manga: what you reading brehs....

[tripleaamin]

Akane-banashi volume 2.

Really dope how Akane from learns from both Kouji and Koguma on how to adapt her Rakugo style. Which it really shows her work ethic

It was really cool to see Akane to put the skills she learned at the resturant and used them to enhance her performance when performance. Basically she got the elderly crowd invested in the performance which is cool. But Kouji going for the so serious that it is funny is great spin on the Rakugo that we have seen so far.

The whole intereaction with Akane and her teacher was very heartfelt like you understand where her teacher was coming from. You want to set the kids on the proper path and when you see them struggling in life you can only think what could I have done . But its good she got to see Akane perform as it gives her the idea that she is serious about Rakugo, which the assurance that she needs.

She gives Akane a pamphlet which is basically an amateur rakugo contest. Which feels a little deceiving given her talent level, but you can understand why she wants to enter. Being able to confront Issho Arakawa about why her father got expelled is something she feels like she has to do. She absolutely loved her father's rakugo and getting to know his reasons for expelling us part of the solution for crafting her rakugo.

Man big respect for Shiguma for letting Akane go along with the contest, but he turns it into a smart learning opportunity. Where she can only perform Jugemu. What is a basic story, so how Akane will take that and turn that into a contest winner is really really intriguing. Now here comes Koguma and his performance inspires Akane in the sense of the history behind these stories gets lot over time. And there lies he plan for Akane to turn Jugemu into a winner. It will be very intriguing how Akane goes about with her performance. On the other spectrum with so many different types of people joining the contest it will be cool to see each of them put their on spin on their ragkugo.

Spoiler: Akane-banashi Vol 2

 

[tripleaamin]

Akane-banshi Volume 3

So the key thing from Siguma was that Akane needed to perform Jugemu twice. Akane goes for the smart approach and makes the winner story of Jugemu the one she uses in the finals. But I liked how she still put the work in for the preliminaries. Essentially she decided to do what most people would consider a general good performance. By improving her breathing and making sure she can say the babies name in 2 breaths and even 1 breath is technically insane and very impression. It allowed her to impress the crowd, but also in a manner that was 100% then the performance she would give in the finals.

What I loved about this volume is how it showed how Rakugo can be given a new flavor. For Karashi his approach of remixing the classics was very intriguing. Where you take the classics stories put tell it in a way that is more representable to a modern crowd. And like how it was mentioned it's a method explicitly used to win the Karaku Finals. But Issho didn't laugh which kind of points out the obvious fact of shouldn't you also be appealing to the judge of this competition? Hikaru who performed right before Akane used the story that Akane's father used before he got expelled. Obviously there was no way for her to know that. She used her skills as a voice acting to enhance the wife's role and able to exhibit how the wife felt in that story. Bring out that exact emotion is what made Issho praise her skills as a performer. What is great for her since as a voice actor that can get overlooked as she is one is just a voice of the character, which requires high level of skill, but not as a performer. So hearing that compliment was big for her. But it also begs the question the compliment as a performer in one aspect of it. I am assuming Issho would have more criticism if she set out to do this professionally.

I gotta give props for Akane, the fact of the manner is she emotional despises Issho for expelling her dad. But in order for her to grow in Rakugo she can't deny the man's skill. For her its not so much getting revenge for her father, but its for her to understand what his issues with her father's performance. She clearly has readied her resolve for understanding what she needs to do.

Akane had a knock performance for two reasons. First be going for a relaxing vibe it fit what the audience wanted. Rakugo is similar to music where sometimes you want an intense performance, but other times a more chill vibe can suit very well. What Akane did well here was immersed the audience into the story. But along with that she did it in a manner that was very relatable. She took her time explaining why in the story they were giving various names to the baby. The biggest one of the m being infinite blessings. Just like the reason her father gives for naming her Akane each parts of the babies name has a meaning behind it. Having the audience grasp that understanding was key and which is what Siguma wanted Akane to work on. He wanted her to have a deep understanding of the characters in the story so she can immersed the audience into feeling like they are experiencing the story.

Akane did well, but it begs the question what did Issho thought of it

Spoiler: Akane-banashi Vol 3

 

[tripleaamin]

Akane-banshi Volume 4

Issho's response to Akane's response being "You know you don't belong here, right?" is perfect. The quality of pure rakugo was clear and obvious to him. And no surprise that she was declared the winner. Which gives her chance to ask him why she expelled his dad. Honestly from both Issho and Akane's angel I understand where they are coming at. For Issho he aims to protect Rakugo and ensure it continues to grow properly. His harshness comes from his love of this art. So it comes from one angle why is he so vicious? But at the same time you can understand his thought process. Akane's dad had an applause out of emotional support from the audience. And from his pov your performance should be what comes for th applause. In fact in life if you get support out of pity it is not the right way to go about it.

