Akane-banashi anime announced for 2026 with PV and visual

Akane-banashi anime has been officially announced for production, and is scheduled to be released in 2026. This was confirmed with a promotional video and teaser visual during a Jump Press on Monday, August 4, 2025. Additionally, the details concerning the anime's main cast, staff, and character visuals have been revealed.

Produced by Studio ZEXCS, Akane-banashi anime is based on the eponymous shonen manga series, written by Yuki Suenaga and illustrated by Takamasa Moue. The manga has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine since February 2022, with 17 volumes released thus far.

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Akane-banashi anime set to debut in 2026

On Monday, August 4, 2025, the official YouTube channel of Shonen Jump held the first Jump Press of the month. During the livestream, the official staff unveiled a teaser trailer and visual, confirming the production of the Akane-banashi anime.

According to the announcement, the Akane-banashi anime is set to air on TV Asahi's IMAnimation programming block in 2026. An exact release date will be disclosed in the future.

The promotional video highlights Akane's father performing Rakugo, a Japanese form of storytelling. Akane is also featured in the video, as she aims to reach the highest rank of Shin'uchi. The teaser visual of the Akane-banashi anime also depicts Akane performing Rakugo on stage.

Notably, the staff opened a new website to share details about the anime adaptation. The website has shared an illustration from the director, Watanabe, with a text, reading "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form" in Japanese. A comment has also arrived from the original author, Yuki Suenaga. Regarding the adaptation, the author states:

"I have drawn a variety of rakugo stories, making full use of the expressions that are possible in manga. Even I, the author, have wondered, 'Could this be made into an anime?' However, now that the production of the anime has begun and I have seen and heard various things, I can say this with pride, 'It could be made into an anime!!' A trustworthy team is working with great enthusiasm to create the Akane Banashi anime!"

The author has urged fans to look forward to the anime.

Details regarding the main cast and staff have arrived. Anna Nagase stars as Akane Osaki, a high school girl aiming for the Shin'uchi rank, the highest in the world of Rakugo.

Takuya Eguchi voices Karashi Nerimaya, a university student who has won the Student Rakugo Championship, the Karaku Cup, twice. Rie Takahashi plays Hikaru Koragi, a rising star in the world of voice acting. Character visuals for the respective cast have also arrived.

Furthermore, the Akane-banashi anime will have a panel at Anime NYC 2025 in August. Shueisha editor Seisuke Araki and TV Asahi producer Kazuki Endo will be present at the event.

Ayumu Watanabe directs the series at Studio ZEXCS, with Yu Harima as the chief animation director and character designer. Michihiro Tsuchiya is in charge of supervising the series scripts, while Akio Izutsu is the music composer. Kikuhiko Hayashiya is listed as the rakugo supervisor.

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A brief synopsis of the Akane-banashi anime

Akane Osaki, as seen in the trailer (Image via Studio ZEXCS)

Based on the original manga, the Akane-banashi anime centers on Akane Osaki, a young girl who is captivated by the magical world of Rakugo.

She is mostly inspired by her father, Shinta Arakawa, who is a master at storytelling. Yet, one day, she witnesses a shocking incident, which makes her determined to obtain Shin'uchi, the highest rank in the Rakugo world.

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Edited by Apratim Chakraborty