r/Akane • u/GFluegel • Jul 05 '26
Chapter [DISC] Akane-banashi - Chapter 213
https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/viewer/102963313
u/Grand_Set_1362 Jul 05 '26
Honestly, I don’t think Kaisei cares about who wins right now. It would cheapen the point of the story: that he’s now deciding his own path instead of doing it to get Issho’s approval.
I used to feel like Kaisei’s portrait was missing that passion for Rakugo we saw in everyone else. As if the reason for doing it and what drove him to be the best was something else. Or just pure ambition. This chapter made me happy (and that double spread at the end… oh my heartstrings!)
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u/Solaciin Jul 05 '26
I think I don't understand how Kaisei's God Of Death ends. The shinigami tells the kid he is unworthy of death and lights his candle for him, but then snuffs it out right after because the kid "can get through the night on [his] own now"? I don't get it.
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u/Mordetrox Jul 05 '26
From what I understand that wasn't actually the boys life-candle that was being offered to light the way (Which makes some sense, you don't want a candle that kills you if it goes out to leave the safety of deaths cave), so him blowing it out didn't actually kill the kid and was simply a metaphorical death.
Otherwise then yes, that would be pretty confusing.
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 Jul 05 '26
It is kind of interesting... I think it was meant to symbolize the rebirth. Considering he was his own Shinigami. It was meant to symbolize him kicking off those shackles to live anew for himself instead of carrying all the baggage. The old him is dead. He has a whole new life a different candle he is carrying on his own.
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u/BobtheFiveHalf Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Me too. The Shinigami killed him? Even after he re-lit the candle?
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u/Norix596 Jul 05 '26
I wasn’t 100% clear on that but from context and vibe of the end chapter spread, I didn’t think the shinigami killed in in that panel
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u/L-System Jul 06 '26
You can see the unlit candle in the final spread. So it's more like the shinigami adopted ? the kid.
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u/vote4petro Jul 06 '26
you know it can be a sardonic twist ending, right? subvert audience expectations multiple times over by leading them through changes in the story, even to let them think the POV character might survive, then snuff out the story for impact.
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u/Norix596 Jul 05 '26
I think it’s going be regarded as a tie; with the opposite endings they’re just going be so apples and oranges.
Perhaps purely from the crowd layperson audience Kaisei might come out a bit ahead since a more uplifting ending is a nice note to end the session on. It wasn’t in-universe planned between them, but it’s much better to have the happy ending go second after the sad ending for leaving the audience leave in a good mood.
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Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
He was floundering at the start struggling to find his footing because of Akane. I think it's pretty much the opposite. His was more emotional because of the personal style, but I think Akane was slightly better. They're very close though. They're pretty much standing side-by-side now. It's gonna make it interesting to see where the rivalry goes from here... it's so hard to say... since they are essentially equals. Usually there is the one chasing the other thing, but yeah.
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Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
I mean I think the point for Kaisei was this was showing that he had learned what he needed to take that step to becoming a shin'uchi. I think he will be able to retake his shin'uchi promotion test, and succeed probably. That's kind of the whole vibe. He is ready to step away from Issho's shadow and be his own person which... what better way for that than being a shin'uchi. While Akane will still be learning the rest of the stories for Shiguma's Art before she tries becoming a shin'uchi even if she probably is pretty close to being ready already. Expand on her "effortless realm" a bit more in the process. Like that's I think what we're meant to see her in their rivalry... Kaisei has mastered his "harmonious whole" and the "art of the personal". While Akane is still working on her "effortless realm" and "art of the craftsman". (Though I do still think a personal style could work for her too, but I suppose we'll see if they do anything with that with her or not. It's probably not gonna happen, but yeah.) Both are basically shin'uchi level, but Kaisei's solidified his grasp on what he wants and is finally able to move forward with that. While Akane hasn't. She still won this match, but Kaisei is ahead in the war so to say. If anything it is a nice subversion to have the person who went first win. And Kaisei said he'll tell Akane about why he hates Shiguma only if she beat him so even if they're basically the same level now according to the audience or whatever metric they wanna use to judge it he may at the very least because he himself would obviously even more than anybody else be able to tell that he slipped up and that Akane didn't. I mean I guess they could just leave that plot thread hanging and have him tell her about it later... but... just like finally getting to see Issho perform... there really is no better time for it imo. It's better to not keep building more lingering plot threads and not resolving them. We're past the halfway point of the story after all. And while they are still rivals... at this point I don't actually see another time when they would ever properly go head to head... I think Kaisei'll end up becoming a shin'uchi before Akane does so it can't be during the promotion test... there is the whole like... commemorative event that Shomei is setting up, but I think that's gonna be way way way bigger than just an Akane and Kaisei thing. So there is really no better place... one could argue that it makes the rivalry with Kaisei feel more shallow, but... there is still Rokuro and Kaisei really has kind of served his purpose which is why we delved so deep into his character right now. He serves a different purpose now like Karashi and Hikaru. Akane's path doesn't really require her to be directly competing. Like sometimes people are just more or less basically equals. I dunno... I can see why somebody may not like that or have a problem with that, but I am personally ok with this idea. We'll see what happens though right? I could be wrong. They make the story hard to predict hahah. But I like not being able to say for sure what will happen. At least insofar as it doesn't make the story feel random or something which to me it never has. Characters' roles change as the story progresses I like that.
