UlasanAnime.com – Shirobako has deeply resonated with me, particularly episode 23, which served as another significant emotional outpouring that I’m still processing. My current focus has been on grinding Ace Combat for gold boxes, a task that has proven frustratingly unfruitful. I hope both of these situations improve soon.
I currently have a backlog of about a month’s worth of articles to read and shows to watch. Amidst this, I’ve managed to keep up with my current favorites: Shirobako, Saekano, and Log Horizon. This doesn’t necessarily reflect their quality but rather my continued habit of watching over ten shows per season and the perceived need to “review crap.” For instance, I recently finished KimiUso, partly because shows that conclude a week early offer the advantage of being fully reviewed by many anime bloggers, thus compelling me to finish it sooner to avoid spoilers.
I also realized today that I had an opportunity to visit the Shirobako collaboration event at the Musashino shopping street near its JR station on the Chuo line while I was in Japan. I had a half-day free that I spent wandering aimlessly, searching for amplifiers. To lift my spirits, I turned to my backlog of camote posts and stumbled upon this entry. The name Atsuko Tanaka felt familiar not just because of the voice actress connection (as someone who frequently consults ANN’s encyclopedia, I often question the accuracy of credits) but also due to a related ANN connection. I had previously wondered about the animator Tanaka’s work and its significance. It appears she has been a key figure in the Ghibli style since her early days at Telecom, which confirms her noteworthy contributions.
[It’s amusing that she’s still credited in Pitaten storyboards.]
Reading camote posts, however, often brings more dread than joy, partly due to their dry nature and the fact that much of the content isn’t directly relevant to my interests. The relatively business-like presentation and solid information make them a good read to ground myself emotionally, as they say. It’s akin to when people express disappointment with seasonal anime, and I find myself wondering what they’re experiencing. Shirobako has aired for two cours, meaning two excellent seasons of anime. It has been my top pick for Anime of the Year 2014 and likely will remain so for 2015 unless something extraordinary emerges.
The reactions to the show also prompt another thought: after episode 12, I felt the anime was already exceptionally good and could only falter from that point. So far, it has managed to maintain its quality, which is more than I could ask for. Simultaneously, episode 23 provides a satisfying conclusion that the first cour lacked. Are we done here? I felt completed by last Christmas, so everything beyond that point has been a bonus.
You might also be interested in : Sendai Pilgrimage 2015 Part A
Word has it that there’s enough planned material for two more cours, where Aoi takes on the roles of line producer and then main producer. I assume these are ambitious goals intended to boost Blu-ray sales.
