"Anime is...straight from Japan, totally unexpected" I know it's tying separate thoughts into one sentence, but it almost feels like the commercial is being a sarcastic smartass lol
cmm07r Well, when this commercial was made, most anime were unexpected. I remember the days where you could pop in any anime DVD/ VHS and instantly be hooked just off the fact that it was anime. Those days are looong gone now.
cmm07r Considering how most commercials are made it is totally unintentional or in fact totally sarcastic. It is because mostly no one care, and probably only persons what read it were author and VA guy.
cmm07r U do realize anime is chinese cartoons and thus from china right? some animes are also from taiwan. those animes are different from the normal chinese cartoons and should be called taiwanese picture dramas.
Funny when you realize that a lot of really bad anime like Glasslip, Mars of Destruction, Isuca, and Unlimited Fafnir also had pretty much the same amount of people working behind the it. Like...that's a lot of effort and money for something that really didn't exactly turn out a good response. I know not everything's a hit, but with Shirobako showing us that this amount of work is needed to make a single anime, it makes you think what the people who were making those "bad anime" were thinking when making it.
Rookie animators in Japan got REALLY low wage, existence of those rubbish anime provide them working opportunity and experiences, which somehow helps the industry ... even if it's not really working
Carlton Lee Fair enough, I suppose. But I would definitely not want my first project to be Fafnir, the show plagued by horrifying CGI whatever the fuck those are. (They're called dragons, but they don't even look like them. Thanks anime.)
***** my guess is they did, at the time, stand behind their work and genuinely believe it was good, and wanted to put the effort in for it. If they didn't think that, I would've guessed the projects would've never gotten finished; at least, not without greatly inconsistent quality (a la Jiggly Heaven lol). After it was all finished, or at least until rather late in production, may have been when these people saw how poorly it was received, and either they disagreed ("you just don't understand my art!" lol), brushed it off, hoped future episodes or something would change the critics' minds, or they saw/understood the points being made and maybe regretted some of the past decisions made (as I'd say, by that point, no matter what, it's too late to change too much). These people probably (or at least should) have kind of thick shells though; being in a position like where they are, they're going to get criticism, no matter what, even if it's an extremely good show. They're probably at least somewhat prepared for at least some level of criticism.
Jacob Huempfner in my opinion, i believe that most of those low quality work are caused by the lack of budget. As mentioned in the animation (or do they?) the amount of money for production is decided by the sponsor or anyone above. when they decide that the project won't be a cash-printer, they would simply want to make money with the least amount of cost... which leads to a huge amount of rubbish moe-anime e.g Fafnir, while some of them could be a great anime (e.g. I.S 2nd season... just wtf happened???) if those people above read the proposal / original work carefully, but it is hard for them to learn about that as if they never learn about MS actually need no legs.
***** Also, when you watch a bad show, or rather a show you dislike alot, remember that no creator wants to make a bad piece. No artist wakes up saying that it is a good day to be awful at what I do and not live up my passion. I have more to give, but that's a very important mindset to understand as of someone working to be an animator.
Ziggerath it is actually about making an eroge. And the MC did not know how to make realistic 'scenes' and thus had to 'rely' on his female co-worker to 'learn more.'
Please, please do "Ping Pong: The Animation." It was the best anime I've seen in recent years, and it deserves far more love than it gets. I promise you this anime will give you a better understanding and outlook on life. Ping Pong is just the surface to tell the story. Watch it. It's amazing.
Lol, I came to see how nitty gritty he gets on the show, kinda hoping he'd be a little more analytical... (I love Shirobako, but I mean, I make games as both an actual job and while still in school, so Shirobako was a great motivational tool for me) like, it depends in how you look at the show... If you're not into making your own worlds or never experienced making a project with all sorts of people, this show IS NOT for you, and I was hoping he'd mention it instead if just giving the show a certified frosty... There are 2 coins to this, especially since, in reality, making things, be they anime, games, or the next Facebook, they really aren't fun to watch being made, unless you can understand what the hell is going on or relate
Bill Cipher I tought i wasn't gonna enjoy it much when I started, mostly because i find most slice of life boring. This show, tho... THIS SHOW. It was amazing. It surpassed my expectations in ways I could never have imagined. I hope I'm not exaggerating >_>
I remember when this anime was first airing, people thought it was boring and generic. 18 episodes later the perception of this anime complete changed. I personally didn't enjoy this anime, but it just goes to show you can't judge an anime based off the first few episodes. People are way to quick to judge. (Sword art online is another example of people judging to quick, but going in the opposite direction of Shirobako).