It doesn't deny the fact that Issho is too cruel in his methods. But its something that can allow this art to grow, I think that doesn't bother him one bit. I love Akane's response for sticking to her guns and wanting to prove to Issho that her father's rakugo is a form of art he will respect. But I love even more Issho's response for that. Hes happy she is determined to prove him wrong, which is ultimately what he wants. Akane will offer him a solid performance that he will have to respect and at the end of the day he is one that will always pay respect to the art. Also the conversation between Shiguma and Akane was nice as well. We learn that even if one gets expelled they can continue under another master as strange as it sounds. But it was mentioned the relationship the students have with each other and their master. For Akane's father he wanted to carry on Shiguma's legacy like a son would do for their father. So him going to another master would feel dirty. And I love that Akane understands why her father did that.

Beyond that Akane begins her Zenza training where she meets Karashi again and is under Asago. Despite the skills she learned under Shiguma she gotta start from the bottom with this training and hope she gets a few opening acts to showcase her skills. One major skill she starts using is background listening, it is more so paying attention to the small stuff which is needed for Zenza training. Akane gets assigned as an opening front of Rien who despite being a Futatsume is a major. Can Akane deliver a performance that Rien can't muster to compare against.

Spoiler: Akane-banashi Vol 4

 

[tripleaamin]

Akane-banshi Volume 5

I really dig how now Akane is professionally doing Rakugo her actions has consequences. As a professional in your craft you will have people that want no part in you and there will people that will gravitate towards you.

Listen I gotta give Akane a lot of props for her spirit and determination, but man clapping back at Rien during her opening Rakugo was not the play. .Her not being able to perform is a giant blow. And if it wasn't for Rokuro shyt could have gotten even worse somehow. To make it even worse she only knows 5 stories and all are Zenza-Banshi. Which are basically fundamental stories. Well there is a reason for it. Shiguma wanted her to focus on the fundamentals and go from there. In that cases in the long run having these fundamentals down will be essential for her, but now she needs to diverse out and learn from other masters. Which I appreciate Shiguma allowing her to do, but her little recent incident might make learning from others tough. Case in point when she asked Master Hassho to teach her his more gentle illiterate storytelling.

Though on the other spectrum Rokuro has gravitated towards Akane and found a liking to her despite these incidents. It's a huge deal for her to be his opening Zenza. Via that connection she got witness Master Urara's performance who is one of the most sought out Shinuchi. Which really highlights her performance. The way she immerses her crowd in her story is a level that Akane can truly inspire to. She was one of the first woman to change the landscape of Rakugo. Woman were simply thrown as an afterthought in this form of art and her performances has changed that. But there is no doubt that she isn't an ideal master as she does things more so for her own interest first. Thought Akane isn't exactly in a position to be picky and willing to get an opportunity to learn a difficult story like "Fetching Tea" from Urara is an insanely good opportunity. Given how good Akane's fundamentals are having a more complex story in her back pocket is a huge deal. There is the way of looking that even getting the chance to work under Urara is a blessing since only 3 people have gotten that opportunity.

But the first step for Akane was to pay attention to Rokuro and his performance. His statement Rakugo is sound couldn't be more true. As you are telling the story the way the audience gets immersed is through your expression. And the way how you talk is indicative of that. Hell in Rakugo's story he starts very easy going, but dramatically picks it up making that moment feel even more intense then you would expect. More and more Akane is getting to see these different flavors of Rakugo and how she can evolve her own.

Spoiler: Akane-banashi Vol 5

 

[tripleaamin]

These are all the manga that I read in 2023 and put them in a list. Stating the obvious, stuff like Blue Lock, One Piece, etc are not here implies I either did not read them or barely read much of it at all.

