No. |
Original release date |
Original ISBN |
English release date |
English ISBN |
1 | June 3, 2022[19] | 978-4-08-883150-3 | August 8, 2023[20] | 978-1-9747-3648-5 |
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- "On That Day" (あの日, Ano Hi)
- "Six Years" (6年, 6-Nen)
- "First Performance" (初高座, Hatsu Kōza)
- "Who Is That?" (何者, Nanimono)
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- "Proper Channels" (通すべき筋, Tōsubeki Suji)
- "Senior Pupils" (兄弟子達, Anideshitachi)
- "Kibataraki" (気働き)
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Akane requests to become a formal rakugo apprentice under Shiguma Arakawa (VI), her father's former master who has been secretly giving her lessons for the last six years. Before deciding, he has her perform in front of an audience for the first time at Rakugo Cafe. After showing her skills with the classic "Scared of Manju [ja]"[b] she is well-received by the audience, shocks Shiguma's pupil Guriko, and meets Kaisei, a pupil of Issho Arakawa, the man who expelled her father. Akane is formally taken on as an apprentice after Shiguma meets with her mother for the first time since Akane's father was expelled. Shiguma's pupil Kyoji takes Akane under his guidance and, when she is disappointed with the audience reception after she performs "Praising Children [ja]",[c] calls her rakugo selfish and puts her on the path to learning kibataraki or mindful action; which includes altering your performance to each audience and anticipating what they want ahead of time. He does this by having her work as a waitress at Umi, an izakaya. |
2 | August 4, 2022[21] | 978-4-08-883193-0 | October 10, 2023[22] | 978-1-9747-4053-6 |
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- "In Order to Entertain" (喜んでもらう為に, Yorokonde Morau Tame Ni)
- "After the Delight" (喜びの先, Yorokobi no Saki)
- "Epitome" (背中, Senaka)[d]
- "Myopic" (短絡的, Tanraku Teki)
- "The Dreamer" (夢見るあの子, Yumemiro Ano Ko)
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- "Goal and Condition" (目的と条件, Mokuteki to Jōken)
- "The Type to Hold a Grudge" (根に持つタイプ, Nenimotsu Taipu)
- "Koguma's Rakugo" (こぐまの落語, Koguma no Rakugo)
- "The Karaku Cup Begins" (可楽杯開幕, Karaku Hai Kaimaku)
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During a performance of "Praising Children" at a retirement home, Akane shocks Kyoji with the kibataraki she has learned. Kyoji performs "Three Men Lose One Ryo [ja]".[e] In school, Akane's teacher Machiko Iwashimizu is concerned that her student is so firmly set on becoming a rakugoka that she will not even be applying for colleges. After attending a performance by Akane at the urging of Akane's classmate Jumbo Ozaki and seeing how passionate she is about rakugo, Iwashimizu changes her mind and informs Akane of the Karaku Cup, a rakugo competition for students. Akane wants to enter in order to win the prize, a conversation with head judge Issho Arakawa. Master Shiguma allows her to enter but under the condition that she win only with "Jugemu", a story so famous that even people unfamiliar with rakugo know it; meaning it is difficult to get laughs with, and thus never performed in competitions. Akane asks her senpai Koguma Arakawa for help, and he inspires her to research the Edo period. As the first day of the Karaku Cup begins, the unknown Akane draws attention after receiving praise from the emcee, Kaisei. |
3 | October 4, 2022[23] | 978-4-08-883260-9 | December 12, 2023[24] | 978-1-9747-4098-7 |
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- "The Karaku Cup Prelims" (可楽杯予選, Karaku Hai Yosen)
- "Shut It" (せからしか, Sekarashika)
- "The Karaku Cup Finals" (可楽杯本選, Karaku Hai Honsen)
- "BM"
- "Hikaru's Rakugo" (ひかるの落語, Hikaru no Rakugo)
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- "As A Performer" (表現者として, Hyōgensha Toshite)
- "Lull" (凪, Nagi)
- "Infinite Blessings" (寿限り無し, Kotobuki Kagiri Nashi)
- "The Disappearing Stage" (消える高座, Kieru Kōza)
