Shirobako

Take it with a grain of salt: this is my first MAL review(?) and I logged in to just write this; haven't logged on to MAL in year(s)? The big reason why I like Shirobako a ton is because it is actually very typical of a PA Works product. I like most of them as they focus on intermingling the character development aspects with usually a solid appeal to some thematically relevant, emotional aspect of the story. I think what perhaps makes it a much more accessible crowd-pleaser than some of their other works is because the plot and direction are from "Girls und Panzer's" Mizushima Tsutomu, and he was able to transform a mundane corporate environment into an exciting and dramatic struggle between an anime company and its obligations, between youthful dreamers and the cold, harsh reality they live in. Better yet, what pushes Shirobako over is the plethora references for serious anime otaku, as in, people who actually don't consume anime as a bunch of files they collect but rather as the works themselves, as the creation of creators. And in Shirobako there is the whole gamut of famous people and nobodies in which the audience can draw connections with. It uses a tone that people who talk about anime online for a long time can get comfortable with. Sure, the educational aspect is good and people enjoy that, but it's more its ability to describe that work environment in a very personal way that makes the show so much more easy to connect. And that's how it handles the otaku side of the theme. Normally that stuff is esoteric and would be kind of boring, so being able to dramatically turn that into a weekly joy is quite spectacular. And maybe that's why Shirobako is such a well-accepted work. It's still got tons of flaws, including the very same kind of production issues they had to deal with within the show, plus having to do retakes because of copyright issues, and many others. But it is what it is, and watching and understanding Shirobako puts all of its flaws in to perspective, too.

Introduction: Shirobako is an anime about an anime crew working in an anime studio to produce anime ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) So it’s all about anime (｡◕‿‿◕｡) Shirobako means white box in Japanese. In the anime industry, this refers to a video recording that is distributed to members of the production staff prior to airing. Nowadays they use discs for it. Shirobako wasn’t popular until middle of first half (eps 5-6) where the plot started to shine and otakus (or anime enthusiasts) started to spread this anime around forums and blogs. And that was the time where I jumped onto the bandwagon and started to follow the series weekly. The story is about anime production, and the CONFLICTS AND COMPLICATIONS in making an anime. Life is hard when dealing with others,such as in real life and in Shirobako. Too many arseholes around to make an easy job goes haywire. Sometime it’s a studio,while the other time are the animators,or the production staffs who’re responsible for the project. A normal anime cast comprises of at least half a hundred of people. And the seasonal nature of anime production means the crew for each anime for a studio won’t be the same. That’s a perfect recipe for troubles and table-flipping. Next is the time management issue in this anime. Each episode’s core is literally the race to meet the deadline. The tension between people is animated fabulously well here, as compromises need to be made all of the time to finish the targets. Quarrels are not rare for this anime. Just like our life. Humors are placed perfectly, with some very stupid but heart-warming scenes. For example there’s a scene where the director need to go through a hell’s worth of obstacles just to meet someone important. AND ALL THE DRIFTS INVOLVED DURING TRANSPORTATION OMG Details of anime production are included in every episode. One will definitely be more informed about the production of anime for sure. And the characters in the show represents each side of it. Miyamori,the protagonist is a production assistant whose dream is to make an anime with her friends in high school’s anime club. Her charm is outstanding and it’s what that maintain the flow of first half of Shirobako. Then you got her friends. Ema, whose dream is to become an animator. Midori who would like to write scripts for anime. Shizuka has a seiyuu dream. Misa is a 3D renderer. Each of them covers an aspect of anime production, which Miyamori being the one taking the leading role and coordinating in an anime studio. OTOH,Hiraoka is an arsehole who keeps whining about everything BUT is one interesting character to move the plot in second half. The characters are all moe-ly designed, as you can expect from P.A. Works that brings us Angel Beats and Nagi no Asukara. And they are moe in a correct way. Even the big guys are cute =D The characters are so important in a way that Shirobako is all about the interactions among all of them in making an anime. One thing that makes Shirobako so unique,and special is the critique towards the anime industry. The reuse, and recycle of assets are so frequent so that deadline can be met without the need to do a recap chapter. *recap chapters happen when a studio can’t finish the required episodes in time,so well some editing will grant them an extra week of time :D Then we got one of the most serious issue, the mediocrity of anime rendering quality, let it be key animations or 3D animations or both. This happens when a big studio hires some random studios or animators to help with the animations and they have f***ed up. Sounds familiar isn’t it? Soundtracks wise is average. Perhaps its the only weak point of Shirobako. BUT the second ending,Platinum Jet,is staggeringly awesome. Along with the art that showcases how a character is designed,coloured and applied into the background. And the’re six of them. Oh boy 10/10 for that. The production value is beyond godlike. Every aspect from the opening until the ending is polished to make sure that the anime has an “anime-making” vibe. Shirobako is just so lovely, and special, and unique in its on way. I just hope P.A. Works got a sequel ready by now, or stretch the current one to 50 episodes or whatsoever. Peeps who know me will know that I’m an anime hipster who opposes sequels, but for once in a while I just hope they do one for Shirobako. Because Shirobako is a gem. One that I found myself feeling so enjoyable and satisfied for the first time since I started my weekly anime watching habit. In an era where anime industry has bloomed and gained international recognition,the quality control has gone with the past, all it’s left is the swarm of mediocre adaptions for every season. Current anime is just so generic and alike, shounen ones sure will have harem plot, harem ones will get some shounen plot because it’s mainstream. All we can do is cross our fingers and hope for the best, and Shirobako S2 (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

This anime will teach you quite a bit about how anime is made however the story isn't that great which is quite a problem for a slice of life anime leaving this show extremely boring. This is a anime about making anime. If you want to learn more about what it is like working in the anime industry, you will find that here. Aside from that, there isn't much more I can say about this anime. Slice of life anime's live of of their story. If the story in a slice of life anime sucks than there is pretty much nothing left as it would be really hard to save it with art and music. The art and music in this anime are not bad, they are not anything special and are defiantly not good enough to save the show.

