That's right. I'm just a damn newbie. No one special. That's exactly why I can be Karasuma Chitose!
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)
The time has come for Chitose to either get back in the game or take a seat, and what better way to start the episode than with her running behind schedule yet again? As the final dub session for Kusure begins, so does a light snowstorm, setting Chitose behind schedule and delaying her train to the studio. As the entire cast sits around wondering whether or not she will even show up, Chitose starts to panic and, in an unprecedented turn of events, actually starts running for the studio. In the midst of a bombardment of texts from her coworkers, Chitose slips and breaks her phone, disabling any possible communication she may have with the series staff. (I mean, she could just use someone else's phone or something, but this is an anime and that thought-process does not occur within).
Luckily for Chitose, she does manage to make it to the studio, albeit several hours late. In fact, she doesn't show up until that night. Just how far away is the studio from her apartment? And why was Gojo able to make it there so much earlier? Why didn't he wake her up? Anyway, putting aside these various loopholes, Chitose must now face the other seiyuu and the production staff about her future as an actress. Luckily for her, she had nearly an entire day of traveling to formulate a solid speech. Chitose makes it apparent to everyone that she knows she's just a newbie and is essentially disposable. But she also makes it apparent that she is going to do everything in her power in order to get popular. So, at the end of the day, Chitose has decided to just continue being herself -- freeing her from any actual emotion built up in the past several episodes and culminating in her return to 'Chitose Form One'. Of course, everyone is happy and can finally proceed with their dub session after sitting in the waiting room for an entire day.
And what a dub session it was. Chitose and the others, feeling reinvigorated after a hell of a day, carry on with recording a strong final scene that goes on the emphasize the meaning of last several episodes -- fighting for a better future alongside your friends. With this, Kusure comes to a close and everyone carries on with their lives. Queue the minor time skip.
Even though Kusure is over, the promo events are not. Chitose still has to attend several more BD hand-outs and concerts and, of course, she wakes up late for those as well. After yet another frantic sprint to the studio, everything ends on a joyous note as Chitose leads the other heroines on stage for an electrifying final performance. But wait, there's more. After the concert wraps up, the Kusure staff takes a final trip to the bar where it is revealed that they will be commencing work on a new project (Which is either a continuation of Kusure or a new series from the same writer). These final moments do a damn good job at instilling the same sense of false hope that came from the last scene in Shirobako where the producers announced the rights to two new series. And while a second season for Girlish Number is doubtful, the thought and possibility is still there. Which is kind of cool, I guess.
In Summary:
Girlish Number is definitely one of the better shows to emerge from this season (Which doesn't really say much considering it was probably the worst season of the year). But even with that, it has easily been a fun and exciting ride. Girlish Number is most definitely a great addition to the ever-growing genre of industry-based anime that shines light in places that other series have missed. Incredibly witty and sarcastic, Girlish Number can be enjoyed by anyone. And thanks to exceptional performances from Sayaka Senbongi and the others involved in the dubbing, every step of the journey will be incredibly entertaining. This is one of the most consistently enjoyable anime series of the year, hands down.
Episode Grade: B+
Series Grade: A-
Streamed B: Crunchyroll
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