College student Chitose Karasuma is determined not to do boring things as she enters the adult world. To this end, this bad-mannered beauty barges into a facility that trains would-be voice actors and actresses, somehow landing a job at "Number One Produce," a seiyuu agency managed by her older brother, Gojou. In Chitose's mind, she's poised for greatness, but finds herself at a loss when she continues to only get minor roles. As she clashes with other girls in the agency, including a cunning airhead and a girl with a Kansai accent, Chitose is about to learn that there's more to succeeding in this competitive industry than she imagined.
(Source: ANN)
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LegendAqua
♪ Rookie seiyuu, availability is first, acting comes in second ♪ Everyone. please meet the cynical sister to Sore ga Seiyuu!, Gi(a)rlish Number!. Gi(a)rlish Number is another one of those workplace animes like SHIROBAKO or for more precise for this review, Sore ga Seiyuu!, this time it looks at the voice acting, light novel and anime industry through the lens of cynical narcissistic Chitose, in comparison to Sora ga Seiyuu's Futaba Ichinose optimistic ones. The main group of seiyuu's Chitose Karasuma voiced by Sayaka Senbongi (Koutetsujou no Kabaneri as Mumei, Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku as Claire Kokonoe), Koto Katakura voiced by Yui Ishikawa (Shingeki no Kyojin as Mikasa Ackerman,Qualidea Code as Canaria Utara, Owari no Seraph as Shigure Yukimi), Yae Kugayama voiced by Kaede Hondo (Handa-kun as Miyoko Kinjou, 91 Days as Luce Lagusa), Kazuha Shibasaki voiced by Saori Oonishi (Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka as Ais Wallenstein, Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata as Eriri Spencer Sawamura, Shiougeki no Souma as Hisako Arato) and Momoka Sonou voiced by Eri Suzuki (Amanchu! as Hikari Kohinata, flying witch as Chinatsu Kuramoto, Heavy Object as Milinda Brantini) felt like caricatures as the ACTUAL seiyuu's and their careers, such as Kazuha Shibasaki and Momoka Sonou being some recent veterans into the industry and knows all the pitfalls and perks to the industry (as Eri Suzuki and Saori Oonishi have been in the industry longer just by seeing their voice acting roles) compared to the newbies like Yae and Chitose. Though Chitose's parallel to Sayaka Senbongi a bit with Gi(a)rlish Number actually with Sayaka Senbongi being casted in Koutetsujou no Kabaneri as Mumei (a lead role), similar to her being one of the leads in the in-universe Gi(a)rlish Number plot. Koto Katakura as Yui Ishikawa felt like it was what happened with Yui Ishikawa in Shingeki no Kyojin and her gaining knowledge from the industry from a "hit anime" and that transferred into Yui Ishikawa's character. It's just LA's meta-thoughts about Gi(a)rlish Number and the obvious reasons of LA wondering about the voice acting industry.
Meta-talking aside, LA wants to delve into the characters themselves. Shall we?.
Let's start with Momoka and Kazuha, for the most part they are the sempai's to Yae, Chitose and Koto, they to have some cynicism in the form of their parental issues with being a seiyuu. Momoka and Kazuha have a bit of duality when it comes to their parental issues and becomes a major focus for the both of them. See Momoka's mother is a famous seiyuu and Momoka herself being brought up into the same industry as her, she is effectively put in the shadow of her mother when it comes to Momoka's job as a seiyuu, this contrasts quite well with Kazuha's more resistant parents especially Kazuha's father who dislikes Kazuha being in "fanservicey" acts with her job and wants her to quit, this kind of duality with both Momoka and Kazuha helps develop these characters for the most part and as much as it opens up both Momoka and Kazuha, their personalities are pretty much the same by the end of it. Next is Yae and Koto. Yae doesn't get the best character development with her being a rookie like Koto and Chitose and she effectively becomes the cheerleader to Chitose by her arc and not much else. Koto is the exposition fairy and mild comedic relief and also has the same position as Yae another cheerleader for Chitose. Now with all this Chitose this and that. It's time for Chitose, she is LA's favourite character and pretty much has the last half of the anime to herself along with the shady, don't give a crap Kuzu-P and his name is apt at that. Chitose gains a great deal of character development, all from how she see's the industry, as for her to gain popularity and not caring how she'll do it and quite the narcissistic, cynical behavior to go with it might LA add. Her character development really grows from what would happen if a seiyuu gains popularity but falls from grace quite quickly as the in-universe audience too quickly fades Chitose as a "main lead" from a "shitty anime". Thinking back on it though the circumstances isn't exactly the same, it reminds LA of real life seiyuu's like Yui Kondou to Asami Imai to Mari Nakatsu and hell even Ikumi Hayama who went through something like this fading from popularity after some main leading roles. Really Chitose's development as a rookie seiyuu and her experiences as one isn't all rainbows and easy pickings on the next roles she gets, bringing in the cynicism of the seiyuu industry.
Gi(a)rlish Number also jabs in how the current (as LA writes this review) landscape of light novel adaptations anime are been looked at also with the same cynical look at "anyone can write, but not everyone can act, what good are light novel authors if all they do make hack stories that gets made into anime boom" and very quick jabs at the light novel industry as well as the main anime the Gi(a)rlish Number cast are casted in is a light novel anime with abyssal production values due to...well Kuzu-P, on speaking of which.
Kuzu-P voiced by Kazuya Nakai gets something of a simultaneous character development along with Chitose bringing in the parallels to each other but for Kuzu-P on the producer side, his character development fall from grace and slow gains afterwards is nothing but what happens when a producer only cares about money and not the overall product of the anime and he'll drag EVERYONE one else down just to get his ambitions done with.....he does get "better" with the help of Chitose but only "slightly".
Really both Kuzu-P and Chitose reigns in the statement that yes the seiyuu industry is a rather harsh and brutal industry and that even "wasted potential" from a person with horrible personality can still have the potential to do great, cynical but uplifting for those in this brutal industry that we as the audience especially outside Japan, don't get an honest look at this brutal industry.
In terms of diomedea, the anime is full of moe, however LA will bring up this point about the moe and the cynicism "clashing" with each other. The moe in LA's eyes does NOT clash with the cynicism from the characters, if anything the moe helps highlight the fact that it is using moe which is a prevalent style in the anime industry to appeal to the demographic as being "cute and nothing else" to actually utilizing this same style to show that moe is being manipulative and cynical much like how the characters are being portrayed and their own cynical intentions of the "moe anime industry boom", it's not a detriment or clashes as it makes the point of using moe as their own antithesis to point out the cynical nature of the anime and it's own jabs at it's own industry. Ok with that rant out of the way, the moe aesthetics if anything is pleasing to the eye and the character designer QP;flapper with it's bolder, moe and colorful designs made the character designs overall one of the best things about the animation.
Well LA is gonna talk about voice acting in a voice acting anime, well what can LA say but favourite character = favourite seiyuu, it goes to Sayaka Senbongi as LA really loved Chitose's narcissistic and snarky attitude for the most part and used for all the jabbing at the other characters she did, but also given Sayaka range gave her a chance to do DRAMA at the same time. LA will quite honestly say that the voice cast did a 100% really, from Kaede Hondo to Yui Ishikawa, Eri Suzuki and Saori Oonishi and the more gung-ho characters like Kuzu-P's Kazuya Nakai and Namba Shachou voiced by Kenyuu Horiuchi, the CEO of Number One Produce and even Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as...himself???...huh they pulled a Sore ga Seiyuu with that one. Nonetheless, the voice cast is great in Gi(a)rlish Number and to be expected from an anime about voice acting!
Gi(a)rlish Number is another one of Wataru Watari's (Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru., Qualidea Code) original cynical creations and that blatantly shows, but having a cynical look at an industry that is more or less that is under wraps and hardly told to us about in greater detail but shown in a brutally honest yet cynical side of it's industry through the eyes and manifested in Chitose went through is somewhat refreshing take on the "workplace anime". Gi(a)rlish Number with some odd yet cynically encouraging theme of even a horrible person with a horrible personality wants to be in an dog eat dog industry like being a seiyuu can still have the potential to be a great one if one can apply themselves and move with the flow of the brutal and cynical industry they work in instead of being left behind.
Razovy
{Razovy} [NO SPOILERS] First of all I want to say that I consider this anime not only to be the best of this season (fall 2016) but also to be one of the best I've ever seen! If you like a feel good show about funny characters trying to make it in the world of voice acting than this anime is definitely for you! Story 10 / 10 The story itself starts out with Chitose who, with the help of her brother / manager, is making her big deput as one of the main characters of a new anime. She's awful at first, but gradually gets better by learningfrom her fellow actors / friends.
What struck me as odd when taking a look at the genres after finishing this amazing anime is that the only genre included is "slice of life". The great thing about this anime is not just the interaction between the characters but also the amazing jokes and the drama (that will definitely surprise you since it starts out very mellow and fun).
As I said before this show is a feel good show and one of the best out there! Normally when I watch the last episode of an anime I feel bad since it's over (or relieved when it was awful), but when I watched the last episode of Girlish Number I sat there with a smile on my face, looking back at an incredibly wonderful experience!
The plot itself was amazing but slow moving at times which I'm sure could bother some of you (one of the few flaws this anime had). This is unfortunate as I think that the writers could have spend some of the screen time on more interesting things...
Characters 10 / 10
The characters are AMAZING! Although Chitose was the main character, I felt a connection with every single one of them, especially Kuzu-san, who to me will always be a very memorable character. In fact, I could watch this whole anime again just for Kuzu alone! What I mean by this is that every character was very interesting: I'm sure that for every character, major and minor, a whole new anime could be created, that's how good the character development of this show is. Every character gets enough screen time to make them interesting and at the end of the show they all seem to have made great progress, which leaves you with a very satisfying feeling.
Art 10 / 10
Now this is of course very personal, but when I think of amazing art I think of Girlish Number. It's really colorful, the character design is amazing and the backgrounds were beautiful! Since art is incredibly subjective I'll keep it short: when I think of anime art, this is what I want to see.
Sound 8 / 10
I like the OP theme so much that I'm listening to it right now while I'm typing this! The ED theme is awesome, and the OST of the show is great too. Giving the soundtrack a 10 would be an exaggeration since I can name a few other anime that have a better soundtrack then Girlish Number, but nonetheless the great OP theme and the nice OST still deserve an 8 out of 10.
Enjoyment 10 / 10
If you couldn't guess this score you weren't paying attention while reading this XD
I REALLY enjoyed Girlish Number and loved every minute of it! I will never forget this wonderful anime and to be honest, since I'm finishing up all the anime of this season (fall 2016) I think I'll rewatch this one before Winter 2017 starts to experience these great characters once more!
Overall 10 / 10
For anyone who likes slice of life this is a no-brainer: watch this great anime because I'm sure it'll leave a smile on your face just like it did with me. For the people out there who have little experience with the slice of life genre or aren't really a fan I still recommend this one to you guys. Why? Because this show could change your view on the slice of life genre completely with it's funny cast of characters, beautiful art and great soundtrack!
Overall I rate this anime a 10 out of 10. And as the OP theme song starts playing again I want to thank you guys for reading my review! I hope Girlish Number will leave a smile on your face after you watch the last episode, just like it did with me.
{Razovy}
Adi
Gi(a)rlish Number is certainly not the anime you think it is. Its sickeningly ideal group photo as the flagship header of the title would lead most seasonal anime consumers to think that the title is nothing other than another skin-deep value-less moe title that does nothing other than behave incessantly saccharine throughout its entire cour. Girlish Number couldn’t be farther from that reality, definitely not with Wataru Watari’s writing credits. While Watari procrastinates indefinitely on releasing that highly anticipated yet elusive Volume 12 of OreGairu, he’s been keeping himself busy with other works such as Qualidea Code and this season’s Girlish Number. Typically when established writersdeviate from their staple series and comfortable genres there tends to be a noticeable dip in quality; but is that the case with Girlish Number? Does this title fail to reach the heights Wataru’s other titles do? The answer is simple: no.
