Shirobako Episode 22 (Everybody be Drunk!)

So where did we leave off last time? Ah yes. they were working on Third Aeriel Girls squad and had just finished the storyboards for the final episode. So what are we up to now? Well apparently they need an animation director the last episode of the series. No one seems available, so they think the black haired girl (you know, one of the main five)

should do it. She thinks about it, but more on that later.

Miyamori heads to the pissed off artist’s house and tells her that they really need her and she’ll take full responsibility for Hiraoka’s future mistakes. With this, she agrees to stay on.

And now, the fun part. Taro and Hiraoka go out after work to have dinner. And then EVERYBODY gets drunk!

The voice actor girl

Hiraoka and Taro

Even these two random chicks who I have no idea who the fuck they are!

Seriously I..who..who are these two? Am…Am I supposed to know them? If I am, I really don’t remember who these people are. They talk for like 5 minutes about the one’s kid wanting to be in anime and….they don’t show their names above their heads so i’m assuming they introduced them earlier so…yeah i guess i SHOULD know them?

Anyway, the scene with Taro and Hiraoka is actually really funny. The both of them bond and we see a little more into Hiraoka’s past and how he worked for a really shitty anime company.

Honestly, I love these two. These two are seriously 2 of my three favorites in the show.

I guess it’s because these two are some of the most…animated (no pun intended) of the show. They’re the ones who feel alive, especially together. I Taro’s desire to have a friend and Hiraoka’s need to have one. They are perfect bros for each other. I think they work PERFECTLY with each other.

Afterwards, literally the rest of the episode is the black haired girl hemming and hawing over whether she wants to be the animation director until everyone and their mother tells her to do it. She finally agrees. Huzzah.

The voice acting is finished and everything is going smoothly…. (shifts eyes) too smoothly….

Ahh…there we go. I knew it was going too easily. So yeah. that’s where the episode ends.

Once again, this episode wasn’t too focal on anything story wise. The best part of the episode by far was the drunken conversation between Hiraoka and Taro. The black haired girl’s indecision took up a large chunk of the episode and it resolved rather….nonepicly when she finally just agreed to do it. I think I was expecting something a little more emotional to give a solid impact?

This show is widely known for it’s talking. That’s pretty much all this show does. And some of the time it works just great but it all depends on the subject matter. in this case… some of the scenes dragged. It was especially hard to connect to those two women in their scene. I swear..I really have NO idea who these guys are. It’s Shirobako, though, so missing some characters is bound to happen. Still, even if I didn’t remember them I wish they had left me with a little more feeling.

There’s really nothing else to say about this episode. Want to see an episode where people get drunk and rant? Want to see an episode where a chick can’t decide if she wants a promotion? Well that’s two in one for you.

Really…the episode was…okay? I think a lot of important scenes really left me wanting for the emotional impact they should have had. Had the animator girl been a little more poignant in her acceptance I think the episode would have rung a little more effective. Of course, more Taro/Hiraoka development is appreciated….uhm, in the friendship sense. Bros forever!!!

Episode 5/10

-Hideki