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Akane is one of eight contestants to proceed to the finals of the Karaku Cup, and positions herself as one of the three poised to win. In the finals, Karashi Nerimaya, winner of the last two years, performs his "adapted rakugo", which takes the basic concepts of the classic "Tenshiki [ja]"[f] and places them in a modern setting. Hikaru Koragi, a popular voice actress, uses her acting skills to perform "Shibahama [ja]",[g] a heart-warming rakugo, in a theatrical style. After these two performances where the contestants purposefully showed off their strengths, Akane successfully adapts her performance of "Jugemu" to the audience's current mood so that they naturally focus on her story rather than her; she essentially disappears from the stage, showing a deeper connection to the characters' minds and outlooks, just as Master Shiguma wanted her to learn. |
4 | December 2, 2022[25] | 978-4-08-883419-1 | February 13, 2024[26] | 978-1-9747-4302-5 |
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- "Where You Belong" (来ていい場所, Kite Ii Basho)
- "Conversation" (座談会, Zadankai)
- "I'm Glad" (よかった, Yokatta)
- "A Wonderful World" (素敵な世界, Suteki na Sekai)
- "Before Being a Rakugoka" (落語家である前に, Rakugoka de Aru Mae ni)
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- "Zenza Training Begins" (前座修行開幕, Zenza Shugyō Kaimaku)
- "Yasaka-Tei" (弥栄亭)
- "A Place of Learning" (修練の場, Shūren no Ba)
- "Background Listening" (捨て耳, Sute Mimi)
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Master Issho, who had been encouraging promising newcomers, declares Akane does not belong in an amateur contest, as he realizes she has studied under Shiguma. As her reward for winning the Karaku Cup, Akane has a private meeting with Issho where she asks why he expelled her father, Shinta. He explains he was protecting the art from weakness, including Shinta's unconfident shin'uchi test performance; Akane thanks him and vows to demonstrate he misjudged her father's art. Shiguma tells Akane that Shinta chose to leave rakugo forever because he could not carry on Shiguma's art. Eight months later, Akane begins zenza performance training at Yasaka-tei, a yose theatre, alongside Karashi, now studying under Enso Sanmeitei, Un'un Kenputei, and the senior (tate) zenza, Asagao Konjakutei. After a stern lecture from odious futatsume Rien Konjakuan, Asagao assigns her to open for Rien. |
5 | March 3, 2023[27] | 978-4-08-883427-6 | April 9, 2024[28] | 978-1-9747-4334-6 |
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- "Opening Act" (開口一番, Kaikōichiban)
- "One Fan's Worth" (扇子一本分, Sensu Ippon-bun)
- "Rakugo Quest" (落語クエスト, Rakugo Kuesuto)
- "Manners and Etiquette" (礼儀と作法, Reigi to Sahō)
- "Ookanban" (大看板, Ōkanban)
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- "The Image of Greatness" (傑物の背, Ketsubutsu no Se)
- "Sharaku the Unteaching" (師資不承のしゃ楽, Shishibushō no Sharaku)
- "Evaluation" (値踏み, Nebumi)
- "Wonder Child" (麒麟児, Kirinji)
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After Akane performs a punning "Sango-Jigo [ja]"[h] rakugo which pointedly references their encounter yesterday, an infuriated Rien's retaliation is halted by "wonder child" Rokuro Kashiwaya. As the zenza crew at Yasaka-tei disbands, Asagao, Karashi, and Shiguma encourage Akane to learn more stories from other masters. Hassho Tsubakiya, the first she approaches, declines to teach her "Hirabayashi [ja]";[i] Akane realizes she is earning a bad reputation from her "Sango-Jigo" stunt. She asks to participate in Rokuro's upcoming neta-oroshi event in which each rakugoka is performing a story new to them. Akane watches superstar ookanban [ja] master Urara Ransaika perform "Fetching Tea" (お茶汲み, Ochakumi).[j] Upon listening to Akane describe her conflict with Rien, Urara offers to teach her the same story. Urara invites Akane to watch Rokuro perform "The Carpenter's Inquiry [ja]";[k] Kimihisa Kashio, a reporter for Monthly Rakugo, explains Rokuro earned the "wonder child" nickname by refusing to be cowed by the other performers. |
6 | June 2, 2023[29] | 978-4-08-883492-4 | June 11, 2024[30] | 978-1-9747-4575-3 |
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- "First Practice on the Road" (初めての出稽古, Hajimete no Degeiko)
- "Two Steps" (二つの手順, Futatsu no Suteppu)
- "Date" (デート, Dēto)
- "Fetching Tea" (お茶汲み, Ochakumi)
- "Fetching Tea, Part 2" (お茶汲み②, Ochakumi 2)
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- "Fetching Tea, Part 3" (お茶汲み③, Ochakumi 3)
- "Master's Desire" (師匠の望み, Shishō no Nozomi)
- "Goldfish" (金魚割り, Kingyowari)
- "Embodiment" (体現者, Taigensha)
