The story is that of Miyamori Aoi and her friends, who have made a promise to each other to continue their passion to create anime and turn it into a profession by working in the anime industry. At first, it seems like a regular high school anime, which almost made me want to drop after the first minute or two of the pilot. But I was very glad that I didn't. Fast forward to the future, Miyamori and her friend, Ema, have found a job in Musashino Animation Studios. Miyamori is a Production Assistant, and Ema works as an animator. The other friends each have their own talents, Imai is the script writer, trying to find work. Misa Todo is the CGI expert, working in a different studio. The final character is Miss Shizuka Sakaki, an aspiring voice actress trying to find work. This anime is very realistic of how the animation industry, or any office works. Most of the time, you see all the characters trying to meet the deadline, deliver stuff, get held up by delays, workplace arguments, etc. Through the story, you find each of the characters, both main and side, discover a reason why they work in the animation industry. Some of them came with bright dreams like Aoi and some just had nowhere else to go. It's very reminiscent of the real world, where not everyone is working in a place they want to be, where everyone doesn't like each other. Some of the characters downright hate each other, although they don't really show it in the office, because you'd get fired. The amazing thing about Shirobako is that almost every character in the anime develops and moves forward from who they were in the beginning, not just the main characters. Be it Aoi herself, or an artist who just goes about working daily and goes home, all of them transform and provide an incredibly dynamic atmosphere to this series.
You could very well think that Shirobako almost didn't do anything in the sound department other than the acting. But that doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, this is one of the anime's shining points. Leaving the voice actors aside, who did a brilliant job (I often imagined Shizuka's voice actor smiling as she voiced her lines. A voice actor voicing an aspiring voice actor. How could you not?!) Shirobako doesn't go heavy handed with the music. It allows the dialogue to take the center stage, and just provides an accompaniment when required. There's even an episode where they discuss sound effects like walking in rain, monster sounds, etc. Overall, the only gripe that I had with Shirobako in the sound department was the OP and ED, which werent' really catchy or memorable.
I think I speak for the majority when I say that modern anime art has become incredibly annoying. Most anime have over-sexualized characters, horrible choice of color palettes, bad animation work, or worse, a mix of all three. You don't really see quality work coming in nowadays, and even if you do, it's rare. I'm not sure how Shirobako avoided all of this. For an anime that has such a normal story of how the anime industry works, the art is amazingly vibrant and colorful. The characters are, by the strictest definition, moe, but in no way is that a bad thing. The characters look amazing and the vibrant color palette isn't jarring. In fact, it's pretty darn endearing to see such care and work go into this anime. You can tell the animators took extra special care with each frame, just to show the world how their world is. It certainly is a love letter to the anime industry and anime fans, from the anime industry itself.
Overall, the anime left me wanting more. If you're interested in knowing how the animation industry works, then this is the anime for you. If you want a realistic and emotional story, then this is the anime for you. If you want an inspiring tale of how to be better at what you do, whether it be school, college, or work, then this is the anime for you. If you want the usual tripe of huge breasted anime girls frolicking and panty shots every other scene, then this is not the anime for you. Shirobako is definitely one of the best anime to have ever come out, and I do not say this lightly. The amount of love and care PA Works put into this production is mind blowing. For me, it felt as though each person who worked on this wanted to tell me their story, their experiences with the industry. My dearest wish would be to face each person who worked on this anime and thank them for one of the most beautiful stories that I have ever come across. If you're confused about picking up this anime, then throw away the confusion and watch the anime. I can guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.