Jesse Smith I binge watch Shirobako after it ended. I love it since I'm very interested in film/animation production and all those behind the scene stuff. Like you said, SAO's first ep was pretty well made but it just goes downhill from there. Didnt expect it to be a harem show.
I respect the idea of showing what happens behind the scenes but in anime form? This is something that should've been done as documentary because this anime is incredibly boring.
I'll be honest, I watched the first six episodes of it sporadically when it came out, lost complete interest, then only just a week ago decided to give it another chance. And godamnit, I'm glad I did. I binge watched the rest of the episodes and I finally understood the humor and liked the characters that were being portrayed. It resonated with me a lot because I always wanted to be an animator or work in a creative group for a living and to see how these characters (even fictionally) lived it out was such a treat. It made me realize just how important a producer really is and it convinced me that I would want to work as one if given the opportunity. There are not any shows that I can think of that gives me a sense of optimism for challenge like this one did. 9/10 for the slow start but a worthawhile viewing for anyone interested in working in a creative industry.
thank you for the review! i loved shirobako! I can relate to the show, it deals with stuff, not only anime production but work related topics in general!
+GruntSquad92 Yeah! I thought the whole motivation theme was great, characters finding something to strive towards and then overcoming the difficulties it presents was just a joy to watch (especially when its done so well)
Omar Aly does DRR get better in the second half? I dropped it, as it was airing, at ep 10 and watched ep 11 last year because everyone said it was great, and it was but; do they ever fix the pacing? Or make the teenagers interesting by themselves?
Zefo No yes it does get better, and watching all the episodes in a row is far more entertaining that watching it weekly, the pacing wasn't an issu it was just the style of the show and was great and yes the teenagers get real interesting
Toshan Bhujohory i guess watching it weekly was 1 of the problems. A misery/ question was set up in 1 episode and we'd wait 1 week eagerly expecting to see it unravel and... they just flat out tell us what Celty is, who Bartender guy is, what's the deal with pink hair... very underwhelming. For a show that pretended to be very hyper and energetic, it hit a lot of story telling duds in the first half. But, again, ep 11 was great, and i'll take your word that Shiba and katana girl get interesting.
Zefo No It seems like they tell you a lot, but there is so much yet to figure out by the end. However as much as I want a review I suspect he is waiting for DRRx2 to finish just as he is waiting for the rebuild of eva to end.
This show is just so real to show how difficult it is to struggle in workplace and be away from family. If you are like me have some work experience you'll find so much relate to this show. If not, you may not find this show as interesting as I find. I would say lucky you enjoy your life there and remember to come back later
Finally someone who give credit to Shirobako as it is such a good anime that has just been shoved under the rug and ignored by most but for those who has watch it join me in relishing what a great anime this was. The one that haven't watched it, what are you doing? Go watch it right now. NOW!!!!
I don't understand how this channel has only ~300k subscribers. This guy deliver professional content, everything is just so perfect from review design to commentary. Just give him more attention! He deserves more than this!
Oh right, this is the anime about making anime! Their OVAs were AWESOME. 3rd Aerial Girls Squad FTW (probably helped that the dude who did this did GuP too)
You had a lot of fun doing this review. I would too, Shirobako was one of the most inspiring and greatest anime I have seen in a long while. A definite must-watch for all anime fans. Though I do suggest people learn a bit about anime production before going head in, otherwise it becomes very easy to become lost. :)
I expected you to recommend Monthly Girl's Nozaki-Kun and Bakuman, as both are quite good perspectives on other aspects of the manga and anime industry. Didn't know either of the actual recs, so thanks for that, they sound realy cool!
Uh, is it possible for you to review " Bakuman " ? or why isn't anyone talk about it, like at all ? It's great like Shirabako, but does not really have the depth on the manga world works.
I would have never even considered watching this unless I hadn't seen your review and your recommendation as this being the best Anime for 2015. I gave it a chance and ended up watching it all in one marathon session. Thoroughly enjoyable! One of the few I'd watch again.
