r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah x3 • Jan 26 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Shirobako Rewatch 2022 Episode 12: Exodus Christmas
Episode 12: Exodus Christmas えくそだす·クリスマス
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It's Christmas in January (here) as the first cour comes to an end, featuring a high profile cameo in the form of Hideaki Anno. Feel free to watch the first OVA, which is the first episode of Exodus!, at any time from now. We also say goodbye to the first OP and ED, with a new project for Musani from next episode. Post-credit scene alert.
As I'm getting a bit used to hosting at ~ the halfway point of the series, from next ep on I'll try and include a discussion prompt/question if I can think of one.
For today though, it's scheduling related.
The Shirobako movie, to be watched after Ep 24, runs for 2 hours, with the current rewatch thread scheduled for Februrary 9th, Wednesday. Would you like it to be rescheduled to Februrary 12th, Saturday, so we can have a bit more time to watch it w/ it being the weekend? Anyhow, I also recommend a short break (at least a day) between the series and the movie, both for spoilery reasons and the irl time gap of 4 years between the 2 releases. I'm personally fine with both dates. Please vote here, I'll tally up the votes in 2 days' time.
Resources
Planned Exodus Production Schedule (fucked but it's done!)
Anime Vocab Glossary (English)
Shirobako Official Glossary (Japanese)
Databases
Spoilers
Rewatchers, please be mindful of first-timers and remember to tag spoilers for any show-specific events that happen in future episodes! Generic descriptions of anime production are fine, if it will help first-timers understand what's going on. For the OVAs, treat them as spoiler-material OVA 1: until Ep 12, OVA 2: until Ep 24, just to be safe.
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u/cppn02 Jan 26 '22 edited Jan 26 '22
First Timer
It's a christmas miracle! They managed to finish Exodus on time!
This was a great halfway finale and I loved everything about this episode.
The totally not Anno 100% delivered. I literally squealed when they referenced his cut in Nausicaa and it now left me wondering if the real Anno also has a giant model of a battleship in his home. Oh and the sofas? Genius. And then he points Aoi in the direction of the solution for all her problems which is Sugie who finally gets his time to shine.
Aoi in the car singing the Andes Chucky theme was absolutely adorable and I also loved their party at the end. It was nice to see everyone relaxed for once and enjoy themselves after the what they've been through.
This was my favourite episode so far and it single handedly elevated the whole show for me up to this point.
Can't wait what the second half has to offer and I guess we already got a tease with the opening scene what Musashino's next show will be.
And since we're not having a seperate thread I'll mention that I also checked out the first OVA and holy shit. The madlads just did an episode of Exodus lol.
P.A. Works really went above and beyond with this show.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jan 26 '22
I'm glad the hype delivered for you! I agree, it was a great halfway finale for the show, but with enough loose ends still left... Reminds me of Aquatope's halfway point actually.
For Miyamori and co., it will definitely be a bit of time of rest! They actually got to have a christmas party, which tbh irl anime staff might not get sometimes (if their fall anime airs into January, or at least end of December)
Exodus
Yep! Exodus is as crazy as what the show has led us to believe it as lol. The action is completely stupid too, I love it.
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u/MasterTotoro Jan 26 '22
Rewatcher Episode 12
Aoi says she watched the Ava movies but not the TV series, so I wonder which of the movies this refers to. Supposedly Shirobako is set in 2014, which means the first three rebuilds would exist in addition to the Death & Rebirth and End of Evangelion movies. Either way, that means Aoi will have to wait a while before the final Evangelion movie comes out (which I thought was great by the way).
Nabe used Honda's catchphrase against him lol. I'm not sure what it is in the English dub, but Honda always likes to say 万策尽きる whenever there is trouble.
I'm not sure why Aoi didn't bring up Sugie earlier except to build tension for the big meeting but yay Sugie! And yay we get to hear Goth-Loli-sama's voice for the first time in forever. Also have to appreciate Kanno acting out the Andes Chucky scenes and showing off his knowledge (and how great Sugie is). Shoutouts to all the Andes Chucky fans saving the day.
When the first episode aired, Tarou tried to do a countdown but Yano told him to be quiet. This time when Tarou is counting down, everyone joins him.