The first attractive feature of Girlish Number definitely is the cynicism of the characters. The only reason I picked this title up is because of a familiar author, and within five minutes of the first episode, Wataru’s cynical character writing stuck out like a sore thumb, and it was amazing. Every single character in this show is despicable. Petty, jaded, distrustful, two-faced… there aren’t enough descriptors out there to perfectly paint how morally disgusting these characters are, and I find myself hooked. This title is filled with those stupidly beautiful yet equally stupid group of teenage girls peppered in every high school that say “wow girl, you look hot as hell today!” only to think to themselves “I can’t believe this bitch wore that today! What a slut!”
As amusing as that comparison is, it should paint a good picture as for the type of characters there are in Girlish Number. On paper, they are not likeable characters; they’re everything we’re raised not to be like. Yet, because in the real world nobody is as idealistically perfect as they’d like to be, the brutal (and maybe even excessive) honesty of these characters is refreshing and, by extension, likeable.
Though don’t be fooled into thinking this show is some sort of one-trick wonder, with only the cynicism of the characters to justify my score of 7; no, there is far more to it. In fact, the whole cynicism appeal to the show is exploited and frankly dried up by the third to fourth episodes. More than the excessive honesty of the characters, Girlish Number is a show about growth. Growth of character. It’s a huge part of the show, almost everyone in the cast is clearly stagnant at a point in their lives—or rather, careers—and Watari explores the ball and chain that holds them back, as well as what they do to sever them.
The show is set in the Seiyuu industry, a facet of the anime-production industry that while is popularized by the number of idols within it, the specifics of it still remain blurry. And Girlish Number explores that in great depth as well, exposing the disdain held by Seiyuu against Light Novel authors (otherwise known as “people who don’t have the talent to sing, draw or dance trying to cling to the industry”); exposing that nobody cares about the ED song and all the glory is in the OP song; exposing the cutthroat competition to stay active in the voice acting industry, and far more subtleties that are engaging to learn about. It’s also worth mentioning the finesse in which Girlish Number exposes these things, there is no explicit, talking-to-the-viewer breaking the fourth wall exposition nonsense (looking at you Yuri on Ice), nor is there that one dumb character who has to get everything explained to them as a form of exposition. The exposition is nested within the dialogue of the characters and Wataru trusts the audience will be smart enough to pick up on these things.
Furthermore and finally, Girlish Number does a great job of capturing and exploring all the nuances that come when working in any workplace environment. Professionalism, imitation, flattery, achievement, satisfaction, and a lot more concepts are all also explored. Characters who do not take their job seriously, characters who do not work hard and slack off, characters who socially engineer their way into friend circles, characters who find enrichment in their duties—these are all people who you could find, and probably have found, in any working environment. It goes without saying of course, but the occupational hazards that come with being a voice actress/actor are also revealed through the show’s runtime.
The visuals are superb. Vibrant, memorable colours that couldn’t be more appropriate. The sickeningly optimistic colour palette juxtaposes exceptionally well with the inherent cynicism and diluted melancholy present at any given moment.
Girlish Number is perfect for viewers who seek something a little different; it’s not extravagantly unique, but it’s unique enough to be always engaging. The pessimism of the characters is charming, the exploration of an unknown industry absorbing, the nuances of a workplace relatable, and the growth of character heartfelt. It’s a pleasant show, one that highlights Wataru’s character writing and versatility, and one that sheds some long overdue light on a concept and industry that’s so interesting it’ll make you question why something like this wasn’t already made before.
I hope this review was informative and helpful.
PyraXadon
When it comes to anime that give us an 'inside look' into the anime and manga industry, most of them often times give us a very rose-tinted look into how the medium is made rather than the deep dark truth of the arduous, almost slave-like work that goes into making a single anime. So instead of talking about artists or writers like so many other anime do, Gi(a)rlish Number focuses on the one very important aspect that hasn't really cropped up in this bloom of insider anime. Seiyuu. Story: Our story begins with Karasuma Chitose, a very exuberant and confident rookie seiyuuwho finds great pride in her ability and skills. Wanting to be a strive and become a very popular and very recognized voice actress, she one day is given a heroine role for a harem series known as KuuSure, thus boosting her ego and starts paving the way for her eventual success as a seiyuu. Or does it?
On the outside, Gi(a)rlish Number looks like a flowery look into the anime and manga industry given its cheerful and colorful artstyle, the main plot point being a rookie getting her big break, and the joyful and pleasant OST. But as they say, looks can be deceiving. In truth, Gi(a)rlish Number shows us the pitfalls and struggles of climbing to the top of the Seiyuu world, further emphasized by what happens when anime is poorly produced. These struggles encompass the entire span of the series's runtime and become its main plot points, which is all well and good. But there's one thing that this show suffers from. Subplots.
Mostly focusing on other Seiyuus aside from Chitose and various members of the side cast like the producer, Kuzu, and the author of Kuusure, these subplots mixed into the show produce results that could be argued as lost potential. For a show that tried to create an overarching deconstruction story about a rookie seiyuu and the kind of business the anime industry is, I'm not really quite sure why they decided to try and shove in more stories about other members of its cast. A couple of them worked out, like the ones involving other seiyuus, but the rest were half-assed and incomplete. The show builds up quite a bit of backstory for a variety of cast members, but never pulls them through enough to feel complete or fulfilling. Which honestly is a shame, since a few of them were honestly worth exploring.
Ignoring the middle area of the series where the subplot plague begins, the main story is arguably one of the series's best points for one reason. Character development. Because the show focuses so hard on Chitose and her transition from a rookie to a 'main role' seiyuu, a lot of the runtime is devoted to her change in attitude and her eventual blossom into what can be summarized as a step forward in the right direction.
Gi(a)rlish Number is a tricky little thing. While looking pleasant and jovial on the outside, the show hits the head on the nail to some hard truths and a reality that many people have to face. It's not a completely happy anime, and it doesn't have a happy end, which is something that a lot of insider industry anime don't really show that happens more often than not. Its got a plethora of unfinished subplots, but putting that aside, Gi(a)rlish Number ended up becoming a surprisingly good show that personally, I'm glad to have seen.
Overview:
+ Great main plot
+ Good character development
+ Good touch of reality (compared to other inside industry anime)
- Too many subplots
Characters: Characters in Gi(a)rlish have a weird love them/hate them vibe about them where you support them in their endeavors in one scene, then possibly hate them in the next.
The biggest contributor to that notion is one of the biggest problems and benefactors of the series, our egg shirt queen, Karasuma Chitose. (Like seriously, that egg shirt though. She has a bunch of those things. What is your wardrobe, Chitose?) I said earlier she was exuberant and confident, right? Let's see what other adjectives can describe her. Narcissistic, overconfident, two-faced, selfish, and stagnant. Did I miss any? No? Ok. While seemingly cute on the outside, Chitose is in fact, an asshole. Her poisonous demeanor consistently plagues the series as the episodes roll by, and her laid-back attitude towards anything work related is so nonchalant that it often clashes with the progression of the story as other characters work to push the project forward while Chitose lies on the couch sifting through forum posts that praise her. But honestly, I think that's why her character works so well with this series. She tells the tale of "Getting what you deserve" and spends the latter half getting meaningful progression in the right direction. She's not special, and the show knows that, ultimately creating a main character whose dream unfortunately have to be shot down and be grounded by reality. Her story feels very real, and that's why personally, I find Chitose to be such a great character.
As for the rest of her Seiyuu co-stars...not so much. There's Kazuha and Momoka, the popular veteran seiyuus who have a subplot devoted to each of them, Koto, who's the veteran who clawed her way to become popular, and Yae, who's just...sort of the moe blob character, actually. Due to the majority of the character development being so focused on Chitose, the rest of the characters ironically have to fight for scraps (even though they're in a much better position in the show) if they want to tell their story or have any kind of personal struggles. As characters, they did their part, and I don't really have any complaints about what they did in the series, but there is a huge gap when compared to what Chitose got.
Karasuma Gojou, Chitose's older brother, is the one member in the side cast that I really wish got more than what he received. Acting as Chitose's manager for the majority of the series, Gojou is introduced very early on with being a Seiyuu who eventually quit and switched over to a managerial position. And they don't tell us why. It's a little detail that bothered me so much throughout watching the series because the show makes a commendable effort to make it sound and seem important without giving much detail as to why there was this sudden switch.
The rest of the supporting cast involves the variety of characters who make up the 'corporate' part of the series. Now this is the section of the cast that I personally really, really hate. Adding another depth of reality to the overall span of this anime, these characters, particularly Kuzu, give us the inside look to the dark side of anime production, where the business of making money becomes a lot more important than fan reception or dedication to the craft. This predominantly exists in the first half of the series, but is still pretty sprinkled in throughout. Their actions speak for their personalities, and begrudgingly, I have to admit is well done despite how loathsome these characters truly were. (I also feel bad for that author. Getting shat on through no fault of his own.)
Overview:
+ Chitose (She may be a bitch, but goddamn was she well made)
+ Good side characters that contribute to the scope of the series
- Lacking character traits for the majority of the cast
- Subpar subplots hurt characters
Art: Produced by Diomedia, the art for Gi(a)rlish Number is very colorful, crystal-like, and bright. (And reminds me very much of a P.A. works show) Boasting a bright, moe-like art style, the art if both fluid and pleasing to look at, which really contrasts the true nature of the show's content. The characters are nicely designed, the backgrounds are well drawn, and the overall quality is so good that I really have no complaints about the show's aesthetics at all. (Except that one in-series PV that they made for Kuusure, though I'm sure they intentionally made it look like shite.)
Overview:
+ Great art
Sound: Adding to the illusion of a bright and happy anime is the show's OST, which I must say, has some pretty dark lyrics when you translate them. Both the OP and ED are cheerful, bright, and happy which are pretty good songs to listen to with a bit of catchiness to them. Which is nice. Something memorable is always good.
But I have to give Senbongi Sayaka special commendation. She did a good job voicing Chitose, both encapsulating the shitty voice acting that her character does in the series and the dynamic and egotistical nature that would make you want to punch her in the face because of how awful of a person Chitose is. She's also a rookie with a track record similar to that of her character (which I hope was intentional), and given how well she portrayed Chitose, I hope to see her more in the future.
Overview:
+ Somewhat memorable songs
+ Chitose's voice actress
Personal Enjoyment: Gi(a)rlish Number is a weird anime for me. It's one of those shows I both loved and hated watching, yet still anticipated the next episode for because I wanted to know what was happening next. Personally, I see this show as "The one arc in Shirobako they never did", as Gi(a)rlish Number is about Seiyuus, the one character in Shirobako that they never really touched on. Combined with the scarily realistic nature of the show, Gi(a)rlish Number became that one show that I latched onto, and one of those pleasant surprises (or unpleasant in some cases) that I never thought I would obsess over.
Did I enjoy this anime?
Again, I don't know what to say. Admittedly, with all of the praise I've been singing about this show, it really has become a show that I've come to like. I suppose aside from the obvious aesthetics, the main story and Chitose herself really became parts of the series that I really liked simply because of how grounded in reality her situation really is.
What didn't I like about this anime?
Aside from the obvious asshole characters (yes, even Chitose herself), there really isn't much that I actually hate. Sure the writing hurt to watch at times, but that was mostly because it was stuff that could actually happen.
Would I recommend this anime?
If you're looking for something really out of the ordinary that's also really good, or you're a fan of inside industry anime like Shirobako or Bakuman, then I'd say Gi(a)rlish Number is right up your alley. Just fair warning though. It's not a happy story, almost nothing for our main character goes right, and Chitose can get REALLY annoying REALLY fast. But trust me, if you can get past her initial hubris, you're in for a really unexpected dark horse of a show that had way more than it seemed like it had to offer.
