Akane Ousaki

Akane Ousaki is the lead character of Akane-banashi, a story about rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of solo comic storytelling where a single performer acts out an entire tale while kneeling on a cushion. Her father, once a rising rakugo performer, was expelled from his teacher's school after failing a crucial exam in front of a judging panel, even though his performance that day was excellent. Akane cannot accept that her father's career ended that way, so she sets out to clear his name by becoming a rakugo performer herself, training under Shiguma Arakawa, a master of the art.

She is competitive, hardworking, and fearless about chasing her goal, often skipping ordinary schoolwork so she can spend more time practicing. At the same time, she warms up to new acquaintances fast, growing genuinely attached to people she has barely known for any real length of time. Her path is not easy: rakugo rewards performers who can truly read a room and connect with an audience, and Akane has to learn that skill the hard way, through setbacks and harsh feedback from stricter judges.

She competes in the Karaku Cup rakugo competition alongside rivals such as Hikaru Koragi, a voice actress trying her hand at rakugo, and the two-time champion Karashi Nerimaya. Her hard work eventually earns her a strong recommendation from a senior judge, pushing her up to the next official rank in the rakugo world, called futatsume.