History Anime / Shirobako

* EpicFail: ''Jiggly Jiggly Heaven'', [=MusAni=]'s previous work before ''Exodus!'', bombed so hard Kinoshita and Yamada were psychologically scarred for life. The anime was plagued with three {{Whole Episode Flashback}}s (for a ''TwelveEpisodeAnime'', even), one of which was a flashback of a flashback, loads of {{JiggleShow Gainaxing}} which never sat well with MoralGuardians and {{Media Watchdog}}s, and grating examples of OffModel which alienated otakus everywhere.

* ExecutiveMeddling: InUniverse, Yotaka Bookshop ends up being this in regards to [=MusAni=]'s adaptation of ''Third Aerial Girls' Squad''. The demands of the author, Takezou Nogame, are even described as "God's Words." The editor, Chazawa, would frequently wait to the last minute to drop editorial mandates [[note]]First with changing the character designs, and later with demanding the ending changed[[/note]], causing production to halt to a complete stop.

** As Aoi founds out firsthand, the animation industry isn't pretty, and production schedules can be held back if ''one'' person in the chain screws up. Taro's bungle in Episode 1 [[note]]Not telling anyone when an animator quit the project[[/note]], for example, disrupts ''weeks''' worth of pre-planning.

* StockFootage: The whole "first episode broadcast party night" scene at [=MusAni=] [[note]]Only smart enough to add the NewMeat and change some people's clothing colors.[[/note]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLc3E_RQ97M even some staff members' spoken lines are completely the same.]] This is basically [[Creator/PAWorks P.A.Works']] sarcastic way of saying "HereWeGoAgain".

* FreezeFrameBonus: In Chofu Base, you can see a map of the world with red circle indicating the presene of Builder territory.

A 24-episode (though [[http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-30353.html it's been planned for 50 episodes originally]] AnimeFirst production from Creator/PAWorks directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (known for his work on ''Manga/SquidGirl'' and ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer''), ''Shirobako'' (literally ''White Box'', after the white box that finalized production videocassetes were packaged in) takes a look at the workings of the Japanese animation industry, particularly on the studio side of things.

In a hilarious bit of {{Defictionalization}}, Takeshi Nogami released a complete volume of '''Third Aerial Girls' Squad''' for the 2015 Summer Comiket, published as it would have appeared ''entirely in-universe'', complete with an advertisement of mousepad for ''Sailor Suits and [=F3s=]''.

* LongTitle:
** Episode 4 involved Shizuka attending an audition for ''[[HaremGenre My Harem Might be Falling Apart, but I Guess I'm Just Imagining Things]]''.
** [=MusAni=]'s second major title, ''Third Aerial Girls' Squad'', is also quite a mouthful, which is why even in its original form (it's an adaptation of a hit manga series) it was shorthanded into ''"[=SanJo=]"/「三女」'', an abbreviated form of its Japanese name, as it can be seen written in Kanji on a titular ''shirobako'' in a new opening.

A 24-episode (though [[http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-30353.html it's been planned for 50 episodes originally]], so it might get a second season later) AnimeFirst production from Creator/PAWorks directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (known for his work on ''Manga/SquidGirl'' and ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer''), ''Shirobako'' (literally ''White Box'', after the white box that finalized production videocassetes were packaged in) takes a look at the workings of the Japanese animation industry, particularly on the studio side of things.

If you are interested in understanding more about Japanese anime and manga related fields, we recommend ''Manga/SeiyusLife'' for voice acting, ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'' for manga production (and ''Manga/AhAndMmAreAllSheSays'' for {{hentai}} manga production), and ''LightNovel/GirlishNumber'' for a more cynical spin on anime production. See also ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'' for a look at animation ''specifically'' (not to mention an amateur project, rather than a professional work), as well as [[DeconReconSwitch a view of the ups and downs of artistic endeavours]].

* OffModel: Episode 7 provides an in-series example in the form of the "legendary" Episode 9 of ''Jiggly Jiggly Heaven''. Cut through Yamada's flashback in full Website/NicoNicoDouga [[ShoutOut style]]. And good grief was it truly famous for all the wrong reasons! No wonder Yamada and Kinoshita constantly goes [[HeroicBSOD BSOD]] [[TraumaButton whenever they hear it]]..