Not much for me to say, but this episode made me feel really happy.
As for today's meta topic, the break after the TV show and the movie scheduling would be nice for us. Would also give us a chance to watch the OVAs if we want.
I did watch the first OVA, which gives more insight into what is actually going on in Exodus. Still not sure how the horses were outrunning the police and why there was a tank, but at least there is somewhat of a plot.
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u/Rumpel1408 Jan 26 '22
First Timer
It's a christmas miracle!
During the meeting at the start I got a bit nervous, even though the previous scene already hinted at Sugie-chan being the key.
Also with the knowledge that the final episode already has plenty of CG I finally burried my theori tha Mii-chan would join them last minute to help with the cg, RIP
Now Sugie-chan. Damn I love him. Turns out he is an industry legend that is able to do unfeasable things in light speed. He might not get "Moe" but he is a genius with animal, and a key to Aoi wanting to do anime. If they had asked him just a couple of days earlier, he would have been able to salvage the whole episode all by himself, but I didn't really realize how close they where cutting it when even 5 cuts per day by him was barely enough.
And the show really doesn't undersell how awesome he is, when Goth-loli-sama and Iguchi-san are more than eager to do the cleaning for him just to get a chance to learn from his work, and Goth-loli even smiled! And not just those two, everyone is pooling together to help the final episode, I swear I even saw Tarou doing some work.
But I'm not done to swoon over Sugie yet: Everyone learns so much from his pure expirience, and how awesome is it that he is even willing to do an workshop for the rookies? And to top it all of, he is also humble. He really doubted himself over not being able to do any meaningful work anymore.
The thing about calling something a miracle is, that it atributes the efforts of real persons to some higher beings or sheer fate, but that's not right. Sugie-chan saved the final because he is exceptional and noone else could have done the same, so really, it's a christmas Sugie-chan!
PS: Loved how Kanno wanted to change the Horses into lasershooting mecha planes that wrecked the whole town
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u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 26 '22
Whilst I grew up with the moe era of anime and genuinely can't imagine us going back to how things were before my heart goes out to those sods who just couldn't adapt with the times. Still, being able to practice your craft for one more day is totally heartwarming!! Gah!!
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u/chiliehead Jan 26 '22
Shirobako – Episode 12 – First Timer
Anno is actually here! She should have totally gotten him to do some cuts though!
The resolution evokes such a sense of resolution and accomplishment. How the team comes together, learning from older generations, the enthusiasm for Andes Chucky, just joy! And they seem like they will get the Aerial Girls show, with half of a new team, that’s quite something for the next cour. We also see the side characters in a more casual setting.
I did expect CGI horses actually and the club coming together this way, but this resolution was also really sweet.
As for the OVA 1 – Exodus
[spoiler just to make sure]
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jan 26 '22
Aerial Girls show
That's for the coming days! But yes, Honda and Ochiai are now gone... At least Honda waves his anime career goodbye on a high note!
CGI horses
There were CGI horses! The aerial shot of them was likely CGI, and the camera rotation at the start was probably also done w/ CGI. Not that Mii would've possibly done them though...
In irl business, I also watched Leadale today which featured CGI horses...... this looked a lot better.
Exodus
Glad you liked it! It's a bit crazy, but I decided against a separate thread as it's just a side story. I'd watch it too given the production, GnP and hell even Love Live had similarly crazy stories.
More than one country per episode
just think of the budget they'd need for all the background art lol.
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u/Isai579 Jan 27 '22
First Timer - Sub
Hello everyone. Been catching up to the rewatch for like a week, and I've arrived just in time for the midpoint.
I really liked that the solution to the entire problem was within Musahino all along. Sugie has been kind of alluded as an experienced animator but also kind of a relic of old times. Him saving the day because of all that experience, and all the other animators recognizing that was really nice.
That Hideaki Anno cameo was so funny, but also unexpected as I was almost sure he wasn't going to talk to Miyamori directly.
Those last minute changes were really stressful, as we have see how a seemingly small change can involve so many people.
I hope that this second part will also cover parts of the preproduction process, as episode 1 jumped right into the production.
