Girlish Number

[Ryllharu]

Description: The story follows the lives of Karasuma Chitose, a college student who aspires to be an idol voice actress, and other young women in the industry blah, blah, blah...and really, it is about the darker side of the anime industry. This is the anti-Shirobako.

Links: AniDB ANN

HorribleSubs: 01 / 02

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So here I am, wondering if I've overlooked any series this season. I check AniDB, look at the ratings, and bizarrely see this series, with the image linked up top, with an abnormally high rating. I had somewhat dismissed this series during the Season Chart and Preview phase due to the rather lackluster description. So I figured I'd give it a shot and see whether it merited it.

This series won me over within 90 seconds.

Absolutely, this series is the counter to the critically-acclaimed Shirobako.

Chitose is an immature bitch, and her coworkers are selfish, often nasty people. Some are simply jaded and cynical about their profession and make the most of it. Some think they're better than the trash work companies contract seiyuu to do as part of the PR effort. Some people are just evil. Insincere courtesy flies about everywhere.

And if you think this nastiness doesn't happen in Japan's overly-polite work environment, well...I was surprised too.

[MFauli]

When you say "its about the darker side", does that mean it is a darker themed anime in general? The cover art certainly makes it look like another braindead happy-go-lucky anime like Working. If this was a seinen-like anime that portrays the hardcomings and abuse going on in the entertainment business, I´d be interested in watching this.

[Ryllharu]

It's the nasty part of the anime business, where Shirobako was the optimistic happy version.

So...yes?

Chitose gets picked for a lead role literally because she was next to the producer at an after party and he thinks she's attractive enough to promote as an idol-seiyuu. Actual talent not even considered.

I'm gonna guess it is more to the insincere/hypocritical/cynical/face-palm/cringe-worthy version of "darker" rather than say...Perfect Blue.

[shinta|hikari]

If this sucks I'm suing you, Ryll.

[neflight86]

Episode 2

Making cringe a focal climax of the episode is a risky move, but here it payed off, and I'm exccited to see what happens next for this ill fated project. On a side note, I wonder how much of an IP over there is really supposed to be comprised of an experience rather than any singular project?

[Ryllharu]

Girlish Number - 03

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So the scene before the OP had a direct parallel in Shirobako's second arc, with even parallel personalities, and ended the exact opposite way.

And the rest of the episode touched on the same notes as several of the other episodes in that arc, but in the bizzaro-world version where everything goes badly.

Chitose is such an arrogant bitch. They show a scene were you might think she's contrite, but then she opens her mouth and pure arrogance spills out to her brother's disappointment.

It is kind of impressive that Chitose's VA (playing Mumei in Kabaneri previously) can manage to produce consistently bad lines in-character during the recording scenes.

edit:
Chitose's fried egg sweater bothers me. It makes her look even dumber than she already is. Maybe that's the idea.

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 04

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It makes her seem immature, which she totally is.

The cool girl really doesn't show much leg at all, and that totally fits her character. I really do feel sorry for them being stuck under the "whatever goes" organiser and the ultimate boss who is too dumb to know better.

The very first opening of this show was really good. The initial 2 minutes had White Album 2 vibes, but it really is more like Shirobako with discord everywhere. It makes you wonder why you even want to work there.

[Ryllharu]

I like that every time Chitose does the right thing, like practice the full version of the song and help her newbie peers, she gets praised for it by some idiot, then gets haughty, and gets all bitchy and full of herself.

No wonder Momoka finds her interesting, especially considering, even though she works hard and is wise to the industry, Momoka is really only successful because her parents were.

There's really no "feel good" aspect to this series, the way Shirobako had. Drudgery, two-faced behavior, and mostly just dumb luck.

[RyougaZell]

Lol, some things never change

[Buffalobiian]

Episode 06

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The gap moe is real.

[Ryllharu]

I'm still very much enjoying this series. It hits back at all the notes that Shirobako took optimistically, and displays them in their garish reality, and a bunch of the other things that VAs have to deal with.

- Series where the production turned to shit almost immediately and are unrecoverable
- All the garbage that VAs have to do for promotion
- Getting a job simply because of a social event where an executive thought she was attractive, and not because of talent (Chitose)
- Being replaced by someone younger with a "fresher face" (Chitose via Nanami)
- Getting jobs due to being related to someone huge, and not necessarily due to individual talent (Momoka)
- Being embarrassed about doing work on ecchi series and too ashamed to tell family (Shibasaki)
- Having the talent, but not getting the work for long stretches and starting to feel "old" in the business (Katakura...played by Ishikawa Yui, who is essentially playing herself)
- Not being taken seriously by peers (Yae)

It's not blistering, because it is mostly played for laughs, but this series has remained sharp and critical of the VA business and management of anime.

Dunno where the last episode is, it should have aired. I assume the holidays are delaying it.

[Buffalobiian]

Final episode

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I struggle to see how running can beat traffic or trains, but I live in Australia so I'll take their word for it.

- All the garbage that VAs have to do for promotion

I was more amazed at the fact that people turn up to them. This certainly isn't Shirobako v2, but as you said more like a critique of the current VA business. It was fun to watch, but the plot wasn't as goal driven as Shirobako. As a piece about Chitose's growth it'll do. Kuzu trying hard actually didn't get us anywhere. The overall sense of completion is lacking.

Visually this was very well done. The stylistic way they blur the edges of the screen to make things dreamy was interesting at first, but it soon got physically uncomfortable to watch.

[Ryllharu]

To be fair, I did say this was the anti-Shirobako. The lack of accomplishment in anything of any quality is all part of that.

Compare and contrast to plucky redhead Sakaki Shizuka to Chitose. One scrapes and scrounges to get even a minor role despite moderate talent and is overjoyed for the opportunity to the point of tears, versus Chitose who is literally handed roles by her brother, half-asses it, and bitches about it all the time while being an arrogant little shit.

Or:
- Momoka who benefits from nepotism
- Shibasaki who thinks her roles in shitty series are demeaning
- Utterly clueless Yae and Nanami

and:
- Katakura who actually gets the environment they're in and tries to stay optimistic