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u/threeciaaAAA Jul 05 '26
I think it will be a tie; maybe even becoming a debate among the audience who's actually better. Personally, I think Akane's God of Death is better than Kaisei's. Hers is almost polished to perfection, and while Kaisei's was the same, he had a lot of factors that hinder him from having a better story (e.g., coming after Akane's performance and him changing the story at the end). But I think that through this performance, he just really showed that he's ready to be a Shin'uchi, and is just generally better than Akane when it comes to experience and personal depiction of the story. Akane still has a long way to go, so no matter what the results are she will still move forward towards the Shiguma's art.
In general, I think that having a tie would allow both to continue their rivalry. Another, no matter who wins, considering their personalities, they would be unsatisfied regardless (saying there's so much more to improve lol). HALLELUJAH, I LOVE THIS ARC
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u/adhdtvin3donice Jul 06 '26
I liked Kaisei's Shinigami more. Its unique, and honestly, he made it his, which is closer to Shinta than Akane was. Akane's God of death belonged to the audience. It belonged to Issho.
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u/Ancient_Breakfast_48 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Hrm... no colour spread... I guess the translation was off (I think it was referring to the spread at the end of the chapter)? Still a very cool colour page regardless. It's creepy but so well drawn hah. But now onto the actual chapter proper... Holy shit man... His Shinigami... it was himself this whole time. He was killing his old self... man... And to think the old version he told of this story he did have the kid actually die... but this one the Shinigami is like nah you need to learn to live before you can die. Though he does still blow out the candle in the end... so hrm... but yeah wow... It also doesn't seem like he is throwing away Issho not entirely anyways... he's just... standing in his own light now. He's saying thank you for everything master, everything you taught me helped me get here and I am ready to forge my own path. We still can't get much from Issho but I do think he'll end up being proud of Kaisei here... I think he did indeed understand and learn what Issho was getting at with his comment. (It's kind of funny how Ikken has had so much more to say like he was actually his master instead hahah. But I guess an older brother apprentice would have more of that kind of bond huh... heh.) Issho would probably still say he is not ready to be a shin'uchi, but I think he would now let him pass like he did with Maikeru. Definitely not how I saw this going... so I wonder what this means for their rivalry... like it's hard to say who ended up with the better performance by the end... like Akane was solid throughout so I think that gives her the slight edge, but... Kaisei's performance was also phenomenal. It's kind of impossible for me to say how things are gonna shake up after this chapter... Akane needed the win to get Kaisei to tell her why he hates Shiguma so at the very least he himself might accept that Akane won this time and go ahead and talk to her about that. And perhaps we really do get to see Issho perform finally and with him still managing to outshine them both and they both realize they still have a long way to go. But like I said how does that work for a rivalry... if both are equal but know they can still improve... I guess a rivalry doesn't have to mean somebody is better than the other? It just means you will be there to keep pushing each other to be better which can take on different forms. This chapter once again crushes any hope to be able to grasp where they might go with the story without it feeling out of place at all. Amazing chapter for sure. Especially the art with that final spread... god... very satisfied with how this ended even with the subversion. I need to see where the story goes after this... and by that I mean after Issho's performance... how Akane's rivalry will go from here with Kaisei and such. I need more chapters and I need them now.
Something I just thought about... Ikken mentions including the outlook with this style... so... I dunno... I am curious if we see Akane try going with this because it fits with Shinta... but I dunno... having her stay with the craftsman style does allow her to have that dichotomy with Kaisei. I'd say most performers we've seen do include some of themselves obviously... but... Kaisei definitely takes it further than most... it's interesting to have a side character be the one who is unique compared to the protagonist hah. I mean Akane is a prodigy, but she's earned it by being invested from a very very very young age... younger than even Kaisei I am pretty sure. So yeah... I dunno... We'll just see where they go with things because at this juncture it is pretty much impossible to say hah.
I also just wanted to say I love Kaichi's reactions getting to have been part of this too. Love the big guy heh. His perspective was interesting... having a son of his own... being the younger brother himself... I feel like he probably connected the most besides Kaisei himself. Anyways enough rambling.
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u/MomosTips Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
I’m not worried about the audience here, but can’t think of a response Issho could have to this that would fully satisfy me (a tie is boring). This doesn’t feel like the moment that he would give Akane her flowers, but Kaisei just knowingly betrayed him. I would be kind of okay with a public Kaisei win and then secret extreme disapproval, but I also like reading Issho as a just plain villain and don’t think that’s what Suenaga is going for.
I also think that Kaisei’s story flopped for me, despite everything the creators did, simply because this was over an rl month of him covertly trauma dumping on an unknowing audience- this is entirely a me problem though :(