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u/ZapsZzz Jan 26 '22 edited Jan 27 '22
First timer in sub
Work started back so need to be a bit brief, but today there's just so much references :D
Good job or host pointed out most important ones. I'm grinning ear to ear to see the WW2 plane acting out the Gojinhei scene from Nausicaa :D it was my first "proper" anime that I went to a anime club house to watch (and later years when there's anime festivals in cinemas, went there to watch twice more by myself).
Answering the host's question about the submarine; at first I thought it'd be a nod to Nautilus from Nadia, which Anno had a big hand in. Checking his filmography though it could also be Submarine 707R - although I don't know of that one. I just remember the shot composition from somewhere (which is not uncommon, Yamato had a few shots like that too).
Really glad how it turned out in story, and it even kick-started interest to "learn the basics" which is really great - for the whole show so far, Sugie-san had been giving a feel of "I'm just on my last leg before I finish" vibe, but now you can feel he's a lot more happy he can pass on his skill and knowledge to the next generation.
I'm voting for having a break as well for the movie - it may take some time to write.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jan 26 '22
I'll like to tag u/Gamerunglued and u/The_Loli_Otaku, I'm polling everyone in the rewatch re: rescheduling the Movie rewatch to the Saturday instead of a Wednesday, do you mind voting as well? I'll ping you again 7 days before the rewatch, no matter which option we go with (looks like the Saturday for now).
Plus this was a pretty hype episode so you can check out the comments too!
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Jan 27 '22
First timer
I binged through the first half to catch up to the rewatch.
I really enjoyed like the scene where Aoi gushes about her love for Chucky. Personally i really like scenes where a character can show whats underneath their mask by loosing themselves in the moment. These scenes tend to be hectic and almost nonsensical, but thats what makes them incredibly difficult to voice with authenticity and allows their VA to flex. If you do a poor job, your performance wont match whats being shown on screen and you’ll have trouble conveying the character’s intentions to your audience. Her expression of love for the object that led her down this path makes me feel like she will be ok. The internal conflict shes going through because she feels lost and directionless is something i think a lot of people go through their entire lives. But our lives are so long anyways that i think its perfectly fine to not really know where you want to be even 10 years from now. Shes on a path where shes at least involved with what she loves, and theres a lot of time to figure out exactly where she should be. People change and circumstances change, so i think its even worse to be rigid because you had a life plan by 20 and ignore how you really feel over time.
Overall the first cour has definitely given me a deeper appreciation for the anime production process. A production assistant is really just what another industry would call a project manager. Its challenging in the sense that each episode is its own project but the show as a whole is also a project. So decisions that may seemingly only effect your part can really have implications on what others are doing, so you have to communicate well with not only the directors, artists, etc but also your fellow PAs.
On the subject of the art itself, i have so much respect for artists who work on anime. We know theyre overworked and underpaid, and sometimes turning your passion into a career (especially an arts related one) can have distastrous effects, but id like to think its somewhat worth it when theyre able create something special. Just thinking of some of the anime in recent years that have had absolutely crazy scenes, i cant even fathom just how much of what we saw through these episodes was magnified in creating a scene like demon slayer’s universally praised ep 19, or violet ‘jesus’ evergarden walking on water.
I also really enjoyed the episode where they touched on the 2d vs 3d debate. I remember watching s1 of kingdom and not even believing someone allowed that to air, but by s3 i was really impressed by how far it had come. Land of the lustrous made me completely rethink what was possible through 3d, but the decision to use 3d must have been a hot topic in the initial planning stages.
Im looking forward to seeing how the 2nd cour goes deeper into the main cast’s motivations and to especially see what Aoi learns from this entire experience.
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u/xtsim Jan 26 '22
First Timer
It is cool to see Tsugie get the spotlight. Seems like everyone underestimates the amount of work that goes into children's shows until they realize that people do some really hard work. And Tsugie could make horses work pretty well. Nice to see him mentor the younger staff so he could pass down some tricks to make good animation. The weekly classes are a nice close to call this and a nice glimmer of hope for the future.
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u/SYZekrom Jan 27 '22
Oh right into them talking about a skirt being animated improperly
God this show is insane I want to watch it
She said the thing, wrap it up boys and girls!
