Hello, it's Onoue.
A very interesting girl is heading your way,
so could you humor her a bit?
Her name was...
Miyamori. Miyamori Aoi.
Apparently, it's Miyamori Aoi.
Yes. I'll talk to you later.
Well, I'm sure Kanno-san will handle it somehow.
Let's play one more match.
But, wow, the girls at Musani are strong.
Watanabe-san, they might overthrow you. Are you okay with that?
If they do, I can retire easily.
By the way, about the Third Aerial Girls Squad deal...
What's going on with that?
"Going on"?
We talked about how we'd be very happy
if you'd give us the reins and let Musani make it.
That all depends on certain circumstances.
Of course.
I think our Kinoshita Seiichi is the perfect guy for it.
Exodus is doing really well, and it'll fit the scope of our work.
What? Let us do the show.
Katsuragi-san, your place's scope has mostly been mecha shows, hasn't it?
Do you think it's suited for Aerial Girls?
Well, lately we've been adding more moe shows.
Sha
Musashino Animation
Well, to be honest, Canaan, GI,
Studio Canaan
Barmedea, and The Born have all reached out to us.
However, the creator really wants Gibli, no matter what.
How is your budget looking?
Chiwan
We'd be able to secure 100% immediately.
Oh? Really?
Also, we wanted
the time slot to be earlier, if possible.
Isn't the show better suited for a later time slot, though?
It's a big title, so if we don't have a larger audience watch it,
the sales of the original work won't increase.
All right. We'll give it some thought.
Of course, I can't give you a final answer here.
We know that.
But I'll stop the talks with the others,
so could you write up a plan immediately?
Yes, sir!
Ron!
Chiitoi, three dora, mangan.
Exodus Christmas
Exodus Christmas.
Hello, I'm Miyamori Aoi from
Musashino Animation, who just contacted you.
Is Kanno Mitsuaki-san here?
Kanno Mitsuaki
I'm Kanno.
Oh, hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Miyamori Aoi.
I've already heard that part.
Oh, yes. You're right. I'm sorry.
Come in.
How old were you when Ava came out?
I'm sorry. When was that on TV?
1995.
Then, um, I was two.
So you haven't seen it.
No, I've seen the theatrical release on DVD.
As for the TV series... I'm sorry. I haven't seen all of it.
I see. I guess that's just the age we live in.
Not to mention, Kinoshita-kun's the director.
Do you know him?
Well, he was the episode director for Ava.
Huh?
He's pushing things, as usual, it seems.
Though I like that.
Then would you be willing to take this job?
Could I make this a fighter jet instead of a horse?
Huh?
And we're gonna mow them all down.
What?
Um... Uh... I have to ask the director about that...
Miyamori-san, what was the point of asking me to draw this?
Why did you ask me? Would anyone have sufficed?
No...
I'm sorry. Now that I think about it...
No, even if I don't think about it,
it was very rude to ask you to do this...
I can understand that you feel backed into a corner.
Yes, but the fact that I asked someone of your caliber to do this,
when I don't know much about you...
"Of your caliber" is a bit much.
But animators are human, as well,
so we want to be told, "You're the only one who can do this!"
Right...
Gets closer to Akane, Aya, Arupin
Follow with scene. Akane (serious) Aya (Crying) Arupin (Calm)
Making their grand escape in the middle of a herd of wild horses
is so ridiculous that I had to laugh.
I'm sorry.
I don't think there are many animators left
who have drawn horses.
I think animators nowadays need to learn
the basics of movement more than flashy action scenes.
No one at our company would accept the job of drawing horses.
Well, yeah, with this content...
Wait,
you're from Musani, right?
Musashino Animation
We've reached the climax.
We will now begin our morning assembly.
It's so quiet with those two missing.
Thankfully, Yano-san's father's condition has stabilized,
and Yano-san will be taking a few days off to stay by his side.
We haven't been able to get a hold of Takanashi-san
after he dropped off Yano-san,
but we just received an email from him
saying he'd be back in the afternoon, after eating some gyoza.
Gyoza? Why?!
"Since I came all this way," apparently.
He should just get eaten by the gyoza!
Miyamori-san, when will the final episode be done?
Starting at 11:00, there are five meetings, and after that, there are 3D layout outputs.
Can I have a moment?
Please.
I'd like to have an all-hands meeting as soon as possible.
When will the director be free?
He can make it after 7:00 PM. What's the meeting about?
Progress on the final episode is looking bad, right?