If you love anime and the process behind it this will come back to tell you again and again that you should watch it. One of the many reasons is the story. Girls who want to make an anime together sounds something that can be cliche but the creators of this anime has made it original and fun. Its not one of those everything clicks at once and everyone is happy since everything goes well. No this anime fully brings out the process behind making an anime and not only that but the different sides of animation. Everything from drawing to voice actors. You cant help but to love it every time one watch it. Although there are times you want to push one spesific character over a ledge his stupidity is almost errased from memory as the better and more fun characters enters the stage and really lights it up so much that you cant see that big insensitive idiot on the side. This anime has done what a lot of other anime cant and that is to stay true to themselves and go with their own pace. That is the feeling i had when i watched it and finished it. It felt like wow these guys didn't have to cram stupid stuff into it to make it fun to watch. It was a story about anime , its production and the people around it in its purest form. I think the sound is were i would think ah didn't really remember much here or didn't think about much here. Which isn't that good but the sound isn't bad either its just normal with hints of good soundtrack in between. And the opening and ending is a matter of taste i personally found them uninteresting but again this is just the sound and music so it wont bash my faith in this anime at all. Ok if i had to talk about every "main" character in this anime i would make whoever read this bored fast since there are like 5 and there isn't a big meaning for me to 1 make someone bored and 2 talk about every since then this review would be longer than it already is. Tehe. So i will talk about Miyamori, Aoi who is what i prefer to call the main main character of the anime since you see her mostly while the other "mains" are a little here and there depending on the parts of the anime. I honestly like Miyamoris character from the get go. She is hard working yet has a weird like personality. like talking toys and pretend they either talk to her or talk to each-other about different worries she has. She is a typical character you want to do well with what she does and you always want to see more of what she can do. She is purely interesting and there isnt really an annoying side about her. As a general way of summarizing her friends or other mains would be to say. There is an aspiring voice actor who struggles with confidence but she is interesting in the way she handles it. There is a aspiring 3d graphic girl who struggles with what path she should take onwards in her job. Then there is a drawer whos confidence or lack there off is sweet yet you also want her to find out. The last is an aspiring writer who is at college but is interesting in the way that she is an all round support to the other 4 girls. As you see if i wrote one summary of sorts and how much i liked them all i would be writing wayy much and it wouldnt be that fun. As i started watching this anime it just proved to me how much this is a must watch for anyone who loves anime and the production behind it. I liked everything from most of the characters to the story buildt around it and it never got too melodramatic or boring. I enjoyed this to a 10 and more. Overall this deserve to be honored for the pure and clean work this anime is which is why i think eventhough i dont give it 10 in everything i still rate it as a 10. I think in its own it will be viewed as a classical anime for what it does. This anime didnt have to put romance and alot of drama to make it work. it just had to be itself from the start and continue onward. As i have said previously. Watch this if you have an interest in anime in general and the production behind it but also because it overall is a great anime that i almost guarantee that you will feel after a time that you want to rewatch and just see this unique great anime yet again. There is a risk that it might sound slow for some which is something i should just say since i know it is that although i dont mind it personally.

