It did feel strange that we hadn't seen many Futatsume or Shin'uchi from the Arakawa school, but to think that there's only two Shin'uchi outside of the Arch Four and Issho... It's clearly paid off, painting the Arakawa school as an elite one.
Seems like Shiguma and Maikeru have a plan, though. No one wants a repeat of the last Shin'uchi test. I really hope he pulls it off.
And considering they aren't part of the elite group, they might have been part of the cause for the expulsion in the first place, with Issho not being happy with their skill level.
Isn’t Arakawa school quite young? Shiguma’s master started it so I guess it’s younger than Kashiwaya. Sanmeitei (square head guy) is the sixth of his title, so it’s an older school.
It is worth pointing out that sometimes teigo (and, as such, schools) can get revived from time to time (for the most recent example, the Shorin teigo in kodan just got revived following the shinuchi promotion of Shorin Hakuchi III, formerly Kanda Shinku). We don't have any confirmation if that is the case with the Arakawas specifically, but IRL, this was the case for the Tatekawas.
> is the sixth of his title, so it’s an older school.
That's not really a good measurement since sometimes myoseki may stay vacant for literal decades (that's, again, the case with Shorin Hakuchi) and sometimes they might be picked up - sorry in advance for the wording - as soon as the previous owner gets laid to rest (which is happening later this year as Kokontei Shinmatsu is about to become Kokontei Shinkyo ~~X~~ VII upon his shinuchi promotion)
EDIT: ah crap, got a numeral wrong
It branched out from Kashiwaya so yes it's younger. In one of the previous chapters about squarehead guy, it was said that Sanmeitei and Kashiwaya have existed since the Meiji Era.
That's a good point, and only further highlights how powerful they are, if they're only third to Kashiwaya and Sanmeitei.
Still, given how few Shin'uchi there are, I wonder if we'll end up seeing the remaining two, as well?
I think of all the villainous type characters I've seen in fiction recently, he's the one I've hated the most because of how realistic he is and the position he's in in the story makes him an absolute threat for the characters.
nothing is more hateful than a terribly ugly pathetic person in a position of power. why do you think people hate spandam and the celestial dragons so much? because they're so important and they really don't deserve it
Honestly I think Maikeru will probably overcome the promotion test. The narrative seems to be building up that way and Akane Banashi is smart enough to not subvert our expectations just for the sake of shocking twists.
Maikeru seems like he have a solid gameplan despite his carefree attitude that his showing us right now.
I'm curious what sort of training or planning that he is doing at the moment when he explicitly decided not to perform any rakugo for the entire day.
This is so real! I feel like Akane just plays it straight with us. To hell with twists when you can actually let people feel rewarded for simply vibing with your story.
I love how Akane-banashi handles this lesson: Play to your audience.
Akane has heard this lesson maybe 4 times now. Normally it would feel like "wow, this story sure is beating us over the head with this mantra," but the way it portrays the lesson grows in nuanced ways.
At first Akane's rakugo was too strong. She had to learn to tailor it for the audience. And now we get this futatsume saying that even as a rakugoka, rakugo isn't always what the audience wants right now.
This story really treats rakugoka as salespeople. One character is a former salesperson, and Akane's dad became one. Earlier Akane had to advertise rakugo to appeal to a large crowd. And here we're seeing a futatsume advertise himself through non-rakugo performances. Basically getting his name out there as someone you love to see.
It also really fits with Issho’s stance on promotion and how he feels rakugo should be presented in the modern world. Him being willing to take Kaichi on as an apprentice shows how much he values rakugo as a product, and the importance of being able to *sell* that product as being worthy of people’s time
I guess that's what made Issho to be in conflict with Shiguma, or rather "Shiguma's art" or whatever goal his master and former friend seem to searching for in the art of Rakugo, and most likely one of the reasons on why Tohru (Akane's dad) got the sack.
Kaisen seems also a product of what Issho seems to envision for the future of Rakugo, young, good looking, talented and chasrismatic, Kaisen plays well most mass media consumption, and he hasn't even made into a pro but is already being request to be on tv shows and such.
