Akane-banashi

Rakugo, the ancient art of storytelling, demands years of dedication to reach the top rank of shinuchi. For Akane Ousaki, it was her entire world, a world she shared with her father, Tooru, whose performances she secretly watched for hours. But when a single promotion test judged by the stern master Issho Arakawa results in Tooru's expulsion, he abandons his dream entirely. Heartbroken and furious, Akane vows to get vengeance on the man who broke her father's spirit. Six years later, she seeks out her father's former master, begging him to take her on as his apprentice. To prove she has the talent and grit to succeed where her father failed, Akane must challenge the rigid traditions of the rakugo world.