Shirobako Review (NO SPOILERS) Hey, kid. We heard you liked anime. So we put some anime in your anime, by making an anime about anime, that way you can have anime with your anime, while watching anime about anime! In case you couldn't comprehend any of that nonsense, Shirobako is an anime about an anime production company. The concept alone sounds incredibly interesting. And I've definitely heard a lot of praise be sung about this show. So I was really happy to finally start watching it. Now that I've finally finished, let's get down to what I thought of the whole thing. So right off the bat, I gotta praise the heck out of the animation. When certain anime shows have episodes that involve the characters watching TV, you always wonder if they're watching something that's live action or that's animation, since you can't really tell in their world. Shirobako does a really good job at differentiating the "real" world and the "anime" world, within the show. They do this by having some of the most physically diverse characters I've ever seen in any anime to date... not counting stuff like One Piece, where everyone looks insanely ridiculous with their tea cup pants and pinwheel heads. I'm talking straight up diverse human bodies. On top of the inclusion of the heavier characters that you don't really see in anime all that often, the thin characters look VERY built. Everything is proportioned very well and people look full and thick. Sure, they still have the big eyes and rainbow colored hair and the fact that I still can't tell the difference between a 16 year old girl and a 30 year old woman, but Shirobako has some of the most well built anime bodies I've ever seen. In their "anime" world, they give those characters the MEGA eyes and the hourglass waists, to make it look more unreal, within this world. I seriously cannot sing enough praise about the character animation in this show. You really gotta see it for yourself, to see what I mean. On top of the incredibly well built bodies, there are a lot of interesting shots in this show. Just stuff like people talking on a phone or putting their hand on someone's shoulder or brainstorming an idea by themselves. It's all done at really interesting angles, to the point of almost feeling like an art piece. Honestly, I can screen cap several hundred screenshots of this show and they'd all be very pleasant to have as a desktop background. Honestly, I would go as far as to give this show the same sort of recommendation as I did with Flying Witch. By which I mean I feel this would be a nice show to have play in the background, just for the visuals. Seriously, MAJOR props to P.A. Works for their outstanding performance on this show. They did not disappoint in the slightest, with this one. Ok. Enough gushing about the gorgeous visuals and onto the meat and potatoes of this anime feast. (wut?) The story in this show is pretty straightforward. The first 12 episodes involve the company working on and finishing one show, while the last 12 focus on them working on another. So it's nice to have that variety in topics and projects. Now I'll admit that there are a few episodes here and there that seem a bit... weird. By that, I mean that there are a couple episodes that are just strictly communication throughout the office. A main objective isn't really presented, and it really does feel like you're just watching people work. The characters are still entertaining enough to make it enjoyable to watch, but it just seems a bit weird at times, to make those moments full-fledged episodes. But then again, there are several episodes in other anime that involve people trying to find a roommate at school or play a baseball game for the 80 millionth time. And we never really find those boring, because we're used to those sorts of plots in a slice of life anime. This is just a very different type of slice of life. And by different, I mean that it doesn't star a male high schooler, surrounded by a bunch of female high schoolers, exploring their lives in high school. It's actually something different! So even if I'm not entirely used to it and don't understand it right away, it's still exciting to be in a different setting that I've never experienced before. Now the characters are just as fun to watch as their designs are intriguing and enjoyable to look at. Our protagonist is Miyamori Aoi who went off to work at an anime production company, along with her high school besties, in hopes of fulfilling their life long dream of creating an anime together. All 5 of the anime club members are a joy to watch on camera, as well as the plethora of other anime company employees who you'll be getting well acquainted with, throughout the show. While you most definitely will know who these characters are when you get to know them, you might have a bit of trouble remembering their names, because there are SOOO many characters. We see just about every nook and cranny of the industry. We see Miyamori's work in the production side of things, we see the inner workings and opinions of both 2D and 3D animation, this show literally has it all. The only part I wish I got to see more of was the voice acting side of process. That part does have its few moments in the spotlight, but not nearly as much as all the other parts. And it doesn't really talk much about the inner workings of voice acting, it just sorta shows it being done. The most detail you get, regarding the work behind the voice acting is seeing the people discuss and argue who to cast for certain parts. That's about the only thing I wish I got to see more of. The music in this show is pretty stinkin good, not gonna lie. I got very attached to a lot of the background songs that played and I actually wound up liking BOTH of the openings and BOTH of the ending themes in this show. And that's not something I get to say, very often. The openings and endings got stuck in my head for a very long time and I am very much ok with that. The songs and visuals were both fantastic and I had no problem watching them before and after every episode. Now this show has 2 OVA episodes that are actually really cool ideas. They're both the first episode of the 2 anime shows that the characters in Shirobako were working on! It's really cool and interesting to see that and I'm so glad that they included that. The first one is a bit... ehh... but the second one is absolutely fantastic and REALLY made me wish it was a full blown show. Something I really loved in this show is to see the character's passion for the shows they were working on. There were several times where the anime employees would phantasize the characters in their shows standing right in front of them, cheering them on. And it would make them happy that their creations were proud of them and happy with how they got brought to life. That sort of magic is just so whimsical to watch and it always made me warm and fuzzy inside, whenever those moments popped up. In short, Shirobako was an absolute joy to watch. It's a fascinating look at the industry that we all hold so near and dear to our hearts, but never really got to see. Of course, this is most likely a very sugar coated interpretation of the actual anime industry, but a lot of characters and plot points were actually based off of real life people and past events, so that's really cool. I would definitely watch this show as an amazing piece of history, if nothing else. It might be a bit hard to follow at times and some episodes are a bit weird to be entire episodes, but the overall premise is nothing less than amazing to experience. And again, the animation is fantastic. I'd go as far as to say that Shirobako has the best animated humans in any anime I've ever seen. Whether it's for the stunning visuals, great music, or fascinating experience that you can't really get from any other anime, I can most definitely recommend this show to just about anyone. Shirobako gets a 9/10

Many of us have aspirations throughout our lives. Whether it be that dream job you constantly thought about when you were younger or a recent goal you set for yourself, having aspirations will always be a vital part of reaching our goals. Shirobako aims to express the difficulties one may face in finding their own aspirations whilst also demonstrating the importance of having the drive and ambition to achieve them. Tackling the mundane and sometimes, frantic workplace struggle, Shirobako still manages to be entertaining thanks to its snappy pacing which makes even the small indulgences that Shirobako gives itself in the form of explaining every tiny detail about a process, (which some may find unimportant) to not feel too wearisome on the viewer. Many of the workplace conflicts in the show revolve around the idea of meeting a deadline and the levels of drama or angst are never overblown, instead staying grounded to reality. There is also no shortage of charming side stories along the way and we even get a glimpse into the happenings of the old Musashino Animation way back when. The occasional over-exaggerated comedy routine or magical moments with those talking dolls also helps in adding some flavor to the narrative, making the series even more enjoyable. Shirobako does a great job of utilizing the topical premise of 'making an Anime' to demonstrate its concepts and is actually rather informative for someone looking to get some detailed insight into the process of making an Anime. Nearly all of the aspects that go into making an Anime ranging from the creation of key frames to the voice selection process and even field research, are covered extensively. We are also offered a look into the everyday lives of the animators, production staff and many others in the industry. Throughout the first few episodes, you may feel a little overwhelmed by Shirobako's huge cast of characters as many of the staff members of Musashino Animation are quickly introduced. Some of them (particularly the new recruits introduced towards the end) gave the impression that their development arcs were cut short but none of them felt completely unimportant or irrelevant to the story. For the duration of the show, a considerable portion of the cast get a certain degree of characterization and ultimately development through the struggles they encounter. As they go about their hectic work lives, you start to learn more about their personality quirks and flaws and hey, you might even end up empathizing with a few of them, cheering for them to succeed whenever they encounter any obstacles along the way. It was also a welcome sight to see no traces of fan service in the form of beach visits, shower scenes or any other sorts of contrived events, even with the main cast being all females. That really allows us to appreciate the characters more so on their personalities rather than something trivial like how their bodies look. Perhaps the greatest strength of Shirobako are its solid and ubiquitous themes about dreams and ambitions. Especially for those working in creative industries, some of the troubles the characters face throughout the show may hit close to home. Shirobako also manages to apply those themes to nearly every member of the cast, with each of them having or working towards dreams of their own, some examples being Shizuka's aspirations of being a voice actress, Honda's desire to run a bakery and the list goes on. Now, I can't deny that Shirobako's portrayal of the industry is somewhat idealized and definitely should not be taken as an entirely accurate representation of reality. However, a second glance may reveal that there is still an air of despondency looming in the background, with characters struggling with their self-worth and motivations. Even more so with Hiraoka, who is already feeling jaded and cynical after his experience in the industry. So, while you shouldn't expect Shirobako to be some sort of a pessimistic exposé of the dark sides of the industry, it does not completely sugarcoat the experience of working in it either. With the art and animation being provided by P.A. Works, expect to see many beautiful and detailed backgrounds. The colors were vibrant but not too overbearing. Many of the characters display some lovely and humorous expressions from time to time and the use of CGI is kept to a minimum. The soundtrack, although not having any exceptional pieces which stood out, still fits nicely to the wide range of atmospheres present in the show. Shirobako is a love letter towards the industry itself. A passionate piece of work made by creators who want to showcase what they love. It manages to remain grounded with a tinge of over-the-top moments and fantasy elements thrown in to add to the amusement. With a huge cast filled with endearing characters, it executes its central themes splendidly while managing to provide a great deal of insight into the intricate process of making an Anime. If you're someone who has any sort of interest in how an Anime is actually made or are just simply looking for a nice piece of infotainment, Shirobako is certainly something you should consider checking out.

