Rakugo anime Akane-Banashi will begin its storytelling in April 2026. In the meantime, a newly released trailer previews some of the characters who inhabit its world.
There’s also a visual and new cast announcements:
• Tohru Osaki as Shinta Arakawa
• Nobunaga Shimazaki as Maikeru Arakawa
• Chiaki Kobayashi as Koguma Arakawa
• Yohei Azakami as Kyoji Arakawa
• Seiichiro Yamashita as Guriko Arakawa
Akane-Banashi is based on the Shueisha-published manga written by Yuki Suenaga and drawn by Takamasa Moue. Manga Plus describes it as such:
Rakugo–the ultimate form of storytelling, where everything in a story is expressed with just your body and words. Shinta and his daughter Akane have been seduced by this wonderful form of classical entertainment. Having observed her father strive to pass the shin’uchi rakugo test, Akane will take her own steps into this unique world!
©Yuki Suenaga, Takamasa Moue / SHUEISHA, Akane-banashi Committee
The manga began serialization on Weekly Shonen Jump in 2022 and has19 volumes as of November 2025. It was a finalist of the 47th Kodansha Manga Award’s Shonen category and placed second at Manga Taisho 2023.
Staff
• Director: Ayumu Watanabe (Summer Time Rendering, Children of the Sea, the upcoming Witch Hat Atelier)
• Assistant director: Yu Harima (Summer Time Rendering Episode 7 and 20 director)
• Character designer and chief animation director: Kii Tanaka (Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead)
• Series composer: Michihiro Tsuchiya (Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans Urdr-Hunt compilation, Aikatsu! x PriPara scenario writer)
• Sub-character designer: Yasunari Nitta (Shadowverse Flame)
• Costume designer: Noriko Shimazawa
• Music composer: Akio Izutsu (Akuma Kun)
• Rakugo supervisor: Kikuhiko Hayashiya (manga)
• Animation production: ZEXCS
Cast
• Anna Nagase as Akane Osaki
• Takuya Eguchi as Karashi Nerimaya
• Rie Takahashi as Hikaru Koragi
Source: press release
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