The anime looks really interesting, but honestly, all I could think about while watching this video is how incredibly well it is made. The intro is beautiful and short with interesting visuals and lands on that one tone that just wraps it all together all so nicely. This video is like a dance. Where your words and the pictures are the dancers. All of this, along with all the interesting things you have to say makes you one of my favorite youtubers of all time. Looking foreward to your next video!
Season 2 is part of this collection and was shown as part of Arkada's review. The first season covers the production of "Exodus!" (episodes 1-12), and the second season deals with the production of "The Third Aerial Girls Squad" (episodes 13-24). Both seasons may have been produced together and/or released without a break between. But the changes in cast and the fact that most anime are produced at 12 to 13 episodes per season leads me to believe that this is a collection of two seasons with no third. I was able to purchase this a couple months ago on -copyright infringement- for a good price; Japanese language tracks with English subs only.
Yesterday, I've finished Shirobako for the second time, and now I just HAVE to leave a comment to say: Thanks Ark for introducing me to such a wonderful piece of art. It definitely deserved it's 'certified frosty'-rating. If you hadn't reviewed Shirobako, I probably wouldn't have noticed it until much more later on. So, once again: Thank you. ^,^
Arkada says it's great, but then the comments are almost all about how it's too boring. Confused and hesitating, but I think I'll try watching it anyway seeing as how nobody in the comments has given a good argument on why the show is bad...
Ria Natsume it doesn't have the same entertainment value or intensity of other shows. So is that an argument? :) Either way, I still really enjoyed it, and I hope you will too. Of course, not every anime is every person's cup of tea.
Jacob Huempfner yup. It's just refreshing to hear something other than "it's boring." I don't mind shows with less intensity, so maybe I will enjoy it :)
It's good... It really depends on your opinion on making things, imo, though... Like, you need a sense of relate ability in any show you get into, but Shirobako kinda shot itself in the foot targeting creators, albeit there are a lot of people who create things, from movies, books, games, and mobile apps to name a few
Btw, I cried at a few parts of this show... Like, when I released my first game, a shitty art game made for a game jam, I didn't expect all sorts of people to play it but then to let's play it and to share it? Like, those feelings were properly conveyed in Shirobako... Even if people don't find what you do to be exciting, your doing things that can lead to all sorts of amazing things...
If you haven't watched it yet, I strongly recommend Knights of Sidonia. With a warning: it closes an arc but the story continues after the end of the first season (second season is just starting). This doesn't make it a bad story, per say: I believe this was conceived as a 25episode-long story, which they tried to fit into a 12 episode format, thus the first season ending where it ended. And I'm convienced this is not for lack of summing-up skills, but because the story is complex enough to guarrant the 25 episodes, at the least. People have called it "Shingeki no Kyojin in space". The story has a Macross feel to it, with a colony of humans stranded in space and an enemy that is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. Maybe because of its Macross-ness, the show entices a feeling of nostalgia. But I think it's selling point is that it often surprises you with twists that hint that it's grounded in more realism than you'd expect for a sell like this. The fact that it is CGI might through you off at the begining, and it's rushed in the first few episodes, but by the third, you'll be loving it. I enjoy and agree with almost all of your reviews so I'm 100% sure this is up your alley. So. Seriously. Watch it.
i've work on batman animated series in 93 as a action designer. it was never a joke about that job! but, when the characters come alive on the screen... it will make anyone who on the staff, cry in joy.
Please arkada watch gangsta of this anime season and review it. It looks to be really good and it is kind of like black lagoon and we know you like that one
Her dance was actually one of the best parts of the series! That and the part where they changed the girls face to show more emotion(I felt the feels man)
I started watching Shirobako when I became a PA for the Post Production of a TV series. I related very closely to some of the things that go on in this anime and found it to be a big stress reliever and something lighthearted to wake up to.
VraccasVII Maybe a lighting strikes in a clear sky?He might like it although Ark seemingly likes the genres that are more focused in Slice of Life,Drama,Romance,Comedy etc.
