The autumn-season anime 『Akane-banashi』(アカネバナシ), Episode 8, titled “Needs,” aired on May 23, 2026, and sparked a huge buzz with Karashi’s rakugo-adapted piece “BM” performed by character Nerima Karashi (voiced by Eguchi Takuya) — so much so that Suenaka Yuki, the manga’s original author, took to social media to post: “It was a performance that moved me to tears!!”
About Akane-banashi
The manga 『Akane-banashi』 is a work by Suenaka Yuki (story) and Majo Takashi (art), serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump published by Shueisha. It was later adapted into a TV anime that began airing on April 4, 2026, and has drawn strong interest from both manga fans and those fascinated by the traditional art of rakugo.
The story follows Ozaki Akane, a young woman who grew up alongside her father, a rakugo performer. She has immersed herself in the art of storytelling since childhood, but must face a heartbreaking moment when her father misses his chance to rise to the highest rank, “shin’uchi,” six years ago. As a high school student, Akane decides to enter the world of rakugo herself — to prove her worth and carry on to the title of shin’uchi.
Episode 8: The Student Rakugo Contest “Karakai”
This episode depicts the climax of the student rakugo competition “Karakai” that Akane and her friends have entered. Akane advances through the selection rounds with a performance of “Jugemu” as instructed by her teacher, but runs into Karashi — the two-time reigning champion of Karakai — who addresses her mockingly as “Jugemu-chan.”
In the final round, Karashi chooses to perform a piece of rakugo he created himself, naming it “BM,” rather than relying on a classic. “BM” is adapted from the classic story “Tenchiki,” which Akane previously performed in Episode 5 — a tale of a man so proud he refuses to admit he doesn’t know what the word “tenchiki” means, and instead pretends to understand it. Karashi reworks the structure of “Tenchiki” with updated language and a contemporary setting to capture the interest of modern audiences, drawing inspiration from the frustration of feeling that something is “incomprehensible, and therefore no fun” — which became the seed of “BM.”
The Author Is Stunned: “The Production Team and Eguji-san Are Too Good!!”
In the manga, “BM” occupies only a small number of panels — but in the anime it was expanded into a sequence of over 7 minutes, packed with story, performance direction, animation, and the voice of Eguchi Takuya, all seamlessly woven together.
Suenaka Yuki, the original manga author, posted: “What started as barely more than a story setup in ‘BM’ has become a fully polished performance piece!! The anime production team, and Eguji-san — they’re just too good!! It was a performance that moved me to tears!!” — making clear that even the creator of the work was blown away by what the anime team had built.
“BM” was also uploaded to YouTube. Additionally, the voice actors in the series shared their reactions after watching the episode — including Nagase Anna, who voices Akane, posting: “Karashi’s ‘BM’…!! So much fun…!!” and Takahashi Rie, who voices Hikaru, a young voice actress competing in the Karakai contest, also posting: “Whoa… so much fun…”
For those who want to read the original manga, “BM” appears in Volume 3 (Chapter 20).
Broadcast Information
The TV anime 『Akane-banashi』 airs every Saturday at 23:30 on TV Asahi and its 24 affiliated networks in the “IMAnimation” slot, as well as on BS Asahi, with streaming available on platforms including ABEMA and Netflix (start dates and times may vary by service).
Source: aniani
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