Mangirl!

For thousands of years, humans have debated over the most essential question of them all: what is a mangirl? Throughout history, that puzzling conundrum has ended friendships, severed marriages, and started two World Wars. It destroyed the minds of great philosophers and caused the deaths of billions of people. That question brought devastation in any place it was uttered and no one had any idea of how to solve it. Finally, in the year of our Lord 2013, a thirteen-episode obscurity of an anime by the name of “Mangirl (with an exclamation mark)” was released to the public with the intent of answering the age-old ... question once and for all. And answer it, Mangirl does. This anime argues that a “mangirl” isn’t a girl that transformed into a man (as Aristotle would tell you) nor is it a man passing himself off as a prepubescent female (as Einstein doggedly insisted to be true). Instead, this anime affirms that mangirls are not a type of person but a concept, a tradition, a religion, a lifestyle that its practitioners adhere to until their death.

Ok. I lied about Mangirl's purpose. However, if this anime isn’t an extensive study on transgender politics, then what is it supposed to be?

First and foremost, Mangirl is a love letter to the manga medium; this show succeeds in endearing itself due to its sincere, clever, and authentic portrayal of its subject matter. In spite of its supremely awkward title (and a handful of shortcomings), Mangirl is not only laden with charm but it’s also quite graceful and you simply cannot resist being enticed by it. Each episode is dedicated to a different aspect of manga-making, like phototypesetting, proofreading, and advertising; each aspect is not only thoroughly and expertly profiled but Mangirl’s writing also ensures that there is humor to be wrought from each aspect. In the first episode, it analyzes the financial side of a manga company, delving into logistics, statistics, and expenses with fervor, before it jeers at the pitiful amount of revenue a manga company generates. That Mangirl’s writing strengthens the show overall is largely thanks to its self-aware sense of humor and (to a lesser degree) its cast.

To be perfectly clear, you’re not going to receive complex characterization from Mangirl, but its inventive and eccentric wit livens up an otherwise uninspiring cast. The basis of Mangirl is that the Monthly Comic Earth Star’s editorial staff (a team of certified idiots) aspires to publish a manga despite having zero experience (or so they claim) and the comedic potential is deployed almost immediately. The editorial staff is creating a manga about a formidable cyborg assassin in ancient Japan; the razor-sharp contrast between the dramatic and dreary manga and its whimsical creators is purposefully (and hilariously) jarring. What's particularly charming about Mangirl is the pop culture references, especially the shout-out to One Piece; as part of an elaborate joke, it pays tribute to the long-running shonen in one of its earliest episodes, complimenting its originality and unique concept while never mentioning it by name.

Mangirl's sense of humor is at its finest when it executes a memorable, recurring gag involving its flawed yet lovable protagonist, Hana Sasayama, the group editor-in-chief, where she spouts grandiose, self-serving goals for the company to achieve, which are seen through and dismissed, adding an endearing layer of nuance to Mangirl's relationship dynamics (Hana's tendency spirals out of control in the finale as she fantasizes of an amusement park, a wildly successful pop idol career and...world domination). I appreciate most of all its willingness to tease rather than venerate its protagonist for her vanity like a certain show is infamous for.

*cough* Love Live *cough*

Contrary to what you might believe, Mangirl isn’t all fun and games; there’s an intriguing subplot involving Aki Toori, Hana’s best friend, that not only provides the series with a layer of complexity but it also raises a crucial issue in Mangirl’s overall plot. The first scene preludes its biggest mystery; Aki refuses to join the editorial staff (for vague reasons) but is coerced into changing her mind by Hana alluding to an enigmatic "White Autumn." What it means is Mangirl’s biggest element of intrigue and it’s handled with the utmost care.. up to a certain point. As the series unfolds, we learn through in-universe hints and snarky asides that Aki once crafted lewd manga (possibly “hentai” as well) in her collegiate days. Aki’s sordid past provides a substantial amount of context into her character; it’s something that shames her, something that she’s all too eager to forget but at the same time Aki understands how her past equips her with knowledge that she can share with the rest of the staff. It’s a thoroughly delicate situation that’s shocking for a show of Mangirl’s nature. While each episode provides more and more context to Aki’s past, Mangirl doesn't reveal the meaning of “White Autumn” until it’s thrown in your face in a particularly anticlimactic, graceless, and tactless fashion. Mangirl’s haphazard handling of “White Autumn” is emblematic of the grievance I hold with this series: it possesses a dangerously limited skill set. This show is exceptional at making grand observations, at finding humor in ordinary situations, at laughing at itself, and at zeroing in on the minutiae of its subject matter (this show can pontificate on various fonts and what they represent like no other). However, what's outside of Mangirl’s level of expertise is far, far greater than what isn’t and watching it attempt reaching beyond its capabilities can be uncomfortable, to say the least. Fortunately, the series finale is a redemption of Mangirl’s mistakes.