- "Fascinating News" (おもしろい報せ, Omoshiroi Shirase)
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At their first formal lesson, Master Urara says Akane is not suited for the part of the oiran; to win Urara's approval to perform "Fetching Tea", Akane literally dresses as a courtesan and later goes on an initially awkward date with her former classmate, Jumbo Ozaki. At the neta-oroshi event, Akane's delivery is similar to Urara's, but the difference in their ages make the oiran sound false, not seductive; however, the story pivots after the oiran's deception is exposed, and Master Hassho, watching from the side of the stage, recognizes the realism of Akane's portrayal. Acknowledging her resilience, Hassho agrees to teach "Hirabayashi". In a flashback, Kaisei's childhood struggles and his connection to Master Issho are shown before he performs "The Death of Toyoshiga [ja]"[l] at an event, following an opening story by Akane; backstage, he tells her about an upcoming four-performer event in which three have already been chosen, and the fourth slot will go to the winner of the annual zenza renseikai training event, judged by Master Ikken Arakawa. |
7 | August 4, 2023[31] | 978-4-08-883592-1 | August 13, 2024[32] | 978-1-9747-4623-1 |
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- "Zenza Renseikai" (前座錬成会)
- "The Vibe of the Renseikai" (錬成会の空気, Renseikai no Kūki)
- "She's Here" (彼女がいる, Kanojo ga Iru)
- "The Rakugo Swamp" (落語の沼, Rakugo no Numa)
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- "Framework of the Art" (芸の骨格, Gei no Kokkaku)
- "A Difficult Choice" (難しい三択, Muzukashī Santaku)
- "Only One Side" (たった一面, Tatta Ichimen)
- "Time Machine" (タイムマシン, Taimu Mashin)
- "Judging Standards" (審査基準, Shinsa Kijun)
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The renseikai event includes a preliminary round with 18 zenza, with four advancing to a final evaluation one month later. Maikeru volunteers to tutor Akane if she makes the finals. From the preliminary round, Akane advances with "Hirabayashi", as does Kaichi, a former salesman now studying under Master Issho; Zenmai, apprentice to Zensho; and, in a surprise, Hikaru with "The Miller's Torment [ja]",[m] who kept her studies under Ikken secret until that day. Maikeru offers three stories to Akane, and she chooses "Changing Time" (替り目, Kawari-me),[n] because he learned it from Shinta. To better understand her father's art, Akane asks those who knew him, including her mom, what Shinta was like. At the finals, Zenmai performs "The Stubborn Moxibustion [ja]"[o] first, receiving a total score of 75/100, which is the sum of three professional judges (two rakugoka and one critic), the in-person audience, and an on-line audience, each of which can award up to 20 points. |
8 | October 4, 2023[33] | 978-4-08-883691-1 | October 8, 2024[34] | 978-1-9747-4893-8 |
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- "The Worst Compatibility" (相性最悪, Aishō Saiaku)
- "This Is So Stupid" (くだらんね, Kuradanne)
- "Most of All" (一番は, Ichiban wa)
- "Let's Forget About It" (忘れようか, Wasureyō ka)
- "Still That Girl" (あの日のまま, Ano Hi no Mama)
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- "When Feelings Get Too Strong" (強すぎる思い, Tsuyosugiru Omoi)
- "Dad's Magic" (おっ父の魔法, Ottō no Mahō)
- "The Rakugoka Shinta Arakawa" (落語家 阿良川志ん太, Rakugoka Arakawa Shinta)
- "Resolution" (解像度, Kaizōdo)
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Kaichi goes next, performing "Golden Bamboo [ja]"[p] by aiming to please the audience and drawing on his experience; backstage, Akane hears echoes of Shinta's motivations in Kaichi, who scores 91 points. Before she goes on, Hikaru tells Akane she became a rakugoka to beat her. Hikaru performs "The Hanami Revenge [ja]"[q] in the heretical "Eight Blind Men" style, using distinct voices for each character. She earns 93 points, including a perfect 20 from the streaming audience. Akane closes out the set with "Changing Time"; during her low-key performance, she realizes she was charmed by the vulnerability in Shinta's art, which she uses to deliver the in-person audience into the story. At his wife's insistence, Tohru is watching Akane online while traveling for work; he protests rhetorically about the blurry video quality, through his tears. |
