Turfster

The tropes of shounen are familiar to most anime audiences, with this boys’ demographic being wildly popular and its works often held up as the “canon” works of anime and manga. Like any genre of fiction, it has its own codes and conventions: a cheerful, outspoken protagonist, an overwhelmingly male ensemble cast, a training arc, a tournament featuring similarly-minded deuteragonists, mentors with specific expertise, and familial legacies to contend with. Like any collection of tropes, they can also be utilized in service of a story outside of that genre—and in stories that don’t necessarily center on male heroes. Akane-Banashi, a manga about a young woman coming into prominence in the world of Rakugo, has one of the farthest possible premises from the shounen standard, and yet it uses the tropes of shounen effectively to convey the emotional stakes of the story.

Read it at Anime Feminist!