One of the more bizarre series I've ever watched; I'm actually surprised I finished it tbh. This is going to be a hit or miss for some people; either you are interested in how anime is made or you aren't. I was pretty indifferent going in, but I'm actually glad i stuck it out. For starters, there isn't much of a story here, its a semi-realistic look into how anime is made from the perspective of our lead Production staff member, Aoi. It starts by throwing you into a whirlwind of terminology and the hectic pace of office life in a rather small production company. After the first few episodes it became quite apparent that this really was a true slice of life; comparable to Bakuman but without many of the fun quirks and fantastical drama and elements. Like i mentioned above, there isn't much story, but the premise centers around five female friends who vowed to work in the anime industry in highschool, fast forward a few years and most of the members have jobs and the naive dreams have somewhat faded with the reality of modern work life setting in. Shirobako does a great job of setting up a pretty dismal view of life for an anime staffer: tons of overtime, lonely studio apartment, mountains of stress, endless workloads, etc. While the overall tone is qutie cheerful, made so by our main heroine, the setting is pretty stark. The art isn't really the most amazing, but sometimes it really blows you away when they want to show off. Sound was pretty forgettable but had alot of range and fit nicely for a slow moving slice of life with minimal setting. The strongest part by far were the characters; this would be a horribly boring show without the quirkiness and diverse personalities that filled the series. There's plenty of character progression, regression, and internal strife to go around, if you're into that sort of thing. And not to mention the many hurdles and pitfalls that many of the characters need to overcome.

When an anime starts off with a really low ranking, and ended at a really high rank. yep, it is shirobako. at first, i thought this anime was just another generic slice-of-life anime where the main character just do something that we can experience in our daily life, except it is making an anime. but i was wrong, this anime showed us a journey of 5 girls to reach their dreams. yes, working on an anime production together. let's start with the story, i gave it 9 score. even though the story of making anime is really mainstream, but the way it executed is very good. it is not rushed into a 1 cour anime, but put into a 2 cour anime that it makes the story progressed little by little, so it leaves us a clear explanation. my only concern of this anime is, only 3 character of all 5 main character get enough screen time, the other 2 just appeared in some episodes, so it is not well balanced. and for the art, i gave this anime 10 score because of the 3d scene, when miyamori driving the car, it feels really alive, and when they are showing the preview of anime they make, the 3d scene are also carefully made, not half ass just because it is only sample anime. the expression of each character in the anime really fits all the situation throughout the anime. 2 cour anime almost always came with 2 opening song and 2 ending song, and for this anime, the song are really good, the cheerful feelings i get after listening to both opening and ending song always calm my mind. and for the character, miyamori, emma, and midori get a lot of screen time, (of course because she is the main heroine) so they developed enough, but the other 2 lacking charcter development and only appeared in some episodes. in the end, i really enjoy this anime, i recommend this anime for those who wanna watch an anime where they can enjoy a light hearted slice of life anime.

What makes a great anime? The ideal first rule is to find voice actors who can sing, has soaring popularity and big racks to voice the main characters. The second one is to avoid creating original anime, because if the ideas to be presented are all horribly mashed together, then it is doomed. The third is to find production staff with a motivation more than "just because". Yet, look where we are. Being both an original anime, and has mostly not-so-popular voice actors to back up the main characters, Shirobako colorfully takes off to the sky. It defies the very rules that it sets, the challenges that it adds and trample them one by one. All through the perspective of the characters inside the story world. And, there are tons of them. Annoying ones, irresponsible ones, and lazy ones. But most importantly, are the ones that are willing to go the extra mile, to hold the team together, to make the sound effects a bit better, to make the sky a bit sadder, to do just a few more key frames, to give one piece of advice, to spend a few more nights and ultimately, to dream. To make a great anime. Shirobako is a prime example that only one's own efforts can move oneself. It's never easy continuing something without credits, and only criticism. But little by little, you're gonna make it. Because everyone's been through it. Made stronger by it. And these lessons, they never stop emerging and igniting the fire inside others. To inspire, and to support. Overall, Shirobako is far from cute girl doing cute things in anime industry. No. It's the struggles they face, the surprises they dread, and the taste of teamwork comes to a satisfying conclusion that makes up the story. They dream, they do and they keep pushing forward however bitter disappointment tastes. The four of them, and her. Moving forward, little by little. One step closer to their dream.