Artrill
[6.5/10] _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The last thing I was expecting was a show about people. Rather, a show about humans. It's very common in anime, whether it's due to subs or the mediocre writing, that characters feel detached from what you would imagine people to be like. That's why it's so easy to "act" like an anime character, because the very concept is so cliched. Just become loud, abrasive, and energetic and talk about some pseudo-philosophy. For the most part, you just encapsulated every single action-anime protagonist. Or maybe be an understated cool-kid that pretends he doesn't care but really has a heart of gold. There, you got theother half. Obviously i'm over-exaggerating and joking, but to every joke there's a nugget of truth.
Why is acting like an anime character so easy? Why is "acting" like a person so hard? Well, because, to put it bluntly, anime characters are very rarely like people. Especially in anime shows. That's not necessarily a bad thing, you may not want to watch a show to see "people", but that distinct void is there. It's more common that these characters are just a combined jambalaya of quirks that could maybe fool you into thinking they are people. But if you ever extensively knew any real person, you'd know that a person doesn't fall under specific quirks as their entirety. Much like a cake, a person isn't just the frosting. Quirks are the frosting.
If you aren't following me, please read on. The point here is that for whatever reason, characters in anime are distinctively inhuman in the way they talk, act, and react to just about anything. I find it very hard to relate to an anime character. Of course, "an anime character" is a broad way of saying, "characters which I've seen in anime."
They are often incredibly exaggerated in a specific direction. Direction being a metaphor for personality traits. If a person is shy, an anime character literally can't speak to people properly. If a person is courageous, an anime character would jump in front of a train to save a hedgehog. If a person is mean, an anime character will spit in your cereal and cum in your eyes.
This exaggeration may make mundane situations more interesting for a lot of viewers, but for someone like me, it cuts off any relate-ability, which is a crucial aspect in creating likeable characters. Mind you, it's not mandatory, but in many cases, likeability stems from the ability to connect to the character you like. You can relate to a situation or a character. I've related to situations in anime, but characters have been difficult to me. No character that I've seen has had the depth of someone like Walter White, from "Breaking Bad", but more specifically, no character has had the personal relate-ability of almost any character from a show like "The Americans" or anything like it.
Depth does exist. But that depth is usually lacking emotions. Look at Monogatari. Relate-ability may exist, however, it lacks interest.
...
So Girlish Number is kind of a black sheep for me. Which is why it surprised me so much. It's a flawed show, yes, but the biggest thing I got from it were the characters. Just how fascinatingly real they were. Instead of that obvious over-exaggeration (which, truth be told, was prevalent in at least one or two of these characters), the show goes for calm, flowing dialogue that didn't try too hard to make you laugh or cry. It felt real.
For everything the show did wrong, and it did really drop the ball on a few things. Girlish Number finished with spades in the characters department. It's very hard to finish the show and try your best to act like some of the more developed characters here. Why? Because apart from quoting quotables, you can't really "act" like a person without exaggerating on quirks. I can exaggerate on these character's quirks. But that'd be like scooping off the frosting and saying it's a slice.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
[The Curious Case of Satire]
So this show follows a group of generally unlike-able girls as they venture into anime voice acting. This set-up, naturally, is rife with possible satire. If you noticed, I never really mentioned the story of the show because surprisingly it kind of drifts into the background.
This show, for as cynical as it was about the industry on occasion, never really developed much of a bite. The anime industry has so much inane and awful shit in it that for a show trying to be cynical and biting, it hardly did any of that. Which is a bit of a disappointment since I doubt there are many shows out there that would be critical of this.
The story is pretty much character oriented, rather than plot oriented. A bunch of unlike-able girls mediocrely voice-acting a shitty idol-bait anime is, as I said, interesting, but it never really goes anywhere. It was the backdrop to the character-driven story at the forefront.
...
That being said, there still is satire to be had. But instead of the industry being under the microscope, it's the concept. They poke fun at how shoddy the marketing is, how little actors have to go off of and how overworked the animators are. But by poke fun at, I mean gently tickle from afar cause this was some very easy satire.
Satire, at its most effective, is something that needs to have punch to be memorable. Look no further than South Park, and then compare that to Family Guy. The reason South Park is still making headlines isn't just because it's very "in the now", it's because it's utilizing satire to its maximum potential. The format is very simple and easy to reproduce, so the writers try to go whole-hog with creating some incredibly harsh criticisms of modern day life.
Here... not so much. What's a bit disappointing about the satire in Girlish Number is that the show isn't over-the-top enough to become obvious satire, so they instead have to pretty much have characters explain what's wrong. Which isn't really effective. In a few cases, you find yourself sort of high-and-dry when it comes to the shows more cynical segments.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Colorful Girls in a Bleak World]
I'd be remiss if I didn't dedicate a segment talking about juxtaposition and character design. In a show that's supposed to at least somewhat mirror reality with production, the show had this very odd choice of making the main characters, specifically the girls only, be extremely colorful doll-like beings in appearance.
I'm very torn on this subject because I feel like it either misses the point of the entire show, or perhaps bites a bit too close to the plate when it comes delivery. What I mean is that if it's the designers making these girls purposefully colorful and "magical" looking to parody elements within the show, then fine. However, the show never really discusses anything like this. It's left up to interpretation, and this kind of interpret-able writing and design choices aren't really thematically appropriate with the kind of story being told.
One of the characters, Momoka, straight up looks like a magical girl in most scenes. She belongs on screen with Madoka, not Chitose. Which really juxtaposes these cool-colored environments with these bright and vibrant characters. Especially since the males, for the most part, are left realistically portrayed design-wise.
...
The design folds hand-in-hand with the animation, which is thoroughly mediocre. Especially towards the end of the show, where it often felt rushed, visually. There was a lot of filler images and an abusive amount of still-images to convey time. These characters were made to perform (like idols, i'm guessing), and pretty much each one of their performances was just still-images of them "dancing" and "singing" with this elevator music playing the background.
I get creating a real song is tough. Especially making it believable. But this is just one of those things that if you put a bit more effort into the show you could be left with a more rewarding product. Songwriting in anime is another really easily parody-able concept and it was woefully ignored.
That being said, the animation does stand out on occasion. Especially when it comes to character close-ups. Which the show uses sparingly. What I mean is that the director brings the camera way up to the character's mouth and we get this shot of them speaking or reacting. Lip syncing is done very well here.
But... those shining moments are generally padded with poorly synced sequences and scenes that felt a bit empty in sound design. A character would place a coffee cup on the table and the sound of the ceramic hitting the wood would be louder than anything in the room for whatever reason. These audio issues could've been fixed with just a bit more editing.
This show criticizes and, to a certain extent, parodies rushed anime. However, it is a rushed anime. That being said, I don't hold it to that fault. A show can be something but still criticize it to an interesting and funny extent. This show, on occasion, does succeed.
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[Characters]
So lets talk about the most important part. The characters and their interactions, and in some cases, their stories made this show feel significantly more fulfilling than it had any right to be. Especially since a lot of the plot aspects felt kind of tedious. For example, these are voice actors and they talk about voice acting throughout the entirety of the show. Yet we hardly ever get to see them actually voice act! I, for the life of me, can't figure out why the hell they'd cut any voice acting from the show about voice acting!
In certain scenes certain characters would say like, "Oh X had a bad day acting today!' and we'd be thrown through a loop because we don't know if she's lying or if she's telling the truth. We didn't actually get to see the session! Not even a little!
...
That being said, the characters do truly shine. As I said in my introduction, these characters felt more like real people than just about any television anime characters I've seen. Especially Chitose, Shibasaki, and Momoka. Ironically, the most out-there characters with the nuttiest designs felt like the most grounded and human people. Their conversations were often very appropriate and natural.
When writing a conversation you want to make the scene flow. This is done through directing, editing, sound design, and dialogue. Girlish Number really does impress with the dialogue. In one episode, two characters headline for the entirety of it's running. They simply walk around a location you haven't seen before and chat. They talk about what I would expect people in similar situations to talk about and not once did I feel like I knew where the conversation was heading due to plot necessity. That's some damn good character writing.
The show is at its best when it has a slow-moving, dialogue driven, somber tone. However, it still does comedy well. While this show very rarely made me laugh out loud, I will say that it has some of the most relaxed delivery I've seen in a show that does try to be funny. Which is so rare, since most anime has this very abrasive reaction-oriented comedy that gets old very very fast.
In Girlish Number, characters would chat and if their conversation turned comical, then fine, if it turned serious, then fine. What matters is it felt believable. In a show about humans in a distinctly shitty industry, that's pretty much the best thing this show could've done.
...
The development feels pretty spectacular too. Since this show's focus is definitively on humans, then the development must not only feel natural, but feel realistic in execution. I may argue that it got a bit too corny towards the end, especially within the last ten or so minutes. But for the most part, Girlish Number knew exactly where to bring its characters.
It, or I should say, the writer(s) understand that people are inherently flawed and don't just change because the plot demands it. Or that other people demand it. People are set in their ways. Since this is understood here, the development feels realistic to me. Our protagonist is pretty much an asshole. And not in the way where she's either over-exaggerated for comedic effect or so under-exaggerated that she's simply an asshole because people says she is. She's genuinely kind of a self-righteous brat that is unlike-able. The fact that this show does that so well makes her like-able though.
I much rather watch a show about a human being being a human being than some self-insert bullshit trying to pretend it's not a harem. Humans are very interesting creatures because they don't just harbor four different quirks. Even when this show does fanservice, and it does, it does so in a fairly tasteful way. The camera doesn't linger and it doesn't go places where it shouldn't. For example, there's a beach episode and instead of... well, being a beach episode, it went into the territory of being self-deprecating. Making fun of how fake it all was, with these voice actors acting like moe girls and how the fans eat it all up.
What's kind of ironic about all this, as I mentioned, is that these voice actors are in fact moe girls. Which makes me feel very strangely about the entire purpose of this show. The writer(s) can't be this unaware of the kind of marketing this show is criticizing it's doing itself. But then again, does this self-awareness have any merit? What is it saying? These are questions I don't know the answer to, and as I said again, these open-to-interpretation ideas don't belong in a show like this.
...
This show constantly addresses the idea of being aware of your own personality. Especially in our protagonist's case, where she's an asshole, and becomes aware of this. But that's a part of her human nature. That's who she is. If she were to change, or try to, what would that do?
These dilemmas sit very oddly in a show like this. It's main marketing point is that it has cute girls being voice actresses. Yet it offers so much more in terms of actual character than it does animation.
...
Much like real people, conversations have this looping feeling in this show. Not like French-new wave looping, but more like previous conversations play a part in new ones. I get that that may feel like an obvious writing technique. What I mean, specifically, is that even minute details are brought back as in-jokes and references. Not by the writers to the audience, but characters to characters, which really surprised me.
Tonally, the show stays consistent, but it often doesn't really know where to take certain secondaries. While most of the primary characters are developed quite well, the secondaries either feel like caricatures or nobodies. Which is a minor flaw in the character writing. We have people, in-show, that act so over-the-top and nuts that it may be funny, but doesn't really fit in context with the rest of the show at all.
Much like the battle between design and message, the battle between human and character is also prevalent.
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[Conclusion]
So it's far from a perfect show. It's definitely a surprising one, however. What I was expecting was a show about cute girls being voice actors. I was also expecting it to be a more biting of a parody than what it ended up being.
What I did get, however, was a very scenic and poignant show about human nature and the way people are. Imperfect. Every member of the main cast is imperfect. Some more so than others, but in the end, they all have their flaws. The ending was a bit too cornball for me and I would've loved it much more if they ended on a bittersweet note.
Chitose was a great standout, with Shibasaki and Momoka being honorable standouts of the main cast. While their designs were absolutely strange in the world, their humanity shined through. The character melodrama was surprisingly well-handled for an anime, too. Maybe it was because I was coming off some incredibly lame and corny melodrama-filled shows, but I was thoroughly impressed with just how realistic the reactions were to certain situations.
