TV ShowReturning Series

Akane-banashi

“And so, here begins a story.”

8.0 / 10 · 18 votes

TV-PG

2026

2 seasons

12 episodes

AnimationDrama

As a child, Akane witnesses a shocking event during her father's career-defining show. Now in high school, she vows to reach the art's highest rank.

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Trailer

The Second Official Trailer [ENG SUB]

Where to Watch(AU)

Netflix

Netflix Standard with Ads

Streaming data provided by JustWatch via TMDB.

Cast

Anna Nagase

Seiichiro Yamashita

Soshiro Hori

Chiaki Kobayashi

Masaki Terasoma

Akio Otsuka

Mariya Ise

Ryota Iwasaki

Akihisa Shiono

Shizuka Itoh

Takuya Eguchi

Rie Takahashi

Updates

NEW EPISODE ALERT

Akane-banashi

Akane-banashi dropped a recent episode — a perfect time to catch up.

Seasons

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.

1.That Day
7.5
04-04-202625 min
Young girl Akane Osaki falls in love with rakugo comic storytelling through watching her father perform. One day, a shocking event derails his career.
2.First Performance
7.8
11-04-202625 min
Hearing that Master Shiguma is secretly meeting with a young girl, Futatsume Guriko investigates and finds him teaching Akane at a karaoke parlor.
3.Senior Apprentices
7.7
19-04-202625 min
Akane joins Shiguma's school as an apprentice. The earnest Kyoji Arakawa is tasked with guiding her, but she finds herself stuck doing menial chores.
4.Beyond Joy
7.5
25-04-202625 min
Akane performs at a nursing home, displaying all she has learned. Kyoji goes next, determined to show her his skill as her elder fellow apprentice.
5.Her Path Forward
7.5
02-05-202625 min
Akane gets career counseling from her teacher Iwashimizu, known as the Ice Lady, who refuses to acknowledge Akane's dream of becoming a Rakugoka.
6.Terakoya
7.0
09-05-202625 min
After learning that Issho will judge the annual student Rakugo championship, Akane gains Shiguma's permission to compete — but on one condition.
7.Karaku Cup
7.7
16-05-202625 min
At the Karaku Cup preliminaries, all eyes are on defending champion Karashi and rising voice actor Hikaru Koragi, but Kaisei picks Akane to win.
8.What They Want
5.5
23-05-202625 min
As the Karaku Cup finals begin, Karashi wins over the crowd with his bold adapted Rakugo, but head judge Issho's verdict remains to be seen.
9.Performer
7.0
30-05-202625 min
At the Karaku Cup finals, Hikaru Koragi performs a sentimental story to prove she is more than just a pretty face. Next, Akane takes the stage.
10.Jugemu
8.0
06-06-202625 min
In contrast to her performance in the prelims, where she put her enunciation skills on full display, Akane delivers "Jugemu" in a relatively relaxed manner during the finals. Karas...
11.Answer
8.0
13-06-202625 min
Face to face with Issho Arakawa, Akane asks him point-blank why he had expelled Shinta. After he sends the journalists out of the room, Issho informs her that he can see right thro...
12.Graduation
20-06-202625 min
After winning the Karaku Cup, Akane suddenly finds herself in the spotlight at school. But unconvinced that her performance was good enough to blow Issho away, she has mixed feeli...