#shinta arakawa

[meiruihan]

like father, like daughter

[shysheeperz]

[sebbyisland]

WHAT COULD THIS MEAN LETS UNPACK. Shiguma has invited Akane to be the Zenza/opener for his large public event, one known to help keep rakugo appreciation alive in the community. We now also have a better idea of what makes his performances so enrapturing—to the degree he is considered an "Ookaban," or a Shinu'uchi who has truly elevaed the craft. During his performance, Shiguma uses small, defined movements to encourage the audience to imagine the entire world of the story. This is a powerful technique that even has the power to “kill” as was explained in the prev chapter because people become so enraptured in his stories they will even ignore fire alarms (which is crazyyy btw). It's THAT intense.

This is what makes him "Shiguma the Tear-Jerker," master of Ninjo-banashi (this also explains why Maikeru is so good at Ninjobanashi lol) . It’s easy to believe the purpose of this arc is to once again establish a goal post that Akane needs to aspire for, especially since we know she doesn't have much experience in emotional/dramatic Rakugo. The last time we had Akane become "wowed" by someone else's degree of rakugo skill, it was ALSO a horror story, performed by Kaisei Arakawa (more on this later)! However, unlike that scene, we now have the additional plot element of the mysterious "Shiguma's Art" that was passed down from the Kashiwaya school. Which is actually the true focus of this arc, since it's heavily implied that Akane is about to learn Shiguma's Art herself!

Back in chapter 118, we find out Rokuro Kashiwaya is trying to reveal the secrets of the "Shiguma's art," a secret story originally passed down from the Kashiwaya school. Immediately after the reader is told this, we cut to a flashback of a younger Akane watching as Shiguma silently stares down at the ground in a formal seated position.

Akane can tell he's practicing rakugo not because of any genius intuition, but because she remembers her dad doing the exact same thing. And she was correct! When she asks him about it, Shiguma is first avoidant, "It has nothing to do with you," but then affectionately ruffles her head and says she'll tell her when she's a "full-fledged artist." Shiguma's secrecy + the timing of the scene basically all but screams at us that he was practicing "Shiguma's art" and he already passed this on to Akane's father before his Shin'uchi test.

Okay, so, Shiguma wants to pass down this cool secret story. Based on his solo-performance and how we've seen both Shiguma and Akane's dad practice, this is a story that requires using minimalism to maximum impact. About maintaining a still, intense atmosphere full of anticipation that completely enraptures the audience similar to the younger Akane watching them, all those years ago. We will soon get more details about how this works since Shiguma has acknowledged that Akane as a "full-fledged artist" and promised to teach Akane this very same story after his solo-event.

But that's not even the most interesting aspect of this whole arc! One of the side characters astutely observes that this all seems to be a pattern for Shiguma . His student's "rite of passage" into Futatsume, as they become a "full-fledged artist."

Shiguma takes them out around town for a day, then has them open for his Solo exhibit. Just like Akane. Keep in mind, the solo exhibit is not just about Shiguma and his Futatsume-to-be, but about connecting rakugo to the greater public on a deep level. That is the greatest lesson they gain from all this--that small things like taking in the "color of the city," as Akane calls it, is essential to gaining a deeper understanding of how to connect to the audience. Of rakugo itself. Doesn't that sound familiar? Small things amounting to a big impact? That's right, it''s the very same draw of Shiguma's Art.

This all comes full-circle, because back in the beginning of the story, chapter 2 opens with a focus of Shiguma's mentorship of Akane consisting of showing Akane around town. This initially caused a comedic misunderstanding leading to rumors of them having an immoral affair. Of course, in reality, he was teaching Akane rakugo on a fundamental level.

Does Shiguma teach Shiguma's Art to ALL his students? Probably not. Not only is Shinta the only student we explicitly see practicing Shiguma's Art, he's also clearly burdened by it. When Akane learns that Shinta refused to join other rakguo schools after his expulsion, she recounts when her father mention his goal to "carry on Shiguma's art."

This single page places another level of weight on "Shiguma's Art" as a role, an identity, not just a methodology. Look at Shiguma's face when Akane reveals this information! He's unsettled! Shinta speaks with clear intention to carry on the name of Shiguma. He has so much loyalty to Shiguma's Art he refuses to continue rakugo under any other school (which brings the question: why did the original Shiguma leave Kashiwaya, then?). So, no, I don't think everyone who graduated past Futatsume gets to learn Shiguma's Art. After all, it's not like every student under Kashiwaya learned about it, either. It's a mystery how Rokuro found out in the first place...