Nothing felt over-exaggerated for drama. Everything felt perfectly in place for the kinds of situations these characters found themselves in. That and the character development was extremely well-handled, with some absolutely amazing uses of dramatic stingers that honestly took me by complete surprise.
Perhaps that's the benefit of watching a slice of life. You are watching character interact and really aren't expecting anything until it's delivered. To entertain my cake metaphor, a slice of life is wholly about characters in certain situations. But I feel like the slice may be referring to the characters themselves, too. A character can be many things, and relateable is definitely an important aspect to many characters. Especially ones that are there to be realistically there, int he real world. Much like a slice of cake, there need to be multiple layers to have something be truly filling and not overwhelming in taste. Too much frosting it becomes too sweet. Too much bread it's too dry.
I wish that this show had more time invested into it because I feel like it could've been much better. However, for what it was, it was surprisingly engaging towards the middle half and to the end. Girlish Number utilizes the frosting, bread, and cherry. By the end, I felt happy with my slice.
Shingster
Girlish number is an anime thats also part of a multimedia project that includes a serial novel and manga that looks at the careers of five voice actresses as they enter the world of voice acting. First of all of this project the only thing that i seen is the anime but after watching this i think i will look for both the manga and the novel as well. The story for girlish number follows the lives and careers of five different girls as they enter the world of voice acting and looks at some of the struggles that they face in the industry aswell as the effects that it has on their lives as well. The anime takes place in the modern world and is largely centered in Tokyo with few exceptions.
Chitose voiced by veteran seiyuu Sayaka Senbongi of Unlimited Fafnir fame is one of the main characters of the show and like the rest of the cast is an aspiring seiyuu. Chitose is a confident and proud girl that has obvious skill in voice acting but this is offset by the fact that she is carefree and lazy and the fact that she does not put her enough hard work into her roles which led to her having a slow start to her career. One personality trait of Chitose that i find amusing is that despite having a rather positive attitude is also rather cynical which is a interesting contrast for her character.
The gradual change of Chitose's character from her overly proud self that blames the industry for not seeing her talent to one that is willing to admit her shortcomings and admit that she may have as much talent as she thought was a great thing to see and one of the many highlights of the show. Chitose's role within the story is to act as the heart and glue of the cast and her positive attitude and determination is what makes her such an endearing character that while sometimes annoying to the cast is also solely missed when she's not present. I felt that Chitose's seiyuu Sayaka Senbongi did a great job portraying the character of Chitose.
Yae played by veteran seiyuu Kaeda Hondo is a fellow voice actress and friend of Chitose and is also one of the main characters of the show. Yae went to the same voice training school as Chitose did and as a result she is familiar to Chitose. Like Chitose and the rest of the cast Yae is a aspiring voice actress but unlike Chitose Yae gets flustered and nervous quite easily but despite this tries her best to overcome this aspect of her personality and try to do the best that she can in the roles that she is given. This is one aspect of her personality that i admire as this is something that most seiyuu's and indeed most new people experience when they enter a new job and i felt this was executed pretty well. I felt that Kaeda Hondo did a great job portraying Yae.
Koto voiced by veteran seiyuu Yui Ishikawa of Owari no Seraph and Qualidea code fame is a veteran seiyuu thats been in the voice acting industry for some time and actually has more experience than the rest of the cast. Koto is a calm and professional thats also pretty mature due to her age and experience and often serves as the voice of reason in any arguments that take place. Koto and fellow seiyuu Kazuha have a lot in common in that both came to Tokyo to for a job and in both cases become Seiyuu's and both do not want to go back to their families empty handed. As a result of this Koto understands the problems and frustrations the cast encounters and has to deal with in their careers and tries to help them whenever she can.
Momoko voiced by veteran seiyuu Eri Suzuki of Amanchu and Flying Witch fame is a veteran seiyuu as well as a singer and idol voice actress. Confident, talented and considerate Momoka though still a high school girl has plenty of experience in voice acting due to her career as well as her parents to which her mother is also a well known seiyuu. As a result of this Momoka is rather adapt at dealing with people able to extract herself and others without causing ill feeling among people. At the same time she's slow to trust people but those that she trust will find that she's a great friend as she is able to easily tell if something is bothering someone. As an experienced seiyuu Momoko and Kazuha know each other and have worked alongside each other in a number of projects and have acquired a mutual understanding of each other. Both won't admit it but both see each other as friends as they both have similar problems that bother them. in the course of the story Momoka helps Kazuha deal with her problems while Kazuha helps in dealing with Momoka's problems thus cementing this bond.
Out of all the main characters Momoka is one of my favorite characters as she is kind, considerate and always willing to help others. This is especially apparent in Kazuha's family arc in which she had no reason to go along with her back to hometown but decided to anyway. After Amanchu i believe that this is a another role that Eri Suzuki once again played well in.
Kazuha voiced by veteran seiyuu Saori Onishi of Denpa Kyoushi and food wars fame is a main character and is a veteran seiyuu having been in the industry for some time. Due to family problems Kazuha decided to leave her hometown and head to Tokyo where she subsequently become a voice actress. However despite that Kazuha still wanted to off to her family that she is doing well without them and as such constantly wishes for the chance to be featured in a serious anime series. Kazuha is a confident person thats also rather direct with requests and can be rather willful.
Despite this Kazuha is also a professional and plays her assigned roles with diligence and skill that she has. Like Momoka Kazuha's behavior and attitude changes after her arc was resolved and her relationship with Momoka who she seen as her rival and friend changed as well with the two becoming actual friends. Kazuha was an interesting character and i felt that Saori Onishi did a great job portraying her.
Nanami portrayed by new seiyuu Amina Sato is a new seiyuu that joins the cast of the last anime that the cast are assigned and appears halfway through the story. Though still fresh Nanami has a great voice range and skill and because she's also relatively pretty she also has a lot of fans which is nice to see.
Nanami really admires Chitose because it was her that inspired her to become a seiyuu and as such she is always asking her questions and advice on her roles. Nanami's positive attitude is a nice contrast to Chitose's sometimes negative attitude and she serves as sort of villain in the final arc of the anime although no fault of her own. Nanami is a positive, upbeat and cheerful person that tries the best she can in the roles that she is assigned to which is quite inspiring and nice to see in a new seiyuu. Despite being a relatively new seiyuu Amina Sato did a great job portraying Nanami here and after Momoka she's my second favorite character.
Kuzu is a support character of the show that works as a producer. In this role he's in charge of the production of the anime and project that the main cast are assigned to. Despite the importance of such a role however Kuzu doesn't seem to understand how a anime is actually produced and neither does he care about the quality of the anime. Indeed Kuzu seems to be more concerned about making money and acting important because of that regardless of the reaction to the quality of the anime that was produced. For the purpose of the story Kuzu mainly serves as comic relief of the show and his antics while funny actually do annoy not just the rest of the cast but me as well. However like all characters Kuzu eventually does shape up later on and tries to be a more responsible producer. We just have to see whether he can be one though.
Gojo is a support character of the show and is both Chitose's brother and manager that managers her career. A former voice actor himself Gojo knows very well the challenges that new seiyuus face as they enter the industry and as such he tries to help Chitose whenever possible. Being both the brother as well Gojo also has his hands full in getting Chitose to be serious with her acting and at the same time motivate her. The relationship between Chitose and her brother is one of the main focuses of the show and while Gojo is hard is on Chitose you can clearly see that he does care about her and is trying to guide her away from his own failing.
I though that this relationship was a pretty well designed one and was acted out by their respective voice actors pretty well.
Arts and animation
In terms of art I felt that the character designs of the characters were very well designed and detailed as was the environments that were featured. The animation i felt was also pretty detailed and pretty sharp.
Music
A major part of a seiyuu's role is that apart from voicing characters and dubbing foreign dramas and films they also often sing songs whether opening, ending or insert songs for the anime that they feature in. In this case the opening and ending themes were sung by the seiyuus that voiced the main characters and i actually liked these songs as they were both catchy and positive and kept to the main spirit of the anime's story and theme. The anime also featured a number of insert songs that i also liked.
Voice acting
Overall i believe that the anime had a great cast of seiyuus and that they managed to portray their respective characters pretty well. Of the characters Eri Suzuzi, Sayaka Senbongi and Amina Sato who portrayed the characters of Momoka, Chitose and Nanami respectively i feel deserve some praise as i felt that they managed to play their characters really well.
Conclusion
Girlish number i felt was an interesting and fun anime that did a good job in showing some of the challenges that new seiyuu's would face as they enter the industry. Voice acting in Japan is very closely connected with Anime production and as such seeing how these two interact with each other was a great move. Girlish Number's story was simple but too the point and the bonds that the girls forged with each other was nice to see. Both the voice acting and animation for the anime was well done and i really enjoyed this anime. Chitose's character tbh i hated at first due to her personality but seeing her gradually change over the series has me change my opinion of her surprisingly. Nice work Chi Sama
GoldenDevilGamer
Ever since the 11th volume of OreGairu was released, fans were heavily waiting for the next volume. For the last two years, the author of the series, Watari Wataru, has been working on many multimedia projects, including Qualidea Code from last year and Gi(a)rlish Number from this season. With Qualidea Code being average and with Gi(a)rlish Number looking like a “cute-girls-doing-cute-things”, many were keeping their expectations low. Luckily Watari Wataru uses the same formula that made OreGairu a success; a mix of heavy cynicism and characters reflecting on themselves. What originally seemed overused and generic managed to be some of the best fun you’ll getthis year.
~{Story}~
The story revolves around Karasuma Chitose, a newbie in the seiyuu industry who dreams of making it big. With a narcissistic attitude and glowing with overconfidence, she manages to get her first main role in an anime. This point on, the story focuses on Chitose and her colleagues and how they get through the anime project while improving themselves. Slice of Life anime normally don’t end up being story-heavy and Gi(a)rlish Number is no exception. The story isn’t its selling point as rather it’s the commentary and characters. However, the story works well as a backbone for its characters and the situations the characters go through is amusing at times. The series has an arc-like structure to it, as it focuses on different situations at a time. The series goes from focusing on Chitose lack of proper voice-acting abilities to Kazuha and Momoka’s family issues. As the series continues, it widens up its scope and starts focusing on Chitose’s surroundings rather than Chitose herself. Despite the fact that the light novels are still continues, the way the anime ends off doesn’t feel incomplete. Even if Gi(a)rlish Number never gets a second season, this season itself is satisfying enough to be its own standalone.
Story: 7/10
~{Presentation}~
What Gi(a)rlish Number excels in is not its story, but rather its characters, and most importantly, its commentary to Japan’s entertainment industry. The series is full of jabs to the anime industry, the light novel industry, the idol industry and the seiyuu industry. Gi(a)rlish Number shows what Watari Wataru excels at the most, cynical writing that doesn’t hold itself back. Many of the writing showcases the harsher aspects of the anime industry, even though some of it is a bit nitpicky. As supposed to Shirobako that showed the anime industry and a hard, but fun place, and Sore ga Seiyuu that showed voice acting in a positive manner, Gi(a)rlish Number contrasts those tones with its narcissistic characters and their negative opinion towards those industries. However, just like OreGairu, during its second half it changes tone. The series slows down with is cynicism and focuses more on its characters and their growth. And this is when Gi(a)rlish Number ends up being a character-driven anime. Without moment like this, the only thing the series would’ve had was its cynicism. The pacing gives time for the characters to get fleshed out. However, there are times when the pacing can get a bit slow. Overall, Gi(a)rlish Number’s style and execution is something that is rarely seen in anime, and it makes the series feel much more unique.
