Shirobako The Movie Review - The Art and Toil of Anime-Making in a Meta Slice of Life
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Shirobako The Movie is a love letter to the animation industry. The plot is set four years in the future, after the events of the 2015 anime series Shirobako. Eleven Arts licensed the movie which is going to premiere in North American theaters on August 10, 2021. We were given the opportunity to watch it in advance and we will share with you all you need to know about this much-anticipated sequel.
Shirobako The Movie Trailer
Spoilers Ahead!
Shirobako The Movie Synopsis
Four years in the future, Mushani Animation is in a tough spot. The animation industry is going through a slump, and to top that off, MusAni has gone through really difficult times. We see in several flashbacks that MusAni was well into producing “Time Hippopotamus” when disaster hit. The project got shut down from above since they didn’t manage to get the rights to release it. By the year the movie is set, 2019, MusAni’s reputation has suffered a blow, with little work trickling in and several of the beloved characters we met in the series having moved on to other positions within the industry or even to another sector.
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Delightfully Meta: Animators Making Animation About Animation
Like other self-referential titles, such as Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!, Shirobako The Movie is a meta-anime, an anime about the art of making anime. A story of struggle, passion, and nerves of steel, Shirobako The Movie truthfully depicts the highs and lows of anime making in modern-day Japan. In an even more meta way, SIVA, the movie Musashino Animation produces, talks about the lives of anime professionals, even though it is a sci-fi story with mainly anthropomorphic characters. The realism, though, is there. The new ending, highlighting the sacrifice of the main characters in order to achieve freedom from a universe of extreme suppression, is another way to show the struggle of MusAni to remove the shackles of failure, unfair competition, and big money. In a delightfully meta scene, the red-head voice actress of the original cast, Shizuka Sakaki, voices the female lead in SIVA, Arte. There, we see her reading the piece “let’s struggle but keep moving forward!”. The passionate delivery of this speech shows us that SIVA, through the eyes of the MusAni team, is also about the movie industry, the unfair rules, the shady politics, and the sacrifices people make daily to follow their passion.
Reality Bites
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Shirobako The Movie deserves praise for showing the dark side of making anime. Like many jobs, animation is a competitive industry, where animators, producers, and directors give their 100% with little security. After director Kinoshita’s failure to complete Time Hippo, we see him home alone, piles of clothes and trash around him, his life falling apart. Creative work can be highly satisfying but also soul-crushing because it feels so personal. After a failure, it can be difficult to get back on your feet. Also, we do see the compromises animation professionals have to make when they find themselves without work. It is not about admitting defeat, but rather being realistic, especially in the case of MusAni’s ex-president, who gives up on his role and opens a curry restaurant, but still acts as a kind mentor to Aoi. The hard side of life is also in the details. There is the scriptwriter and his wristband, showing us his injury from hours of typing away. There is also the precarious success that does not guarantee new work coming in, threatened by forces that are not in direct control of the production team, such as scandals in the case of Yamada. Jumping through hoops and playing broken telephone with bigger companies and the higher-ups is a frustrating aspect that we don’t get to see as an audience, or that studios are often working, believing everything is going to turn out ok, putting trust in good faith. However, we see now in MusAni’s case that hell can break loose and lead an animation project to failure, even though deadlines were met and everyone worked hard, in the case of Time Hippo.
Ladies Tough as Nails
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The promo poster shows Aoi waving the revolutionary flag, akin to the famous French revolution painting “Liberty Leading the People” by Delacroix. Women make up a big part of the animation industry workforce. Although underrepresented in director positions, women are successful animators, producers, voice actresses, and designers, to name a few roles. Aoi has evolved into a tough young woman who doesn’t miss a chance when she sees it. She balances tact and kindness with a sharp eye for opportunity. But, Aoi is not the only female character that inspires us in Shirobako. In fact, the female cast is strong, down-to-earth, and determined, often being the voice of reason in the anime production process. Ami, the animator, is sensitive to criticism, making her a realistic character with flaws, and many of us can relate to her self-doubt and her desire to deliver good work. Shirobako The Movie humanizes even further its characters, serving a live-action level of realness.
Fast-Paced Office Slice of Life
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Does it exist, a fast-paced slice of life anime? In the case of Shirobako The Movie, yes, it does! We do get the charm of the original series, with a more sober and melancholic tone, the cameos of famous animation producers (like the stand-in of Hideaki Anno), anime references for die-hard otaku, and the soft character designs with cute female leads. The softness, nostalgia, and relatability make up a slice of life anime, but Shirobako The Movie does not stop there. This is also a fast-paced office anime movie, taking us step by step through the process of creating a new animation project. However, even though it goes into great detail, we never got bored watching Aoi and her peers, because it all feels like an action-filled adventure. If you are familiar with the large cast, then you will be delighted to see everyone again. It might take some time for a new watcher to understand the production process and each character’s role, so watching the original series first would help enjoy the movie more.
Final Thoughts
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This is it! The realest slice of life anime title there is…! We thoroughly enjoyed Shirobako The Movie, premiering in North American theaters on August 10. If you love slice of life, office comedies, or dramas (depends on your perspective!), and are intrigued by self-referential anime that show the ins and outs of the industry, then Shirobako The Movie will excite and teach you all you haven’t realized that goes into your favorite form of entertainment. Its fast pace and large cast might be a challenge for people new to the franchise, but we do encourage you to start with the series and then watch the movie as a great sequel to our favorite imaginary animation studio’s trajectory. Are you going to watch Shirobako The Movie? What are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below and thanks for reading.
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