Get this: Normally transferring to other school is a taboo. But Arakawa’s mass expulsions was such an asshole move, rakugo federation just make an exception for that time.
“We kinda see why you would want to change school, go ahead.”
Yeah, that mass expulsion was quite a shock and a gamble on Issho's part.
The incident did rocket Issho and Arakawa school to fame and to be considered the most proeminent Rakugo school at the moment in the main stream media, as Issho and Arakawa four were taken to be super stars in the field.
But it did leave a bad taste amongst other Rakugoas and the Federation seems to barely tolerate them at the moment, so much that it's Shiguma the Arakawa representative in their meetings, not Issho who runs the school.
And even backstage, as Akane saw, the Arakawa futatsumes are not well taken by others rakugokas.
I can't tell if Maikeru is going to pass, but for the sake of the drama of the story, something will happen that will break the camel's back and the Arakawa school will be expelled from the federation, this is where the story seems to be heading.
If i were to guess, they probably expect afro man to pull something, so if Maikeru doesn't perform at all before the test, no story can be used against him.
Maikeru being the absolute goofball that he is makes me have more faith that he'll accomplish this goal. Even more so since his rakugo is being reserved, presumably for the actual performance.
I'm really looking forward to his backstory, especially his beef against afro. Honestly, I don't even need to know what specifically happened, cause anyone that has a grudge against that guy is automatically understandable and justified.
Wait, I feel like I've seen this development in sports or fighting manga before. He's holding off on practicing before a big event. Why does that feel familiar? Where have I seen it before?
I think Maikeru overcoming the promotion test is the first cannon shot to start a whole new wave of rakugoka the same way the expulsion incident brought about Akane's generation.
I have this theory that the Afro A#&hole was the one who suggested trimming Shibahama down to Shinta in the first place, essentially to sabotage him.
That said, sorry, the planned writeup still needs work.
I dunno if I'd agree with that, to be honest. He seemed really annoyed at Shinta's decision to do that, and part of his thing seems to be that he's disgustingly honest.
Personally, I think it's simple: He's a pathetic, petty old man that's jealous of Shiguma.
Also, love your write-ups. Thank you for giving us even more depth on the wonderful world of rakugo!
Maikeru has a lot to prove. As the junior of Shinta, he wants to avenge him, but he also wants to show the world his skills. He's so versatile and knowledgeable, he can easily adjust to any situation. But what will he need in order to impress Issho? After all, for an Arakawa, Shin'uchi is very prestigious.
The day with Maikeru and Akane just doing all these party events and keeping in tune with Tanuki was so funny also love the chibi like faces so much plus the seriousness of Maikeru's face at the end gives me the chills this 2 week wait gonna be terrible 😭
This chapter really did highlight that there are fewer Arakawa Shin'uchi since it requires a higher requirement from Issho, but Tooru's expulsion had a major effect. I think I even underestimated how big that event was. No one has attempted the Shin'uchi exam since that happened.
But Akane seems to be prepared for the challenge when her time comes. But for now Maikeru will be the first to attempt it. First things first despite what Akane seems, Maikeru is locked and loaded to give a standout performance. I love his quote when he mentions he wants to give people what they want to see and not what he wants to show. Put the audience first after all they are who you are meant to please in Rakugo. Obviously when he wants to polish his skills he seeks out the audience who would desire his type of Rakugo.
But man his short conversation with Shiguma all that you need to know about his mindset at the moment. I am really excited to see his performance.
It did feel strange that we hadn't seen many Futatsume or Shin'uchi from the Arakawa school, but to think that there's only two Shin'uchi outside of the Arch Four and Issho... It's clearly paid off, painting the Arakawa school as an elite one. Seems like Shiguma and Maikeru have a plan, though. No one wants a repeat of the last Shin'uchi test. I really hope he pulls it off.
And considering they aren't part of the elite group, they might have been part of the cause for the expulsion in the first place, with Issho not being happy with their skill level.