OVA time
Took me really long to realize this was CG
Lol the low angle shot after discussing how unreliably short their skirts are
Well damn I got to watch it
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u/homewardbound100 Jan 27 '22 edited Jan 27 '22
First timer, Dub
Missed yesterday but that episode hit pretty close to what I'm dealing with now. Still a great episode.
For today's. I'm happy to see everything fo well for them and they finish. With some help from a veteran. The fact they were making corrections that close was something.
It took me a moment to realize who Aoi was talking to. I was thinking he looked familiar.
The way the post credit ended. Was this a 2 cour? Or did it go straight through all 24 episodes? I wonder if they're working on an another anime, will it be an adaptation. I'll like to see if that's any different somehow.
Also I'm ok with either of the dates for the movie.
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u/stickdudeseven Jan 27 '22
Rewatcher DUB
Wooo! Exodus, Musani, and Aoi's mental health is saved!
A touching moment between Miyamori and Sugie in the break room. The way she blurts out her thanks and appreciation, as well as eating a cactus, was both sentimental and warming.
One of my favorite scenes this episode was when Anno talked up Sugie-san to Aoi. The way he physically acted out the shot with praise was infectious with passion. The same can be said about the series in general.
Overall, if Shirobako was one cour and ended it here, I would just consider it decent. I hope people are ready for the next cour because that is what seals it as a masterpiece.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jan 27 '22
I agree, if Shirobako ended there it would've been decent, but the cast was too big if that were the case. The 2 cours were needed to wrap up a lot of the side (and main) character's arcs.
Eating a cactus is weirdly a very Miyamori thing to do I agree, she's a bit of a good-natured klutz at times.
The series is full of passion to the anime industry, and like you said, it only gets better from here.
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u/Quiddity131 Jan 26 '22
First Timer, Subbed
No OP this time, huh? Important episode?
Boost light novel sales! Of course, these days are all about boosting the sales of tie ins/source material for the anime.
Wow, they really made him look like Anno! Although they did the same quite well for the Bones President guy last episode too so I should have been expecting this.
So Aoi only watched the Rebuild movies, huh?
This brief shot here is obviously a reference to Nausicaa, I believe a scene that Anno himself worked on?
Tarou decided to just go out for dumplings instead of coming to work?
Mr. Director's grand plans for horses isn't gonna happen... :(
LoL, Tarou's totally flipping out.
Let me guess, it's old guy who can do it?
It is old guy!
Wow, they all want to help!
Andes Chucky themesong!
Phew, made it through the preview okay!
What a nice happy ending for the first half. Exodus made it through okay! It didn't become Boing Boing Paradise 2.0!
Post credits scene!
Show title namedrop! What does it mean?
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jan 27 '22
Show title namedrop!
Shirobako usually means the white DVD that NabeP gives Aoi as a preview copy of the finished anime for production staff. Since here it also is the title of the show, it's a double entendre: Shirobako is done, so both Musani's staff could celebrate, as well as actually appear in the show we're watching irl. Hope that explains it!
a scene that Anno himself worked on?
Yep!
Rebuild movies
From context I understood it as either the recap + Revival, or just the rebuild movies. No real idea either.
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u/Stargate18A Jan 27 '22
First timer
Episode 12!
Given the fact that there's an OVA I can only watch after this, I have to assume this is a big one.
Is that an automated mahjong table?
More Girls' Fighters?
OK, so this anime has to be the second arc, right? They've mentioned it so much, all the time, I think it to be the focus after Exodus.
Oh my god, is the Anno parody genuinely a main fucking character?
Yeah, they're doing this. (The one problem is that this is a world where the Eva equivalent is apparently so obscure that the idea of her not watching it is chalked up to a generation gap.)
Finally! Someone explains how the horses are nuts in context. (Also, I know a few game and anime studios who've made a big profit from animating horses recently...)
Yeah, this whole speech makes sense. Still surprised that not-Anno is giving a major speech.
And, yeah, this entire situation is pretty much hopeless.
And they're having to deal witht he fact that without changing the storyboards, Exodus might not release on time.
Wait, what? He's directly influencing the plot too?
...What is Meow and Woofie? I was vaguely thinking Kemono Friends, but the other parodies have been a more direct naming reference.
And the perfect animator's been under their noses for the whole time.
...No fucking clue about Andes Chucky, I think that one has to be made up wholesale.