To recap: we've established that "Shiguma's art" is both a methodology and a secret Ninjo-banashi story to SELECT students of the Shiguma school, likely taug ur with the intention for you to inherit the school. It's a great honor that basically represents the foundation of Shiguma that can be felt in many extensions of Shiguma’s mentorship style. The current Kashiwaya master passed it on to Kiroku, but instead of staying within the Kashiwaya school, Kiroku went on to make his own school with Issho and the current Shiguma. The original Shiguma taught it to the current Shiguma, but probably not Issho. Then, Shiguma taught this technique to Shinta with strong intention, but that didn't work out because Shinta failed the Shin’uchi test. From what we've seen so far, Shiguma's Art emphasizes that "less is more" when it comes with connecting to its audience. It's most effective in creating an intense, emotional atmosphere apt for Ninjo-banashi stories.

That's all well and good, but then what relevance does this current rakugo story have? If this is really all about Shiguma's Art, then does it REALLY matter what story Shiguma performs during this solo-event, as long as it's emotional and shows off his skill as a Shin'uchi? Why would this performance "hold a special meaning" for Akane, specifically, if it's nor even guaranteed for EVERY Futatusme to learn Shiguma's Art after the solo event?

That has to do with the nature of the story Shiguma is performing, "Shinigami" or "Gods of Death" (spoilers for people who are not familiar with the story). We left off in Akane-banashi with the protagonist of the rakugo story being taken into a candle-lit cave by one of the gods of death. Every candle's represents the life of a human soul. In this story, it's revealed that the quack doctor, our protagonist, has accidentally switched out his own candle with that of his dying patient. As such, he is about to die. The god offers to let him light his current candle with his "former" candle so that he can renew his life. However, he fails (the exact reason varies between versions), and dies. His death is a morbid lesson to the audience that you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew, for consequences will follow.

The most haunting part of this story is when, after watching the protagonist struggle to stay alive, his candle finally goes out. All the life is snuffed out of the protagonist. Now, this might be a reach, but I think the pose that both Shiguma and Shinta were seen practicing is going to directly translate to how he performs the protagonist's death in "Shingami." Think about it. The complete stillness of a tragic death that came too soon--isn't that the ultimate way to make minimal movement have the largest impact? Furthermore, a haunting line from "Shinigami" is a taunt that the protagonist receives from the god "That which has been traded cannot be returned." Isn't that such a good segue for the weight of Shiguma's Art? That Akane’s father refused to go to any other rakugo school after he had to leave Shiguma Arakawa? That Rokuro is now trying to return what has been traded to the Shiguma school???? This was such a good story to introduce Shiguma's art because it ties to both the past and the future of the story on multiple levels, similar to the impact of Maikeru’s Shin’uchi test. Furthermore, it usually a particularly popular rakugo story, so similiar to the use of "Jugemu," seeing how the characters interact with the story helps to emphasize their level of skill.

In addition, I've wanted to see Akane-banashi adapt "Shinigami" since I first started this series. I am so beyond happy about its role in the narrative. It feels like a personal gift ahhhhhhh.

You can watch variants of "Shinigami" on Youtube! Performances by Kyotaro Yanagiya w/eng subtitles here and an English rakugo performance by Kanariya Eiraku here :) I personally really enjoyed them both.

Furthermore, remember how I mentioned Kaisei early on in this paper? Like way back? That's because if Akane is the representative for the future of Shiguma, and Rokuro as Kashiwaya, then Kaisei is the face of Issho Arakawa in this story and will no doubt be brought in the fray of the Shiguma Art drama. With this in mind, isn't it interesting how the last major performance we saw of Kaisei was a Ninjobanashi that highlighted how he, too, captured the audience, but with a much more outwardly scary story about death? One that is terrifying because of the ego of the character's, not the environment/gradual build up of horror in Shinigami? And that his origin also started by meeting a Shinuchi as a child, like Akane, and that he took on rakugo in honor of his mom who was in a rough spot for reasons out of her countrol, similar to how akane was influenced to honor her dad through rakugo? But Kaisei cared about proving himself by having the means to live/leave poverty, whereas Akane was focused on how she enjoyed the art of rakugo? It's almost as if Kaisei has a different approach to rakugo than the Shiguma school...it's almost as if...he's taught by the master of Shiguma's rival, Issho....it's almost as if......Isho's rakugo is more so about the rakugoka's ego delivering a powerful story, whereas Shiguma's rakugo is about influencing the audience, and this is why that disagree so strongly about Shinta's Shin'uchi test, where he was able to connect with the audience but fell through on maintaining he composure and ego......it's almost as if this entire story hinges on the debate on the purpose of telling stories. This is what Akane has to decide on for herself. That's why we are reading Akane-banashi (story).

