Shirobako | Episode 24 | TFP Review
Hitsugi Amachi: For all of the action (both the extended production work at the beginning and one last, madcap scramble providing the slapstick that I think Mizushima must like), it was a quiet final episode. But that was fitting. Ep. 23 had all the fireworks. This was the time for the cast to take a final bow before leaving the stage and for us to take one last look before waving goodbye.
bctaris: The finale certainly fell into a very positive mood, with no more issues except the tight deadline, but everybody trying as hard as possible without complaint or argument. That’s interesting to me only because, despite the intention to simply go out on such a loving positive note, it’s probably somewhat accurate to how a typical production feels right at the end, with everyone so focused because there’s no other option, where all or most of the complaints and bad vibes fade into the background simply because they have to. Also, the story deserved it; the show didn’t cover up any of the underlying stress or how people in the industry react to it (episode 22, notably), and this was the time to just show how it’s all worth it in the end.
The mad dash to deliver the tapes, as the big “finale”, was amazingly fun, no matter what. I like how, in Watanabe and Okitsu’s cases, it opens up more of the background that gives the series such depth: you get the sense that they probably came up from the production desk together, and were probably quite the pair. It felt like a long reveal with General Manager Okitsu (literally at one point, once she swept back her hair), teasing this background character with very few lines and Kero plushies on her workspace all series long as probably much more interesting than meets the eye. A badass forerunner to car racer Aoi–who enjoyed a Bean Bandit-like rivalry with a policeman? Yeah, I want to see that show, too.
But the way all of the “couriers” seem to have gone on quests, with the approaches to each TV studio shot as if approaching a faraway palace, was just as fun. (Only Katsuragi and his slapstick was made to seem less dignified. 
)
And like some of the best and least anxious stories, this had multiple satisfying endings, each one necessary: the deliveries, Aoi’s arrival and speech, the indelible credit roll montage of all of the characters, the final group shot…
And Aoi, Ema, Shizuka, Misa, and Midori, still together, now stronger, still going.
Hitsugi Amachi: This was simply one of the best shows of the past several years.
bctaris: I have nothing else to really compare this to. Except maybe a couple of Mizushima’s shows–Genshiken, GirlPan–only in spirit. It’s wholly unique; so it’s more than one of the best shows or recent memory for me. Because it so changes (and for the better) the perception of what anime is about and what it can do, it’s a watershed. Let’s say the Cowboy Bebop of slice-of-life. Why not.
EmperorBrandon: Yep yep… [The other girls being involved in Lucy’s scene.] I knew what was coming when Ema asked for a specific scene to work on. I think Misa might have done the plane touching down in Texas, if I’m interpreting that right. And we get to see Ema crying over the same lines that made Aoi cry in the previous episode. All while Ai watches on rather sweetly. I love how we even see the progress she’s made too, as she continues to complete sentences. With Zuka, it’s nice to see she’s already getting more work too.
They managed to work in some epicness in the final episode with the delivery to the stations, which thankfully all made it in time. Katsuragi’s panic was a lot of fun to watch, seeing him get caught by the metal detector. And Okitsu has some history with the police (feels kind of appropriate after they worked on Exodus to have a scene like this 
).
And that party… great seeing everyone coming together, and Aoi remarking on the point of just how many people were involved. Got a good bit of amusement out of Chazawa’s cameo and change of job. He’s taking photos of the funny stories now. 
Including the final group shot of the Musani staff. Nice way to end things with the girls determined to improve their work on the Seven Lucky Gods. Would be cool if we get see more of this cast of characters, but very happy with the ending note we got here.
Jun Kuga: The Delivery may have been Too Far Off to watch the episode yesterday, but it was worth every second of waiting time. That was every bit the perfect way to end one of the best surprises I’ve seen in years, and I would absolutely love to see a follow up series further pushing the careers of the five original cast members, plus the seemingly impossible array of other strange and wonderful cast members.
I don’t really think I can split the episode itself and say just how good individual parts were – every bit was pushing the finale to new heights.
Sly05: A very fitting ending to a series I will be missing greatly. It did a superb job of showing how all the characters had grown, even Hiroaka seems to have taken a more positive attitude towards his job. Aoi’s speech and seeing the five girls together was a great note to end things on for a very satisfying conclusion.
The sea of characters that made up the production studio was at first a bit daunting, but I think P.A. works did a good job making most of them memorable and seem like a convincing team. I also enjoyed the generally optimistic tone the series maintained, even with all the personal and professional obstacles the characters faced. It might not be the most realistic take on life working in anime production, but it was an enjoyable and informative one nonetheless. It even made me a bit more sympathetic towards the people working on doing CG in anime (though it still rarely looks good). P.A. works hit it out of the park again and Shirobako sits alongside my favorites the studio has produced.
Buckeye: Overall, this show is just fantastic, but where I really give this show credit is for the concept of doing a portrayal of the anime industry with college students as the main characters. This show started off slowly going into the crisis-of-the-week formula that made for something that was bound to be repetitive. But once it got out of that routine and focused on individual aspects of the anime creation process, that’s when the show really takes off. This show is smart and highly educational as it does an excellent job in portraying the business realistically, all while doing a nice job in thinking outside the box when the situation calls for it. And then there are some episodes that are just amazing like the Christmas episode, the baseball episode, and the Wild West meeting episode that make this show memorable. It had an alright first half and part of the reason I wasn’t convinced it wasn’t going to be this great is the large cast where the characters had to be re-introduced every episode, but the second half is just amazing seeing how it does a superb job in portraying the reality of the industry to make for something that’s educational and well-constructed.
