Warning! Contains spoilers for Akane-banashi Episode 48!
Akane-banashi became one Shonen JumpThe most innovative new manga since it began serializing and its latest chapter proves this once again by radically merging two classic Shonen tropes. Written by Yuki Suenaga and art by Takamasa Moue, the series follows Akane, a young girl trying to master Rakugo, a classic Japanese art of storytelling. The premise alone challenges the idea of what a Shonen series could be, and the manga has carried that revolutionary spirit forward by constantly reinventing the tropes on which the genre is built.
The manga does this once again in Chapter 48, bringing a twist to the classic Shonen friendship trope. While explaining his philosophy towards storytelling, Akane tells his new mentor, Urara, that he wants to see every story he tells as his friend. Considering that the true nature of a friendship changes based on how long two people have known each other, Akane says this will mean that the way they tell their stories will also change over time. Many Shonen stories revolve around the protagonist befriending various allies, and given that Akane’s main goal right now is to learn more stories, her philosophy uniquely reflects this classic Shonen trope. However, given that these Rakugo stories are equivalent to the fighting moves in other Shonen manga, this gets even more innovative.
Akane-banashi Combining Fighting and Friendship in a New Way
Inside Akane-banashi Fights are based on Rakugo performances, not physical. This was most clearly demonstrated in the manga’s tournament arc, which featured various fighters telling stories in different ways to try to impress the judges of the competition. Each player’s style can be compared to the fighting styles in more typical combat squads, and each story can be compared with certain techniques. Carrying this metaphor over to the rest of the series means that befriending Akane’s new stories would be equivalent to befriending a character in a war squad with their new moves or using their friends as attacks.
This is an incredibly innovative idea that few other series have tried. Saw ManThe second part arguably makes its own spin on the idea with Wand’s War Demon powers, but in this case, Wand kills the person he uses as a weapon. Akane-banashiAkane’s take on the idea is much more in line with the hopeful spirit of the tropes he’s innovating on, as he can reenact their stories multiple times and build a healthier friendship with them.
Akane-banashiInnovations Succeed Shonen JumpMost Exciting Manga
above all Akane-banashi’Among his innovations, the most exciting might be Akane’s approach to friendship. It essentially turns the manga’s fights into affirmations of friendship that add even more depth to the manga’s surprisingly extravagant Rakugo contests. By deftly redefining two classic Shonen tropes, Akane-banashi currently solidifying its place as one of the biggest manga Shonen Jump.
Akane-banashi Chapter 48 It can be read from Viz Media.