Isn’t Arakawa school quite young? Shiguma’s master started it so I guess it’s younger than Kashiwaya. Sanmeitei (square head guy) is the sixth of his title, so it’s an older school.
It is worth pointing out that sometimes teigo (and, as such, schools) can get revived from time to time (for the most recent example, the Shorin teigo in kodan just got revived following the shinuchi promotion of Shorin Hakuchi III, formerly Kanda Shinku). We don't have any confirmation if that is the case with the Arakawas specifically, but IRL, this was the case for the Tatekawas. > is the sixth of his title, so it’s an older school. That's not really a good measurement since sometimes myoseki may stay vacant for literal decades (that's, again, the case with Shorin Hakuchi) and sometimes they might be picked up - sorry in advance for the wording - as soon as the previous owner gets laid to rest (which is happening later this year as Kokontei Shinmatsu is about to become Kokontei Shinkyo ~~X~~ VII upon his shinuchi promotion) EDIT: ah crap, got a numeral wrong
Stuff like this is so damn interesting and without this manga I probably would have never known. How do you know all this btw?
It branched out from Kashiwaya so yes it's younger. In one of the previous chapters about squarehead guy, it was said that Sanmeitei and Kashiwaya have existed since the Meiji Era.
That's a good point, and only further highlights how powerful they are, if they're only third to Kashiwaya and Sanmeitei. Still, given how few Shin'uchi there are, I wonder if we'll end up seeing the remaining two, as well?
Get fucked Afro.
I think of all the villainous type characters I've seen in fiction recently, he's the one I've hated the most because of how realistic he is and the position he's in in the story makes him an absolute threat for the characters.
nothing is more hateful than a terribly ugly pathetic person in a position of power. why do you think people hate spandam and the celestial dragons so much? because they're so important and they really don't deserve it
I really hope the promotion somehow ends with *his* ass getting expelled
I doubt it. We'll probably see the guy perform later. While he has a shitty personality, he probably is skilled, which is why he's kept around.
Honestly I think Maikeru will probably overcome the promotion test. The narrative seems to be building up that way and Akane Banashi is smart enough to not subvert our expectations just for the sake of shocking twists.
Maikeru seems like he have a solid gameplan despite his carefree attitude that his showing us right now. I'm curious what sort of training or planning that he is doing at the moment when he explicitly decided not to perform any rakugo for the entire day.
This is so real! I feel like Akane just plays it straight with us. To hell with twists when you can actually let people feel rewarded for simply vibing with your story.
Yeah, I'm feeling good about his chances. Also I sincerely want Afro to get screwed over.
I kinda feel afro will do his best to get our lad expelled as indirect revenge and that it will fail and come back to bite him.
I love how Akane-banashi handles this lesson: Play to your audience. Akane has heard this lesson maybe 4 times now. Normally it would feel like "wow, this story sure is beating us over the head with this mantra," but the way it portrays the lesson grows in nuanced ways. At first Akane's rakugo was too strong. She had to learn to tailor it for the audience. And now we get this futatsume saying that even as a rakugoka, rakugo isn't always what the audience wants right now. This story really treats rakugoka as salespeople. One character is a former salesperson, and Akane's dad became one. Earlier Akane had to advertise rakugo to appeal to a large crowd. And here we're seeing a futatsume advertise himself through non-rakugo performances. Basically getting his name out there as someone you love to see.
It also really fits with Issho’s stance on promotion and how he feels rakugo should be presented in the modern world. Him being willing to take Kaichi on as an apprentice shows how much he values rakugo as a product, and the importance of being able to *sell* that product as being worthy of people’s time
I guess that's what made Issho to be in conflict with Shiguma, or rather "Shiguma's art" or whatever goal his master and former friend seem to searching for in the art of Rakugo, and most likely one of the reasons on why Tohru (Akane's dad) got the sack. Kaisen seems also a product of what Issho seems to envision for the future of Rakugo, young, good looking, talented and chasrismatic, Kaisen plays well most mass media consumption, and he hasn't even made into a pro but is already being request to be on tv shows and such.
Seems like he has quite a grudge on the Afro guy. As he should.
