Back in June, the first volume of the manga was released in Japan, and in the physical release, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda shared that he recommends the series. Specifically, a quote from Oda appeared on the series’ volume 1 obi. In the quote, he said that he highly recommends Akane-Banashi as he likes it. Oda also mentioned that he “wishes the best of luck to Akane.” As the creator of One Piece, Oda’s recommendation is a big deal. After all, One Piece is among the most popular and highly regarded manga of all time. The praise isn’t limited to Oda and other Shonen Jump authors though. More recently, Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno also gave his seal of approval to the series. In the obi of the upcoming volume 2 release, a quote from Anno is printed. There, he praised the series’ depiction of rakugo and how the manga can express emotions through backgrounds, dialogue, and onomatopoeia. Anno ended his quote with a recommendation for people to “give [Akane-Banashi a read].” While Evangelion may not be as long as One Piece, the franchise arguably occupies the same level of popularity. Given that Evangelion is globally-renowned anime, Anno’s recommendation is another feather in the cap of Shonen Jump’s new hit manga. Akane-Banashi is a manga series that started serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump back in February 2022. The series is written by Yuki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Moue. The manga follows Akane, a teenager who aims to reach the highest rank in rakugo – a traditional Japanese form of storytelling. Akane aims to reach the top to avenger her father whore was expelled from a top rakugo school six years prior. The series releases every week on Weekly Shonen Jump. Chapters are also released in English through Manga Plus.
