SHIROBAKO

DESCRIPTION

CAST

SPECIAL AdventureSHIROBAKO: Gekichuugeki Animation
MOVIE ComedySHIROBAKO Movie
MANGA ComedySHIROBAKO: Kaminoyama Koukou Animation Doukoukai
NOVEL ComedySHIROBAKO: Introduction

REVIEWS

• 

  Peng

  90/100
  Paying homage to the industry

  

  Apparently, [working in the anime industry is tough shit.]( https://www.buzzfeed.com/danmeth/this-american-is-one-of-the-only-non-japanese-working-in-ani?utm_term=.slZvE0MM0#.ccWWOZNNZ) [Like really tough.]( http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-11-02/animator's-salaries) Of course, we consumers are oftentimes oblivious to or far too willing to ignore the painstaking lengths the creators of our evening entertainment go to as to keep us entertained. Instead, we grovel at whatever’s on the monitor in front of us. Or we change our desktop background to fan art of whatever the flavour of the month is. Or, as I am all too experienced at, we talk mad shit on the internet. All of these things are fine. I’m sure any creator would like people to watch and openly discuss their product. The point remains: we frequently only see anime at face value, only to ignore the hundreds of faces behind it. The underpaid work hours, the countless pencil strokes and the many individuals that form the foundation of any anime too often go unappreciated. _Shirobako_ pays homage to, recognises and is in many ways [a love letter](https://animethemes.moe/video/Shirobako-ED1v2.webm) to these individuals. #Everyone's a winner *** The story follows five former classmates as they attempt to navigate their way through the anime industry. Each girl aspires for/is working in a different field, from key animation to voice acting. However, the focus of the story is main girl and best girl Aoi, a production assistant at a struggling studio. That said, the cast is enormous. There are a ridiculous number of speaking roles as there are multiple characters for virtually every position in the studio. CG artists, key animators, background artists, colourists, inbetweeners, sound technicians, seiyuus, assistants, writers, producers, the director and the general manager – all of them have their moments. Anime is a collaborative effort and _Shirobako_ emphasises this. To top things off, many of the characters are [references to various real life industry counterparts.](http://i.imgur.com/29GkvEo.jpg) You’d think that handling such a massive array of characters would be burdensome, yet _Shirobako_ does it with laudable finesse. Every character has a unique personality. In fact, many members of the secondary and even tertiary cast receive some development. Whether it’s a two-minute segment or a traceable evolution throughout the entire series, nearly every character, regardless of how important they are in the context of the central story, feels genuine. Hell, even [Goth-loli-sama](http://i.imgur.com/OfNFiJ2.gif) gets a spotlight episode. Some are more likable than others, some receive more attention and others are obviously more gimmicky, yet nearly all of them feel like real people. And that’s the point. Regardless of their position and how insignificant it may appear, each individual in the industry is an actual person. A person complete with his or her own quirks, mannerisms, passions, goals and dreams. It’s not a huge revelation, but _Shirobako_ does an excellent job at reminding us of this simple yet often forgotten fact. #My little production assistant can't be this cute *** Which brings us to our main five. If I have one major complaint, it’s that the screen time isn’t allocated evenly enough amongst the five. This is because each and every one of the girls is so goddamn lovable. I’m not one easily sold on moe characters, but _Shirobako_ ensures to go above and beyond with its central cast. Sure the girls are cute, and that’s a definite part of their appeal. And yet, they each have elements to their characterisation that extend beyond this. Each of the girls shares the same dream: they want to make anime. They all go about achieving this dream in differing fashions, they are all at different stages and they all have their own reasons. Granted some of their respective traits are less inspired than others and none of them are overly nuanced or complex. Ultimately, however, we care enough about each of them such that we actively root for their success.

