This stark contrast to other anime and manga, where said industries are celebrated and deified, presents a more sober and realistic take that is scarcely found elsewhere. Perhaps we have been seeing the decline of an industry for quite a while now, and have just failed to notice. An anime centered upon the anime industry holds more truths than is immediately apparent, as it is in some regards a vehicle for animators and writers to discuss their own experiences. If they do not say it directly, they can instead express it through creative mediums.
On the surface, Shirobako is just an ordinary moe anime, filled to the brim with cute girls creating anime, pushing themselves to the limit and doing the nigh-impossible. And on these merits alone, the Shirobako movie provides plenty more fun for those it appeals to, with the movie's storyline mostly reminiscent of that from the TV series. Personally, however, I find that moreso than plot or characters (which are serviceable in this case), this subtext is what gives the most credence to Shirobako as an artistic work.
If there is one criticism I might have, it is that the male characters are largely doofuses. This brings essential comedic value to the series, and consequently keeps things varied and exciting, but I do wish that some of them (namely Takanashi and Big Boy) had a few more layers to their personality. The antagonist of the movie is also another stock buffoon, a shady 'businessman' skirting the thin line between legality and crime (and failing at doing so, to incredible extents). But they are not the stars of the show, and they hardly hamper the integrity of the story or its enjoyment thereof, so it is largely a trivial issue.
If you can forgive a mildly degenerate digression, I do feel obliged to state that Erika is a hell of a girl (twintails, short shorts, AND thigh-highs, all at once?), with her remaining my favourite from the series. It is a shame there isn't more of her (I had initially thought she wouldn't even appear in the movie), as I feel she could have made for an exciting and more dominant member of the main cast.
But there is little to gripe about with regards to the main five. Shirobako had one of my favourite female casts in all of anime when it aired five plus years ago, and that remains the case even now in 2021. I could watch these characters for many more movies yet, and still be excited in what their individual story-arcs have yet to present, with their differing albeit interconnected careers. Still, it would have been nice if the movie wasn't so fixated on Aoi, as the rest of the main cast are treated with what seems more like cameo appearances, rather than anything meaningful or substantial— similar in many ways to Erika's disappointingly small role in the story. Those excited for more Ema or Midori, for example, might find themselves a bit disappointed, as their scenes feel quite wanting. Perhaps they have a couple minutes of screentime each, which in some cases, is less than characters we can barely even remember the name of.
It is of course difficult to manage such a large amount of characters in a two hour format, though, so I suppose it goes to reason that the writers would choose instead to tell a smaller and more focused story. And while said story can be mild and potentially even underwhelming on a surface level (the rush to meet deadlines is something we have already seen aplenty in the TV series), I feel it is the deeper meanings that elevate the Shirobako movie into being more than merely decent. If the staff have made an entire movie expressing the pinch that animators, writers, and the industry as a whole currently finds itself in, then I might argue that there is more information to extract here than even most news sources could possibly provide.
I have to admit, I was not expecting to be watching another Shirobako anime in 2021. But in recent days, we have been seeing a multitude of anime receiving sequels many years after their originals. And for this I am happy, and thankful, as it shows that some creators are willing to please their fans instead of perpetually chasing monetary phantoms.
If you've watched and enjoyed Shirobako in the past, you already know whether or not you should watch this movie. And for those who have no experience with the series, I can only hope that you might give it a try.
It is, in my opinion, one of the most enjoyable and meaningful anime from the previous decade.
