あかね噺

Yeah but you gotta understand that there's a difference between "engage with students/family outside the classroom" and "a teenaged student asked me out and we went to see a show together". Professional distance is essential even when you take a holistic approach to teaching, and even when neither side of the equation is being dodgy. It's not just covering your own ass, it's teaching your students professional conduct through your own example and maintaining the standard for when there are those who *aren't* innocent in their intent.

I found Mrs. Iwashimizu to be a super interesting character -- how do you, as an educator, find a balance between encouraging your students to follow their passions while also being realistic enough to steer them away from the potential heartbreak if things don't work out for them? She leaned too hard on the former for the student who failed at being a comedian, and she initially leaned too hard on the latter for trying to dissuade Akane from being a Rakugoka. It's a really interesting perspective to have in what is ostensibly still a battle shonen and I'm glad to see Akane's performance help her find a perfect balance between the two. Might be my favorite episode so far!

# Rakugo Q&A Desk Now to proceed with questions from the last session: u/duo99dusk asks: > A quick Google shows that Kamigata rakugo is from Kyoto and Osaka while Edo rakugo is from Tokyo, but are there any other notable differences? The most important difference is that Kamigata system scrapped the ranking system completely. Other important distinctions include props (in addition to Edo's fan and tenugui, there is a lectern, a set of small wooden clappers and a harisen) and story genres (for example while stories with BGM are a separate genre in Edo, they are pretty much ubiquitous in Kamigata.) u/ComfortableHuman1324 asks: > And does it share some origin elements with noh or kabuki or it sparked more independently as a storytelling art form? They share quite a bit elements in common with kabuki, given that both arts originate from commoner culture. There is a whole separate category of stories that directly reference (and often outright spoof) kabuki plays. Noh, being originally part of court culture, has relatively less ties to rakugo, but there are a few notable elements. Probably the most important common denominator between the two is the Chu no Mai (中の舞) which is the debayashi (for the pro wrestling fans here, this is the yose equivalent of entrance music) that is played for the final performer in a show and is directly based on its Noh equivalent under the same name.

Thought that fatso kid who made fun of Akane's father was just a one-off character. Who knew he'd return, or that he'd be nothing like his younger self? Jumbo's now a whole lot more mature and fully supportive of Akane's career. He even played a pivotal part in getting Iwa-sensei to accept her career path. He's got a way with words, turning Iwa-sensei's words against her. Holy! We're getting a tournament arc so soon? With the geezer Issho as the head judge? Akane looked shocked. She might be burning with rage when she saw his face on the poster. All that expulsion memory came flashing back to her.

I mean, I kind of get Iwa, since that is what literally happened to Akane's dad. Which is probably why she picked that opportunity to make sure Akane understands what she is going up against. Akane knows she wants to do Rakugo, so now she needs to know what (or in this case who) the potential danger is. So it's a good move by her. As there are two ways this can go. Either Akane is so good that the "last boss" already recognizes her or more likely, she will get a lot of criticism from him and has to learn to grow from that. Also, good for Jumbo that he is now supportive of Akane. In general, while they only have small amount of screentime, her friends are a fun addition. I just wonder what Jumbo did to his nose. Like I did Judo for a while and nose injuries were not that likely in this sport. But tbf, I didn't get too far into competitions.

Jumbo had a big glow-up, it took me by surprise when it was revealed he was the kid Akane fought with when they were younger, judo did good for him. He's a lot more mature now and I like how supportive he is of Akane, hopefully their friendship sticks after they graduate.  I understood Iwashimizu's reason for rejecting Akane's wishes, but I still do feel like it wasn't her place to completely deny it either, so I am glad she found a good approach after realizing her mistake thanks to Jumbo and how serious Akane is. Hopefully the next time a student like Akane appears, she'll have a more successful meeting with them.

Iwa sensei was a tough nut to crack at first. Akane was trying so hard to charm sensei and the woman was giving her nothing lol. Gotta thank the homie Jumbo for convincing sensei to check out that show. Once she had a chance to see her perform, she sure changed her tune. I’m curious how Akane’s gonna do at that competition now that the old man’s gonna be a judge. It might be about time for her revenge on that bastard.

I feel like Akane could've at least mentioned to her teacher that she is already apprenticing under a well reputed Master of Rakugo *with* parental approval. I don't fault the teacher's pragmatism, but saying that you don't just have a foot in the door but are actually kinda inside the door already probably counts for something. > If she wipes out my after school hours I'll have no time left for training. Well there's a simple solution to that, just practice your Rakugo in those meetings right in front of her. If she's so insistent on plopping herself down in a room with you and essentially wasting each others time not taking your desires seriously, you may as well waste hers talking her ears off doing something productive. Jumbo! Jumbo is here! Real good supportive guy he is. Like Morn from Star Trek Deep Space Nine, just a bit less vocal. And speaking of Deep Space Nine having seen the episode a few days ago, seeing Akane just landspeed record her lunch just instantly made me think of the observation Elim Garak made to Dr. Bashir on the human tendency to eat quickly and not savor their food. Okay again Akane, mentioning that you already have an apprenticeship with parental approval would've probably grease the teacher's reluctant wheels in some official capacity. Especially in light of the fact when the teacher was going on to Jumbo about how she just assumed rakugo was just some flippant whim for Akane without knowing all the facts about her. The teacher is being understandably pragmatic. But also, Akane herself seemingly hasn't being using every piece of evidence she has to make her own case to her. > Isn't that what it means to be myopic? Ooooo, he's got you there teach. Indeed chibi Jumbo, body language in general is very important. It can make a man be able to transform from Clark Kent to Superman and back again all in a matter of seconds without the need to change costumes. > Straight above, when would you look that way? When you're performing a rakugo skit about Godzilla, that's when.

