her. Ikken has never doubted her, unlike her mother, who always questioned what she did and wanted. Whenever he sets limits, it’s for her own good. Her master understands her better than anyone.

Her performance really reflects what Hikaru is feeling.

Okay, time to analyze it.

The story starts with a lord named Tetsuzan, who’s in love with Okiku and constantly trying to woo her. Tetsuzan represents Hikaru’s fans, and Okiku represents Hikaru. The plates represent all the comments from her fans.

But Tetsuzan, frustrated at being rejected, ended up killing Okiku. Still, she came back from the well. In the same way Okiku lost her life because of the plates, Hikaru lost her confidence because of the comments. Still, both of them managed to get out of the well.

A young man is obsessed with Okiku, and his friends ask him why. He answers “cuz  okiku is a woman without equal”

I gave one interpretation of this scene earlier, but there are at least two more.

the young man represents Hikaru talking about Akane, there’s no one like Akane for her, since she’s the only one who can truly fulfill her. 

Another is that the young man represents the fans who only see Hikaru for her looks and objectify her.

They go to see Okiku, approach the well, and wait patiently.

A blue flame suddenly appears, and Okiku, full of anger, emerges from the well, ready to curse them.

Suenaga sets up this scene to parallel Hikaru, who’s lived with a lot of anger. Her mother doubted her when she shared her dream of voice acting and when she said she was a rakugoka. On top of that, she’s frustrated that people only valued her appearance and that Akane isn’t giving her all.

A big part of Hikaru’s personality is her temper, she has trouble holding back her feelings. That’s why this story works so well for her.

The boys run in fear, but one of the young man’s friends stops him and forces him to watch her.

What they didn’t know was that Okiku was actually beautiful.

This is the moment when the story makes Hikaru stop, hit the brakes, and calm down, keeping herself from getting carried away by her emotions.

This contrast in pacing also shows up in the art.

The first part of the story uses Moue’s typical rakugo drawing style, while the second switches to an anime style, reflecting her life as a voice actress.

Both Okiku and Hikaru deal with fans objectifying them, but they eventually choose to ignore it.

Just like Okiku doesn’t care about the guy’s demands when he asks why she’s breaking more than nine plates, Hikaru doesn’t let fans’ opinions or anyone’s approval affect her either.

Let’s talk about the last panel of Hikaru’s performance.

The plates split the page, forming a line that directs your eye across. It prevents the scene from feeling static, giving it flow and balance.

This visual balance also reflects Hikaru’s change, showing that she’s finally in harmony with herself.

Hikaru follows the yin-yang idea: two opposing but complementary forces that need each other to stay in balance.

The yin is represented in the first part of the story and now in Hikaru, on the right side of the composition (as the yin is positioned in the yin and yang symbol). Yin is associated with darkness, just like this Hikaru, covered by a shadow, representing his more temperamental side, dominated mainly by anger

The yang is represented in the second part of the story and now in Hikaru, on the left side of the composition (as the yang is positioned in the yin and yang symbol). Yang is associated with light, just like this Hikaru, who is in the illuminated area, representing his more serene side.

This concept is also reflected in the kanji, using the contrast between black and white.

I didn’t really talk much about Hikaru and Akane’s relationship, since I just wanted to focus on Hikaru. But I really recommend checking out @sebbyisland analysis of their relationship (click the underlined text and it’ll take you there).

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One day I’m gonna get the acrylic standees of Akane, Hikaru, and Karashi (I pray every night)

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what we see:

what truly happened:

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all it took was an announcement

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AKANE BANASHI TV ANIME 2026!!!!!!!!!!

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The shadows of the folds, in Shinta's kimono , haori and his hands. The way they've detailed the cushion in this frame, you can see Shinta's weight pressing down on it. At first it might seem kinda dumb to pay attention to the shadows in the folds and the hands, but it’s actually pretty important it helps you feel the movement more, especially since they’re sitting all the time. It’s also a risky move animation-wise, but I really appreciate that they’re going for it with those details.

I love this shot and how the camera is positioned it's a high-angle shot, with the camera close to his head, emphasizing his anxiety in that moment. The way the lights reflect in his eyes god, it’s so beautiful.

And this shot of his hand is beautiful there’s nothing more to say, it’s my favorite in the whole trailer. The colors and the lighting. I love the composition.

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peak is getting an anime 🙏

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im done hyping like a madman on twitter so ill come here and continue my celebration 🎉🎉🎉

forgive me for the ugly ass art i tried to make it within the night