9 | December 4, 2023[35] | 978-4-08-883791-8 | December 10, 2024[36] | 978-1-9747-4939-3 |
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- "Changing Time" (替り目, Kawarime)
- "And the Winner Is..." (勝者は, Shō-sha wa)
- "The Shikisai Festival" (志喜彩祭, Shikisai Sai)
- "The Shikisai Festival, Part 2" (志喜彩祭②, Shikisai Sai 2)
- "The Shikisai Festival, Part 3" (志喜彩祭③, Shikisai Sai 3)
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- "I'm Burning Up" (燃えてますよ, Moetemasuyo)
- "A Shallow Man" (軽薄な男, Keihaku na Otoko)
- "The Man Who Will Be Your Guidepost" (標に成り得る男, Shirube ni Nari Uru Otoko)
- "Chocho Konjakutei the Ookanban" (大看板・今昔亭ちょう朝, Ookanban Konjakutei Chōchō)
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Akane places second with 92 points; her first defeat leaves her feeling sad. Although she received better marks from every in-person voter, the streaming audience provided the winning margin. At a local festival held jointly by the Shiguma school and his neighborhood, Shiguma's apprentices operate competing booths; Akane encounters Master Shiguma, who advises her to "tighten the loincloth (fundoshi) of her heart" and enjoy herself before she helps Guriko at a yakitori stand. During the festival rakugo performance, she opens for Guriko, whose "The Careless Nail [ja]"[r] is received well; he later vows to stay ahead of her as a role model and asks Maikeru for help. At a corporate anniversary event, Karashi recites the company's history in the kōdan style before reuniting with Asagao, Akane, and Un'un at Yasaka-tei to celebrate Asagao's futatsume promotion plans. Akane, who has been strategizing how to secure a recommendation from one of the Arakawa Arch Four, is given an old flyer by Asagao, which advertised an event held jointly by his master Chocho Konjakutei with Shinta and Taizen Arakawa. Akane and Karashi are invited to watch Chocho perform, who is the youngest ever to reach ookanban. Hassho helps Chocho sneak into the venue and tells Akane she reminds him of Chocho. |
10 | March 4, 2024[37] | 978-4-08-883822-9 | February 11, 2025[38] | 978-1-9747-5176-1 |
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- "Chocho Konjakutei the Ookanban, Part 2" (大看板・今昔亭ちょう朝②, Ookanban Konjakutei Chōchō 2)
- "Art of Sunshine" (“陽”の芸, "Yō" no Gei)
- "Cho-Han Dice" (丁半博打, Chōhan Bakuchi)
- "Present Location" (現在地, Genzaichi)
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- "My Plan" (私の秘策, Watashi no Hisaku)
- "New Breeze" (新風会, Shinpūkai)
- "External Validation" (外付けの自信, Sotozuke no Jishin)
- "Got Me Licked" (舐めやがって, Nameyagatte)
- "Tanuki Stories" (狸の噺, Tanuki no Hanashi)
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Based on a roll of the dice backstage, Chocho performs "One for Show [ja]"[s] and Hassho wryly notes he is "a born gambler". At a celebratory afterparty, Asagao announces his plans to hold a zenza study event monthly and invites Akane and Karashi to participate. Chocho gambles with the zenza over a rigged game of chō-han for a chance to learn a story. Separately, Guriko asks permission from Shiguma to continue his studies in Osaka. Asagao is challenged to sell all 50 seats at the Rakugo Cafe for his study events, but only four show up at the debut. Taizen refuses to meet with Chocho, who asks if Taizen still believes Shinta's expulsion was Taizen's fault. Akane draws a young audience to the study events by performing "Tanuki Money" (狸の札, Tanuki no Satsu)[t] in a tanuki costume. Asago tells Rokuru he is using the study events to select an opener. At the "Arakawa New Breeze" futatsume event featuring Hikari, Yuzen, Koguma, and Kaisei, Koguma revives "Giboshi" (擬宝珠),[u] a story whose oral tradition had died out. |
11 | May 2, 2024[40] | 978-4-08-884023-9 | April 8, 2025[41] | 978-1-9747-5279-9 |
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- "This Breeze Feels Nice" (この風は心地いい, Kono Kaze wa Kokochiī)
- "Errands to Run" (用事があるんで, Yōjigārunde)
- "Specialty" (十八番, Ohako)
- "My Words" (私の言葉, Watashi no Kotoba)
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- "This is a Major Event" (事件だよ, Jikendayo)
- "It's Been A While" (久しぶり, Hisashiburi)
- "It's Just Rakugo" (たかが落語だ, Takaga Rakugo da)
- "Heartwarming" (微笑ましい, Hohoemashi)
- "Art and Nin" (芸と仁, Gei to Nin)
