There's a short but definitive list of the things that make Shirobako the absolute best.
1. This is an anime for and about adults. I don't mean this like it's super edgy extreme hardcore, I mean that despite its occasional goofiness, the show takes place in the working world and focuses on the struggles of its chosen line of work. The characters all have goals and challenges that relate to how they fit their careers into their vision of what they want to be as a creative. Not that I don't enjoy high school supernatural adventure like the rest of us, but Shirobako dives right for an under-served niche in this medium and knocks it out of the park.
2. Production value (cue Super 8 joke). This anime is all gorgeous, all the time. It's not just a manner of consistently top-notch art and animation quality. Nor is it just the massive cast with an array of fantastic designs. It's all that, plus unflinching attention to detail and no cut corners on the aesthetics. The backgrounds are always detailed and contain little personality-adding tidbits, and all the major characters have a variety of outfits that keep the visuals fresh. This is obviously an all-out production from P.A. works in story and art, and it absolutely shows.
3. Everyone is a good person. The story of Shirobako is fraught with constant drama, and it always feels like the world is falling apart. Despite that, with one exception, there's no true villain in this show. There's conflict, but its all borne of people with limits in a line of work constantly pushing them to the brink. You can't help but root for everyone, even that dumbass Tarou or that prick Hiraoka.
Shirobako is an overwhelmingly positive show about connecting with your passion, and I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
