Anhane

Anhane is the femslash ship between An Shiraishi and Kohane Azusawa from the Project SEKAI fandom.

Canon
An and Kohane are members of the street music group Vivid BAD SQUAD as well as their duo unit Vivids. Both sing, and Kohane is regarded as their leader. Kohane is a first-year high school student and attends Miyamasuzaka Girls Academy meanwhile An is a first-year attending Kamiyama High School.

An was a part of the music scene long before Kohane. Ever since witnessing an event her father performed at - RAD WEEKEND - as a child, her goal has been to create an event even greater than that, despite the doubt of fellow musicians. She has been a solo artist for the majority of those days, despite expressing interest in having a partner, because she would always think "this person isn't the one." Personality-wise, An is an outgoing, sociable, hardworking and passionate girl who won't stop until her goal is achieved.

On the other hand, Kohane initially comes off as somewhat meek and, as Akito would go on to describe her, "half-hearted." However, this changes after Kohane discovers her passion for music, leading her to become a reliable girl who works hard to overcome her shortcomings. She's willing to take chances despite her nervous demeanor and proves to be a valuable part of the group, especially to An, whom she motivates.

The two of them officially meet for the first time when Kohane stumbles into the live café and bar (Weekend Garage) An's father owns after getting lost. Her heart pounds at hearing An sing Rettou Joutou, and, overwhelmed by her feelings, she bolts when An attempts to talk to her. Kohane visits the shop again a few days later, and this time sings for An at her request. An is taken aback by her voice and can't help but join in. After their duet ends, she enthusiastically asks Kohane to team up with her, saying that they could put on the greatest show ever if they were together. Although initially surprised by the prospect, Kohane agrees, and the two of them begin practicing and performing together.

During their first event, their sound cuts out as a result of intentional sabotage by Mita, one of Akito's musician friends, and Kohane freezes up while An does her best to keep going. An tries to cheer up Kohane, who ends up running away after Akito takes the blame for the sabotage. They get each other back into the groove of performing even after that disastrous performance and support each other. This way, their next event is much better, shocking even Akito, who admits Kohane isn't half-hearted as he'd thought.

An's greatest passion is music, and to find someone to share that with inspires her and staves away the inevitable loneliness of a dedication as singular as hers. An is even seen to sometimes break character for Kohane, such as during Singing in Sync where she sacrifices her professional demeanor on stage worrying about her partner. Kohane has always wanted to be a brave person, and being with An brings that bravery out in her. An is always there for her, giving her affirmation and supporting her in her entrance to the music scene. Their bond even helps Kohane discover her true feelings for singing and passion. By being together, they highlight each other's greatest strengths, making their newly minted team a considerable opponent to their groupmates Akito and Touya, who have been making music together for years.

Singing in Sync
Another bump in their relationship happens during An's first focus event when An realizes she's been overprotective of Kohane and hasn't been putting enough faith in her. This cumulates in an emotional apology scene where An tells Kohane she still wants to sing with her, Kohane accepting, and the two of them hugging.

Awakening Beat
At the beginning of the event, Vivid BAD SQUAD wins in another singing battle and they head out to Weekend Garage in order to celebrate. An suggests that instead of Kohane participating in solo events to get more onstage experience, they should practice more as a team and enter more team events together. Kohane then mentions being nervous that her singing isn't on the same level as the others'. An tells her she's wrong and compliments her, and then suggests everyone go watch Kohane's solo event. When Kohane mentions being insecure, An tells her to stop worrying and show everyone what she's made of. A few days later after the event and Kohane running into a mysterious man (who is later revealed to be An's father's old friend and ex-partner, Kotaki Taiga) who tells Kohane she's lacking commitment, An wonders why Kohane doesn't have more confidence in herself. After Touya and Akito leave, the two girls stay behind to practice more.