A 24-episode (though [[http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-30353.html it's been planned for 50 episodes originally]], so it might get a second season later) AnimeFirst production from Creator/PAWorks directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (known for his work on ''Manga/SquidGirl'' and ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer''), ''Shirobako'' (literally ''White Box'', after the white box that finalized production videocassetes were packaged in) takes a look at the workings of the Japanese animation industry, particularly on the studio side of things. It aired during the Fall2014Anime season.

* SmallNameBigEgo: Tarou, who somehow thinks he's the greatest thing to happen to Musashino. That he manages to avoid being a KnowNothingKnowItAll (as he practically ''brags'' about how incompetent he is) while pulling off this trope says much about his character. WordOfGod also has it that Tarou is essentially series director Tsutomu Mizushima's [[CreatorCareerSelfDeprecation projection of his younger self]], when he was incredibly arrogant and self-important but had little to back it up with.

* AuthorAppeal: The anime is about girls who pilot vintage fighter jets. Tsutomu Mizushima, ''Shirobako'''s director, seems to be fond of the MilitaryMoe trope; he previously directed the "girls operating tanks" anime ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'', and would later direct ''Anime/TheMagnificentKotobuki'', which has a very similar premise to ''Third Aerial Girls Squad'' as it focuses on girls who are fighter pilots.

* EasterEgg: Musashino Animation's supposedly fictional phone line ''did'' work in real life! If you dialed their Japanese number during it's airing season, that phone would connect to an answering machine with Aoi's voice actress, Juri Kimura enacting as Aoi as if Aoi's answering your phone call on behalf of the company and then start to go berserk, shelling out all of her inside gossips or stress on you with whatever was going on with her during that week's episode in under 50 seconds. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcOvUtHDPO0 Some fans managed]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUjY-4E4_nA to catch some of them in time]].
* EpicFail: ''Jiggly Jiggly Heaven'', [=MusAni=]'s previous work before ''Exodus!'', bombed so hard Kinoshita and Yamada were psychologically scarred for life. The anime was plagued with three {{Whole Episode Flashback}}s (for a ''TwelveEpisodeAnime'', even), one of which was a flashback of a flashback, loads of {{Gainaxing}} which never sat well with MoralGuardians and {{Media Watchdog}}s, and grating examples of OffModel which alienated otakus everywhere.

* ItWasWithYouAllAlong: Episodes 11-12 revolve around Aoi's desperate search for someone to animate a herd of horses for the ''Exodus'' finale. [[spoiler:Her meeting with Kanno revealed that Sugie, one of their senior members, was a master at animating animals, including her childhood favorite ''Andes Chucky''.]]

A 24-episode (though [[http://yaraon.blog109.fc2.com/blog-entry-30353.html it's been planned for 50 episodes originally]], so it might get a second season later) AnimeFirst production from Creator/PAWorks directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (known for his work on ''Manga/SquidGirl'' and ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer''), '''Shirobako''' (literally ''White Box'', after the white box that finalized production videocassetes were packaged in) takes a look at the workings of the Japanese animation industry, particularly on the studio side of things. It aired during the Fall2014Anime season.

Two [=OVA=]s were released for the series, both connected to the shows that the Musani staff animated, both bundled in as specials for the Blu-Ray release. The first OVA tackled an early episode of '''Exodus''', a Musani-original series, while the final Blu-Ray included the first episode of '''Third Aerial Girls' Squad''', the manga adaptation the studio worked on during the series' second half. A movie was released on February 29, 2020.

''Shirobacko'' ended up the first in a ThematicSeries about young women working in Japan.

* CreatorCareerSelfDeprecation: The series runs on this, as it's pretty obvious that much of the production staff's (particularly Mizushima's) real-world experiences go into each episode. Even the [[NamesToKnowInAnime high-profile voice actors]] cast for this series are tasked with the [[WhamLine heaviest lines]] that shed light on the dark side of their glamor, which can be seen especially clear within the ''Third Aerial Girls' Squad'' Casting Committee.