* **Akane Stitch** You gotta love how Jumbo went from being Akane's bully to becoming one of her biggest supporters. If it wasn't for him convincing Iwa-sen to watch Akane's performance, she would probably still be nagging Akane to find a career path that doesn't involve rakugo. Speaking of Iwa-sen, how old is this woman? She says she used to have a student who failed becoming a comedian, and in that flashback, the student looks like he's already in his 30s. I know that flashback is supposed to show how she regrets letting her student do whatever he wanted, but now I just want to know what her skincare routine is. 😆 I genuinely had a good laugh at the Tenshiki story! While this one did have the usual cutaways from other characters, the story was so easy to follow that I didn't mind the interruptions and still appreciated the story. It's finally time for the Karaku Cup, aka the first tournament arc of the series! I already can't wait for two of my favourite characters to show up soon!

- Wow… - Sounds kind of like what I did when I first signed up for band class. You were supposed to pick two instruments you were interested in, but I picked clarinet both times. - She talked herself into a corner… - Pfff - Oh you are *so* wrong about this being something Akane decided on a whim. She’s been gunning for this all her life. - Ohhhhhhhhh, *he’s* the kid who was the bully from the first episode. That went right over my head until this part. - Ah… that’s why she’s so harsh on Akane… - Sensei “sore demo”! - Oh. - There’s an Ozaki “sore demo” too! - There’s another sensei “sore demo”! Three in one episode that came out on my birthday, I am content. - Oh boy…

Akane lives and breathes Rakugo! Like listening to it while she's sleeping and before school! Which, yeah, she is still a high school girl going to high school and getting by thanks to help from her gal pals! There's also her teacher Iwa-sensei (Mariya Ise!) who is a beautiful "ice queen" cool beauty of a teacher who wants Akane to take her future seriously. Obviously Akane is fully committed to Rakugo and will dedicate the rest of her life to it after she graduates (her mom and Kyoji won't let her shirk her current studies otherwise), but as a teacher Iwa feels that Akane shouldn't limit her options and go to college. Now Akane has to prove herself to her teacher. Who would have thought Jumbo, that little @#$% from episode 1, would end up growing into a surprisingly handsome, strong, and dedicated guy? One who has been Akane's genuine childhood friend all throughout their school years and has been genuinely supporting her Rakugo! Classic Akane maneuever of trying to get to better know her "opponent" and act all charming and chummy to figure out how to "beat" them. Though while she can't really fake being a bookworm, she can talk your head out when it comes to Rakugo. Jumbo hasn't just been there to help Akane film and prep for her lines/performances, he's also there attending said performances and even talking Iwa-sensei into showing up! That's what we call a Rakugo Wingman. So there WAS blowback for Issho over his actions...but his Big Bad-level Rakugo was so good he restored the public favor back to himself. Take him down, Akane! I understand where Iwa is coming from. She supported a student getting into the entertainment industry and he crashed and burned, so she doesn't think she can support students lightly without serious consideration. But when she sees how dedicated and capable Akane is in Rakugo, how much effort she's putting in, how she can genuinely make others laugh...she can't help but see that this is where Akane deserves to be! And as Akane's teacher, she's going to help her student the only way she can: by introducing Akane to a competition for young Rakugo Perfomers...headlined by none other than Akane's nemesis, Issho Arakawa! Akane-Kobanashi! Eye and head movements are important to Rakugo, though looking up into the sky when you're trying to remember something is universal.

Random Thoughts It was nice to see a little bit of Akane's school life. Didn't expect to see the return of the bully from the first episode, who now is besties with Akane (not to mention buff as hell...Akane was right...Judo was the best thing to happen to that dude). Was sort of expecting a deeper reason why the teacher might be skeptical about Akane's career choices...the mention of reading made me at first wonder if she was a failed author. I very much sympathize with the teacher, and her insistence is probably correct most of the time. I can't tell you how many young people I have seen dead set on careers that they didn't have the skillset or dedication for. Akane though does have enough talent to make a go at it (although even then I get a sense that even talent might not be enough in that profession, and I would also surmise women our at a disadvantage) The last bit about how Akane's dad getting expelled was a big enough deal to make the news was interesting...it sort of comes off as if the expulsion was less about the students and more a sinister attempt to get publicity for the guy's own career. I'm looking forward to seeing how this showdown is going to go down.

Damn Jumbo jumpscare with the flashback on who he was. Lmao. My mind immediately went to, ah potential love interest. Then I remembered this was shonen. If any romance plot happens, it'll probably happen on the 517th chapter or in the epilogue of the finale. Lol Also, not a fan of how they initially wrote the conflict of this episode. I feel like they could have handled it better without the teacher outright rejecting Akane's career choice even after she admits she hasn't seen a rakugo performance before. I get what they were going for but eh. I have to constantly remind myself to adjust my expectations because the tone and atmosphere is so different from Rakugo Shinjuu.