two of the biggest rakugo fanatics in this manga of nothing but rakugo fanatics spent a whole chapter thinking of something outside rakugo… each other. feels like there's something there. i felt a little bad for hikaru recognizing her own feelings toward akane mirrored by akane but towards kaisei (akane is lucky though, unlike hikaru - looks like kaisei is equally obsessed). hikaru's taking it like a champ, though, she really is best girl.
it will be interesting to see if akane "loses" or "wins" here (though there is plenty of room for ambiguity - if these two weren't so shounen jump brained, it just seems like a huge win for both if they both knock it outta the park). if she wins, the story will definitely move and wrap faster, but her losing will do a lot more for her growth. kaisei's wording is very specific - "an apprentice of shiguma has no place here," not that akane doesn't belong here. if she loses, she may be torn between her love for her father/shiguma (and their rakugo by extension) and her drive to succeed and make issho recognize her, which is an interesting hurdle for her to eventually overcome. meanwhile, if she beats kaisei now, that's an opportunity for character growth for him that i don't think the story is ready for, if he's supposed to remain a serious threat.
i'm not rooting for akane to lose (and i'm happy if she wins here too, i know our senseis will be able to pull it off). but just like naruto was going to eventually triumph over sasuke, akane WILL beat kaisei when it matters most. i just think she gets a more interesting journey if she doesn't win every single time.
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