Presentation: 8.5/10
~{Character}~
As a character-driven anime, it is necessary to have likable and relatable characters. Does Gi(a)rlish Number succeed in doing so? Not at all, since it wasn’t aiming for such a goal anyways. But do the characters still end up being great? Definitely! Most of the cast of characters are a bunch of careless narcissists and that are filled with self-confidence, particularly the series protagonist, Chitose. Chitose is exactly as what was mentioned previously, yet she manages to be a very interesting protagonist. Just seeing her being so full of herself manages to be satisfying because it rare to see a protagonist like Chitose. However, she ends up being more complex than she seems because she tries to improve and near the end of the series, she goes through a lot of necessary character development. But Gi(a)rlish Number isn’t just about Chitose but also about her surroundings. Chitose’s colleagues, Kazuha and Momoka are both characters that contrast each other. Momoka is still a teenager, but she has a lot of freedom due to her parents being busy and them trusting her decisions. Kazuha on the other hand is in her late twenties, yet due to her overprotected parents, she lacks freedom. There’s proper contrasting between these two characters and shows how age never represents one’s responsibility in society. Chitose’s other two colleagues, Yae and Koto are also both quite likable, but they don’t get as much character development as the other character do. However, due to these character’s characterization, development isn’t necessary. There’s also a bunch of other supporting characters that makes the series more enjoyable. Chitose’s brother, Gojou, has an entertaining dynamic with her sister that creates a lot of enjoyable and hilarious bantering between the two. The producer of the anime project the characters work on, Kuzu (coincidently he has that name), is a completely lazy and pathetic person, yet he’s immensely hilarious. His assistant, Towada, is used as a nice contrast for Kuzu. And there are many other characters that make Gi(a)rlish Number’s cast pessimistically cynical, yet immensely enjoyable.
Character: 9/10
~{Art}~,
Diomedia is a mixed bag when it comes to their art quality and content. Mayoiga was a decent looking series (minus the CGI), but Handa-kun lacked proper detailing and the backgrounds were empty. Luckily Gi(a)rlish Number’s art is really pretty and, for the most part, consistent. QP:flapper’s character designs made for the light novels is well presented in the anime. There’s no doubt that the characters in Gi(a)rlish Number are good-looking and attractive, which makes it seem like as if it’s a “cute-girls-doing-cute-things” type of anime. However, these character designs contrasts with their characterization. But it’s not just the character designs that looks pretty, but the backgrounds too. They’re not the most detailed, but due to the color palette of this series being very vivid, the backgrounds end up looking very pretty. Also, the series tends to blur out its backgrounds or the sides to make the art have some sort of photographic feel to it. In photography, these are known as bokeh or Gaussian blurs, and they manage to make the art look stylish and modern.
Art: 8/10
~{Animation}~
Just like it’s art quality, Diomedea’s isn’t known to be consistent with their animation quality. However, Gi(a)rlish Number’s animation quality is very good for most of the time. The fluidity in the character motion is really good, and some slight additional animations are given to characters, such as wrinkles in clothes or hair movement. However, these detailed animations aren’t anything too special. There are moments when the fluidity in the character movements drop, but they’re nothing too bad. The backgrounds aren’t too static and has some animations to it. One pretty impressive thing is that vehicular moments aren’t CGI and are well animated. The series uses a lot of still shots which is primarily used so the studio has less animating to do. These aren’t too bad as they don’t tend to be distracting, and they’re never used when characters are speaking.
Animation: 7.5/10
~{Voice Acting}~
For an anime about voice acting, it would be pretty embarrassing if the voice acting quality of this series wasn’t good. Luckily that’s not the case. Senbongi Sayaka (who’s starting to get more main roles for anime… what a coincidence) voices Chitose and she does an excellent job with her character. She gets her narcissistic character right. There are moments when Chitose’s character poorly voice acts in an anime project, and her seiyuu manages to make the voice acting sound as cringeworthy as possible successfully. Oonishi Saori does a great job at portraying the level-headed Kazuha and gives her character a mature voice. She also does her character’s Yamagata dialect well. Momoka is voiced by Suzuki Eri and she does a very good job with her character, despite being a relatively new seiyuu. Koto’s voiced by Ishikawa Yui, who is best known for her role as Mikasa from Shingeki no Kyojin. She does a good job as her character and she does her Kansai dialect really well. Hondo Kaede voiced Yae really well and her voice matches her characters. But the most impressive voice acting comes from the supporting characters. Gojou’s seiyuu, Umehara Yuuichirou, does a very good job with his character and his mature voice plays well with his character. Kuzu’s seiyuu, Nakai Kazuya, is one of my favorite, and he does a splendid job in making his character as irritating as possible, while making the character hilarious. Eguchi Takuya, who’s also one of my favorite, does a good job as Towada. Interesting fact: Matsuoka Yoshitsugu plays as a character called Matsuoka Yoshitsugu in Gi(a)rlish Number.
Voice Acting: 9/10
~{Music}~
The music in Gi(a)rlish Number is also quite good. Both the OP and ED is sung by the main cast, Senbongi Sayaka, Ishikawa Yui, Hondo Kaede, Oonishi Saori, and Suzuki Eri. The OP, “Bloom”, is really good, an it contrasts well with the actual tone of the series. The ED, “Ima wa Mijikashi Yume Miyo Otome” is retty catchy, though it starts and ends off with unmeaningful (but catchy) lyrics. The group also sings two insert songs in the series and they’re both decent. Unfortunately, there’s not much variety in the background music, but what’s there is good. The music that is played whenever things are in an upbeat mood, or if Kuzu is spurring out bullshit, is pretty good and I like how the tempo changes depending on the current mood. For example, when Kuzu has a discussion with other executives, when his ideas get rejected, the tempo slows down. When he comes up with another idea, the tempo goes back to normal.
Music: 6.5/10
~{Enjoyment}~
Gi(a)rlish Number was a blast to watch from start to finish. The pacing might be slow, but the character interactions and their take on the entertainment industry was always fun to watch. Gi(a)rlish Number proves that you don’t need likable characters to have good characters. As long as they’re interesting to watch, it doesn’t matter if they’re a scumbag of a character or not. The character development in the series is adequate and the contrasting between some of the characters are well done. I’m a sucker for cynical stuff (hence why both OreGairu and Hikigaya are in my favorites), so anime like Gi(a)rlish Number immediately click with me faster than Killer Queen.
Enjoyment: 8.5/10
In the end, Gi(a)rlish Number is what I would come to expect from Watari Wataru. After the disappointment of Qualidea Code and the indefinite hiatus of OreGairu, Gi(a)rlish Number was a treat for both OreGairu fans, and those who’ve never seen Watari’s work before. With a good mix of both cynicism and character development, the series manages to know when to waste time taking jabs at the anime industry and when to actually give some depth to its characters. The interactions between the characters are hilarious due to many of the characters’ narcissistic and over-confident behavior. It’s a shame that a series like this is basically going unnoticed or people are skipping over it since the synopsis and key visuals don’t look particularly interesting. But if you haven’t watched Gi(a)rlish Number yet, it would be best to give it a try and see if it’s your type of anime.
+ The cynical and pessimistic comments towards Japanese entertainment and their industries are great.
+ Great characters that contrast each other and have adequate character development.
+ Genuinely hilarious that doesn’t rely on slapstick, with entertaining bantering between characters.
+ The voice acting done by the seiyuu is reall good, especially for the supporting characters.
- Not much variety in the background music.
- Pacing can get a bit slow at times.
Overall: 8.0/10
gnerkus
With the growing popularity of the anime medium, there’s a rising interest in the production of anime. Gi(a)rlish Number offers insight into the industry through the lives of ‘seiyuu’; voice actors. It’s a slice-of-life show adapted from a light novel by the creator of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Wataru Watari. It’s animated by Diomedea and is a slight shift from their bright and colourful comedy shows like Noucome and Campione. [A boring critique] The plot of Gi(a)rlish Number revolves around the production of KuuSure, an anime by the fictional studio Number One Produce. From the onset we see a critique of the anime industry as theproducer of the show and the CEO aren’t interested in creating a great series but in how much money they can make off it. The plot of KuuSure is generic, the art and animation are poor and the character designs diverge from the source material; KuuSure is a poor adaptation of its light novel. Not only do the producer and CEO skimp on quality for the anime, they have the voice actresses spend a great deal of their time marketing the show.
Gi(a)rlish Number is the first series about the anime industry that I’ve seen so I initially watched it with the perception that the sole role of a voice actress in an anime’s production was voice-acting. Through the activities of the five main voice actresses for KuuSure I learned the seiyuu are also heavily involved in the marketing of the show, often through various events. I also learned how ephemeral a voice actress’s career could be; one moment she/he is getting a lot of roles, the next, she’s replaced by a younger, more energetic voice actress. The little insight provided by the series is short-lived, however, as the show soon delves into the lives of the main characters.
While Gi(a)rlish Number is a slice-of-life show and the drama is expected, it’s a bit boring. The developments are slow, the characters are mostly uninteresting and the side stories sometimes seem disconnected from the original plot. There are few comedic moments to add a bit of balance; only the antics of some of the characters are engaging. And the most engaging of them is the main character, Karasuma Chitose.
[Brilliant MC]
Karasuma Chitose is a college student who joins Number One Produce as a rookie voice actress and is fortunate to be given the role of the main female character in KuuSure. She takes great pride in this, believing it was what she deserved for her apparently immense talent and rarely misses the opportunity to bring it up in conversations. For a voice actress with little experience, Chitose is the laziest of the five which includes the more experienced Shibasaki Kazuha and Sonou Momoka, and is solely fixated on growing her popularity. But she’s also the most positive of the five voice actresses and one of the boldest characters in the show. She’s easy to dismiss as the character everyone hates but she clearly stands out in a show with mostly staid characters.
The other voice actresses, Kazuha, Momoka, Koto and Yae, while being much less interesting than Chitose, are notable in their own rights. Kazuha is ever-pessimistic and serious of the lot who lets herself go once in awhile and changes a bit later in the show. Momoka is young but mature and does her best to help Chitose see the reality of her career. Koto is the friendliest and often acts as a diplomat amongst the voice actresses. Yae is one of Chitose’s peers and worships her endlessly. They are more engaging than the rest of the cast with the exception of Kuzu, the producer, and Karasuma Gojou, Chitose’s manager and brother.
Kuzu is the seemingly inept producer that does everything wrong. He cuts corners, regularly misses deadlines and budget estimates and trades the quality of the show for money. But it is these traits that make him more compelling to watch than the rest of the corporate staff.
[Cheery art]
The art of Gi(a)rlish Number is bright, fluffy and colourful, as expected from Diomedea. The characters, especially the voice actresses, are cute and look like teenagers even though they’re much older; the background art and the art in the opening and ending sequences are colourful. The art almost seems like it was designed to take your mind off the reality of the state of KuuSure and Number One Produce as a whole.
[Mellow, invisible music]
The music of Gi(a)rlish Number, like the art, is soft and often cheery. There are a variety of background scores that complement the key moments of the show adequately, especially the music for the more dramatic scenes. In all, the sound and music isn’t particularly memorable. What is remarkable is the voice acting.
The characters in Gi(a)rlish Number are voiced by veteran and new voice actors/actresses alike. While Namba Shachou, the CEO of Number One Produce, is voiced by Kenyuu Horiuchi, an anime veteran, Chitose is voiced by Senbogi Sayaka, who debuted as a seiyuu in 2013. What’s more interesting is that the veterans in the show, such as the CEO and producer, are equally voiced by veteran voice actors while the newer members, such as the voice actresses, have less experienced voice actresses.
[My gateway to meta anime]
Gi(a)rlish Number is a good show, clearly better than average, but I didn’t enjoy watching it. It hit all the right spots in term of its technical aspects but wasn’t engaging because I had expected a more detailed treatment of the anime industry and its seiyuu. What it did do right was serve as a gateway into similar and better shows and I’m grateful for that.