Few thoughts

• Witch & the beast, SxF, Dandadan, Dark Gathering & Frieren are series that everyone should be reading. All of them minus Witch & The Beast and Frieren had an insane run of chapters for this year. And for both The Witch & the beast and Frieren are insanely well written in the manga. These are type of series I would love to run through in a reread.
• Shangri-La Frontier and Kindergarten Wars are simlpy a blast to read. SLF as I go through volume release and Kindergarten Wars as the weekly chapters come out.
• I really liked with what Fujimoto has done with Part two, but this still has been setting up so hard to really get a feel on the series. '24 will be a big year for the series.
• JJK and Oshi no Ko were probably the 2 series that made the biggest noise. JJK chapter 236 .Culling games was supposed to be the arc to setup the next Shibuya level arc and its cleared that failed. Series is still highly entertaining, but when looking back its clear its a series that didn't live up to its potential. Meanwhile for Oshi no Ko its so weird how the themes of the entertainment industry show how great of a manga this is, but the revenge plot is so half baked. Aka using incest bait making the series more frustrating to follow.
• Recently have started reading Akane-banshi and its a series with such a great foundation. Characters are so compelling and there is more to them that meets the eye. Still need to read Sakomoto Days, but right now it looks like the best series in WSJ.
• Martial Master Asumi and Mamayuyu debuted as new series to Jump that have high potential going forward. Biggest issue for them is will they not get axed ala Tenmaku Cinema.
• Nue's Exorcist success in Japan feels annoying because its a series that sells itself as a battle manga. And while that has been better, the reason it is doing well in Japan is due to its harem rom-com stuff, so it feels like a disingenuous. Kill Blue has the opposite problem its a decent series but bringing up the pedo bait multiple is enough for to drop the series and not look back.
• Ichinose Seven Deadly Sins got to be one of the most frustrating I read this past year. It kept retreading the tires and when things looked like the mangaka finally found a direction to take this series it retread those tires once again. Didn't care enough to read through the ending.

 

[tripleaamin]

Dandadan Chapter 135

Art quality gets a lot of much deserved attention, but how this series has kept the reading constantly on its toes since the beginning of the series is insane. To do so while being a high quality one is rare, but is a treat to keep following along.

Spoiler: Dandadan Ch. 135

Akane-banshi Vol 6

Big thing learned here is how stories are learned from masters. Essentially you learn from the specified master and you perform in front of them and they give you the ok to perform or not. It sounds surprisingly simple. At first Akane failed because the Orion didn't suit her. Now how the manga illustrates this criticism is interesting because in a way it has learn what it means alongside Akane which is really cool. The story and teller aren't suited lies is basically how she phrases it. And who would have thought going on a date would make it click for Akane. Tho for Akane's personality that could be the furthest thing for a date.

The key in the "Fetching Tea" story lies in first how it sets up the Orion. Basically how does she demostrate the behavior before she gets founded out as a fraud. For Akane she is not seductive or any terms like it. So if she approached it like Urara she would fail miserably. So she instead made her setup like a sob story, which is something she can pull off. Completely tells it in a different style but keeps the core of the story. Urara instantly realized what happened with Rien and realized Akane had the potential. I think this really shows how scary Urara is where seeing that incident and that be enough to think Fetching Tea fit Akane perfectly. It's scary how both Akane and Urara are. They have different styles, but they are two assertive woman who are leaving their mark on Rakugo.

Urara really wants to leave her mark becoming Myoseki. Basically becoming a Shinuchi that leaves their mark on Rakugo for generations in come. Akane really got inspired to have that goal too. But curious what that also involves and going away from Shiguma and his teachings? Well I doubt that would bother him, but will it bother Akane? This would also go for more what Issho wants in terms of advancing the art of Rakugo. Hikaru seems to be learning under Urara as well. But was see waiting in the wings or in disguise? Curious why she wants to do along this path since she already has a path for a successful career.

One advice Urara gave Akane is that she needs to be the best in her generation. And for now her biggest source of competition is Kaisei. Whom basically Issho brought up. Essentially Kaisei style of Rakugo follow alongs with Issho's ideals. This is really interesting. Issho's ideals mainly centers around evolving Rakugo. So its not like Kaisei had a specific style chosen. A lot of Rakugo comes from one's personality and character as they bring it to life. It makes me wonder his horror devouring Rakugo has to do with his upbringing? I really like how Akane only realizes as she has improved that the further the gap between these two is even further then she originally realizes.

The competition between the Zenza for the last spot with the other 3 Futatsume who will lead the generation is her next goal. But most certainty getting that spot in Ikken's competition won't be easy as well for Akane.

Spoiler: Akane-banashi Vol 6

 

[winb83]

These are all the manga that I read in 2023 and put them in a list. Stating the obvious, stuff like Blue Lock, One Piece, etc are not here implies I either did not read them or barely read much of it at all.