[dropintomanga]

Cool Life Reminders from Akane-banashi

I sometimes struggle with two things - dwelling on the past a bit too much and wondering if I'm cool enough for my friends.

After reading the Futatsume Debut arc in Akane-banashi, I started to feel a little different about my struggles. Especially after seeing the following scenes in Chapters 96 and 97 of the manga.

The initial premise of the series involved Akane Arakawa's father, Shinta Arakara, being expelled from the rakugo scene. He ends up being a regular salesman, but is moving forward. That's the most important thing. It's okay if you feel like you can't move on from bad stuff that happened. But definitely take steps to go forward. They don't have to be big ones as long as you do it.

Plus I feel like we tend to overvalue super-bad experiences involving other people especially if we're on the receiving end of them. We think that life as we know it is over. But you know what, those experiences tend to help us grow and learn. They also make you more resilient than you think.

Life situations changing dramatically doesn't mean it will turn out bad. They can go in either direction, but I like to think that we got this somehow. I've always felt that I couldn't move forward from certain experiences, but here I am enjoying life for what it's worth still.

The scene featuring Akane and her friends is relatable. I do believe that we get anxious over how we truly fit in with others in the world. We want people to like us, but we're afraid to show our vulnerabilities. Sometimes, we are a bit much. Akane is the definition of someone who can be a bit much. I know I act like her at times. It's okay though. Akane's friends are telling her that she's already enough. That's because Akane is so comfortable in her own skin that she should just be herself during rakugo.

Sometimes, being ourselves can drive other people away. But it definitely attracts other people who will genuinely appreciate you. As I said earlier, it goes both ways. I continue to learn this as I continue to meet new people in my life.

And if you're going to be moving forward while being more natural, definitely do it with a smile. That's what will make you look really cool and take on life's challenges.

[littlestfallenangel]

Akane: I'm pursuing my art in memory of my father

Shinta: Quit making the readers think I'm dead!

Akane: Sometimes I still hear his voice...

[comradeyurika]

Awww, she's made her dad proud. Holding off on the showing him in the present day until this moment makes it have so much more impact than if we were seeing him regularly all along

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Tohru Osaki / Shinta Arakawa fans.

[choujinx]

AKANE-BANASHI (2022-?) by suenaga yuuki & moue takamasa

[pin-yao]

[mr-franciscoso]

Akane-Banashi gets better with every week and chapter. Love a shounen that loves exploring the vast array of human experiences

[miminmimikyu]

I love love love this week’s chapter of Akane Banashi. The whole rakugo = time machine is such an interesting interpretation by Akane and it fits her so well. Even that “conversation” she has with her dad starts with that time she used rakugo to reenact an event that happened at school. Akane’s rakugo through and through!

But the also chapter has weirdly eerie feel to it? Or melancholic? I can’t put my finger on it exactly but all that talking about Akane’s dad but never to him makes it sound like they’re talking about a dead person. I guess in a sense that’s true— Shinta Arakawa is dead. It shouldn’t be shocking or anything but to see how distant Akane’s relationship with Shinta (Osaki?) has become now plus that that whole time machine conversation she has with Shinta Arakawa is just so sad somehow.

I’m trying to think if he’s actually been in any of the chapters (excluding flashbacks) since chapter 1, he hasn’t, right? I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s a spectre haunting the story at this point but I’m really enjoying the decision to just not showing him. Anyway, can’t wait for Akane’s performance and what she has taken away from her time machine conversations with Shinta.

[shysheeperz]

[sebbyisland]

Loving the fact we’ve established Issho has his demon look when he’s confused, defensive, and narrow-minded. He literally says and I quote “juvenile naivete” to refer to himself when he realizes that his world view of “havers and have-nots” is so limited.

not him judging Shinta the same way he used to judge Kiroku this is so embarrassing. Have you learned nothing 😭😭😭and you can’t even process grief for your bestie either when you are over 60yrs old??? Shiguma is basically the only living family member that Issho has left. Of course he was upset to see him with throat cancer of course he immediately decides to take on the Shiguma student he sees potential in without explaining any of this to anyone. Of course he only knows how to show his frustration. Embarrassing. And now instead of stepping up to prioritize the mentee YOU SIGNED UP FOR over your own grief you need your colleague to give her your tragic backstory instead so she can figure out wtf is your deal and not immediately kill you. So fucking embarrassing….

