Akane takes an important step forward in Akane-banashi chapter 129 as she sits down with her master to learn the mysterious art of the first man known as Shiguma Arakawa. Even after finding out that trying to do so was what got her father expelled from the rakugo world back when she was a kid, can she summon the courage to right the wrongs of the past?

It would be an understatement to say that Akane-banashi has been on a roll lately. Following the excellent performances of First Tenjin and God of Death during Shiguma’s solo event, it feels like the series has managed to hit new highs in terms of how it adapts rakugo stories, so perhaps now the time is right to move the plot along a bit. As a result, this week’s chapter finally gives us our first glimpse of the technique known only as “Shiguma’s art,” but it’s definitely nothing like you’d expect.

Since Shiguma’s art is described as both “nameless” and “a framework,” series artist Takamasa Moue makes the clever decision to omit all dialogue and only show the characters’ movements silhouetted in shadow. Of course, this also serves to heighten the mystery around the art and save any details regarding it for later reveals, but the lack of information much more effectively gets across its flexible and incomplete nature. What’s more, the fact that the art is depicted fundamentally differently from all of the other stories in the series thus far allows us to completely understand Akane’s reaction when she exclaims “Is this rakugo?”

Yet more bombshells are dropped in Akane-banashi chapter 129 as Akane’s master reveals that Issho Arakawa was never allowed to learn Shiguma’s art, which is why he judged Akane’s father so harshly for trying to replicate it back when he was trying to become a shin’uchi. Previously, Issho did come across as something of a pantomime villain, so this goes a long way in explaining his motives and humanizing him a little bit. It also reinforces why Akane must master the technique if she is to win his approval and get her revenge, making the path forward that much clearer.

Just in case you thought that the story was progressing a little too smoothly, Akane-banashi chapter 129 then ends with one hell of a cliffhanger: Akane’s master collapsed on the floor in front of the door. To make matters worse, he was halfway through telling her how mastering three stories is related to mastering Shiguma’s art, leaving her totally in the dark. It’s worth mentioning that series author Yuuki Suenaga also masterfully maximizes the impact of this moment by prefacing it with a dose of humor, making sure that the reader is taken completely unaware.

Will Akane be able to move forward without her master? Can she ever truly come to understand Shiguma’s art? And will she be able to succeed in where her father failed? These questions and more make the future of Akane-banashi very exciting indeed.

You can read Akane-banashi chapter 129 for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.