Few thoughts

• Witch & the beast, SxF, Dandadan, Dark Gathering & Frieren are series that everyone should be reading. All of them minus Witch & The Beast and Frieren had an insane run of chapters for this year. And for both The Witch & the beast and Frieren are insanely well written in the manga. These are type of series I would love to run through in a reread.
• Shangri-La Frontier and Kindergarten Wars are simlpy a blast to read. SLF as I go through volume release and Kindergarten Wars as the weekly chapters come out.
• I really liked with what Fujimoto has done with Part two, but this still has been setting up so hard to really get a feel on the series. '24 will be a big year for the series.
• JJK and Oshi no Ko were probably the 2 series that made the biggest noise. JJK chapter 236 .Culling games was supposed to be the arc to setup the next Shibuya level arc and its cleared that failed. Series is still highly entertaining, but when looking back its clear its a series that didn't live up to its potential. Meanwhile for Oshi no Ko its so weird how the themes of the entertainment industry show how great of a manga this is, but the revenge plot is so half baked. Aka using incest bait making the series more frustrating to follow.
• Recently have started reading Akane-banshi and its a series with such a great foundation. Characters are so compelling and there is more to them that meets the eye. Still need to read Sakomoto Days, but right now it looks like the best series in WSJ.
• Martial Master Asumi and Mamayuyu debuted as new series to Jump that have high potential going forward. Biggest issue for them is will they not get axed ala Tenmaku Cinema.
• Nue's Exorcist success in Japan feels annoying because its a series that sells itself as a battle manga. And while that has been better, the reason it is doing well in Japan is due to its harem rom-com stuff, so it feels like a disingenuous. Kill Blue has the opposite problem its a decent series but bringing up the pedo bait multiple is enough for to drop the series and not look back.
• Ichinose Seven Deadly Sins got to be one of the most frustrating I read this past year. It kept retreading the tires and when things looked like the mangaka finally found a direction to take this series it retread those tires once again. Didn't care enough to read through the ending.

In Best of the Year what is the first one and the ones on either side of Frieren?

 

[tripleaamin]

In Best of the Year what is the first one and the ones on either side of Frieren?

Majo to Yajuu

In a fantasy world, there exist witches capable of curses nearly impossible to remove except by very few methods: receive a loving kiss from a prince, hope the wrathful witch has a change of heart, or attempt a third possibility. Guideau and Ashaf are an unusual duo working for the Order of...

myanimelist.net

Yubisaki to Renren

Yuki Itose is a hearing-impaired university student whose world has been shrouded with silence since birth. She has lived in the same place her whole life, and rarely interacts with others save for her best friend, Rin Fujishiro. During her commute one day, she meets the silver-haired and...

myanimelist.net

Seihantai na Kimi to Boku

Suzuki, an energetic girl who can't help but follow the crowd, finds herself drawn to Tani, a quiet boy who can easily speak his mind. A story for anyone who wants to enjoy love! This down-to-earth, relatable rom-com is ready to pull at your heartstrings! (Source: MANGA Plus, edited)

myanimelist.net

 

[tripleaamin]

Akane-banshi Volume 7

This series really does a great job at expanding characters whom are rivals for Akane. You can find their personalities slightly irritating, but you can really empathize with their motivations and why they have chosen to walk this path.

Well time for the Zenza competition and well the big info drop that Maikeru is a top talented Futatsume. And his absence so far partially has to do with him being busy with performances, but he was close with Akane growing up. While they call each other brother and sister like being like a family among Shiguma's students. Maikeru was close to Tooru like a real father figure. And he kept that distance from Akane to keep himself from being overprotective. After all all the pains and growths Akane has gone through has been for their beenefit. Their relationship is rather really really sweet

The Zenza competition will be a lot more fierce then people expected. Good thing Akane was on the grind with stories, but Kaichi and Hikaru. Both of these characters follow the theme of this series by bringing their own flavor of Rakugo. In the sense Kaichi is a former salesman and like a true salesman he keeps it professionally, but leaves a sharp first impression. But the improvement on Hikaru is insane. Really the differences is using her voice acting skills to enhance her Rakugo rather then demonstrating a theatrical performance that happened to be Rakugo. I love how she took the acknowledgement from Issho as more of an insult then praise. Akane during that competition one year ago was way beyond her. Her resolve is firm. It does seem that Ikken is taking her as a serious student, which is great considering there is the fear he was using her for his selfish goals.

Makieru brings up a big point abut compatibility. It's reasonable to believe that a story has aspects to it that aligns better to some more then others. Granted you have cases like Akane with "Fetching Tea" that its possible to present the core of the story in another way. But despite that she requests to learn "Changing Time" which is what her father performed before rising to Futatsume. I love how so far how she wants to accomplish her goals hasn't changed. She puts into the work learning about her dad and how to portray being drunk despite being a minor. But her term calling Rakugo a time machine is a great analogy. After all all these stories are continued generation after generation. As you tell these stories you are presenting it like how it was first created way back then. Her using Rakugo to have a conversation with her father is a great example of that.