I’m like. Shaking old man Issho Arakawa by the shoulders just bc you don’t have a rakugo master to follow anymore doesn’t mean you revert back to when you were at your lowest in life 😭😭😭he rlly never stopped grieving. It’s like he can’t even recognize his own strength. but it’s ok the narrative will get you some classic shonen battle therapy!!!!!!

down the line when he has a positive functioning relationship with Ajane I hope KNOW she will give him flack for this rakugo demon bs the way she makes fun of her dad for being “dead”

[therealsoulking]

Akane Banashi: Chapter 61

Alright, this chapter was super cute, with Akane going around with her colleagues, asking about her father and his style of Rakugo.

Shinta Arakawa’s a tragic figure in this series, as Akane is driven to figure out what went wrong when he pursued his dream. However, the expelled rakugoka is not the Shinta Akane wants to understand, it’s the passionate young man who had already grabbed hold of that dream. And that’s exactly who she gets to meet.

My favorite thing about this particular chapter is the structure, starting with a page of introduction, then a montage of single panels showing each response, then a drawn out sequence with Akane’s mother, culminating in the excellent page above.

This also brings us to Akane’s nin solidified:

We skip ahead a few weeks, and it’s time for the competition next chapter. Goddam was this one good.

[brainbuffering]

12 Days of Manga 2022

 Day 4: Top 3 Shonen

Aka... the Shonen Jump award... Yes I am a hypocrit who complains when people only ever read stuff from Shonen Jump/Viz but also it’s the best deal in comics and it would seem I ONLY read shonen from them this year so.... to continue to be incredibly basic:

1) Akane-Banashi by Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Mou from Shonen Jump (T: Stephen Paul L: Snir Aharon) 

[ID: Japanese Cover for Akane Banashi Vol 1. Akane wears a pink floral Haori/Kimono jacket over the top of her school uniform. She points a closed fan outwards and pulls a goofy expression. Behind her are panels displaying scenes of Tokyo as well as her Father performing Rakugo]

“Shinta Arakawa wants nothing more than to pass his shin'uchi exam-the test that would make him a top-rank headliner and master storyteller in the traditional Japanese art of rakugo. His daughter Akane Osaki is his biggest fan, and even practices the same performances while watching him behind the closed door to his study. When rakugo master Issho Arakawa expels everyone after the exam with no explanation, a fire is lit inside Akane. From that day forth, she has had one goal-to avenge her father and prove his art was worthy of the title of shin'uchi.

Akane unintentionally stirs up the specter of scandal when she's discovered taking informal lessons from her father's former teacher, Shiguma Arakawa. But she's about to make even bigger waves, because her first step in climbing the ranks of rakugo performer from zenza opening act to shin'uchi headliner is exchanging her secret lessons for formal training. And she'll still have to finish high school and navigate her relationship with Shiguma's existing apprentices, all while learning that becoming a stellar rakugo performer takes much more than just being good at performing!’

This series has been making it into a lot of people’s top 10s this year and justifiably so. The series stands out from the usual Shonen Jump fair, not just due to its female protagonist, but also how at its heart it’s an educational slice of life. Sure, it maintains those shonen tropes of following your dreams no matter what, but Akane’s dreams are far more realistic than becoming hokage or curing your sister from being a demon or even winning the sports ball world cup! She just wants to become a top level Rakugo performer, something reasonable and possible to achieve. Okay, the whole “seeking revenge for the way her father was treated” is very Shonen, but equally Theatre Kids are just Like That(TM). In many ways, that attitude is what makes her such a realsitic character. I’ve seen some say that she’s a little bland, but I think it’s more that she’s not a caricature of something we’ve seen a thousand times before. Akane feels like a girl I could have met at my Drama Club, and that’s great!

The thing that really stands out to me though is the way Mou’s artwork helps to emphasise that this is a story about story telling! I’m always a fan of seeing an art style change as a way of ehancing story telling and scene adaption and Mou shows a real master class in this as they swap between a contempoary manga style, and one clearly inspired by traditonal japanese ink painting. It not only helps differentiate between what is ‘real life’ and what is ‘Rakugo’ but it also makes the book more visually engaging and apealing.