* CastHerd: [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters There's too many people to cover]] for this show, therefore each episode would focus on a selected group of cast depending on the progress of their [[ShowWithinAShow project]].

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: The first episode alone introduces more than twenty characters in a single go. It's bad enough that, in the first 6 episodes, whenever someone connected to a production is on-screen, their names and positions are always included.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: This anime literally dumps LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters filled with professional terminology BossSubtitles towards us right from the first episode, ''with no further explanations''. [[note]]Even their [[AllThereInTheManual Official Website]] doesn't serve any purpose.[[/note]] As if they assumed their [[{{Demographics}} target audience]] knows ''everything'' about the business already.

* AdultFear: [[LuddWasRight Computer artists replacing traditional cell animators]] is really stressful to the traditionalists, especially to Ryousuke.
** Each of the five protagonists undergoes their own.
*** Aoi: Suddenly having massive responsibility thrust upon her.
*** Ema: Poor work putting her professional reputation at risk, and struggling to make enough to live on.
*** Misa: Being stuck in a career path with no chance for growth or learning.
*** Shizuka: Constantly struggling to find work in her preferred field.
*** Midori: Being unable to find a professional calling at all.

If you are interested in understanding more about Japanese anime and manga related fields, we recommend ''Manga/SeiyusLife'' for voice acting, ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'' for manga production (and ''Manga/AhAndMmAreAllSheSays'' for {{hentai}} manga production), and ''[[LightNovel/GirlishNumber Gi(a)rlish Numbers]]'' for a more cynical spin on anime production. See also ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'' for a look at animation ''specifically'' (not to mention an amateur project, rather than a professional work), as well as [[DeconReconSwitch a view of the ups and downs of artistic endeavours]].

If you are interested in understanding more about Japanese anime and manga related fields, we recommend ''Manga/SeiyusLife'' for voice acting, ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'' for manga production, and ''[[LightNovel/GirlishNumber Gi(a)rlish Numbers]]'' for a more cynical spin on anime production. See also ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'' for a look at animation ''specifically'' (not to mention an amateur project, rather than a professional work), as well as [[DeconReconSwitch a view of the ups and downs of artistic endeavours]].

* CreatorKiller: InUniverse, ''Jiggly Jiggly Heaven'' ran [=MusAni=]'s reputation to the ground and ruined the once-promising career of its director, Seiichi Kinoshita. Viewers hated it, and publishers became skeptical of their ability to make faithful adaptations, at least until they redeemed themselves with the studio's first original anime in six years, ''Exodus!''.

* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Aoi (honey-blonde), Ema (brunette) and Shizuka (redhead).

** Episode 5 begins with the original version of Arupins' "I always knew" clip from Exodus, which the company spends the entire episode redoing because Kinoshita doesn't like it. It ends with the revised version.

If you are interested in understanding more about Japanese anime and manga related fields, we recommend ''Manga/SeiyusLife'' for voice acting, ''Manga/{{Bakuman}}'' for manga production, and ''[[LightNovel/GirlishNumber Gi(a)rlish Numbers]]'' for a more cynical spin on anime production. See also ''Manga/KeepYourHandsOffEizouken'' for a look at animation ''specifically'' (not to mention an amateur project, rather than a professional work), as well as [[DeconReconSwitch a view of the ups and downs of artistic endeavour]].

* BookEnds: The series begins with the five girls putting together their animated short for the school festival, ''Shinbutsu Konkou: The Seven Lucky Battle Gods''. [[spoiler:At the end of Episode 24 they renew their vow to one day remake it for commercial release, and imagines seeing the characters in their short sail past by them from their flying boat.]]

** Tarou Takanashi is an airhead who always forgets things and has the sensitivity of a sleepwalking hippopotamus, though at least he can be trusted to get the basics right with regular supervision. In spite of his shortcomings, he is cheery, enthusiastic and readily available to lend a hand at the mere mention of his name.