Shirobako is something that I picked up just out of chance. I've been meaning to watch it for a long time, but never really got around to it. But after finishing the series yesterday, I'm very glad that I did, and it easily storms it's way into my personal top ten list. The story is that of Miyamori Aoi and her friends, who have made a promise to each other to continue their passion to create anime and turn it into a profession by working in the anime industry. At first, it seems like a regular high school anime, which almost made me want to drop after the first minute or two of the pilot. But I was very glad that I didn't. Fast forward to the future, Miyamori and her friend, Ema, have found a job in Musashino Animation Studios. Miyamori is a Production Assistant, and Ema works as an animator. The other friends each have their own talents, Imai is the script writer, trying to find work. Misa Todo is the CGI expert, working in a different studio. The final character is Miss Shizuka Sakaki, an aspiring voice actress trying to find work. This anime is very realistic of how the animation industry, or any office works. Most of the time, you see all the characters trying to meet the deadline, deliver stuff, get held up by delays, workplace arguments, etc. Through the story, you find each of the characters, both main and side, discover a reason why they work in the animation industry. Some of them came with bright dreams like Aoi and some just had nowhere else to go. It's very reminiscent of the real world, where not everyone is working in a place they want to be, where everyone doesn't like each other. Some of the characters downright hate each other, although they don't really show it in the office, because you'd get fired. The amazing thing about Shirobako is that almost every character in the anime develops and moves forward from who they were in the beginning, not just the main characters. Be it Aoi herself, or an artist who just goes about working daily and goes home, all of them transform and provide an incredibly dynamic atmosphere to this series. You could very well think that Shirobako almost didn't do anything in the sound department other than the acting. But that doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, this is one of the anime's shining points. Leaving the voice actors aside, who did a brilliant job (I often imagined Shizuka's voice actor smiling as she voiced her lines. A voice actor voicing an aspiring voice actor. How could you not?!) Shirobako doesn't go heavy handed with the music. It allows the dialogue to take the center stage, and just provides an accompaniment when required. There's even an episode where they discuss sound effects like walking in rain, monster sounds, etc. Overall, the only gripe that I had with Shirobako in the sound department was the OP and ED, which werent' really catchy or memorable. I think I speak for the majority when I say that modern anime art has become incredibly annoying. Most anime have over-sexualized characters, horrible choice of color palettes, bad animation work, or worse, a mix of all three. You don't really see quality work coming in nowadays, and even if you do, it's rare. I'm not sure how Shirobako avoided all of this. For an anime that has such a normal story of how the anime industry works, the art is amazingly vibrant and colorful. The characters are, by the strictest definition, moe, but in no way is that a bad thing. The characters look amazing and the vibrant color palette isn't jarring. In fact, it's pretty darn endearing to see such care and work go into this anime. You can tell the animators took extra special care with each frame, just to show the world how their world is. It certainly is a love letter to the anime industry and anime fans, from the anime industry itself. Overall, the anime left me wanting more. If you're interested in knowing how the animation industry works, then this is the anime for you. If you want a realistic and emotional story, then this is the anime for you. If you want an inspiring tale of how to be better at what you do, whether it be school, college, or work, then this is the anime for you. If you want the usual tripe of huge breasted anime girls frolicking and panty shots every other scene, then this is not the anime for you. Shirobako is definitely one of the best anime to have ever come out, and I do not say this lightly. The amount of love and care PA Works put into this production is mind blowing. For me, it felt as though each person who worked on this wanted to tell me their story, their experiences with the industry. My dearest wish would be to face each person who worked on this anime and thank them for one of the most beautiful stories that I have ever come across. If you're confused about picking up this anime, then throw away the confusion and watch the anime. I can guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.

Ok, first off I would like to premise this is my first ever review so please don't flame me too hard if I mess something up. Shirobako is a 2014 anime about... making anime. The story starts off with 5 girls in a high school animation club trying their hardest to make a anime short. The anime then fast forwards up until 2 of the girls have acquired their dream job and continues to follow their endeavors to survive. ------ Story ------ There is very little plot to this anime as it is mostly focused on the life of a production assistant and what it's like to be in the anime industry. It mainly focuses on educating the viewer on the struggles and hardships of being an employee in one of these companies. One major gripe I have with this anime is that near the end of the anime, it flip flops constantly between the main story with the girls and the side story of trying to finish their anime. Like please Shirobako, make up your mind about who to focus on. Death Parade is an example of this as it also switches its main story constantly, but instead of anime and girls, they have Quindecim customers and the black haired woman. Overall, I give this story a 7/10 ---- Art ---- The art isn't particularly good or bad. It does it's job well and that's that. One very minor flaw is that every girl's face looks almost identical. If it wasn't for their unique hairstyles and clothes, I wouldn't be able to distinguish them. 8/10 -------- Sound -------- The sound is very good despite how little of it there is. Many scenes do not include music at all and is filled with a surplus of dialogue. However, when the music does show up, it captures the scene perfectly. Minor spoilers ahead? One example of this is when they almost fail to turn in an episode on time. The track really makes you feel the danger they are in and it gives off an immersive experience. 10/10 ------------ Character ------------ This show has one of the biggest casts I have ever seen for an anime that isn't one of the big three. 106 if I counted correctly. They throw a big chunk of these characters at you near the very beginning of the show and only provide a little text box on the side for their names. Never a proper introduction. This is very hard to keep up with at first, but will eventually settle down and you will get to know each character more and more as they flesh them out. One of the characters however, I feel is overly done. The shows slapstick comedy character, Takanashi Tarou, is beyond the funny aspect and is borderline obnoxious. I have found myself asking, "Why in the world has this guy not been fired yet?!" Literally every action he does somehow messes things up or angers the cast. 8/10 ------------------------ Personal Enjoyment ------------------------ This show was an absolute blast to watch. I believe I did a marathon of the show and completed it within the course of two nights. Every single episode left me wanting more and I never felt like it was a chore, hitting that 'next episode' button. It was very relaxing and different compared to the darker, more serious works that I like to watch. The characters were very lovable and taught me quite a few things about the production of anime. 10/10 Overall I give this a 9/10 Some recommendations I have are: All three seasons of Bakuman. Bakuman is very similar to Shirobako, but instead of anime, they include the production of manga. Includes a sweet love story on the side. And for a blind pick, I have Hibike!Euphonium. Hibike! and Shirobako have girls who are working hard striving for their dreams. Both include hardships between the girls, whether it be inferiority, or not being able to get your spot as a seiyuu.