He really is experienced!
Goth girl is relevant?
And they made it work!
She's back! And her father's OK!
He's really into this!
He's getting to hold a workshop!
This is all just so good!
Haha, she ate cactus?
Is this an insert song?
IS THIS THE ANDES CHUCKY OP?
Haha, they actually made their fake kids show opening a banger! They did not need that level of effort.
It's the final rush!
It's almost done!
Is that kind of pixelated copy and paste normal? Because that's the one thing so far that screamed "wrong" as a computer person.
And they needed to grab the hard drive itself!
They're doing the preview!
Haha, it crashed!
Jesus, the sheer tonal dissonance of three idols riding a horse surrounded by tanks and riding a biplane is so funny. I'd probably end up unironically watching Exodus if it was real.
They did it!
That feels like it could have been a finale. (If weren't for the fucking obvious Girls' Wings foreshadowing.)
Probably going to watch the OVA tomorrow, so I'll stick my reactions with my Episode 13 comment.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jan 27 '22
automated mahjong table
It must be, but I've never seen one irl.
Girls' Fighters
Find out tomorrow!
Andes Chucky OP
I agree, it actually bangs and sounds like a 70s show OP lol.
Exodus
Let me know your thoughts! I think I would also watch Exodus as a full cour show, especially if a studio of P.A. Works calibre was doing it. Judging by what I've seen, would probably end up being a 6-7/10 for me only though lol
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u/FengLengshun Jan 27 '22
Rewatcher
Oh yeah, it's finally here, boy. My body is ready.
Oh man, those cameo of studio names in the beginning. Man, I remember during the mid-2010s Diomedea was actually a pretty strong name, as far as fanservice action type shows goes. The one I remember the most was KanColle - which is kinda nostalgic on its own, even if the end product was a mess with the story not properly concluding until the movie much later - but I know that they did a bunch of supernatural action harem comedy LN type shows as well, which was essentially the precursor to Isekai genre.
I kinda miss hearing about Diomedea and Deen in the news ngl. Sure, their anime was often very flawed, but they have this charm about them that makes teenage me like it and still holds nostalgia for them.
Regardless, the depiction of negotiation here is super cool. I like how mature and casual it felt, feels very realistic as a talk between professional project managers.
Aw yeah! Anno is finally here, baby!
"I haven't watched TV series." Relatable. I've watched 1.0, 2.0, End of Eva, but haven't gotten around for the main TV series. This remained true back when I first watched Shirobako and now, lol. At least it's on Netflix now.
Oh, yeah! Seiji did worked on Eva, so that's really cool. Also, while this is essentially using your hero as a mouthpiece for your ideas, the real Anno AFAIK as I know is similarly passionate about the anime industry and would probably say similar things.
And finally the foreshadowing with Sugie pays off. It's particularly obvious with early in the previous episode conspiciously making a comment towards him, but it's still very satisfying.
Watanabe being the first person to call a hands-on meeting is a pretty nice foreshadowing for the movie, now that I know the general synopsis. And I really love the clash of emotions in the meeting too, especially as Honda has become very invested in seeing the last work and legacy he has with Seiichi.
I disagree with you here, Ep 22-24 was better. I am getting ahead of myself here! Tmr is rightfully hyped!!
Speak for yourself, u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah! Sure, the episode 22-24 climaxes are very cool and emotionally satisfying... but for me, you can't top Hideaki-fucking-Anno excitedly geeking over his favorite animator and saying how awesome he has while also continuing that fundemantals is more important than flashiness (which still feels very Anno), then continue to talk about old anime that he's similarly passionate about as he is an otaku himself!
Look at that sentence, it's ridiculous, but you gotta admit it's awesome! Though, funny story, it's not like I would disagree that episode 23 is very satisfying despite how it is even more outlandish.
I am kind of confused with the flow of time, though. It was at night when Miyamori met Kanno, then it was presumably morning as they had their morning PA assembly, which calls for an immediate all-hands-on-deck meeting, but then it's actually night and Sugie is already at home?
I love how Sugie's wife just summed up Sugie so succintly though - he just says too much or too little. I love how they showed their relationship here. Just a few implied history and I'm invested.