Gotta give respect to Ikken for creating a fire level of judges. Each master has their own views as well as the audience and the stream votes. Meaning satifsying any combination of these 5 is HARD. It really shows whoever with this competition would be earning that win.

Spoiler: Akane-banashi Vol 7

 

[storyteller]

Idk how heavy into Manwha yall are, but one of my favorite Webcomics manwha was Hardcore Leveling Warrior. It was completed a while back, but a sequel just started up. It's worth a look!

 

[tripleaamin]

Kindergarten Wars Chapter 60

Man They about to hit me straight in the feels with Luke-senpai's backstroy

Spoiler: Kindergarten Wars Ch. 60

OnK Chapter 136

The Kana monolouge was very well done. Wished you could get her to showcase her acting skills more often. But the series continues to embrace the melodrama.

Spoiler: OnK Ch 136

 

[tripleaamin]

Akane-banshi Volume 8

Some absolutely amazing chapters in this volume with some top notch writing . Will catch up tomorrow, but this def up their with other ongoing jump manga like Dandadan, SxF and Dark Gathering.

Man Kaisei really came to play damn. I gotta give him respect for that . Dude went out 100% to satisfy the crowd. Even with the traditionalist judge watching really had to sit back and look at how much the crowd liked it and remember the core principal of Rakugo is meant to satisfy the audience. Regardless of his beliefs on traditionalism he can't deny this fact. And man talk about losing who you are at your job. Kaisei truly went from loving to hating his professionalism. I loved that Issho said you better stick to those ideals or you will be gone. And man fully embraced it. And I loved his comment that you can't make your family happy if you aren't happy. Some real words spoken there.

Hikaru really giving a face to face talk with Akane saying, "I don't hate you, but I will beat you." That just added the layer on how serious this is for her. Kind of like Kaisei not going for the traditional approach, but fully using her skills as a voice actor to the test. By literally using a different voice for each character it really brought the audience and the stream crowd to be fully immersed. Not to mention she is a popular icon. But what was big for her is that the judges gave her high remarks meaning unlike with Issho's comment from a year ago they acknowledged her skills in Rakugo. Its kind of interesting to note the personality similarities with Akane. Also major props to Ikken for not lower her work for voice acting throughout this whole process because it really highlights how far she has worked for this.

Akane truly is going to stick with her guns in showcasing her father's Rakugo. But what I loved is her realizing that perhaps she idolized her father's Rakugo too highly. Where he was a weak man unlike the masters that she learned from. Just by comparing him to Issho and Urara there is no comparison in terms of presence. But what she did in this story was showed that weakness of the husband as a moment the crowd can get immersed in. Like oh he comes across as a drunk, but he is a good man in heart. Which is the crucial moment when Akane won the hearts and laugh of the crowd when the wife catches the husband saying the nice things about his wife. And man Akane really worked hard for this. Her father's strengths in Rakugo are not the same as hers, but she did that and still made it into her own. More and more growing her Rakigo and truly belonging part of the Shiguma family. But what is even better seeing her father's reaction to her performance

Spoiler: Akane-banashi Vol 8

 

[Mr. Jack Napier]

Idk how heavy into Manwha yall are, but one of my favorite Webcomics manwha was Hardcore Leveling Warrior. It was completed a while back, but a sequel just started up. It's worth a look!

My homie been trying to get me to read this for a minute

 

[storyteller]

My homie been trying to get me to read this for a minute

The title and MC design made me avoid it for a long time. But I gave it a shot and was pleasantly surprised. It's nothing too crazy plotwise, but it's got good characters, action, and pace. The art grew on me fast too. My only issue is that part one is stronger than part two IMO, but it's still pretty good.

 

[tripleaamin]

Witch Enforcer Chapter 7

This chapter really set the stage what the plan is going forward. Eli will plan to befriend Nines, but how is the question. We also got Byschotte angle. And honestly at this point gauging her out and getting her on their side is the next hurdle. How she admires Miranda feels like she doesn't know Miranda's love for Nines despite being killed by her by accident.

Spoiler: Witch Enforcer Ch. 7

Rugby Rumble Chapter 12

Kinzan really swam all the way. He arrived at halftime only a way Kinzan would arrive. No chance they comeback and win, but he will def show that reporter is wrong believing he is just hype.

Spoiler: Rugby Rumble Ch. 12