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At the fourth study event, Asagao performs "The Backward Rickshaw [ja]"[v] and invites Akane to open his futatsume debut event, which will include the ookanban Chocho and Taizen. Chocho asks if Taizen will give Akane a futatsume recommendation which Taizen, who apprenticed under Zensho, has never done and Zensho, who has a grudge against Shiguma, forbids him from doing so. For the event, Chocho teaches "Tanuki Dice" (狸賽, Tanuki Sai)[w] to Akane but asks that she refrain from using Edo dialect for training. Over drinks, Chocho asks Shiguma (VI) about the art of Shiguma's and Issho's master, also named Shiguma (V), which Shinta was pursuing. The upcoming debut event, which Kimihisa notes is the first to include members of the Rakugo Federation and Arakawa School since the mass expulsion, is highly anticipated and the "National Treasure", rakugoka Miroku Kashiwaya, attends. To avoid disobeying his master, Taizen calls to say he will be late enough to miss Akane's performance, but Tohru convinces him to show up on time instead. Akane's "Tanuki Dice" draws on her own personality, rather than just the structures of rakugo, for the first time. |
12 | July 4, 2024[42] | 978-4-08-884114-4 | — | — |
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- "The Other Effect" (もう一つの効果, Mōhitotsu no Kōka)
- "The Rakugoverse" (落語ヴァース, Rakugouāsu)
- "Exactly" (だからだよ, Dakaradayo)
- "The Furious" (怒髪天, Dohatsuten)
- "Tension and Release" (緊緩, Kinkan)
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- "The Promise of the Past" (あの日の約束, Ano Hi no Yakusoku)
- "Butt Out" (口出し無用, Kuchidashi Muyō)
- "Today's Star" (今日の主役, Kyō no Shuyaku)
- "Old Name" (昔の名, Mukashi no Na)
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Akane plays with the structure and plot of "Tanuki Dice", winning a warm reaction from the crowd before Taizen performs "The Golden Daikoku" (黄金の大黒, Kogane no Daikoku)[x] to rapturous applause. Backstage, Akane speaks with Taizen; as Zensho interrupts to remind Taizen of his order, Taizen announces he will give Akane a futatsume recommendation and Shiguma orders Zensho to leave. Outside, Zensho's tantrum is interrupted by Maikeru, who tells him his shin'uchi promotion test has been set to take place in a month. Akane confesses she is having fun with rakugo to Tohru. In a private meeting, Miroku calls Shiguma by his student name, Rokuen Kashiwaya, noting that Issho (Kisoba) and Kyoji (Kyoichi) also were brought up in the Kashiwaya School; Miroku also draws similarities between Akane and Kiroku Kashiwaya, the former Shiguma (V). |
13 | September 4, 2024[43] | 978-4-08-884165-6 | — | — |
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- "Patient" (我慢, Gaman)
- "Model" (範, Han)
- "Senior Apprentice" (一番弟子, Ichiban Deshi)
- "Too Shallow" (軽過ぎる, Karusugiru)
- "Floundering" (ジリ貧, Jirihin)
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- "His True Self" (本来の姿, Honrai no Sugata)
- "Yin and Yang" (陰陽, Inyō)
- "A Stand" (ケジメ, Kejime)
- "Judges' Results" (審査結果, Shinsa Kekka)
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Tagging along at his request, Akane and Maikeru perform everything but rakugo as he prepares for his shin'uchi test, the first to be held by the Arakawa School since the expulsion. Zensho privately predicts failure and poisons the crowd's mood by reminding everyone about the prior disaster during the opening remarks. During the test, Maikeru chooses to perform "Time's Up [ja]",[y] making an initial light, joking impression, but he pivots to a tone befitting the tragic, emotional ninjo-banashi, which reflects his journey as the senior apprentice after Shinta left; his performance leaves most of the audience, including Zensho, in tears. Maikeru is promoted on a 3–1 vote, with Issho dissenting because some members of the audience were left unmoved. |
14 | November 1, 2024[44] | 978-4-08-884284-4 | — | — |
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- "Really Shaping Up" (様になったな, Sama ni Natta na)
- "I'm Counting On You" (任せたぞ, Makasetazo)
- "A Fully-fledged Rakugoka" (一端の落語家, Ippashi no Rakugoka)
- "Walk the Path" (歩む道, Ayumu Michi)
- "Thanks to Master" (師匠のおかげ, Shishō no Okage)
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- "Essence of the Shiguma School" (志ぐま一門らしさ, Shiguma Ichimon Rashisa)