  Aoi perhaps best demonstrates this. She is earnest, conscientious and kind beyond impair. Yet, she has her own distinct faults. At the beginning of the series, she is far too passive and lacking in resilience. Most importantly, she lacks direction in her life. Her goals are vague and clouded, whilst she struggles to identify the reasons that motivate her to keep going. As someone whose future is not as clear as he’d like it to be, this sense of loss and confusion is all too relatable. And that’s the thing: _Shirobako_ doesn’t sugar coat the industry, or the adult professional life for that matter. As we’ve established, making anime is no easy task, [especially given how paltry the monetary rewards are.](http://i.imgur.com/ORAFhaN.png) Just like in any workplace environment, people get frustrated, people become dissatisfied with their lives and people experience failure. _Shirobako_ reflects this; its characters can and will fail. In a similar vein, it captures some of the internal political struggles within the industry. This includes workplace sexism, intervening corporate interests and [blood-boiling miscommunications between source material and anime creators.](http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-05-31/polar-bear-cafe-creator-comments-further-on-anime) Indeed, the plot, which primarily follows the studio as they attempt to dish out each episode on time, contains enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. The conflict and drama never really feels too contrived. It seems as if the complications the characters face were all experienced first-hand by the folks at PA Works. However, the show isn’t really about this doom and gloom. It still leaves us with a hopeful message. As horribly cliché as it sounds, it’s all about clinging to your dreams in the face of this adversity, to learn from it and grow. It’s all so simple, yet incredibly poignant at the same time. It’s genuinely heartwarming to see Aoi endure her struggles, find her bearings and become stronger, and in the end happier, as a person. Likewise with all the girls. #On this episode of _How It's Made_ *** On top of all this sentimental stuff, _Shirobako_ is an anime about making anime. The series strives to give credit to and show its appreciation for everybody involved in the creative process, and so it presents and explores each part of this process in delightful detail. There’s something humbling about seeing the key animators in action, or learning about the difficulties in accurately capturing animal movements or understanding just how much effort goes into producing realistic sound effects. Even watching the production assistants running frantically from desk to desk and from office to office is eye-opening in comprehending just how much dedication is required for ostensibly the most menial of roles. It’s quite the educational experience. There is also an omnipresent meta level that only reinforces this sense of appreciation. Keep in mind that people had to make this anime about people making anime. As such, when a character in the show learns about the complexities of feline movement by observing a cat, some poor sod at PA Works probably spent an afternoon scribbling down notes regarding the movements of his/her pet cat. Or when an animator in the show is drawing some key frames, an animator in the real world had to draw both the animator and the frames. Cue the _Inception_ gong. Of course, PA Works knows what they’re doing, and this meta self-awareness can get hilariously tongue-in-cheek. This ties into another thing _Shirobako_ nails: the comedy. I’ve already talked about the character references to real life industry professionals, some of which are gleefully over the top. There are of course references to countless other anime, including some really obscure titles. Like the in-show director comments, you can’t make anime if you’re not a child at heart. Thankfully, it is this very childishness that delivers fantastic gags like the _Initial D_ production assistant drag racing, the fight to the boss room, and rooftop aerobics.

  Visually, _Shirobako_ is not one of PA Works’ most impressive shows, but the art quality is consistently good. Character designs are great, even for minor characters. A small detail that goes a long way in adding a sense of realism to the show is the constantly shifting clothing designs. Not to mention, they’re cute as fuck. _Aoi's wardrobe_ Similarly, the soundtrack is not that memorable, but it’s not particularly poor either. Voice acting is on point. Furthermore, it’s fitting to note that for the seiyuu who played Zuka-chan – the aspiring voice actress – this was her first major role. ###有難う 御座います *** There’s something endearing about the characters watching a completed episode for the first time. For many of these people - both in-show and in the real world, the show would have me believe - anime is not merely a source of income. Rather, it is proof of their collaborative efforts, the outcome of years of dedication and love and the realisation of their dreams. _Shirobako_ is for these people. But beyond this, _Shirobako_ is dual natured. It also presents a story that even those most unfamiliar with the industry can empathise with. A story about the tribulations of working life, about deciding on and pursuing one’s goals and about constantly moving forward. I haven’t felt this strongly about or rated an anime this highly in a long time. I tried to find flaws (it’s kinda my forte) but nothing really stood out. I adored virtually every second of the series. If you’re even a casual fan of the medium, _Shirobako_ provides significant insight into the workings of an anime. If not, then there’s a simple but relatable and poignant story to enjoy.
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• 

  duckfun

  95/100
  Realistic, relatable characters and its unique premise of anime production make Shirobako a breath of fresh air

