When it comes to Shonen anime, we tend to think of big flashy battle anime or sports series. Shows that are about explosions – of energy, of action, of movement. Strings of special attacks or flurries of blows with blasts of energy and impact. Even in comedy and romance, there is a tendency towards the explosive, in reaction and in displays of emotion. Akane-banashi, being a series about Rakugo, instead manages to succeed by eschewing explosive force for more subtle displays.