Akane-banashi

Isn't that how it's supposed to be? If she's just going to tell the exact same story the same way three times, then it'd get boring really fast.

Chapter 17: I’m betting that for the final act Akane will surprise the audience by changing the script to the original version of Jugemu, and probably emphasize the difference by slowing down, instead of speeding up, the pronunciation of the long-ass name.

It'd be neat if she played the other version as a horror/tragedy where she draws out the name to make things more tense and serious. But would it be following the "both performances have to be the same act" when more than half of the actual plot is different?

Hmm, that book she was looking at had an interesting title. "The Child is God's Until Seven Years Old". Could be a reference to a high rate of infant mortality, so parents always live with the possibility that their child could just die of all sorts of causes, and don't get too attached until they're seven or so, when they're more likely to survive to adulthood.

It’s still technically Jugemu, so yeah I’d say it qualifies. Also thinking Akane will go for a more somber angle, especially if is any indication.

With Karashi saying she couldn't bring the feels with Jugemu, it's a fair bet that that's exactly what she'll do. A heart rending tragedy recitation, of a boy whose overly auspicious name leads to his death.

I get Hirako’s point about modernizing the stories, but at the same time he comes off as pretentious(?) to me.

Edited by Cross on Jul 4th 2022 at 5:47:45 AM

Of course he's pretentious, but that's why he isn't saying any of this stuff out loud.

The old man is being surprisingly reasonable so far. I wonder what it’ll take to make him snap.

Either the girl going on stage now or Akane. The how and why is gonna be the interesting part.

Wonder what made him at least put on the appearance of softening up. Not enough newcomers joining? Other masters of the school threaten to quit? Hard to imagine what could make him acquiesce.

Akane will make Issho snap, because Akane will show that talent that Issho will want to turn into diamonds.

Well, the bit about how he's gained a lot of popularity since then makes me wonder if all of this was some scheme he cooked up to gain dominance over the field. Like, he was harsh back then, but now that he's being nice in public, people think he's right.

Edited by KarkatTheDalek on Jul 4th 2022 at 9:55:00 AM

I think that expulsion incident was him deliberately stirring controversy for publicity's sake. Maybe his popularity was declining at that time, so he felt the need to drop that kind of bombshell to get back into the spotlight.

+

I do wonder about that now yeah. It makes me think that the VA girl will try to upstage Akane or something to that effect and Issho will roast her in a way he didn't the previous guy(will known Rakugo guy vs famous VA, more clout to be had). Akane would be a fully unknown factor.

Edited by doomrider7 on Jul 4th 2022 at 10:25:20 AM

Chapter 21: The seiyuu steps up to plate, and shows off her theatrical style of rakugo. She's got a knack for tugging the heartstrings, it seems. She's also the earnest, hardworking type, so she's someone you can't help but root for.

Oh, and the piece she performs? It's Shibahama, the last story that Akane's dad ever performed as a rakugoka. Now I'm really interested in seeing how Arakawa will react especially compared to how he reacted before.

Think her choice was a coincidence?

The narrator says so. And Hikaru wouldn't have known about Akane's dad. Though she might have planned to tell Shibahama precisely because Issho is the judge. Kinda like she's trying to prove she's good enough to pass Issho's standards, and what better way than with the story that led to the expulsion of an entire class?

Why are the audience surprised with her choice of story though? Shouldn't it be the same as the one she performed in the prelims? Come to think of it, the previous guy was also acting like he was showing Akane something new with his Setting Update gimmick, which he should also have done before the finals—since that gimmick is apparently his only selling point and he is otherwise not that skilled.

I don't think the audience is all the same. The people who hadn't seen her perform seem like they only got there for the finals.

Edited by thatother1dude on Jul 10th 2022 at 7:42:53 AM

When they pull, push, when they push, pull…

Akane toning it down isn’t too surprising, I’m just waiting to see what kind of twist she’ll give to the story now. She knows what she’s doing at least.

I also love that to convey her lower-key rakugo, the usual dramatic embellishments in the art are absent.

Excited for Akane to make the audience cry with her tragic version of Jugemu right after soothing them with ASMR

Yeah, there won't be a dry eye in the audience once Akane is finished, and I would love it if we have a scene of smug face having a tear rolling out up witout even realizing it.

You can actually see the groundwork Akane is laying for the tragedy, since this retelling includes mention of early child mortality, like the priest asking if the baby is already dead, so I'm sure the story is gonna make it so each word of Jugemu's name is a gut punch while he is drowning.

Pretty sure she’s gonna reverse the usual shtick and say the name painfully slowly by the end, yeah.

This chapter was really good, can't wait for the climax!