AnimeMarathon
Production and Popularity Girlish Number is a slice-of-life anime about careers in the world of Japanese voice actresses (seiyuu). It started as a light novel by Wataru Watari, with illustrations by QP:flapper and Yamcha. A manga version was created around the same time by Yuuki Doomoto. The twelve-episode anime aired from October to December 2016. It was created by Studio Diomedea, which has made many all-girl anime and several Ecchi anime. I know them for animating Akuma no Riddle (Spring 2014) and Mayoiga (Spring 2016). Since it's such a recent anime, Girlish Number has few votes on IMDb and even fewer on Crunchyroll. Viewers have begunranking it on myanimelist.com, however. There, as of February 2017, nearly fifteen thousand viewers have given it an overall rating of 7.07 out of 10. This may not seem like the most promising number, but it doesn't surprise me. As will be discussed later, fans had issues with Girlish Number because many of them couldn't understand the heroine.
Story: Structure and Execution
Major plot points in the story are the acquisition of a lead role in episode 1, struggling with performance in episode 3, the swimsuit fiasco in episode 6, arrival of the rookie Nanami and the resulting change in episode 9, and Chitose's admittance of her situation and the resolution in episodes 11 and 12. The pattern of 1-3-6-9-11-12 does occur sometimes in anime, but the better structure for 12 episodes is usually 1-3-6-8-10-12 with 12 as a single-episode resolution.
The story of Chitose's personal journey could have been delivered adequately in half the number of episodes, but since there four or five other main heroines, there was enough material for twelve. Though the other girls have their own mini-plots, the main story of Girlish Number is undoubtedly the journey of Chitose as she takes her first lead role as an anime seiyuu. The story was a classic tale about pride, humility, and finding yourself, but I thought the creators did a reasonable job making it original.
Art: Overall and Character Designs
As I sometimes like to note in my reviews, I am not an artist, so my ideas of good art are mostly based on whether I enjoyed it. I thought the animation of Girlish Number was perfectly adequate, though nothing stunning. To be honest, I am a little tired of the common look of anime in the last few years (very colorful and moe with super sparkley eyes), and I would have liked to see something more stylized. For the most part, I liked the character designs, and was glad they weren't forced into the usual cookie-cutter personalities and body types of anime girls. I especially liked the design of Koto Katakura, the seiyuu with the Kansai dialect. Character expressions were alright but a little limited and/or redundant between characters.
Sound
Lead seiyuu Sayaka Senbongi, Kaede Hondo, Yui Ishikawa, Eri Suzuki, Saori Oonishi, and Amina Satoo are all relatively new voice actresses who have so far mostly played supporting characters. Then again, some have already started making names for themselves. Senbongi (voice of Chitose) played Mumei in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Ishikawa (voice of Katakura) played Mikasa in Shingeki no Kyoujin (Attack on Titan). Oonishi (voice of Shibasaki) has had more roles than most of the others and is known for playing Aiz Wallenstein in Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Of all of them, I was most impressed with Senbongi (Chitose) and Suzuki (Momoko). For being mostly new talent, the voice acting was great.
I was not particularly impressed with the music in Girlish number, though it's difficult to say for sure since the OST has not been released. Opening theme "Bloom" by the seiyuu of Girlish Number was performed well as far as I could tell, but it's not a style of music I like. It was pretty much the same for the ending theme "Ima wa Mijikashi Yumemi yo Otome." No information is available on the composer and none of the musical scores I heard really stuck out at me as amazing.
Characters
Overall, characterization was good in Girlish Number. I was expecting the characters to be more cookie-cutter and steroetyped, but they were actually fairly original. Katakura, "the girl with the Kansai Accent," was fairly modest and cutely sensitive about her age rather than being loud and humorous like many "Kansai Accent" characters. Yae, the rather timid girl, ended up showing her true colors as an amazingly loyal and genuine friend to Chitose despite getting little care from her in return. Shibasaki, with her family problems and issues "getting into" promotion activities, felt very real, like you would expect a real girl to be as she develops her career as a seiyuu. Though a little over-the-top, Kuzu was an unforgettable character and supplied much needed comic relief.
You can't discuss the characters in Girlish Number without saying something about the heroine, Chitose Karasuma. You don't have to get very far into the series before noticing that she has a big head and gets ahead of herself easily with her endless confidence. Girlish Number is largely the story of Chitose as she comes to realize that her over-confidence is hurting her and those around her, and that she isn't putting as much effort forward as she needs to in order to be successful. Many vocal fans on Crunchyroll and Gogoanime seem to hate Chitose, saying she's a useless bitch, worthless, devoid of talent, and most of all, has an annoying personality. I felt the opposite, however.
While Chitose obviously had character flaws such as believing too strongly in her own talent, she also had positive traits such as undying courage, and I don't think confidence in itself is a negative trait. It is really refreshing to have a female protagonist who is confident and courageous. Furthermore, I find the hate against Chitose's personality somewhat hypocritical for anime fans. Leading male protagonists are often airheaded and cocky, and rely on their perceived "talent" even when they have none. I have seen very few people dislike protagonists like this who are male. Since Chitose is female, people aren't used to a confident character, or a character who's a little too cocky. Chitose's personality made the show for me and I hope that others can try getting used to a female lead who isn't timid, weak, or overly modest.
Enjoyment
To be honest, my enjoyment of Girlish number was somewhat reduced by the male fans in the comments who trash-talked Chitose endlessly. Even so, however, I still enjoyed the short series. As mentioned above, my favorite part of the series was having a lead female character who was outspoken, proud, and brave. Naturally, she was a little TOO proud, but she is able to eventually learn to be a little more humble. On the flipside, I also enjoyed watching the aloof and more culturally appropriate Shibasaki, who worries, for example, about securing a good marriage after being made to appear in a revealing swimsuit to increase sales on the anime she acts in. I liked Yae and how loyal she was to Chitose, and I thought her voice was adorable. All in all, for a slice of life anime, Girlish number was enjoyable and better than average.
AoiYukihira004
It's been while since my last review. I will try to write it with careful. 1. Story So, the story itself about Chitose Karasuma, a newbie seiyuu. It's all about her to achieve success with her "stardom" attitude. Okay, the story was good but it's just that. They can explore with much roast about industry they have work, but then they turn it to be some drama and character development. It looks like generic anime in the end and clearly not look as good as first half. 2. Art Art was great. Sometimes it was inconsistent, but in the end, i can't complain so much about this aspect.3. Sound
I like opening song, the BGM look fit with this anime, but nothing special about them.
4. Character
All character have problem and they could resolve it in the end. With such a lazy and diva attitude like Chitose, this show maybe have one of the most interesting character in Fall season. They have different attitude each other (ofc, all anime like that too) and their relationship more like co-workers than friendship.
5. Enjoyment
It have enjoyable first half, but the second half was a bit let down. I never expected some drama from this anime and from my view, that drama kind of make this anime to drop their quality.
Overall, this show was good but for me, it's not kind show you want to watch twice
otaku86
The main character in this is the cheeky Chitose, an aspiring voice actor. She's a breath of fresh air in this genre where the leads tend to be very wholesome characters. It's not that Chitose is a bad person at all, but she's quite the arrogant, self-centered, brash individual. Her conversations with her brother, Gojou, is by far the most interesting thing in this anime because we get to see how far Chitose can go on thinking very highly of herself. Girlish Number is a show about a group of voice actors, most of them just getting into the business. We get to see a littlebit of their daily lives, talking with the producers, the recordings sessions and the conventions. The characters are interesting enough and the plot gives ample space for character development so it's always fun to follow this people around.
There's this one scene where the girls meet the author whose's work is the base for the anime they're recording and they do their very best to avoid him. I wonder if this particular scene comes from personal experience or was just a moment of brilliant inspiration. I wish there could be more awkward moments like that between authors and actors.
PrincessLutrinae
Kinda bad in its reveling in anime stereotypes, weak characterisations, and a seemingly deliberately unlikable protagonist. The story had weird pacing, and didn't end at a time that felt like a natural perfect end to the story. However, it was watchable, and I finished it thinking it was alright. The in universe anime had a cool title tho, millennium princess and the Kowloon overlord, sounds like it slaps. However, found it a bit odd in the whole show, we never see the voice actor for the Kowloon overlord. They state it's a harem show, and make it clear there should be a male protagonist, but hisVA is never even a background character. I know it's a show focused on the girls, but when we have male producers, managers, and light novel authors, I thought it would make sense to at least have such a va as a minor supporting character. Perhaps they just forgot to include one?
Annoyingly, the subtitles were done to suit the most anal anti localisation nerd, with Wikipedia style notes popping up on screen and forcing you to pause and read just to explain a pun that makes no sense in English. Of course, they could have changed the exact meaning of the line but replaced it with an English language pun that gets across the same message, but nooooo.
"Lol, Kuzu, more like... Garbage... Amirite guys?" *
* Huge infodump of context about how war criminals are called garbage in Japanese and that name kinda sounds like the Japanese word for garbage that's different from the Japanese word for trash and AAAAAAAA just make up an English pun for the love of goodness!
Many times a little localising could have helped, but clearly this was one for the dorks, and I feel that a lot of the Japanese intended comedy didn't carry over super well when you have to have the joke explained to you in an on screen paragraph. Sure some localisation can go too far at times, but in this case, it would have been very warranted to avoid these weeby infodumps that had me reaching for the pause button every 3 minutes. Still, I did appreciate them putting themed subtitles over diegetic text so just I know what the signs and written notes say, as opposed to some anime, like Bleach on Disney plus, that just don't translate on screen Japanese at all, and leave you to simply miss important information.
Still, if any of this is half accurate to the real anime industry, it does explain why filler arcs are a thing. I assumed like live action, they'd make a show, finish it, v then release it on TV. This seems to imply they're using the South Park method of making episodes in the week it airs and rushing it out as the go, not having even started episode 10 when 1 airs. this makes sense with Japan's toxic work culture and crunch practices, but seems like a really stupid way to make a show that's any good.
Also I gotta say, they treat voice actors with such reverence in this, with fans weebing out over them like idols. I can honestly say I've never given less of a crap about who the voice actors are in literally any project ever, and even, I don't want to know, as if I start to recognize their voice in everything they do, the whole of media will feel a same sight smaller, and break immersion. Unless you're Trey Parker or Matt Stone, it's highly unlikely I would ever recognise the name or voice of a voice actor in anything, much less care. Not too say it's not an important skill or type of acting, as it is, but it's not the kind of skill where I'm interested in the celebrity of the person doing it, that's irrelevant to me.
Overall, meh, no strong impact on me, no story that will stick with me, and I'll forget v quick. But it was fine.
blackdogcolt
One of my favorite things about Japan is that it's culture seem to be the last resort against cynicism: the only country where giving your best is really a value in itself, not only as a justification, but as the foundation of a whole culture, a kind of shared social pathos. There is no backlash to doing so, no social interference, no evil antagonist sabotaging your every move, no one ridiculing your attempt: there's a weird purity in this. But there's also Gi(a)rlish Number -- which is actually my introduction to japanese cynicism, I guess. The making of a shitty light novel adaptation, anchored by twoover-confident incompetent characters that want to do everything but their best.
The series is build on this great dynamic: those characters (Chitose, a newbie seiyuu, and Kuzu-P, the irresponsible producer) inhabiting a traditional japanese universe where everybody has the responsibility to do their best, while they get by on blind enthusiasm and recklessness alone. There's no pleasure in doing a good work, no honor in achieving something - there's only selfishness, the search for notoriety and popularity. And the strangest thing is: I mean this in the most endearing way possible.
The greatest strength of the series is how this cynicism spices what is at its heart a very straight-forward slice of life. The anime builds great characters and explores their emotional landscape with great care - the drama is very simple, but in a clear, delicate way: those are characters with rich interior lives, that arrived at this work by different means, approaching life in their particular way. All of them a little broken, a little disheartened -- all of them with some kind of cynicism for the profession, not perfectly build to it. And we got to follow them coming to terms with this life, learning the value of doing a great job, opening up to people you like, and being proud to try their best (Aha! Earnestness wins again! Thank you, Japan!).
