Anna Nagase On Rakugo Training For Akane-banashi
Anna Nagase, who voices Akane Osaki in Akane-banashi, said studying rakugo changed how she plays characters.
1 source 18h ago
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
Why it matters
The interview puts the series' method on record: the cast learned rakugo itself to play rakugo, and Nagase frames the art as something audiences can enter rather than a closed tradition.
Key Facts
- Anna Nagase voices Akane Osaki in Akane-banashi.
- Nagase performed the rakugo story Jugem three times for the series.
- Nagase said rakugo and voice acting both require one performer to carry several characters through emotion.
- Nagase praised the actor who plays Karashino for bringing out the character's appeal.
- Nagase said rakugo is easy to get into once you find a way in, and called Akane-banashi a good entry point.
In an Anime Expo interview, she said rakugo and voice acting work the same way: one performer carries several characters through feeling and expression, not voice change alone. She named Jugem, which she performed three times, as the hardest story she had to learn, and praised the actor behind Karashino.
Nagase said she first assumed rakugo was hard to get into, and that she thought you needed its history and culture before you could enjoy it. Learning it changed that view. Once you find one way in, she said, the art opens up, and she called Akane-banashi a good entry point.
On preparation, she said the cast learned rakugo itself, and that the skill carried into voice acting: same performer, several characters, carried by emotion rather than a changed voice.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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