Dorian Bujupi Blue Exorcist contains a LOT of points he usually marks as negatives in his reviews. Just to name a few... most of the characters are cookie cutter, and their backgrounds are nothing new. The story is also extremely recycled, as well as the whole setting itself. The music is just "there" but doesn't do anything besides that. BE is something you can only really enjoy if you don't watch as much anime and haven't seen this type of storyline dozens of times already.
When watching this series there was one very simple scene that for whatever reason i could not get enough of, i replayed it over and over to the extent i have only done once before (in a scene from Baccano) and i grinned super childishly when i realised that it also must have caught Arkada's eye. LETS DANCE! 4:57
Kasuga Yuki Yeah it was the dance scene ^_^ but i thought i made it obvious from 'LETS DANCE' then the link to where Arkada showed it in vid, should i have specifically said which scene?
Shirobako greatest triumph is making us simpatize with production assitants and managers, often we wouldn't think of them when thinking of anime, but they make it clear that without them things couldn't be kept togheter.
reperfan4 That one was definitely influenced by personal preference even more so than they usually are. From the sound of things it's been a long time since an anime truly grabbed Ark so I'm sure that played a role.
Ironically, I started Shirobako last night, and after watching four episodes and then seeing Tristan's review I'm so excited to watch the rest. I have a feeling it's going to be a favorite.
This anime is only interesting to have a look at how anime is made. Other than that is pretty boring, and the characters are flat moe archetypes. I'd skip this anime, or only watch the first cour since the second one is just the same shit.
koshoshlolz MC is the same ol enthusiastic noob, bitchy ass friend in the industry. Dumb ass guy that is irredeemably stupid and immature. Eh some other cast choices that are too boring for me to remember. I dropped this anime half way through the second cour.
Veggetto Saber We need people like you. Because i'm tired of the same types of characters with the same anime cliches. The anime without cliche are the ones that rise and its so easy to see that. I dont like how the "power of friendship" always finds its way into some anime etc
WoWplayer527 Funny, the same thing happened to me when watching HunterXHunter, Fairy Tail, G-Reko, Eureka Seven, Deadman Wonderland, Nisekoi, Ore Monogatari!!, Accel World and Log Horizon.
Just finished Shirobako and reallllly enjoyed it. The biggest hurdle I found was getting used to the immensely large cast. Ingeniously though, they include the name, plus their job title next to character when the introduce the character plus frequently when the reoccur. Sadly though, because of the large cast, I wanted more time with some of the 'main' 5 girls, where 2 of them got less screen time than supporting characters.
This was one of my favorite anime from 2014. I'm glad you liked it, Arkada! :D I'm very very glad it's certified frosty and I also ask... WHERE IS MY SEASON 2?!
I'd also recommend watching Animation Runner Kuromi - a two part OVA from the director of Fruit's Basket and Jubei-Chan that pre-dates Shirobako, though one that IIRC is unfortunately out of print (as the English release was a Central Park Media joint) so you may have to pick up a DVD used or (if you're in the US and you have a Netflix Disk subscription), you can rent the show from Netflix on DVD.
Someone probably already mentioned it, but the mangaka duo behind Death Note also did a manga called Bakuman which is about, well, making manga. It's a fun shounen manga with heaps of interesting insights into the manga industry, and I would definitely recommend it, especially to people who draw manga or who liked this series!
Hey Arkada, have you ever considered reviewing Boogiepop Phantom or Mononoke? The first one has a dark, meditative tone similar to Serial Experiments Lain that I think you'd like. The second one is basically a short horror series that is superbly animated. I think you'd like both.
Great review, I didn't expect such a high rating. This has been sitting on my Crunchyroll queue untouched for way too long. I've been pretty distracted by "BTVS" and "Angel" at the moment.
After watching this review, I was so excited and intrigued to watch Shirobako. I started only 2 days ago and just finished it, that shows how much I liked it. As someone who wishes to, maybe, someday work in making anime, this anime was my cup of tea. It has really opened up my eyes to how much work goes into just a 12 episode series and now I truly appreciate all the work anime studios have to go through. I would absolutely recommend this anime.
my anime society here at college actually made donuts in honor of Shirobako, at our semesterly 24 hour anime marathon. The series really is good at showcasing the anime production process while maintaining the fact that it itself is still an anime. Though I don't think a dictionary would be entirely necessary. I was quite new to how anime was made when I saw this, and I had an easy enough time of understanding the terms they used. It would help to be sure, but Its not that bad.
