Anime to premiere on April 1 in NYC, followed by
Anime Boston
screening on April 4
TV Asahi
announced on Wednesday that the Japan Society will host the world premiere of the
anime
of writer
Yūki Suenaga
and illustrator
Takamasa Moue
‘s
Akane-banashi
manga in New York on April 1. The
Anime Boston
convention will then host a special screening on April 4.
Image courtesy of TV Asahi
©Yuki Suenaga, Takamasa Moue / SHUEISHA, Akane-banashi Committee
The Japan Society will host the world premiere of the anime’s first episode in New York on April 1 at 8:00 p.m. EST. The screening will also include rare behind-the-scenes footage and a performance by Canadian-born
rakugo
performer Katsura Sunshine. Ticket sales will start on March 2 on the Japan Society
website
at US$22 for Japan Society members and US$28 for non-members.
TV Asahi
will present the anime’s special screening at
Anime Boston
on April 4 at 7:00 p.m. EST. Katsura Sunshine will also perform and hold a talk at the special screening. The
Anime Boston
special screening is open to event attendees and will be subject to panel room capacity and availability.
Image courtesy of TV Asahi
©Yuki Suenaga, Takamasa Moue / SHUEISHA, Akane-banashi Committee
The anime will air on
TV Asahi
‘s “IMAnimation” programming block in April. (
TV Asahi
indicated in its announcement of the April 1 and 4. screenings in the U.S. that the anime will premiere on Japanese television after those U.S. screenings.)
TV Asahi
describes the story:
“With only your voice and body—master the art.”
Akane Osaki, captivated since childhood by the magical performances of her father, Shinta Arakawa, witnesses a shocking incident during his decisive performance for
promotion to shin’uchi (master rank).
Six years later, now a high school student, she sets her sights on
becoming a shin’uchi herself—pushing forward
in the highly competitive world of
rakugo
.
A passionate and authentic rakugo drama begins now!
The anime stars:
Anna Nagase
as Akane Osaki, a high school girl aiming for the highest rank in the world of rakugo: Shin’uchi.
Takuya Eguchi
as Karashi Nerimaya, a university student currently on a two-time winning streak at the Student Rakugo Championship, the Karaku Cup.
Rie Takahashi
as Hikaru Koragi, a rising star in the voice acting world.
Jun Fukuyama
as Shinta Arakawa (Tohru Osaki)
Nobunaga Shimazaki
as Maikeru Arakawa
Chiaki Kobayashi
as Koguma Arakawa
Yōhei Azakami
as Kyoji Arakawa
Seiichirō Yamashita
as Guriko Arakawa
Akihisa Shiono
as Kaisei Arakawa
Masaki Terasoma
as Shiguma Arakawa
Akio Ōtsuka
as Isshō Arakawa
Ayumu Watanabe
(
Children of the Sea
,
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko
) is directing the anime at
ZEXCS
.
Yu Harima
(episode director for
Summer Time Rendering
,
Tokyo Revengers
) is the assistant director, and
Kii Tanaka
(
Cheating Craft
,
Hinomaru Sumo
) is both the character designer and chief animation director.
Michihiro Tsuchiya
(
PriPara
,
Cross Game
) is overseeing the series scripts, and
Akio Izutsu
(
Phi-Brain – Puzzle of God
,
Akuma Kun
) is composing the music.
Kikuhiko Hayashiya
is the rakugo supervisor.
The other staff members include:
Sub Character Design & Chief Animation Director:
Yasunari Nitta
Chief Animation Director:
Hisashi Kagawa
Costume Design:
Noriko Shimazawa
Prop Design:
Yoshinori Iwanaga
Art Design:
Shūhei Tada
Art:
Takumi Sakurada
Color Key Artist:
Saori Goda
Compositing Director of Photography:
Yūta Nakamura
Editor:
Kiyoshi Hirose
Sound Director:
Noriyoshi Konuma
Suenaga and Moue
launched
the manga in February 2022.
Shueisha
published the 20th compiled book volume on January 5. The manga was
nominated
for the 47th
Kodansha
Manga Awards
and
the 16th Manga Taisho awards in 2023. The manga
ranked
at #4 for the top 20 list of manga for male readers in the 2023 edition of
Takarajimasha
‘s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (This Manga Is Amazing!) guidebook.
Viz Media
‘s
Shonen Jump
service and
Shueisha
‘s
MANGA Plus
service both
publish
the manga in English.
Viz Media
is also
publishing
the manga in print.
The manga
made
the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) 2024 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and The New York Public Library also
named
the manga on its Best Books list for teens in 2023.
Source: Press release