An then decides to take her to the SEKAI and have a chat, where she proceeds to praise Kohane and remind her she's the "the greatest partner I could ask for." When Kohane tells her she's exaggerating, An's expression becomes serious and she once again tells Kohane it's okay for her to have more confidence in herself and that everyone around her as well as in Vivid Street acknowledges her singing skills. Kohane thanks her before asking how exactly she could do that and with the help of MEIKO, she declares she'll keep trying her best. Next day, the group meets up and they start talking about an event happening in STAY GOLDEN, with Kohane initially feeling nervous but becoming determined enough to enter and win this time around. However when the event day comes around, Kohane overhears audience members talking about her and make her feel insecure. An pulls her outside and proceeds to pull her cheeks before telling her to do the same and mentions how Kohane isn't the only one who's feeling nervous. She then proceeds to remind Kohane again about how great she's at singing and she'll always believe in her.

An then becomes shocked upon hearing Kohane's solo and can't believe how quickly she managed to improve. After the group finished singing and heard the audience's cheers, An wants to praise Kohane but is mentally blocked and becomes extremely concerned about it during the after party. Even when Kohane thanks her for believing her, An feels confused but tries to mask it off and congratulates Kohane for finding her answer, however it doesn't go unnoticed by Akito.

Bout For Beside You
In the event, which continues after Awakening Beat and is also An's second focus event, An starts feeling a hazy feeling in her chest and cannot figure out what it is. When Taiga asks to take Kohane under his wing, it only grows. Later, with the help of Akito and Miku, she realizes that she's fearful of being left behind by Kohane. She later encounters Kohane who says that she heard An singing, and that it was really cool as always, and made her heart pound. An says that she also makes her heart pound, which makes Kohane blush. An then asks what would Kohane do if she went far away someday. Kohane asks if An's leaving, to which she clarifies that it's just a hypothetical scenario. Kohane then says that she would still want to keep singing with her. She says that no matter where An goes, she still wants to be with her, and stand beside her. This elates An, and they both sing together. An remarks that her heart pounds, and that she loves hearing her sing.

Time to hang out♪
An and Kohane end up hanging out with Minori and Haruka after Minori asked An about her and Haruka's childhood memories. They hang out at a restaurant before going to Phoenix Wonderland. Before that day, An goes around telling her father, Akito, Touya and Mizuki that she's going on a date in her 3* card's side story, and they all immediately know that it's with Kohane without really needing a moment to consider it. Kohane herself agrees that it's a date in the Time to hang out♪ After Live, although she also doesn't deny that they were just "hanging out" when Akito asks if that's why they're so hyped up.

Quotes
"An-chan, happy birth... Wah! Y-You're crushing me... You didn't let me finish congratulating you..."

- Kohane's Menu Line for An's Birthday (2021)

"You're an awesome singer, Kohane. I want to keep performing with you and realize that dream. I believe all of this, even now. Especially now! When you weren't sure about something, you leaned on me and asked me for advice... That made me really happy. And I didn't want that to end... But it ended with yesterday happening... I failed you as your partner. I should've believed in you more and helped you grow... But... I want us to be together, Kohane! I want us to perform together! I want to be your partner! I want you to believe in us too! Because I really believe in you, Kohane! So please, will you sing with me on that stage again?"

- An in Singing in Sync Chapter 8 - Becoming Teammates

"You really are amazing, Kohane... Once you put your mind to something, you stay completely dedicated to it. I think that's really amazing!"

- An in "Intimate Feeling" first side story

"(But why...? Kohane figured out how to sing way better than she usually does, and I was so happy to see it happen... It was the most exciting moment we've had so far singing together... But... Why...? Why do I have this knot in my chest? I don't know what this feeling is... I'm happy, more than happy that Kohane's finally smiling again. There's absolutely no denying how I feel about what happened, so...)"