In recent chapters, we’ve also seen this come into being as a way of giving more information about the characters and the nature of their performances. I’m very excited to see where this goes, and how the style develops as the series goes on. After all! We’re only on chapter 42! There’s plenty more left to go.

I’ve also been very interested in Paul’s localisation choices throughout the series. It must have been a lot of hardwork to make sure that the visual puns for the Rakugo stayed, and I wonder how much of the translation is Paul’s own personal translations, and how much is established rakugo? There must have been a lot of research involved in preparing for this series, and being able to get it out on a Simulpub schedule is truly impressive! If anyone can point me towards interviews about the process of translating this series, I would be very grateful.

It’s also not often an SJ series keeps honorifics in, even though it makes sense for a series so deeply centered in Japanese Culture. I don’t think Manga has to be culturally educational, but I think that is definetly one of the appeals of it: especially for younger readers. International theatre traditons are not something commonly taught in schools, and whilst I did have a tiny bit of a grounding in Japanese Theatre Tradition thanks to a combination of Crash Course Theatre* and Case File no. 221: Kabukicho** it’s been so much fun to learn more about the history of the medium and the art as a whole!  

I think some of the more recent chapters have been perhaps trying a little too hard to ‘say something’ about gender in the industry, and I’d rather we had a little more show and little less tell, but on the whole I’ve been really enjoying the series and know that my past teenage theatre-kid-weeaboo self would have been eating it up with a spoon!

Now if Akane could get some female friends, that would be great too.

*Crash Course Theatre does not cover Rakugo, but it does cover Noh, Kabuki and Bunraku and is absolutely worth checking out! But prepare for mispronouciations.

** a modern day Sherlock Holmes adaption in which he presents all his deductions through the art of Rakugo. David Wald is one of my favourite ever Mrs Hudsons but I had to drop it because the show did my girl Mary Morstan so dirty

2) My Hero Academia: Vigilantes by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court from Shonen Jump (T: Caleb Cook L: John Hunt)

[ID: English Cover of Vol 13 of MHA: Vigilantes. Koichi in an All Might Hoodie sends a circular blast off at No. 6 as he raises a glowing fist to punch him. Bomb people in civilian clothes and full black face masks reach up to grab Koichi and pull him down to the ground. An explosion is going off in the background.]

“In a superpowered society, there is nothing ordinary about evil anymore. Heroes, trained and licensed to protect and defend the public against supervillains, stand above all the rest. Not everyone can be a hero, however, and there are those who would use their powers to serve the people without legal sanction. But do they fight for justice in the shadows, or for reasons known only to themselves? Whatever they fight for, they are called...vigilantes.”

As one door opens, another one shuts... and another has something stuck in the hinges that makes it refuse to close even though the cold is getting in and I think this metaphor is getting away from me?

Vigilantes has been an absolute highlight of a Superhero series for me! At first I was put off by some of the over sexualisation of Pop, and how it appeared to be suffering from Watchman-itus but as the series settled down and found its own pace it lost all of that and instead became a solid and enticing addition to the Superhero canon!

Because to me, that’s the fundemental difference between mainstream MHA and Vigilantes. Mainstream MHA upholds the hero society status quo, and we’re never really taught to question it. Not just in terms of the inuniverse discussions but those for the medium as a whole. I used to read it weekly, but I’ve honestly gotten so tired of the “Women In Fridges” level misogyny that I had to stop. I’ll get back to it eventually just to say that I saw it through to the end, but I think I need to let it end first.

Meanwhile, I felt like Vigilantes didn’t out stay its welcome at all! It was the number of volumes it needed to be to tell the story it wanted to tell. Whilst Pop could have been treated better, she was still given her own development and character arcs! I also liked how her “empowerment” came with her putting on MORE layers, not taking them off! She found her sense of self through frumpy jumpers and goofy hats, not bikini bottoms and push up bras which is something we so often see in the Superhero Medium.

This was something that was reflected throughout the series, to be honest! Especially with Midnight, who quickly became my favourite character in the franchise due to this series. Furuhashi and Court took Horikoshi’s one note sex joke and gave her development, an actual character, and a street-flasher-style-trenchcoat to keep her warm, covered up, yet still in character. Given that Mainline MHA runs in Jump and Vigilantes in Jump+ you would think this would all be the other way around? The series aimed at older teens featuring the skimpily dressed version and the one at young boys the more modest version. But that’s manga for you I guess!