- "Shiguma Onstage" (志ぐまの高座, Shiguma no Kōza)
- "Room for Imagination" (想像の余地, Sōzō no Yochi)
- "The Art of Subtraction" (❝引き算❞の芸, ❝Hikizan❝ no Gei)
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Standards to become an Arakawa shin'uchi have risen to the point where the performance must be worthy of an ookanban, following an incident involving Master Issho. While researching Issho's master Shiguma Arakawa (V) (Kiroku Kashiwaya), Rokuro discovers Shiguma (V) had performed an unfinished story later named "Shiguma's Art", which had been passed down within Kashiwaya exclusively until Kiroku/Shiguma (V) broke away to form the Arakawa School. Four months later, as Akane prepares for her own futatsume event, Shiguma (VI) asks her to open for his upcoming solo event. Karashi, Hikaru, and Akane renew their now-friendly rivalry. At the solo event, Akane performs "First Tenjin [ja]"[z] in gratitude for Shiguma VI's life lessons before he goes on with his specialty "God of Death". |
15 | February 4, 2025[45] | 978-4-08-884431-2 | — | — |
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- "Afterparty" (打ち上げ, Uchiage)
- "Impossible Task" (ムチャブリ, Muchaburi)
- "Time at Last" (いよいよ, Iyoiyo)
- "Is This Rakugo?" (落語ですか?, Rakugo desu ka?)
- "It's All A Mess" (ぐちゃぐちゃ, Guchagucha)
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- "Dismantled" (解体, Kaitai)
- "Thinking Back" (思い出す, Omoidasu)
- "There's Always Tomorrow" (明日がある, Ashitagāru)
- "There Is Everything" (何でもある, Nani Demo aru)
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Shiguma (VI) offers to teach Akane "Shiguma's Art", which Issho and Rokuru are also pursuing. He explains to Akane that "Shiguma's Art" is an unfinished framework she will fill in with her futatsume experiences to win Issho's acceptance; before he can give more details, he suffers a heart attack and doctors discover he has throat cancer, threatening his voice. At the hospital, Issho decides to disband the Shiguma (VI) branch and announces he will take over Akane's apprenticeship; Urara defuses the tense situation and leaves with Akane, who asks Urara about Shiguma (V). In a flashback, Urara first met Issho and Shiguma (VI) in 1964; they were delivery boys for Soba Shop Kikuhiko who helped her during a confrontation with the son of a kumichō, the captain of a yakuza family. The kumichō returns and beats the boys, stopping at the request of Kiroku Kashiwaya, a regular patron of the soba shop, because Kiroku saved his life at Rabaul decades ago. They attend Kiroku's performance of "Time Soba [ja]",[aa] where Issho is deeply moved and vows to follow Kiroku. |
16 | April 4, 2025[46] | 978-4-08-884449-7 | — | — |
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- "Apprenticing" (弟子入り, Deshiiri)
- "Still Alive" (死んでない, Shin Denai)
- "To Hell With It" (しゃあねえか, Sha anē ka)
- "Chance to Shine" (晴れ舞台, Hare Butai)
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- "Raise the Flag" (旗上げ, Hata Age)
- "Tough Cookie" (強か, Shitataka)
- "Zenza Training Complete" (前座修業閉幕, Zenza Shūgyō Heimaku)
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Kiroku eventually accepts the new apprentices Kisoba and Rokuen. However, his master Miroku Kashiwaya (IV) bars them from performing for two years because of the fight; defiant, Kiroku schedules the zenza to open a Kashiwaya school event. Miroku IV offers the prestigious myoseki [ja] name Miroku to Kiroku if he expels his pupils, or be expelled himself, but Kiroku ultimately chooses the ruffians. After Kisoba debuts with "Time Soba" and is showered in applause, Miroku IV expels Kiroku and his students. At hanashi-zuka, a shrine to rakugo stories and performers purged during the war, Kiroku announces he will start a new school and revive the myoseki rakugoka name Shiguma Arakawa as the fifth to carry it, ending the flashback. Akane realizes that "Shiguma's Art" must have divided the two apprentices. Maikeru calls the Shiguma apprentices together and vows to reinstate the branch when he reaches ookanban. Issho forbids Akane from "Shiguma's Art" while studying with him; in return, she asks about Shiguma (V). Three years later, she is living in Paris. |
17 | June 4, 2025[47] | 978-4-08-884559-3 | — | — |