  [MINOR SPOILERS ABOUT CHARACTERS]

  Shirobako is one of the most unique anime I've seen, with a realistic take on the challenges people have to go through, especially as new high school/college grads. This isn't an anime about cute girls doing cute things at their jobs, like New Game is. Instead, it's about cute girls trying to achieve their dreams of making anime professionally and the sacrifices and hard work they put forward to try and make their dreams come true. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they fail, and sometimes the progress they've made towards their goal isn't what they wanted and they start to doubt themselves and their dreams. The way the main characters of this anime deal with failure and react to success feels so realistic and relatable that Shirobako could've been based on a true story. Each character has their own personal struggles and goals that they have to handle, along with maintaining their relationships with others at the same time.

  An example is one of the main characters, Sakaki Shizuka, an amateur voice actress who is struggling to find work and consequently has to work as a barmaid. While she acts like everything is going well with her friends, in reality she's frustrated and ashamed of her relative lack of success when compared to them, as they have steady full-time work in anime/graphic design. Despite her best attempts, she isn't finding work, and her shame forces her to lie about her situation even to her closest friends. This story really hits home because that's the harsh reality for a lot of people in real life who have to give up on their dreams, and Shirobako is full of these relatable, realistic stories. This style of superb writing for the main cast of characters is reason enough to watch Shirobako, but that's not all it has to offer.

  Having seen so much anime, I found the aspects of anime production shown to be simply fascinating. The audience is exposed to all the stages of creating an anime through the eyes of the main character Miyamori Aoi, a recent grad who is now an anime producer. We see almost everything, from the preproduction and storyboarding process with the director, to meetings with the artists that create the animation and music in anime, and how the work from innumerable people all comes together to form the final product that goes on air. Through Yasuhara Ema, an animator at the same company as Aoi, we're exposed to the struggles of a fledgling animator trying to learn the different techniques of animation while attempting to meet the expectations of her peers and animation director. The list goes on, and we get to learn about how much effort goes into things like background art, CGI, voice acting, and even explosions to name a few. It's captivating and shows the monumental amount of work that goes into making anime.

  Although I believe Shirobako's greatest strengths lie with its great main characters and its refreshing and unique setting, it does a great job in other aspects as well. The humor is great and tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at anime, the people working in anime, and the production process, despite Shirobako's staff going through literally the same things. The art and animation, while nothing too outstanding, is done well, with very effective character designs that work with their personalities. The music is used at the perfect times to provoke emotion and the soundtrack itself is full of beautiful tracks. The only shame is that the lack of leitmotifs in the music makes it less distinct and memorable.

  Shirobako's weakness, in my opinion, is mostly in the director (the character in the show, not Mizushima Tsutomu). The director's character is a tropey otaku whose actions and behavior clash with the complex, realistic main characters. The wackiness he brings to the show is funny and entertaining in its own right, but it feels incompatible with the deeper writing at play. It forms a huge dichotomy in the tone, where it's outrageous when he's present, whereas it's normally silly at most. This causes the show to feel inconsistent as he's technically the most important person in the studio, and that negatively impacted my investment in the story. However, I realize it's understandably difficult to write a story following the anime industry that is realistic yet still entertaining, as it's often brutal work with long hours and low pay, so the director's antics help prevent Shirobako from becoming too mundane.

  Another issue is the disproportionate time given to the different main characters. The five girls are presented as main characters, but it's hard to consider everyone equally important when Aoi and Ema get 80% of the screen time and the rest, while still excellently written, are only given a few minutes in a few episodes to have meaningful development. It's a nitpick, but definitely something that could've been improved on as these great characters are one of the best parts of the show.