You can tell the deep love the Vigilantes team has for superheroes, with their knowing nods to heroes like Nightwing (hey, remember when I wrote a literal essay about how great his butt is?) in a way that actually helps aid the narrative rather than just fun time cameos. They’re also open for discussion, encouraging the reader to question the world around them, and to not even take what’s in the book at face value! They expect to be critiqued in the future, and want you to do so. It’s very refreshing given how mainstream hero media is turning more and more towards coppergander.

I really feel as though Vigilantes is adding to the communal hot pot of comics creation, and not just borrowing; and that’s why it’s in my top reads!

3) Spy X Family by Tatsuya Endo from Shonen Jump (T: Casey Loe, L: Rina Mapa)

[ID: English Cover of SXF Vol 9. Becky Blackbell sits in a pink George Nelson Coconut Chair wearing a pink, green and white pinstripe dress. She has a toy sheep with her, and varrious items scatter the floor underneath such as school clothes, shoes, handbags and gift boxes]

“An action-packed comedy about a fake family that includes a spy, an assassin and a telepath!

Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment-to get married and have a kid-he may finally be in over his head!

Yor's on assignment and finds herself up against a gang of assassins on board a luxury cruiser. Meanwhile, Loid and Anya each discover that bombs have been planted throughout the ship! Will their best efforts be enough to save the vessel?”

I understand that many people are perhaps a little sick of SXF being on every recomendation list and top 10, but what is perhaps most frustrating is that it does genuinely deserve to be there. It’s like complaining that someone’s favourite food is cocolate. Maybe it’s a little cliche, maybe it’s a little obvious, but it’s a very valid answer!

I’ve loved getting to see Yor’s character development as something beyond the goofy milf everyone wants to drool over. (Thank God this year’s Anime Waifu is an actual adult who is written with constant agency, and not a big boobed teenager). Yor’s sweet, she’s caring, she’s got some big questions in her heart about her role in the world, not just as the fake mother in this fake family but also the very reason she’s still killing for a living. What is she out here to defend? What does it mean for her future? And how has her relationship with Anya and Loid altered her world view?

I especially loved having Yor’s intense action sequences where she must fight off spies and assasins to defend her widowed client and child, being contrasted with Loid’s panic that if he isn’t enough of a “Cool Dad” Anya will leave him and the mission will fail.

I don’t know if it’s because Endo worked as an Assistance to Kato on Blue Exorcist, but there’s definitely a “drinks his respect women juice” vibe in his work that is absent in a lot of SJ titles (looking at YOU Horikoshi). Even when they’re gag characters like Fiona Frost who on the surface is just there to be a Yandere in love with Loid, she’s still treated with a level of professional respect not found elsewhere. She’s a highly competent agent, who also happens to be deeply and obsessively in love with Loid. Something highly relateable, if we’re all being honest. Endo is even able to do the “School Girl has huge crush on Adult Man” and make it highly realistic (as far as a comedy setting goes) and leave it with no shadow of a doubt that absolutely nothing is going to happen between the two characters.

Now I think this is probably one of the only SJ series to regularly pass the Bechdel-Wallace test? Of course the test was originally conceived based upon how difficult it is for Lesbians to see themselves portrayed in media when women weren’t even allowed to talk to each other and things that weren’t men, and therefore it is perhaps a little irelevant to mention. However, given how easy it is to interpret Yor and Loid’s relationship as Queer Platonic, and the overall “family of choice” vibes the series gives off, I don’t think it is too far reaching to say that the series has the potential for queer inclusivity.

Again, I can see why people are frustrated to see SXF being plastered all over the place, but I’d be more frustrated if it wasn’t. This is a must read series, for all ages! I’m excited to see where the rest of the series goes, and know that once we get Sherwood’s full backstory I am going to be a crying mess on the floor. 

Thank the gods for lactose-free chocolate ice cream....

[comradeyurika]

This is the result that I expected going in. Hikaru does manage to beat Akane by one point, but Akane swept everything aside from the streaming audience. Her technical skill wasn't able to make up for Hikaru's popularity, and you can really get that this isn't going to sit quite right with either of them. Akane wanted to win and Hikaru wanted to beat Akane, but she once more had to come up against the fact that Akane's technical skill is on a higher level than hers for now. So they each continue to have a rival driving them forward. Ikken gives a pretty strong appraisal to Akane's performance as well and recognizes her talent.

And at the end Akane can't hold it in anymore as she tears up while reciting the words to Jugemu. She wanted to prove that her dad's rakugo was worthwhile, and she feels like she came up short. Just like before, everything looks blurry.