Shirobako is the perfect anime for those who wants to learn about what happens behind the scene in an anime studio. It's the perfect "Slice of Studio Life" anime. It gives us a glimpse of the busy life of the Character Designers, Production Managers, Directors, Voice actors etc. STORY: The story is nicely paced and simple to understand. It wasn't boring but wasn't too interesting either. Everything were predictable. Some parts were boring such as at the beginning they talk about many studio things which normal audience wouldn't understand. One doesn't have to understand these to understand the main story anyway. There aren't any filler episodes. There aren't any recap episodes either. The story was told from the perspective of different charecters. Some jokes were funny and made me laugh. While watching this, I couldn't help but compare it to "Bakuman." which is a popular manga about the life of two mangakas. I hoped that, Shirobako would be as enjoable as Bakuman but instead it concentrated solely on the studio life. ART: The art style is realistic and the backgrounds are nicely done. It goes with the anime perfectly. Charecters are designed nicely too. Charecters' expressions were fun to watch. This is an anime about making anime. In this anime, we see two anime being made and both have different art styles. Iliked the art of those too. SOUND: Background music wasn't anything memorable. It was OK. It fits with the anime but it could be better. I didn't like the OP & ED that much. None of them are notable. Voice actors were fitting for the charecters they had potrayed. CHARACTER: Charecters are the best point of this anime. Though the PA Aoi was the main character, about 10 or more characters were under the spotlight. As the story was being told from different characters point of view, we can see all kinds of characters including voice actors, director, production manager and assistants, character designer, keyframe artist, CG artist, script writer etc. Through the characters, all types of jobs were explained nicely. There are so many characters that the anime displayed the character names at the beginning of every episode upto the midpoint of the season. ENJOYMENT: I don't think non-anime or manga fans would like this anime. Only those who are regular anime watchers and want to know more about the industry would love this one. Don't think I will rewatch it, cause there are nothing more to find out after watching it one time. I don't want to own this series. This anime was informative indeed but not so memorable.

Shirobako is a focused meta-anime (anime about people making anime). It centers around Aoi Miyamori, a young producer in a small anime studio, and it comprises of variety of characters who also work in the industry. During this review, I'll contrast two other anime with a strong meta focus; Bakuman (6.5/8.0/7.5), a story about two guys trying to make it as mangaka and Sore ga Seiyuu (7.0), a story about three girls who try to make it as (you guessed it) seiyu. There is a fourth anime I haven't watch, called Love Get Tsu, but it doesn't seem as meta focused as the other three and has a low rating, so I didn't bother. If someone has a strong opinion either for or against this anime, feel free to message me. Let's start discussing Shirobako. Like this review, it starts slow. The story begins with Aoi and her four high-school friends promising each other that sometime they will remake their high-school anime club production as full-fledged professionals in the anime industry. I cannot fathom why writers feel the need to use such clichés. This subplot offers nothing to the story and whenever it comes up, it only drags the episode down. A second fault with the the first episodes, is that Aoi interacts with a ton of characters and their dialogues are full of industry jargon, which can make the initial episodes tiring. However, after the viewer settles in, Shirobako picks up a pleasant pace and is entertaining to watch. There are many interesting characters occupying the various components of anime making. Of course, with so many characters present, one can not expect any decent character development, even for the main ones. Instead, Shirobako focuses on the conflicts of the various personalities on work related themes. Those conflicts (and their resolutions) manage to be informative and pleasant. After the first few episodes, the writers continued their efforts to annoy me; Aoi has some crises, were she contemplates what she wants to do in her life, while she just got a promotion on a job she loves. I suspect that the whole charade was instigated so that she could give a “heart-warming” speech in the end. Which she does. And feels forced and unnecessary; the story was heart-warming enough without the use of such devices. The animation is nothing special. There was an scene where a traditional animator was rambling about how he doesn't like 3d animators and the fact that 3d seems to be the future of anime. In the next scene there is an ugly 3d-modeled car; I sure hope the creators didn't want to imply that we will have to make do with such unaesthetic 3d rendered objects. Out of the three anime mentioned, Bakuman is the clear winner on characters. Shirobako's and Sore ga Seiyuu's characters are nothing special. Bakuman has a stronger shounen element inside, meaning it offers some great peaks in some episodes, but the shounen element also means an annoying dose of stupidity at times. Shirobako is about as good as Bakuman and its quality is more even, especially after the first episodes. Sore ga Seiyuu is a close but distinct third. As depiction of the industry goes, Sore ga Seiyuu wins by a large margin. While Shirobako doesn't go as far as to glorify the industry, it certainly offers a romanticized narrative. Bakuman has more realistic foundation on its depiction of the manga industry, but a lot of times goes all shounen on us. Sore ga Seiyuu, almost involuntarily, offers some visceral scenes regarding the seiyu industry which, I have to say, caught me off guard. But in a good way. If you liked any one of three, I would recommend the other two. Shirobako, with its uplifting story, would speak to a wider audience; that's the one to start with. 7.5/10.