An Anime I watched a few months before this one that really helped me grasp some of the insider nuances to this series that they don't really explain was "Animation Runner Kuromi". It's a little older (from teh early 2000's), is a full on comedy, and is just a 2-part OVA, but it does explain some of the actual processes and steps pretty well. I recommend it if you liked Shirobako and want to see some more in that vein. (Likewise, Bakuman for manga creation).
What do you think about Gundam 00? Just a short answer'd satisfy me, maybe not a whole video review. Personally it's my favourite Gundam series, I'd like to know your opinion because I've a similar opinion on Gundam Wing.
GAHHHHH U guys have no idea how much i loved this anime. Its really was entertaining. Also Garkada i see how much u loved that scene of her doing her workout as much as i did. I down loaded it and put on loop. I swear i could watch it for hours
Also what are you watching this season? Rokka had some pretty sick animation (even though the female costumes leave something - like yards of fabric and common sense - to be desired), and OMG GANGSTA. ... JUST........ GANGSTA.
I remember that episode 6 of Golden Boy was another episode from an anime series that looks at the pains of trying to put together an animated movie with the approval from the manga artist being almost easy, yet everything else being almost near disaster if it was not for the effort of Kintaro getting together the 5 girls he meet during the series to fill in roles that were needed to finish the movie. And the ending was expected of a romantic comedy moment like Golden Boy, he thought he stuffed up and ruined the movie only to find out that it was a wonderful success in the end. And by the time the movie had ended, he had already left on his bike and the girls that were trying to find him all took off after him.
Shirobako is one of my favorite anime i watched. It's a wonderful telling of how anime is made through with rose tinted glasses and showcases it's not an easy job, it's complete madness. The characters are easily the best part of this show, you can feel them as people in real life people (make sense as they are based on actual people) who went through this extremely tough job on a day by day basis. It's easily a must watch and i support it highly!!!!
YES, I loved Shirobako. Did you catch the "eins, zwei, drei" homage in that dance, by the way? This show gave me ugly flashbacks to my graphic designer days and warmer ones from my old hs anime club. Thanks for reviewing!
Man I'm glad I decided to watch it after this video. As someone who's starting his own professional life, the timing couldn't be better. And the quality in this! I usually don't care much about some types of animes and characters (and I expected this to be the case), but I'd be lying if I said I didn't water my eyes at the end of episode 23. Very sweet series.
I'm sorry. I just finished watching Shirobako and the move, and I absolutely loved it to bits. And GuP was my first anime ever. You're telling me the first half of Shirobako is based on the experience of working on GuP? I love this show even more now. I want a S2 so bad (and an actual 3rd Wing)
That was the most appropriate use of the inception sound since inception :D Very well done mister!!! This show sounds like a lot of fun to watch :) Only thing I have to moan about, I miss my core of the storm in the end >.>
First of all, I'm a huge fan of yours. Keep up the good work! Secondly, you should check out Mawaru Penguindrum. It's a 24 episode series with a good english dub available and doesn't have a "read the manga" ending. It has all the makings of a great anime. I feel like it's right up your ally. Totally worth it to watch a few episodes!
You know how ironic it was when this anime was still coming out and one of the last episodes was delayed due to production issues. Luckily, thanks to the anime, I understood that these things happen.
Well I just watched the whole show on crunchyroll this weekend and came to re-watch your review. I really liked it actually, especially for someone who hates slice of life so much. I want a SEASON 2!!!
AH yes , this is what you call an real anime , an anime about making other anime, animeception , love your reviews buddy , this is a great concept and looks great , will definitely check it out.
I don't know why but I really like media about making media, like this show, or that one indie game about makeing an indie game, there's just something kind of funny about it, and the ammount of jokes and references can be just great, there's just something charming about making a thing about that thing
Thanks, it is an anime that slipped to the back of my queue after watching a few episodes and one I probably should remember to go back to. Now I definitely will.
Considering your views on this show, I'm very interested to know what you think about Bakuman. Very different shows in terms of characters, Bakuman's being a little more exaggerated than Shirobako's, but in terms of content, both give a lot of insight into their respective industries and both are clearly based on real life people.