- An in Awakening Beat Chapter 8 - Next to Everyone

Fanon
Anhane is one of the most popular ships for both An and Kohane. They are mainly rivaled by Akian, Akikoha and Toukoha. It is currently the most popular ship involving Kohane and the most popular ship involving An, as well as both of their most written ships on AO3. While "Anhane" is the more popular alternative in the Western fandom, "Ankoha" is more common in the Eastern fandom. They have had many interactions from the very first chapter of their Main Story and have thus received a fair amount of attention throughout the short history of the game. Some see them as semi-canon, as best friends with mutual romantic feelings. Some Anhane fans who also like Minoharu joke that the Time to hang out♪ event was just Anhane and Minoharu on a double date.

Many who see them as semi-canon or even canon are angry towards Colorful Palette, the developers of the game, thinking that Anhane is queerbait and another instance of implying two characters have feelings for each other, but not actually confirming it. At the same time, there is a section in the fandom that dislikes the ship due to many shippers reducing Kohane's character just to being nothing but An's girlfriend, or the other way around. Many non-shippers are also disappointed that An's character mainly revolves around Kohane, as half of their focus events have been about An feeling inferior towards Kohane or being afraid that she'll abandon An at some point.

Anhane is often shipped alongside AkiToya, with them sometimes appearing as a side couple in their fics and vice versa. At the same time, Western Anhane shippers are known for being quite hostile towards anyone who ships either of the girls with any guys, at some points even to the point of harassing or sending death threats to other, which has also contributed to some people's dislike for the ship.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

FAN ART

TUMBLR

TWITTER
 * (Korean "Ankoha" tag)
 * (Korean "KohaAn" tag)
 * (Korean "Ankoha" tag)
 * (Korean "KohaAn" tag)
 * (Korean "KohaAn" tag)

Trivia

 * Their ship is referred to with the "🎧🐹" emojis due to the fact that An wears headphones and Kohane resembles a hamster. Alternatively, they are also referred to with the "⭐🐹" emojis due to the stars in An's hair.
 * They have a height difference of 4 cm, with An being 160 cm and Kohane being 156 cm tall.
 * Their Kizuna Ranks include: "Vivids", "Best Partners" and "Two Supportive Pals".
 * Some of their Cheerful Carnival Team names are "Vivids", "Fateful Encounter", "Want To Always Be Next To You", "A Partner To Be Proud Of" and "Best Partners".
 * An and Kohane along with Luka were featured in the first Connect Live Rehearsal.
 * An and Kohane have covered seven songs together (,, , , , and ). They also have duet alt versions for An's first focus song  and Touya's first focus song , as well as solo versions for Kohane's first focus song  and An's second focus song.
 * Coincidentally, both their seiyuu, Akina (Kohane's) and Sumi Tomomi Jiena (An's) had covered Odo on their own YouTube channels before it was officially announced and released in-game. Some fans made fan mixes out of them.
 * In the first Vivid BAD SQUAD Archive, they covered Asu no Yozora Shoukaihan.
 * In the card set for "Legend still vivid", Kohane's hair clip and An's earring match.
 * In August 2022, Western Anhane fans on Twitter managed to get the hashtag "ANHANEGETCHA" trending multiple times as a way of getting Colorful Palette to acknowledge they want the cover in game. However, some took it too far and even ended up spamming the Project SEKAI Wondershow Channel #23's chat to the point where their messages were deleted and both Japanese fans and their fellow shippers were frustrated.
 * On October 18, 2022, while the Bout for Beside You event was going on, the Colorful Stage EN account posted a tweet saying "Ever since An saw Kohane's recent performance, she's been having this weird hazy feeling... What could this feeling be?". While many Anhane shippers instantly jumped on this saying Anhane has been confirmed at least semi-canon, many were also disappointed people completely ignored her fear of being abandoned and left behind, which is a core part of An's character, and just boiled everything down to shipping.
 * They later posted another tweet on February 14, 2023, with a picture of the 3* An card from the Legend still vivid event and with the caption "Early bird gets the hamster 🐹".
 * In An's 2022 Birthday card, Mizuki and Rui made a Kohane doll for her as a birthday present.