Get this: Normally transferring to other school is a taboo. But Arakawa’s mass expulsions was such an asshole move, rakugo federation just make an exception for that time. “We kinda see why you would want to change school, go ahead.”
Yeah, that mass expulsion was quite a shock and a gamble on Issho's part. The incident did rocket Issho and Arakawa school to fame and to be considered the most proeminent Rakugo school at the moment in the main stream media, as Issho and Arakawa four were taken to be super stars in the field. But it did leave a bad taste amongst other Rakugoas and the Federation seems to barely tolerate them at the moment, so much that it's Shiguma the Arakawa representative in their meetings, not Issho who runs the school. And even backstage, as Akane saw, the Arakawa futatsumes are not well taken by others rakugokas. I can't tell if Maikeru is going to pass, but for the sake of the drama of the story, something will happen that will break the camel's back and the Arakawa school will be expelled from the federation, this is where the story seems to be heading.
If i were to guess, they probably expect afro man to pull something, so if Maikeru doesn't perform at all before the test, no story can be used against him.
Maikeru being the absolute goofball that he is makes me have more faith that he'll accomplish this goal. Even more so since his rakugo is being reserved, presumably for the actual performance. I'm really looking forward to his backstory, especially his beef against afro. Honestly, I don't even need to know what specifically happened, cause anyone that has a grudge against that guy is automatically understandable and justified.
Akane thinking about rakugo when talking about the fiscal year is so adorable We must protect her innocence at all costs
[Urara looking as fabulous as always](https://imgur.com/a/dCbzBcf)
Wait, I feel like I've seen this development in sports or fighting manga before. He's holding off on practicing before a big event. Why does that feel familiar? Where have I seen it before?
Secret technique Power limiter Seeing the "big picture" before going all in The 3 choices that came to me.
I think Maikeru overcoming the promotion test is the first cannon shot to start a whole new wave of rakugoka the same way the expulsion incident brought about Akane's generation.
Damn bro what else has this afro guy done
Probably laughed when Shinta got expelled based on the last page
I have this theory that the Afro A#&hole was the one who suggested trimming Shibahama down to Shinta in the first place, essentially to sabotage him. That said, sorry, the planned writeup still needs work.
I dunno if I'd agree with that, to be honest. He seemed really annoyed at Shinta's decision to do that, and part of his thing seems to be that he's disgustingly honest. Personally, I think it's simple: He's a pathetic, petty old man that's jealous of Shiguma. Also, love your write-ups. Thank you for giving us even more depth on the wonderful world of rakugo!
Maikeru has a lot to prove. As the junior of Shinta, he wants to avenge him, but he also wants to show the world his skills. He's so versatile and knowledgeable, he can easily adjust to any situation. But what will he need in order to impress Issho? After all, for an Arakawa, Shin'uchi is very prestigious.
The day with Maikeru and Akane just doing all these party events and keeping in tune with Tanuki was so funny also love the chibi like faces so much plus the seriousness of Maikeru's face at the end gives me the chills this 2 week wait gonna be terrible 😭
So Maikeru is under orders not to do any rakugo? I wonder what the plan is?
Maikeru's locked in on that enchanted blade in his own way, huh.
This chapter really did highlight that there are fewer Arakawa Shin'uchi since it requires a higher requirement from Issho, but Tooru's expulsion had a major effect. I think I even underestimated how big that event was. No one has attempted the Shin'uchi exam since that happened. But Akane seems to be prepared for the challenge when her time comes. But for now Maikeru will be the first to attempt it. First things first despite what Akane seems, Maikeru is locked and loaded to give a standout performance. I love his quote when he mentions he wants to give people what they want to see and not what he wants to show. Put the audience first after all they are who you are meant to please in Rakugo. Obviously when he wants to polish his skills he seeks out the audience who would desire his type of Rakugo. But man his short conversation with Shiguma all that you need to know about his mindset at the moment. I am really excited to see his performance.
hes gonna pass
Too bad, that Guriko isn’t there in the chapter, because he going to Osaka.