(I mean, everybody but Kuzu-P. He is mostly helpless. That the only romance of the series is his love for a hostess that doesn't really care that much for him is one of the best little things the anime does.)
Also, very beautiful art.
ggultra2764
Girlish Number is another of a number of recent anime titles that attempt to believably explore an element of the anime industry, in this case work as a seiyuu. Whereas titles like Shirobako and Seiyu's Life paint a more optimistic mood of the developments of their lead characters within the anime industry, Girlish Number opts for a more realistic look at things in its focus on our main lead and struggling seiyuu, Chitose. While a struggling seiyuu in the same vain as Seiyu's Life's Futaba, Chitose sports a more cynical outlook on her present situation as she is struggling to get a breakthrough role andwhile putting on the public persona of a highly confident and energetic person, her private persona is not so appealing as her brother/ manager often has to put up with. In addition, Chitose also has to face the limitations of her talents in voice acting when she struggles with a main role that she is able to land for an anime production, has to put up with the high pressures that the industry put on seiyuu like herself with looks and talent, and has to deal with harsh criticisms from fans of the anime she is cast in. Outside of Chitose's struggles, the series also believably looks into the not so appealing aspects of anime production as meddling from production management, a source material's creator having little to no say in the production of their work, production delays, milking marketing gimmicks, and not making a faithful adaptation of the source material are common issues that can come up with anime production and this is an occurrence with the anime that Chitose stars in.
Outside of the realistic lens it paints on the anime industry, Girlish Number also takes the time to get into the heads of its major characters to see how the realities of the industry effect them. With Chitose, the series delves into her cynical outlook on her situation and how it affects her relationship with her manager/ brother, who had his own past successes within the industry. Chitose's co-stars also get their focus with each being at different stages of life with some having difficulties with their families due to focusing on their seiyuu careers and seeing the anime production they are involved with as either a major stepping stone for their careers in the anime industry or a "make it or break it" opportunity.
Overall, Girlish Number offers a rather solid and realistic focus on the anime industry by exploring the less glamorous elements of working in production and being a seiyuu. If you have enjoyed titles like Shirobako that offer a grounded focus on elements of the anime industry, you are likely to get as much enjoyment out of seeing Girlish Number.
RelapsedWeeb
This is going to be one of those anime that I'll feel vaguely good about for a year and then forget I ever watched it. The show is at it's best when all the girls are working. I love work dramas--especially with something as stressful and interesting as the making of a terrible anime. When that is the focus of the show (especially early on) it shines. It's a pretty harsh critique of anime production in general, but the cynicism pays off in the form of good humor. The characters are generally enjoyable, especially the main character. Chitose is arrogant and lazy and not particularly talented,but generally good natured. She seems to be one of those people who you just love watching in a show but would hate to work with. The side characters are mostly a little bland, with a cute bit in the middle that expands on two of them.
The show does tend to slow down and lag for a while in the middle (especially that part I mentioned earlier that develops the side characters), but other than that, I only have one real complaint about this show. I don't like how they handled Chitose's character development. I'll keep it spoiler free, but suffice it to say that they developed Chitose's character too quickly and without her facing much adversity, placing the focus on what I think are the wrong ideas and values. But that's pretty much it for complaints.
The show isn't stand-out good. It's no contender for show of the year. But it's pretty blandly decent with a few good laughs. If you wanted to give it a try, I wouldn't discourage you.
AmaeMei
Gi(a)rlish Number reminds me of Shirobako. Except with an in-depth perspective of the voice actor industry mixed with realism and truth. With that being said, this anime is not for the light of heart. For those that expect moe/kawaii, cute girls and happy endings, this show might not be for you. For those that wish for a greater understanding and appreciation for those that work their butt off into the amazing voice actors we know today, I highly suggest giving this a watch. This anime will turn many off, filtering many out along the way. But for those that stay until the end, you are bound to learn somethingvaluable from this show.
※ STRENGTH ※
► Unique character development. We may see a snobby girl, wanting to be famous for the wrong reasons. Of course, we may dislike her for it but keep in mind, there are people out there. Thinking exactly like her. Nevertheless, there are changes, in which she learns through the difficult obstacles that she needs to change her attitude or fall behind her peers.
► There are lessons to be learned. If you don't work hard, there will be others who will catch up to you. Life doesn't wait just for you. Whatever it may be, you will find one that will resonate with you.
► Our cute moe characters are flawed. Every character has something dislikable about them. Same with us. Not all of us are perfect and in fact, there are things that we dislike about ourselves. Nevertheless, they work on them and still try to be the best they can be.
► The harsh realism of the world we live in. There are many times it's due to luck that people fall into certain position. Not through only hard work or dedication but rather connections and knowing specific authority figures.
※ WEAKNESS ※
► Slow to develop. There were many instances where the plot would sidetrack for whatever reason. I felt that it was irrelevant to some degree but glad the show came back.
Would I recommend? Heck yes.
Would I re-watch? Of course!
The show is a cynical piece of work but filled with great character development, strong lessons to learn from and inevitably, something to take away for your future anime viewing.
The genuine yet pessimistic feelings you may receive from it is why I believe, it's a hidden masterpiece.
manu221335
while reading this review just wanted to remind that these review is just about my opinion, even though im gonna thought not to do ,it's gonna be one sided it's from logical afterall this was merely watchable if we went on the enjoyment, but it was indeed quality and was good managed at all. may contain spoiler... a story which tries to explain what is going on in this industry or so, the directors doesn't care on details they just want to get to tomorrow or getting money and so the other things was like this. for example speaking for events and small things, was for kinda getviewers and kinda manipulate the audience, but i think there was on the plot that interested me so much about this show, it was from reality thought i guess, because the plot was about to explain pride is not existing in reality, so even though you gonna say like hey look at this stupid, it's not gonna affect anything at all because you don't know anyways so the hardworker tryharded and the others did their things too, well i guess i did experience somewhere that human relationships and expressions or so it was kinda worth to me
if you ask me to, is it worth or so? well depending on person ,they all have different characteristics and things afterall, but in reality there's no differ things anyways because it's gonna be the nearly same unless it's not a thing afterall, for be a thing not a thoughter or senser you have to create some, and the things, gotta be infinite or so anyways. so it was worth for me it might be gonna same to you,
have absolute things if there are
theotakuparade
I really consider it a great series is very well developed the story is created in a surprising way, even with the drama of the comedy this serious knows how to add and solve the difficult points of people in his career with seiyuu, focuses well the persistence of the current situation of the anime and simply knows how to innovate with enough imagination. the series even being with a common history in the anime, manages to blur very well the reality of the anime in a comical way, the series does not stop bored because it always knows when to change the rhythm, it fitsvery well in the problems of the people and seeing from chapter 01 the personalities of the protagonists to how they change radically in the end is simply beautiful, I get to swallow and really congratulate the author for this beautiful story
BanjoTheBear
(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) Parenthetical asides (or those statements that are enclosed by parentheses) are awesome. They invite extra information within a sentence without impeding on the purpose of said sentence. It’s not recommended to us them all the time since they can clutter a paragraph or even distract the reader from its meat. But, when a side comment or a small explanation for something written is required, the use of a parenthetical makes for a wise decision (or at least that’s what I believe). Gi(a)rlish Number contains a parenthetical right in the middle of its title. And it’s less aphrase and more a single letter. My guess (and it’s really just a guess) is that it’s a metaphor for the show itself. That is, like anime, there are certain things that, while not always said or deemed “important,” are around and related all the same.
STORY
Chitose Karasuma is a newbie voice actress in the ever-growing world of anime. She seems like any other woman in her field: bubbly, cute, and inviting. However, as Gi(a)rlish Number displays the behind-the-scenes action of the anime industry, not-so-glamorous truths begin to rear their ugly heads.
It’s uncommon for an anime to focus on the meta aspects of the medium itself. It’s even rarer (if not outright unheard of) for an anime to cast this focus in a cynical light. Japan is known for their overly courteous ways and strict business formality, so going against the grain by looking at the dirt instead gives a different edge that the anime audience is most likely not used to.
The unclean revelations target many different areas. The notion that authors of source material are weird if not downright disgusting. Unfair working conditions make the process seem like a slog. How those involved merely put up with the work because they must. That marketing and side venues arguably mean more than the anime itself.
Gi(a)rlish Number even goes so far as to out the community. Subpar promotional videos are met with cheering crowds. Fans are harshly vocal in their hatred and fleeting in their preferences. There’s even a jab at how quickly viewers make assumptions based off rumors read on public forums without any substantive evidence.
These “revelations” aren’t necessarily surprising. Many members of the community are fully aware of the stigma behind light-novel adaptations, the insane fandoms, and the odd financial structure. Regardless, it’s still interesting to see it put in a different perspective. A perspective that comes from people literally involved in the creation of anime.
It should be noted that not everything is cynical. The anime doesn’t take a completely contrarian viewpoint, painting the medium with such negativity that the community wonders why they watch the stuff in the first place. No, it has its hardworking lackeys, passionate voice actresses, and heartfelt moments. The plot simply has a lot more of the opposite end, forcing the audience to think about what really goes on within anime as it puts it on blast. (How much one accepts as truth, though, is up to him or her.)
This motif represents the foundation of Gi(a)rlish Number throughout the season, and it’s what nearly every event in the plot revolves around. Unfortunately, it cannot support the anime indefinitely, for the show finds itself split into two halves: a strong first half and a lackluster second half.
In the first half of the season (roughly episodes one through six), the anime takes advantage of the negativity. Chiding remarks from Chitose bring comedy. Kazuha and Momoka voice their eye-opening “taboo” thoughts in private. Fans forgive lies about first-episode screenings when the voice actresses belt out into song.
All the while, the anime highlights what a failing project looks like. In this case, Millenium Princess x Kowloon Overlord. An incompetent producer and mediocre source material lead everyone down a tough path filled with strict deadlines and financial woes. It’s compounded negativity, and it aligns very well with Gi(a)rlish Number’s goals.
Come the second half, though, the anime starts to lose steam due to a few different issues.
One, the anime doesn’t stay centered on Chitose. The story wants to wrap up Kazuha and Momoka’s subplots, so these two gain the spotlight, awkwardly and simultaneously reaching resolutions through visits back home and a phone call. Kuzu-P, the producer, likewise has a subplot, but his is handled even worse. He feels insignificant when compared to a former workmate, so he loses his drive – only to pick it back up again within the span of a couple episodes.
Two, the anime doesn’t establish its vital background plot point. A big reason for why Chitose’s later regression and depression scares some of her friends comes from the fact that they have seen it before. Namely, in Chitose’s older brother Gojou. He used to be an up-and-coming voice actor, too, but the anime only alludes to this fact through a music track, an advertisement, and a nostalgic photo. The show never shows what happened let alone takes the time to make it an important ordeal within the narrative. As such, her mirrored circumstance fails to reflect all that well.
Third, the anime doesn’t stay consistent. This second half is rather dramatic, departing from the derisive comedy that the first half thrived on. To be fair, the first half had bits of drama as well, but the whole point was still mainly to out the bad side of the anime world. The second half, in contrast, goes the other way. The heavy drama removes the comedy for the most part, and it only serves to detract from the anime’s original motif. Technically speaking, this drama is negative, but it’s of the emotional kind rather than the factual kind.
To Gi(a)rlish Number’s credit, the second half isn’t unwatchable or without strength. Introducing Nanami as a bright new hopeful is a natural move to push the drama (regardless of its necessity), and it still has the meta-anime-digging commentary like lame afterparties.
However, it’s still too bogged down by odd plot directions and distracting drama to be a proper wrapping up of the anime’s initial ideals.
ANIMATION
For the most part, Gi(a)rlish Number’s art and animation provide a stronger-than-not visual experience. Arguably, its middle set of episodes cannot always keep up in terms of crisp movement and perfect proportions. However, when Chitose gets into a pillow fight with Momoka or the anime shows off Kazuha’s hometown with pretty backdrops and smart lighting, it demonstrates its artistic fidelity well enough.