Genuine. That's the word I would describe Shirobako with. Its presentation of the struggles in professional careers are incredibly blunt yet sharp at the same time, and never pulls any punches. Sometimes this show hurts to watch because of how close it can hit home, but it's a good pain that'll ultimately leave you coming out happy. The visuals are great, and PA Works deserve serious credit for all the effort they put in. They somehow made a show about animating things in an office look compelling without going overboard with nonsensical effects or backdrops typical of most (slice of life) anime. When a character draws, you see every detail in their hand movement, as well as their drawing. When an emotion's expressed, their face is exaggerated to an entertaining degree, but never obnoxiously breaks the character's figure.The colors are well chosen and vibrant, but restrained enough to keep some sense of realism. Thus, the visuals are very immersive and really suck you in, despite the show being about supposedly mundane workplace scenarios. Despite a huge cast, almost all the characters in this show are believable and likable, and because of this, you will relate to them even if you're not in their career. Whenever conflicts arise, both sides will have valid reasons for their beliefs, and everyone has their own charming personality quirks. Everyone also has their own moment to shine, elevating their characters, and even providing genuinely touching moments. The only character I didn't like was the one who can't seem to speak properly; she was annoying and just seemed to be there for the sake of having an overly moe character. The five main girls however, are all very well realized characters, but interestingly enough, they're really not the main focus of the show. You just happen to be viewing life through Aoi's perspective; the real main character is the production studio team, and the show portrays it exceptionally well. There's a real sense of comradery in Shirobako, and it's always a joy to watch. As you can guess, the writing in general is superb. The storytelling is very grounded and relatable. When it does become exaggerated, it's only to provide a more impactful and interesting plot, and usually comes out quite charming since it's used sparingly. However, I can't recommend this show to anyone who is not very familiar with anime, because it expects you to know certain trends and other references within the industry. This isn't really a flaw though, considering Shirobako would become really boring if they info-dumped too much, and they do at least explain many technical terms used in the anime production for uninitiated viewers. Despite a barrier of entry, I can assure that any curious mind who passes it will become very interested. The way it presents awkward social situations or workplace troubles will likely manage to grip you every time from how well paced and honest Shirobako is. The writing is so natural that it honestly comes out looking effortless; a trait indicative of masterful work. Shirobako isn't the most bombastic show of all time, but it doesn't need to be. It's a humble series that only tries to directly represent the struggles of real life. Despite this, or perhaps I should say because of this, it manages to be insightful, inspiring, thought-provoking, and even educational. The way Shirobako delivers all this is honestly second to none; it's a sorely under-watched crown jewel to the medium of television shows in general. Shirobako is the most well-made anime I've ever watched, and the first TV anime I gave a 10 to. I can't recommend it enough.

(This review doesnt content any spoiler.)Shirobako is one of the best drama type that i have watched. At first, i though that this anime will be boring but it surprisingly make me fall in love in this anime. Shirobako is an anime which talks about a group of girl working hard to achieve their dream. Art:(10/10) This anime has an amazing art. I like its style and animation. I feel very comfortable to watch it. The character design is so nice and suit to their own character very much. Story:(10/10) At first when i read the synopsis of the story, i though that it will be boring because i have a feeling that it lack of climax. However, i changed my opinion after watching it. The story is about the female protagonist working at an animation company and the challenges that she faced in the company. The story also include the other character( female protagonist's friends) on their determination on achieving their own dream. Anyway, the story is nice and brings out a lot of moral value and it worth to be getting 10/10 Character:(10/10) The character in this anime is good and doesn't make the audience feels irritate or annoying. Every character has their own chance of showing their face in the anime. To be honest, i love all their character in the anime. Sound:(7/10) About the opening and ending sound in shirobako, i feel like they lacks of something. They just cant attrack me but its not like they are not good. The songs are good but they just seems to be too general. Enjoyment（10/10) I enjoy this anime really so much. I hope that it has second season as soon as possible. Although it doesn't has any true climax, but it still attract me to watch the next episode every time. Overall:(10/10) In short, after watching this anime, i gaib knowledge about the difficultly and challenge s on making an great anime. I know more about the staff and procedure on making anime too. This anime is suitable for all the people to watch. I would recommend this anime to everyone who love drama type anime. Thank you.

Feeling down? Forgot about what life is all about? Needs inspirations and aspirations? This is for you! It talks about 5 girls talking about their dreams as they compete with the hardships they go through and overcoming it along the way. Also, other people helping them along the way. I give this a masterpiece score because the anime is so detailed, no broken animations, no background music/landscape average, the flow of the story is consistent, the way the story express its goals was way too fantastic that I have watched this in 2-3 days constantly. This is an amazing story which is one of the possibilities in life that is your turning point. After the last episode, you will feel amazed of this full of life content, the pro and cons of life, Shows mosts of our reality in life (Slice of life, but exceeded). This may be a work of fiction for others, but the way the anime portrays itself was magnificent. Story? 10/10 (Already maximized to the fullest extent, wait, it exceeded my expectations!) Characters? 10/10 (I thought Shizuka might be a reflection of "Even if I have not been picked, I will still strive for my dreams" character but there was still hope) Musics? 10/10 (Even OPs and Eds of this anime was great) P.S. I cannot believe its 2018 and almost 2019 but I still haven't watch this anime. This is a must watch anime, of course you need to watch it constantly to truly understand the Concept it potrays.

