Cute girls make anime.

Shirobako is great. If you read other people talking about it, you’ll hear that it’s great for learning about how the animation industry works.

Which I guess is true. But for me, it’s only tangentially relevant to the main thrust of the show.

Shirobako is about being an adult. About going home alone to an empty room to get a package from your parents. Seeing your friends fail to reach their dreams. Seeing your own dreams didn’t amount to what you thought they would. About getting up and going to work every day even though you hate it.

Shirobako is a kind of exorcism. These characters spend their entire lives waiting for this moment, dreaming of a career in anime. And then they have it, and they realize it wasn’t all they’d made it out to be. They are still lonely and miserable and work too hard. And yet, they can still find joy in the small things when they look for it.

Also, Shirobako is a great portrayal of office politics, and it’s hilarious to boot.

• Storytelling – A – Thematically superb, great sense of humor.
• Voice – A – No anime capture adulthood like Shirobako does.
• Characters – A – Can’t believe I came to like Tarou.
• Attention Grab – A – Wasn’t bored for a second.
• Production – B – Looks good.
• Overall – A-

Recommendations – Genshiken, Working, Servant x Service