  Overall, Shirobako is a wonderful breath of fresh air. It's one of the most unique takes on a coming-of-age story in anime and has some of the most human and relatable characters I've seen. It's surprisingly educational about anime production and the industry, and helped me gain a newfound appreciation for the people behind the works I love. Although not without its flaws, I wholeheartedly recommend Shirobako for any anime fan interested in well-written, realistic characters or the anime production process.

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• 

  Autumn

  85/100
  Figuring out and continuing with what you really want to do for the rest of your life is never easy

  Just my opinion: I would really recommend people to watch this anime after they have worked for at least a year or so. I personally feel that one will not be able to grasp what the anime wanted to portray if you were to watch the anime when you are still a student or have no working experience.

  

  ---

  __PLEASE NOTE THAT MY REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR (Okay, MAJOR) SPOILER__

  ---

  This anime is basically an anime about making an anime with five female protagonists with the series mainly revolves/focuses on one of the protagonist - Aoi Miyamori. Her four other female protagonists may not have the same amount of screen time as Aoi but any more for them might be too much and can get boring.

  Overall, the anime has good character developments, really nice drawing styles and the story flows quite smoothly. I particularly like the story, it's refreshing, the pace is just nice; it's realistic and heartwarming at the same time. I also like the first ED song- "Animetic Love Letter" that gives a dreamy and hopeful feeling and the second OP song- "Treasure Box" gives me a 'I shouldn't give up, so that I can be closer to my dream' feeling, basically, I should be positive and I will eventually reach my goal :) Of course, the first OP song and the second ED song are good and pleasant to the ears too!

  I took a liking to almost all the characters except for one (okay, two maybe) but other than that, I really couldn't find what to hate about this anime. Taking into consideration that it's a 24 episodes long series, it's inevitable that there might be some boring parts here and there, but not to the extent that you will want to pause and stop watching it. Another thing is, as I am not really familiar with the animation industry and how things really work, I have to search for the terms online. It doesn't affect much on the flow of the story but the prickly me needs to know what is (e.g., in-between checks) what before I can move on with the series.

  Moving on the anime itself; Aoi and her four other friends knew each other when they were in high school. They joined an animation club and made an anime of their own. It feels like they finally realised that they want to be in the animation industry after they graduate from school and with the promise to each other that they will make an improvised version of the anime they made, we can see them getting a closer to their dreams. The other four female protagonists sort of already knew what they wanted to do in the animation industry except for Aoi, whom have no idea what she could exactly do. However, she mentioned that she can do everything/anything as long as she can be in the industry, she landed herself a job as a production assistant and eventually became a production manager. As for her other four friends, they encountered problems and were on the verge of giving up but pressed on and grew better at what they are doing.

  I feel like I can see myself in Aoi- I know I want to be in the media industry but as someone without any special talents, I don't know what I can do but I really really want to work in the media industry. I am sure that most of us can relate to Aoi's sense of loss while seeing others excelling in their field because not many of us are born geniuses or are given a special talent. You know, I kinda envy people who know what they want to do for the rest of their lives and are able to excel in it.

  ** I just have to mention this - in episode 23, when one of Aoi's four friends, Sakaki Shizuka, a voice actress who only get roles that have very minimal lines managed to get a notable role after going for endless auditions entered the recording studio, Aoi was shocked to see her and tears started to flow down uncontrollably because Shizuka has gotten a role that can make her shine. This is the most memorable scene because seeing someone fighting so hard, finally achieving what they wanted, is a feeling that it's hard to use words to describe. I even cried a little during this scene. The buildup from the front episodes were strong so I could feel as if I am Aoi during this particular scene.

  Lastly, a quote from the series to end my review,
  "If you're able to eat doing something you love, it's a wonderful thing."

  (Sorry for the long wordy review!)

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