This was an outstanding anime with amazing characters who experienced excellent development. The art style was beautiful and very cute throughout the entire show. The story was a wonderfully written love story that wasn't about romance, it was refreshing and entertaining. Conflicts within the story were realistic and made you feel for the characters. The individual yet overlapping story lines for each of the characters was well done and made the series an interesting watch and made it flow well. The sound used in this anime was also pretty good, I felt that there were a few moments that could've used different or better background music but most of it fit well and I felt that the OPs and EDs were all very fitting for the series. This series was really inspiring and although it held some stressful and climatic moments it left me feeling happy and wanting more. All in all it was a great watch and I would definitely recommend it to my friends.

Oh well, this is my first review here, so it might not as good as you might expect, but anyway, here you go The lively modern industrial world, whether it’s creative industry, manufacturing, electronics, or industries of any kind, indeed has its charm with its unique, dynamic and erratic movements; Shirobako neatly portrayed that world in a way that everyone would love. It’s easy for anyone who had played in this hectic playground to be charmed and appreciate this piece of gem. This show tried to be realistic by including the complexities and subtleties of production that we, consumers, always take it for granted. Although this show certainly succeeded on that with glowing feat, some idealism is kept high and strong here and there without being childish. It were those idealism that brought back the hope when the industries has fallen into paradigm “Budget over quality and deadline not passion” . That same idealism made this anime sweet and warm, and for some, brings back memories and nostalgic feelings; I could relate how I overflowed with emotions on some episodes. Shirobako in its execution is very well paced with a lot of interesting events that engage the viewers with high excitement until the very end. What astonished me the most is how they managed to depict very well developed characters in 24 episodes, regardless of the huge number of characters. The characters are strong, even for those who just appear every now and then, providing a well established basis for the elaboration of the story. As a whole, Shirobako in its deepest meaning (personal opinion involved), paint a beautiful picture that describes “dream” which can’t be explained by any length of literal words. Shirobako ask a fundamental question “do you need a reason to do what you love?” . I recall when I worked on my assignment project where I had to code for 22.5 hours in one day. Why would I do that? I’m not sure, but one thing, I enjoyed it to the fullest. Shirobako taught me that it's all that’s matter. The only small thing that refrain this show from getting my perfect score is how they made the pace of episode 13 and 14 slowed down with some unnecessary filler. But surely, a firm foundation won’t budge by a mere breeze, so I would love to end this review with my sincere positive recommendation! Score : 9.5/10

You anime fan, wanna know all the process that creates your favorite show? Well, look no further for this anime, Shirobako, is the best out there that can give you a glimpse of the production of an anime. It all starts with a typical last episode from any slice of life anime: our cute group of girls are finishing their own cute project (in this case anime) for the cultural festival. And from there, we get to see how or cute group of girls grow in their professional lifes.They all have their own problems, their own struggles, and their own dreams. What amazed me the most of the show was how developed where their characters. Remember Angel Beats? Both Shirobako and Angel Beats share a thing in common: they both have a gigantic cast of characters. However, the lack of episodes in the latter left us without knowing the secrets behind some characters, such as TK. This didn't happen with Shirobako, as the 90℅ of its characters (which are all the main characters) got a well developed story. My two favorites were our main character, Aoi Miyamori, and the director, Kinoshita. Another thing that I loved about Shirobako is that it tells us that in the anime industry, the director is not the only important worker. Shirobako gives us a sneak peak at the work of the animators, the drawers, the writers, the actors and the producers. It makes us remember that behind a Shinichiro Watanabe, a Hayao Miyasaki, and a Gen Urobuchi, there are lots of workers that do their best to create the anime that we watch in the screen. But don't think that this anime shows an ideal workplace, where everything goes how it was planned, and all the workers are happy and lively. This anime also shows us that working in this industry is not fun, is not easy, and is not what you think it is. It can be harsh at moments, really stressful, and can destroy your own dreams if you don't handle it properly. On the production values, Shirobako doesn't suffer in the animation nor in the soundtrack. Both of them are strong all over the series. The OPs and EDs are cute, but didn't stand out that much. You may also want to check out some production terms before watching this, as it uses lots of them, which may be difficult for people who doesn't know or use those words. To sum up, Shirobako teaches us that the anime industry is not fun all the day. It is like any other job: stressful, hard, and not what the watchers might think it is. All the cast is full of colourful, amazingly well developed characters. It sometimes is a bit fast in their dialogues, and there may be limited information about the terms they use in those dialogues. But in spite of these little difficulties, this anime has gained a space in my heart and in my shelf (I'll definitely buy it when it's available), and has also become one of my favourites anime of all time.

Over all I recommend this anime for others who likes slice of life and that ugly that it is cute parts in it. I wish sometimes they would have paid more attention themselves to the animation and the sound... Not to complain but it was a beautiful anime to watch. I would not call it a masterpiece. Enjoyable. I really liked anime of how it shows so many different types of people excising there... But at the end of it they just over did it(my personal opinion). Maybe it was the meaning to over do it... I wish creators were more audience friendly... At the ending of anime, I wasn't really sure if they were sure to what age they were approaching with such ending. Of-course it was somewhat funny, but they could have done it better. I would not re-watch it, but if there would be other season I would have an interest to see what the creators were thinking later on for the series...