If nothing else, the anime has one memorable aspect that almost everyone agrees on: Chitose’s reaction faces.
Chitose has more reactions than she has voice-acting roles. All right, that’s not saying a whole lot, but it’s still a large number regardless. While a smug look most often covers her face, she is no stranger to variety. Pouting. Anger. Scared. Jubilant. Disinterested. Unlike her skillset, she can react like it’s nobody’s business. Her reactions provide an extra layer of comedy, making the audience wonder how she will respond in her next banter with Gojou or after hearing some positive news.
After Chitose’s array of faces, the character designs argue for their positive impact, too. Dark color choices – maroon, purple, dark pink – both fit the mood of the anime and are no doubt attractive. Kazuha maintains a mature look with long hair and a business-esque outfit. Yae goes cute with a short skirt and big eyes. Koto’s lax clothes, stylish hair, and catlike mouth give her a fun look. Momoka’s classier dress highlights her professionalism. And Chitose’s egg shirt symbolizes her (selfish) sunny-side up personality almost too well.
The anime also makes slight alterations to the visuals of its opening track, changing the poses, props, and positions of the characters’ distinctive outlines as the season progresses. It honestly doesn’t add or mean much, but it’s a cute little attention to detail.
The ending track’s visuals also deserve a small shout-out if only for their quirky dance sequence. Chopped frames, shifting spots, and timed movements aim for and reach a nice level of silliness.
CHARACTERS
Gi(a)rlish Number unfortunately doesn’t do a whole lot to build bonds between all the women in the anime. They are friends, but they lack distinctive moments together. However, there’s only one true star in this story: Chitose.
On the outside, Chitose’s like any other woman in her field: smiling wide for the audience and thanking those in charge for their support. On the inside, she’s a narcissistic, arrogant jerk who cares only for the fame her profession brings.
Harsh, but true. The anime sets the tone for her character within the first thirty seconds where she inwardly laments how the voice actress beside her on stage “took” the line she was going to use in her own final comment. And she continues to reinforce her horrible personality at almost all times. She’s not grateful towards Gojou, her literal older brother, for the support he provides as her agent. She doesn’t mind speaking her mind, including off-the-cuff thoughts and oblivious words. She basks in her “fame” despite her inexperience, the lack of quality in her work, and her unwillingness to improve.
Surprisingly, her greatest weakness is also her greatest strength. For, while she’s hard to get along with, her bravado provides her with an uncanny level of confidence. Even as she can’t properly voice act. Even as the anime project is failing all around her. Even as their events fall apart minutes before they go onstage. She doesn’t let these issues faze her. Indeed, she’s quicker to blame everyone else first and then focus on the fact that the upcoming opportunity presents yet another chance for her to earn more Twitter followers.
As she sings her made-up songs, two of her friends stand beside her: Yae and Koto. For the most part, these two are inconsequential save for their grounded personalities. Yae’s nervous about pretty much everything, and Koto, while lacking in major roles, knows a great deal about the industry. Furthermore, Yae can sometimes say things nestled deep in her “black heart,” and Koto values this gig because she understands that, at her age, she may not have many chances left. Altogether, these two women balance out Chitose’s rough personality, contrasting in a strong manner.
Chitose remains unlikable for a good while. She does improve a bit as a voice actress, and she finally receives hate mail online that knocks her down a peg. But she continues to think overly highly of herself as their song CD sells several thousand units and their last-ditch-effort photoshoot goes over reasonably well (at least she thinks so).
Afterwards, she takes a backseat for a little bit. In her stead, Kazuha and Momoka grab the limelight. The two are the professionals among the whole group. Super popular and with obvious experience, they take charge and often refuse to take part in most of the extra events.
In private, they express their concerns to each other for both their profession and their personal lives. They understand more than the others that their work isn’t as rewarding as it may seem. All the pandering, all the fakeness, all the inopportunity. Kazuha and Momoka put up with it all not because they like to but because they have to.
On that personal level, Kazuha fights against a feeling of unfulfillment. She’s always wanted to be an actress, but she doesn’t believe that her current line of work matches her aspirations, losing fun in the process. She also worries about her overprotective parents who meddle too much in her life.
As for Momoka, she lives in the shadow of her mother, a famous voice actress that everyone knows and compares her to. Even worse, she feels as if she doesn’t have a mother when the woman neither directs nor suggests anything to her daughter.
In a way, they are envious of Chitose. Kazuha wishes she could have as much fun as Chitose does, and Momoka would like to be seen for who she is just like Chitose rather than constantly compared to somebody else.
Their trip away to Kazuha’s hometown allows them to unwind for a bit and get closer as friends, each wanting what the other has in their families. Kazuha wants more freedom, and Momoka wants more guidance. However, they realize that they’ve had fortune of their own all along. Kazuha’s father supports her in his own way, and Momoka’s mother pushes her as a respected rival. Together, the two finally understand that maybe their parents aren’t as bad as they may have thought.
It’s a quick wrap-up to their characters, and both Kazuha and Momoka are mostly ignored come the final few episodes, but these are necessary directions as attention swings back to Chitose and her woes.
At the end of episode nine, Gojou is moved away from being Chitose’s manager. Worse still, she goes one step too far in voicing her opinion. She makes a comment to him about how she will end up like him, acting in one big role then quitting forever. It puts a rift between the two siblings, and it kicks off her downward spiral.
Her descent escalates when the even more rookie voice actress, Nanami, officially joins the club. The spry, happy, and ready teenager shows a drive. A spark. A willingness that Chitose has never had before. The more Nanami gets involved – getting a CD debut, getting buddy-buddy with the other women – the further Chitose falls. Despite how much Nanami looks up to and admires Chitose, Chitose feels inadequate. As if she no longer has a place.
Her feelings of self-doubt are exacerbated by numerous other factors going on simultaneously. Waning popularity in their series. Losing fans of her own. Missing out on new voice-acting roles while the others gain new ones.
Altogether, Chitose loses that biggest strength and that biggest weakness of hers: overconfidence. And it’s felt by everyone. Her depressing mood brings a heavy atmosphere in the recording booth, and she essentially closes everyone out. All the while, Gojou, still on bad terms with his younger sister, looks on from afar, seeing himself from years ago in her.
In comes both Yae and Koto. Yae speaks with Gojou, earnestly expressing to him how she believes in Chitose and knows just how hard she has been working. Koto speaks with Gojou, too. The two of them were once voice-acting partners, so she understands exactly what’s going on with Chitose and tells him as much.
Their words (as well as the uncharacteristic ones from Namba, the CEO of Number One Produce) give Goujou the insight he needs. He confronts Chitose in her room, but, before he can say anything, she breaks down. She knows she’s selfish, but she still doesn’t want to fade away from the minds of those around her. Gojou (with an extra few set of harsh words) explains to her that so many people support her. Himself included. That voice acting is the job for her, and that her positivity gives her the wherewithal to push forward, making her into a (nonspecific) amazing person.
Goujou’s words save Chitose. Her renewed vigor makes her mission more than just about earning due fame. Rather, like the other women around her, she wants to work hard at it. For her sake and for all the people that support her. When she gets back to the studio the next day (after some dramatic delays and falls), she apologizes to her friends, letting them know that she now understands her own weaknesses.
She’s welcomed back with kindness and returned understanding, allowing Chitose and the other voice actresses to deliver a strong finish to their anime series. This happy ending may arguably be unfitting for such a constantly cynical story, but it’s nice to see that success and positivity does, indeed, exist within this industry.
SOUND
Given Gi(a)rlish Number’s content, it perhaps comes as no surprise that the voice acting is top-notch. Specifically, relative newcomer Sayaka Senbongi as Chitose steals the show with her smug attitude, matching guffaws, fake cuteness, purposefully subpar in-anime work, and emotional moments.
Next up, the anime uses a few different techniques with its sound outside of the music. For example, Chitose and Momoka meet the light-novel author whose anime adaptation gave them roles. When he uses his phone to (almost) get their numbers, the audience hears a greasy, squishy noise. A noise that punctuates the author’s less-than-savory self and also pokes fun at the caliber of these writers. Not to mention, the next light-novel author is so quiet that the characters can barely understand him.
The music itself doesn’t include anything impressive, but these pieces do have their own charm.
For the original soundtrack, it consists of many slice-of-life tunes with techno-backed trumpets, light acoustic guitar playing, and slow, off-kilter piano keys. They get at both the laidback and cynical styles of the show rather easily.
For the opening track, it contains strong vocal work from the voice actresses, and it starts and finishes in grand fashion. The middle, though, doesn’t reach the same level of power as it goes instead for computerized sounds and daintier instruments. To its credit, it does act as a cute gap between both flourishing sides. It just doesn’t have a similar spark.
For the ending track, it follows a similar trend to the OP. Once again, the voice actresses perform well, and the start and finish are a weird, stepping lyrical composition that make for a fun little dance number. It’s just the middle section again that doesn’t have the same oomph. A loud whistle and a steady drum beat back the singing but don’t invite the same intrigue.
ENJOYMENT
What I find most fascinating is that this anime calls me out. How I’m maybe part of the problem. I love the cutesy, moe approach. I get hyped up by the PVs and the key visuals. I’m a fan of the songs, the merchandise, and the extra material.
I can’t help it; I adore anime too much. While I won’t not like this stuff anytime soon, I do appreciate what this anime set out to do. How it gave me new insight and something more realistic to think about the next time I catch a new announcement for an anime adaptation.
Onto the anime itself. For me, Chitose was a ton of fun. Her silly reactions and her confident attitude were hysterical if only because she just didn’t care about anyone. It’s why her suffering was a-okay in my book. Yes, it was a harsh yet direct way of getting her to have some humility. But she totally deserved it after all the mean, arrogant, and selfish thoughts that she either kept in mind or let loose from her lips.
I also quite liked many of the other characters even if some of them didn’t have too much screen time. Koto’s optimism. Kazuha’s maturity and dichotomous drunken tirades. Nanami’s inability to process that she shouldn’t do her best.
My favorite, though, was Yae. She was cute and sincere and fun. She was always trying her best, and she let out the occasional Freudian slip. Overall, it was her kindness that won me over – especially when she had her small conversation with Gojou – and I was glad to see her do well as a voice actress.
I also quite liked the cringe moments. Chitose’s mediocre voice acting. Kazuha forcing herself to take part in the bonus footage. The low-quality PV. These cringe moments are tough to watch, but that’s what makes them work so well.
Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t as entertaining to me simply because it started to make the drama, rather than the comedy and the meta discussion, its focus. It was probably inevitable since letting Chitose be mean and uncaring for the entire season wouldn’t do a whole lot for her character. But it didn’t have the same intrigue that the first half presented in full.
Gi(a)rlish Number doesn’t shake the industry, but it at least provides its audience with a different way to view the anime medium. A cynical outlook as well as a more honest set of characters create both dark humor and a realistic situation. A waning plot, missing relationships, and standard musical offerings don’t help the show, but it’s still an interesting, reaction-filled experience nonetheless (parenthetical asides or otherwise).
SUMMARY
Story: Fine, a more cynical behind-the-scenes look at the world of anime presents a fresh (although perhaps not new) perspective on the medium, leading to a strong first half but a weak second half
Animation: Good, pretty background art has nothing on Chitose’s wealth of reactions and the attractive designs of the characters
Characters: Good, while Momoka and Kazuha receive some attention, Chitose’s growth from self-centered to slightly humble, thanks mostly to Gojou and the other women who support her, demonstrates the anime industry is not without positivity
Sound: Fine, okay OP, okay ED, okay OST, good VA performances, and interesting extra effects
Enjoyment: Good, the harsh commentary fits, it was fun to both watch Chitose succeed and fail, Yae is too cute and too nice to dislike, but the second half wasn’t as entertaining as the first half
Final Score: 6/10