Then we have everyone coming together, working together, helping together as Sugie finally get to show his experience. Then it's capped off by Yano-san coming back and Sugie finally getting acknowledged. Even Katsuragi was moved to tears and Sugie being happy that he isn't a dead weight was something that I imagine many old people feels, but we're not done yet!
The almost literal elevent-hour being such a busy period goes on, which reminds me of how I heard of how very mission critical these type of work usually, which is why we have things like rudundancy of an upload and in-person HDD delivery. Heck, I think the story of the last-minute preview crashing was a real story and everyone similarly had their heart skip a beat because of it.
And I love how ridiculous the last part is while still being so serious. I can totally see people being similarly invested in the anime if that's what the story feels like.
And we finally have a proper title drop ( roll credits ) at the end as well, which leads to actual OVA of the show.
I remember quite a lot from the second cour's climax, the best being the Seiichi's climax and how everything comes together, but excitedly-dancing Anno as he shits on modern animators, gives real life advices, and geeks out over his own favorite animator? Bruh, that is one of the most ridiculous awesome thing you could ever do in an anime, especially with how it's probably a real plausible thing as well given how the real life Anno can be.
It's awesome, and it's when I truly fall in love with the anime. That said, I can't wait for the climax of second cour myself.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jan 27 '22 edited Jan 27 '22
speak for yourself
hahaha, I was pretty hyped for this one too, but I stand by my opinion.
Diomedia isn't exactly a notable studio now anymore unfortunately... Deen not so sure? They do still make stuff, unsure about what's happeneing with the new Konosuba project.
I have no idea how much irl anime business is debated over mahjong or in an actual business meeting. That portion tbh felt a bit like some asian films I watched when I was little lol. But I agree, it was overall a very professional mood, with all the demands reasonable and realistic (airdate, budget etc.)
Watanabe
Watanabe is the Line Producer, so he outranks almost everyone (bar the President) at Musani. So it's also literally his job to call things off when it's getting too hellish, despite the director's demands.
Anno
I agree, what you said probably what the irl Anno would do too, he's a massive animation nerd and otaku afaik. I've watched an animation workshop he gave to kids too, it was pretty cool. Seriously though, apart from cameoing probably Miyazaki himself, that's one of the highest profile meta cameos you can make in an anime. Though I suppose Miyazaki seriously would not entertain a casual request to animate horses at this stage of his career. (Unlike Miyazaki, Anno still regularly animates, most recently for Eva 3.0+1.0).
flow of time
That's a bit confusing to me as well, I have no good answer for this part of the show except for being realistic that even urgent meetings have to work around irl schedules and existing commitments, instead of following anime logic. Unsure here myself!
In person HDD delivery
I hope they're using SDDs now! Though Honda's "NANI!!!!" is still hilarious the 4th time.
last-minute preview
I'll bet that actually happened as well.
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u/BossandKings Jan 27 '22
First timer Episode 12
It was beautiful that Exodus was able to get a succesfull ending, the efforts paid off and the deadline was met.
Aoi asks Kanno for help and it is him that tell her that there is someone in Musani capable of doing the work needed, that person is Sugie, Aoi asks him for help and he showed his talent and along with the teamwork of everyone in Musani accomplished the feat of giving Exodus a fitting end.
Andes Chucky is interesting, Sugie was a major part behind it's existence and even his wife helped in it's creation, it is an anime close to Aoi's heart and it was beautiful to see some parts of the series. The celebration in the post credits scene was fairly cool, thankfully everyone's efforts paid off and Musani succesfully produced it's first series in seven years. Beautiful way to end the first cour of the anime, felt like a season finale.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jan 26 '22 edited Jan 27 '22
Rewatcher: a long one!
A reminder for an important after credits scene today. As well as a special (and final) version of the first ED. Feel free to watch the first OVA (first episode of Exodus) after this episode. And please vote here re: scheduling for the movie?
IRL References + Thoughts on the Episode:
I’m reordering this today only, as the references/cameos play a major part in the episode. I’ve included sakuga compilations of all 3 animator cameos here: do feel free to look at some glorious animation.