I don't think all the key frames have even been assigned yet.
If we don't have a meeting now, we really will be out of options.
What? We will?
Well, we might as well try talking about it.
Then the circumstances that I've just stated are correct, right?
Whoa! Musani's facing its biggest dilemma yet!
I saw the storyboards, and Director, this isn't going to happen.
It's too demanding for the key frame animators.
Miyamori, is it possible to do the horses in 3D?
I asked Shimoyanagi-san,
but he said there were already over 100 3D cuts
in the final episode, so it wouldn't be possible...
Director, let's change the content of the storyboards.
Huh?
What?!
If we have to show the herd of horses, we'll cut their legs out of the frame.
To make it look like there are a lot of them,
we'll go around with a side pan to make the work lighter.
Wai—
What are you talking about, Watanabe-san?!
This is the climax!
If the key frames get shoddy at the climax,
it won't convey the realism at all!
If we're going to run away at the climax of the final episode,
what was the point of all the hard work we've put in so far?
I'm very much aware of that.
But, Honda, what's going to happen if we don't finish?
What if it doesn't make it to air?
No.
That can't happen! This is the first project that Musani has gotten in seven years!
Exodus!
But to have it end in a compromise...
I'm sorry, Director.
But with the staff we have now,
we won't be able to complete this on schedule.
Please go ahead and cry.
Oka—
Please wait.
If I may interject, when I went to Kanno-san to talk to him...
Who's Kanno?
Kanno Mitsuaki-san. The director of Ava.
Seriously?! Why?!
How did you meet him? Connections? Magic?
What did Kanno-san say?
He told me there was someone at Musani who could draw it.
Wait, you're from Musani, right?
Yes.
Then you've got someone already. Him.
Him?
Sugie Shigeru-san.
He does, indeed, work for us,
but currently, his main work is a show for another company, called Kitty and Puptarou.
I think those animals are drawn to attract kids, and are not very realistic...
Sugie-san's got the basics down, so he can draw them.
Have you ever seen Brown-haired Anne,
The Adventures of Sanba, or Andes Chucky?
I have seen Chucky! That's my favorite anime!
Did you not know?
The one who drew the complete opening to Chucky all by himself was Sugie-san.
What?!
Plus, the part where Chucky runs down the mountain and trips,
and the single cut where it overlooks him getting back up and running again...
And the last part where all of the animals
from the forest run and cover the entire plains...
He did all that in three days.
The legendary three days of Sugie.
What?!
Sugie-san is a genius.
I don't remember which episode it was,
but Chucky collapses in the tundra,
and Poppy goes to look for him...
Episode 38, "Alone in the Mountains."
When Chucky gets dizzy and collapses.
That was Sugie-san, too.
Actually, I'm baffled as to why you haven't asked Sugie-san to do it.
Seriously?!
Is that true?
So, what do you think of asking Sugie-san?
What do you two think?
Understood.
I don't think the characters will turn out well, but...
I'll be able to see Sugie-san's actual key frames,
so I have no problem with that.
But I wonder if Sugie-san would want to work on a moe show like this.
I'll ask him.
I think Sugie-san's the only one who can do this.
Sugie
Thank you very much.
You didn't get lost coming out here, did you?
It was no problem.
Old people tend to go to bed early.
I'm sorry. He'll be along soon.
Not at all. I'm sorry for coming so late.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Not at all. I'm sorry to drop in so suddenly.
So, let's have a look.
But how does someone as young as you
know about Andes Chucky?
I watched the reruns.
They were on in the evenings.
I see. I did the in-betweens on that show, too.
Huh? I'm so sorry. I had no idea...
Miyamori-san, is everyone still at the office?
Huh?
I need to talk to them.
This is your bad habit.
You either say too little or too much.
I think Sugie intends to accept it,
but he needs to plan a bit.
Right.
I'll be home late, starting tomorrow.
I'll have to make you two lunches.
Now, then. I took a look at Kinoshita-kun's storyboards.
For example, this overhead view of the horses.
In my estimation, this cut will take half a day.
Next, this part where the three keep moving from one horse to another...
I believe this will take about eight hours.
How does he know that?
From experience, I suppose.
To finish all of the sixteen cuts, it'd take a week.
Even if I worked from 9 AM to the last train each day.
Ah, um...
You don't have that much time, right?
However, if you're okay with rough sketches, I can shorten that time.
Does that mean having someone else do the cleanup?
Yes.