SPOILER ALERT

Through twelve episodes, this show deceives you into assuming it’s centered on the editorial staff of a manga company and their journey to publishing their manga, only for the finale to reveal the truth. As the series concludes with the editorial staff watching themselves participate in the Mangirl opening theme, you finally realize the show’s real purpose. Mangirl isn't an anime about an editorial staff but an anime about an anime about an editorial staff; it’s a grand Matryoshka doll of a story and I simply adore shows of that nature.

SPOILER ALERT OVER

With an eternal creative streak and a brilliant sense of humor, Mangirl manages to separate itself from its peers. When it involves manga-making anime, Mangirl prizes subtlety while shows like Bakuman and (ugh) Eromanga-sensei prefer crafting broad strokes. When it involves shorts, Mangirl contains more nuance than the likes of Bananya and Plastic Neesan. And when it comes to comedy, Mangirl possesses just the right balance; it’s not hilarious to the point of excess nor is it lacking comically. In spite of my earlier criticisms, Mangirl is a show I’d recommend. However, I must advise you to not let its title give you the wrong impression.

This title is click bait, just so you don´t get confused when you see no shemales or trans or whatever in this anime XD XD
This is your really average moe girl anime, which I am not normally that much into, but because this is an short anime filled with okay good humor, then it was quite enjoyable for me even though it was still predictable because the main 4 characters are archetypes, you have your genki (Hana), your cute foody girl(Tsugumi), your nadeshiko(Ringo) and your meganekko(Aki) (if I have classified them correctly) XD and then some other few really archetypes supporting characters with no depth, ... the only really interesting character being Aki Torii

All the rainbow faeces of the Unicorn - the good things
- It is short, fitting portions of moe.
- It had in fact a good plot, not special nor deep, but I liked that it didn´t feel that episodic.
- I do in fact like the series for not being deep or anything like it because this was my comedy relief and I watched it when I didn´t want to challenge my mind
- Aki <3!

All the hurtful.... cringe! - The cons
- No depth what so ever.
- Really classic archetypes, so it becomes very predictable (but not that I mind for such a series)

So yeah go into this anime with small expectations and enjoy it for its short episodic moeness :3

This anime began airing in the Winter of 2013, and is thirteen episodes long. I generally don't watch anime that are under the standard 24 minutes long, but this one caught my eye even though it was just five minutes long. It was produced by Dogakobo and Earth Star Entertainment, who have also done Natsuyuki Rendezvous, the currently airing Majestic Prince, and Seiken no Blacksmith, which are all pretty good anime that I've seen.

I found the characters to be refreshing, and easy to relate to. The head editor was completely crazy, while the one with glasses seemed normal (most of the time). The comedy ... was pretty good, and had me laughing at alot of parts. Also, the opening was pretty catchy, and although I liked the animation and the characters, I felt it lacked development a little bit. I'm a scrooge for animation so this is mostly why I don't watch short anime, because their quality of animation is generally lower.

This plot has already been done by Bakuman, even though Mangirl! is a little different. My favorite episode was probably where they went to the comic store and they were sold out. The mangaka was also pretty funny when she was starving and her apartment was filled with trash because her assistant was on vacation. I do feel like this anime shows what it's like to be a manga editor and mangaka. It could be considered almost educational even, overlooking the tangents that the crazy characters go off on all the time.

A special is scheduled to air May 24th, for episode 14. I'll definitely be looking forward to watching these crazy characters after their success in the manga world.