Netflix revealed the full English dub cast for Akane-banashi, with Abby Trott voicing lead Akane Osaki ahead of the anime's May 17 streaming premiere.
Netflix has unveiled the English dub cast and staff for its upcoming anime adaptation of Akane-banashi, the rakugo-themed manga by Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue. The first two episodes premiere on the platform on May 17, with weekly episodes to follow.
Abby Trott leads the cast as protagonist Akane Osaki, the aspiring rakugo performer at the heart of the story. Xander Mobus voices Shinta Arakawa, while Rebecca Wang takes on the role of Masaki Osaki. The prominent Arakawa family of rakugo masters is rounded out by Brook Chalmers as Shiguma Arakawa, Evan Michael Lee as Issho Arakawa, Rich Brown as Zensho Arakawa, and Kirk Thornton pulling double duty as both Ikken Arakawa and Yanagiya.
Additional cast members include Mona Marshall as Yoshino, Clifford Chapin as Kimihisa Kashio and a first-episode emcee (plus Riichi in episode two), and Dorah Fine as Mrs. Ozaki. Matt Shipman and Darius Marquis Johnson join in the second episode as Kaisei Arakawa and Guriko Arakawa, respectively.
Alex Von David serves as both ADR director and writer for the English adaptation, with production handled by Bang Zoom! Studios, a veteran dubbing house behind numerous high-profile anime localizations. Patrick Rodman is credited as sound supervisor, while Michael Brooks handles re-recording mixing duties.
The pairing of Von David's direction with Bang Zoom!'s production infrastructure signals a polished localization effort for a series whose source material hinges on the rhythms and delivery of spoken performance — a particular challenge when adapting rakugo, the traditional Japanese art of comedic storytelling, into English.
The manga, serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump, follows Akane Osaki as she pursues mastery of rakugo after witnessing her father's dreams in the art form cut short. The series earned critical praise for making the niche world of solo storytelling performance accessible and dramatic, blending competition-arc tension with deep cultural detail. It concluded its run with strong readership numbers and multiple manga award nominations.
Netflix will debut the first two episodes of the Akane-banashi anime on May 17, shifting to a weekly release schedule afterward. The series will be available globally on the platform, including Netflix India, making it accessible to the growing Indian anime audience without requiring a separate subscription. Viewers in India can expect the dubbed episodes to land simultaneously with the global rollout.
With its unique subject matter and a seasoned English voice cast in place, Akane-banashi stands as one of the more distinctive new anime arrivals on Netflix this spring season.
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