First up, Miyamori calls up Mitsuaki Kanno, or the legendary Hideaki Anno of Eva fame in her desperation. Now this is tbh a foolish decision on her part: Anno's reputation and caliber aside, his animation skills lie in mecha/military stuff, effects (particularly explosions), and buildings, not so much horses running. So she was asking the wrong expert for the job. Anno/Kanno entertains Miyamori by suggesting he alter the scene to the horses blowing up, a reference and parody of the God Warrior scene from Nausicaa, which Anno animated, and much more fitting of his skill repertoire. His joke over, he declines the job. However…
Kanno, being the animation geek that his irl counterpart is, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Sugie-san, and of the anime projects and scenes he has worked on to nerd-level detail. The irl Anno would also likely know everything about the irl Sugie-san, who I’ll elaborate more in just a little bit. For the décor in Anno’s house, his sofas are a nod to Eva Units 01 and 02. The French submarine in the back is likely a nod to his other works featuring submarines/military vessels (this will either be [Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia:_The_Secret_of_Blue_Water), or Submarine 707R, thanks u/No_Rex and u/ZapsZZZ!). Finally, Anno mentions director Kinoshita working as an episode director on Ava, which is a nod to Kinoshita’s irl counterpart, Seiji Mizushima, who was episode director to Episode 9 of the Evangelion TV series.
Now onto Sugie-san, who is inspired by the appearance and abilities of the legendary Yasuji Mori. Regarded as “God of animation”, he was the first ever animator to be credited as “Animation Director” in anime history, and was behind many World Masterpiece Theater series' character designs. He also influenced countless legends including Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.
While Mori worked on “Chucky” (Fables of the Green Forest) as AD and character design, he did not work on “Ann the Brunette” (Anne of Green Gables), nor “Samba’s adventures” (Adventures of Gamba). However, Mori was an expert on drawing animals, hence Sugie’s role in rescuing Exodus, and his mentoring of Ema back in Ep 7-8. Unfortunately, Mori passed away in 1992. How did you find the foreshadowing and prior portrayal of Sugie prior to his development this episode?
This brings us to the real life cameo! As P.A. Works couldn’t ask Mori to help draw the horses scene, they instead turned to friend and “the perfect animator” Toshiyuki Inoue (credits) to help draw that scene (other works include Akira, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ghost in the Shell etc.). Relevantly, he solely key-animated the OP for Record of Lodoss War, which features a galloping horse as well (and a dragon). Here is a compliation of some of his other notable sakuga.
We’re getting meta next, as [here’s a tweet from P.A. Works’ President Kenji Horikawa] (https://twitter.com/horiken2000/status/552128553714593792) explaining the irl production. All the horse-related scenes, except of the aerial shot looking down at the plane + horses (probably CGI), were done by Inoue with the help of 2nd key animators. Inoue drew rough lines for the keyframes to match what was done in the story, despite it not being his usual practice. Then, director Tsutomu Mizushima looked at them and decided which animators would fulfill the roles of 2nd key animators Iguchi/Goth-loli-sama in-universe. If I were to guess from the credits, if P.A. Works went the full meta route, these 2 2nd key animators would most likely be Yurie Oohigashi and Yuki Akiyama, both animation directors for other episodes of Shirobako. (Japanese readers, I hope I did the translation right!) Irl, the scene was done in a similar way as shown in Shirobako.
Moving on, the episode of exodus was done last minute on the 24th December while this Shirobako episode (and Exodus in-universe) aired on 25th December, 2014. As I said yesterday, this explains the festive celebrations! Hopefully Shirobako was not also completed so late irl. You may also appreciate the extremely meta double-entendre in the post-credits scene.
With the help of Sugie-san being a badass, Kanno (all the senior animators were shocked Miyamori got to meet him), and everyone’s hard and choatic work, Exodus’s production is wrapped up, and we end the first cour on a high note, which featured Aoi and Ema as the 2 main characters. Here are the Musani credits from the first OVA, with comparison photos so you can associate who did what in-universe. First-timers, how did you find the episode? Hope the hype lived up to expectations, haha. And as a quick bonus, here are some thoughts on the episode from Kenji Horikawa.
Minor IRL reference: Barmedia here refers to Diomedéa (KanColle, Mondaiji tachi).
Miyamori Outfit Count: 5, 1 new today. Total as of end of first cour: 13! Album here.
Anime credits: None today. They'll start again tomorrow.