So...what are we going to do about the second season of Kusure?
What They Say:
No one wants to get stuck in a boring profession, so when college student Chitose Karasuma storms into a voice acting training facility, she thinks that her future is poised for awesomeness. However, this bad-mannered beauty is in for more than she bargained for as she gets accepted into the talent agency “Number One Produce.” Together with her coworkers, including a girl with a Kansai accent and a cunning airhead, Chitose charges into the competitive world of professional voice acting.
The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of this review may contain spoilers)
This week, Girlish Number has decided to adhere to the industry standard of incorporating at least one beach/waterpark episode in a multi-heroine series. That being said, you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be some slow-motion splashing and some good, old-fashioned fun in the sun as our girls unwind after a long [unsuccessful] season of Kusure. And even though we didn't get to see our heroines in the swimsuits Kuzu picked out for them (SIGH), we've still got a solid first-time fanservice scene for Girlish Number, albeit an incredibly tame one. But I'm not going to complain. Any amount of Momoka is enough Momoka for me.
Apart from the swimsuit montage (Which was only shot to provide "Bonus" material for those who purchased the blu-ray), we get to see a bit of the aftermath that follows ending an anime series. This aftermath, of course, includes new auditions, new faces, and enough alcohol to kill a horse. Not just a small horse either. Like, a full grown horse-sized horse. Regardless of several specific heroines sloping down an ever-increasing path toward alcoholism, this episode is honestly a ton of fun. We learn more about several of the girls as they begin to open up to one another. Kind of. Koto has a conversation with Shibasaki about how she was going to give up and head home if she wasn't able to land a protagonist role. On the other side of things, the weight of the world on Momoka's shoulders becomes apparent as she is simply living in mother's shadow. In the latter half of this episode, Momoka actually receives an offer to work alongside her mother and, instead of graciously accepting, she gets caught in a rut between real happiness and the facade that she's been working in for years now.
It's not all sadness and frowns in this episode, though. (And no, I'm not flashing back to the swimsuit montage). We get the pleasure of witnessing a couple anime wrap parties! These parties, however, are pretty damn bland in comparison to the ones we got to see back in Shirobako. Hell, in Girlish Number, the Kusure wrap party basically consisted of the girls doing the same thing they did during their stay in Okinawa -- sitting together and drinking away their sorrows. In the midst of this, Shibasaki's problems begin to show up through frequent, ignored phone calls from her mother. All throughout this episode, it's apparent that Shibasaki is pushing away...well, pretty much everything. She clearly has problems with her confidence and this is punched in even harder when she basically says to Chitose, "I have problems with confidence". Gee, you don't say?
After the Kusure wrap party...wraps up...(sigh)...we're brought back to the bar with Kuzu and friends where it is revealed that the second season of Kusure will once again rely on Towada doing literally everything. Poor Towada. Hang in there, man.
In Summary:
If we take all six episodes of Girlish Number and separate them into two baskets (One being the better half, one being the worse half), this episode would be in the better basket. And without transforming this review into a third-grade math problem, I think it's safe to say that Girlish Number has established somewhat of a consistency in what we're going to be getting from it. Character development is actually prevalent and, as the story inches further every week, we're learning more and more about not necessarily the anime industry, but the attitudes and feelings of those who work within it, albeit in an incredibly sarcastic manner. Regardless of the show's tone or even the story itself, every key ingredient that goes into the recipe for fun is located within the confines of this series. I've been reminded why I love it each week so far and will continue to look forward to it over the next month and a half.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
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