Episode 7 of Akane-banashi gives us a tour de force vocal performance and a pretty solid anime shell around it to boot.

The textual events of this week are good, if somewhat boilerplate. It’s no secret that Akane-banashi is a work that uses the tempo of a sports series to tell a story about the performing arts. There’s no shame in using a template that works, and by golly, this one works. Akane has proven herself in several smaller exhibitions and one-on-one scenarios, playing to smaller crowds or audience-of-one situations. She has excelled in these situations and largely punched way outside of her weight class.

Now, in keeping with the sports-series pacing, it’s time to see her at her first true competition. This cup performance gives her a chance to flex her muscles under the spotlights and more intense scrutiny. Akane has to impress not only us as the viewing audience and the one or two notable people watching, but she also has to impress hundreds of onlookers and multiple judges. For anyone who has done a performance or a recital of any kind, the scale and pressure here are quite relatable. There’s something about that giant auditorium and expansive void beyond the stage that is intimidating in a way that smaller performances simply are not.

Akane acquits herself well despite the simple story she has to tell. I am no rakugo expert, nor do I consider myself even a novice in the world of these stories and their tellings, yet even I am aware of Jugemu Jugemu. I learned of Jugemu Jugemu in the traditional manner of my people (i.e., seeing a Fullmetal Alchemist meme over a decade ago, spoofing the story). If it has that level of common notoriety, I have to assume it really is a basic tale, and so I can share Akane’s peers’ trepidation over the situation.

That said, she does incredibly well here. Most notably, it is the performance of Akane’s voice actress Anna Nagase. The rapid-fire delivery required to pull this off is very impressive, and she knocks it out of the park here. The commentators in most sports-adjacent series serve as informants and also help modulate the audience’s feelings when they aren’t sure what to feel, but in this instance, the effect is not needed. Anna Nagase gives it her all, and both in-text and meta-textually it’s a you de force. Another instance where the anime heightens an amazing manga moment in the way only an audiovisual medium can.

Rating:

Akane-banashi is currently streaming on
YouTube.

Anime’s first 3 episodes play in advance in U.S. theaters on June 25-29

The staff for Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity, the fourth and final part of the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime, presented the anime’s main trailer on Tuesday. 

Viz Media and Fathom Entertainment will screen in advance the anime’s first three episodes in U.S. theaters on June 25-29. The episodes will screen in Japanese with English subtitles and with the English dub, and will include an exclusive behind-the-scenes conversation with creator Tite Kubo, chief series director Tomohisa Taguchi, and series director Hikaru Murata.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 – The Conflict premiered in October 2024 and concluded in a one-hour final episode in December that same year.

The anime’s first cours (quarter of a year) premiered in October 2022, and ended in December 2022 with a one-hour special that combined the anime’s 12th and 13th episodes. Viz Media is streaming the anime on Hulu in the U.S. The anime is streaming on Disney+ internationally, and Ani-One Asia is streaming the series in many Asian countries.

The anime’s second cours premiered in the United States on Hulu, in Latin America on Star+, and in select other countries internationally on Disney+ in July 2023.

The anime will run for four cours with breaks in between.

The anime covers the rest of the original manga up through its ending. The Thousand Year Blood War arc is the final arc of the manga, and covers volumes 55-74.

Source: Bleach anime’s YouTube channel

Twin Engine revealed on Tuesday a special trailer for Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-San-Shō: Hebigami (Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3: Snake God), the third installment of the Mononoke franchise‘s film trilogy. The special trailer features clips from the previous two films, and new clips from the third film depicting Mononoke‘s unique horror.

Twin Engine describes the third film’s story:

After two major incidents involving Mononoke—a deadly battle between a medicine seller (Hiroshi Kamiya) wielding a demon-slaying sword and a Karakasa umbrella, and the subsequent showdown with the Fire Rat—it seemed as though peace had finally arrived in the inner palace. However, the medicine seller still sensed a lingering presence of “something” and remained vigilant. Meanwhile, Empress Sachiko (Tanezaki Atsumi), the wife of the ruling emperor (Irino Miyu), is blessed with a long-awaited baby boy, but her joy is short-lived as she passes away despite the hopes and prayers of those around her.

Hoping to change her formal marital relationship with the emperor by giving birth to an heir, Sachiko finds herself at rock bottom and becomes embroiled in a terrifying plot that threatens to overturn the very existence of the Ooku. Her regret at not being rewarded for her irreparable sacrifice and her anger with nowhere to go soon begin to turn into resentment. Mizorogi Hokuto (Tsuda Kenjiro), a priest of the Ooku’s faith, “Omizu-sama,” watches events unfold with a solemn expression. At the same time, unnatural earth tremors (earthquakes) occur frequently within the Ooku. A mysterious incident begins with the creepy movement of a gigantic, crawling creature and the falling of triangular scales. This is followed by a mysterious incident in which a maid is twisted, crushed, and strangled to death. A medicine seller rushes to the scene, only to be confronted by a giant snake-shaped Mononoke called the Snake God. After a standoff, the seller manages to repel the monster with a talisman, but he must discover its three characteristics—form, truth, and reason—before he can remove the demon-slaying sword and slay the Snake God. Where does the Snake God come from? Why has it become so angered that it threatens to consume the Ooku? And why has it now reared its head and begun to move? The roots of these questions lie hidden 150 years ago, in the true story of the birth of the Ooku.

What is the shocking truth that will shake the nation, never before revealed? The medicine seller risks everything to confront the Mononoke, which is the very essence of the Ooku’s dark history. However, he finds himself cornered in an unprecedented situation, confronted by a snake god who harnesses years of resentment and unimaginable strength… As his life is threatened, even more unpredictable and extraordinary events unfold! What will become of the medicine seller as he faces his greatest crisis?

Hiroshi Kamiya reprises his role as the Medicine Seller, with other returning cast from the previous two films.

New cast members for the third film include:

Kenji Nakamura returns from the second film as the general director, and Tomoaki Koshida is directing the third film at Studio Kafka and EOTA. Aina The End performs the theme song “No Epilogue.”

The new film will open in Japan on May 29. 

Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain (Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa), the first film, premiered in Japan in July 2024. Netflix is streaming the film. The film won the Axis: Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation for best animated feature film at 2024’s Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. Aina The End performed the theme song “Love Sick.”

Mononoke the Movie Trilogy: Chapter 2: The Ashes of Rage (Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-Ni-Shō: Hinezumi) opened in Japan in March 2025. Aina The End performed the film’s theme song “Hana Musō.”

The Mononoke anime premiered in 2007 and aired for 12 episodes. The series is a spinoff of the Ayakashi – Samurai Horror Tales anime. Specifically, it follows the medicine seller from the “Bakeneko” (Goblin Cat) arc. The Mononoke anime has five arcs, the last of which is titled “Bakeneko.”

Kenji Nakamura directed the television anime at Toei Animation, and Takashi Hashimoto designed the characters and served as chief animation director. Yasuharu Takanashi composed the music.

Source: Press release