However, with my rough sketches,
young people who aren't used to key animation may have trouble picking up my lines.
That won't be a problem.
I will do the second key animation.
Ogasawara-san?!
I'll do them, too!
The leads at Musani doing second key animation...
If they are Sugie-san's animal key frames,
I would most definitely like to study them.
I'd feel at ease with Ogasawara-kun and Iguchi-kun on it.
Um... Could I work on some, too?
Me, too!
Please let me help!
I'd like to do it!
Me, too!
Thank you. It'll help me out a lot.
Yes!
Let's all do our best.
Yes!
We'll be drawing five cuts a day for the remaining sixteen cuts.
How to draw the head
The placement of the ears
The last will take a full day, no matter how I look at it.
If possible, four days.
Kinoshita-kun, can we still make adjustments?
Huh?
Cut 304. The way the legs move concerns me.
I think it looks great.
I'm sorry, it's my mistake.
I'll fix it myself, so could I have just three hours?
I'll ask them to hold off on filming!
Sugie-san said he was having fun.
Really?
That there was still something left for him to do.
"Still"?
Also, the way Sugie-san teaches things is so easy to understand.
Like what kinds of drawings are needed for acting, and about timing for movement.
Wow.
I always thought anime was all about movement.
After seeing Sugie-san's key frames,
I decided that I want to be able to draw like that, too.
Hey. Good work.
Yano-san! How's your father?
Yeah. He's okay for now.
What happened with the final episode? Tomorrow is dubbing, right?
Right. We managed to make it to filming,
because Sugie-san worked so hard.
Sugie-san?!
Anyway, that's enough about the past.
The thing you have to keep in mind, more than when you draw humans,
is how the body and legs contract and stretch.
Also, where the head, chest, and hips are positioned in relation to the movement.
Don't forget that they are moving up and down.
Also, the movement of the center of gravity.
I see.
I think Sugie-san is about
twelve years older than my father.
Wow.
Which means I need my dad to keep trying harder to stay healthy, too.
Now, then. I've got work to do.
What's the matter, Katsuragi-san?
I...
I'm so happy I became a producer!
You're being dramatic. It's not even finished yet.
Not even colored.
It's so good! Exodus is so good!
Huh? Isn't the mouth movement off there?
Huh?
Cut 125 needs to be fixed in key animation.
I'm gonna go to filming!
Cut 175 needs to have Arupin's mouth movements
and expressions fixed to go with her line.
Exodus!
Understood.
Good work.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Miyamori-san, is there a day during the week when Meeting Room 1 is open?
Yes.
Would it be possible for me to use it once a week?
I believe so.
Everyone has asked me to consider
leading a workshop on key animation.
Oh! I think that'd be great! I'll make the preparations right away!
It can wait until we know how many people will attend.
More importantly, thank you, Miyamori-san.
Huh?
If you hadn't offered this job to me,
I would have just ended up as extra baggage at Musani.
Extra baggage? Of course not!
I can't draw the way that's popular now,
so I guess I thought of myself as the lone craftsman.
I'm extremely happy to find out that
there's still something I can do.
Thank you.
Not at all!
Thank you for saving us!
Um... I love Chucky so much that when I was in preschool,
I said that when I got older,
I wanted to eat a cactus like mountain porcupines,
so I actually ate one and got sick...
I even still have Chucky picture books at my parents' house.
That's how much I loved—no, love Chucky!
Nothing makes me happier than hearing that you watched Andes Chucky
and it made you smile, Miyamori-san.
In the middle of the Andes Mountains
There was an awesome mountain porcupine
Andes Chucky
To Musashino Animation. Thank you for all of your support. We are in the middle of finishing episode 13. We look forward to your continued support. -Purarin
My name's Chucky
If you like it, stay right here
The Andes Mountains are great.
Up above is a dangerous tundra.
HD Studio
Day of Delivery
About cut 302...
Could you zoom in about 5% and darken it some?
Director. The reception area at the station closes at 5:00 PM.
It's airing tomorrow night!
Just a little more! This one part!
I want to add in a blink.
It's already been four hours!
That station is strict, so they won't accept it late!
It'll end up a rerun rather than the final episode!
And... The cut with the horses is still white!
They just finished filming. Production is bringing it.
Can't they just quickly upload it to the server?
They're upping it now, but with how big the file is,
we want some insurance.
Oh, God! I'm so tense!
Cut 299, the length of the skirt is different from the previous cut.
I will fix it.
Ah, Miyamori-san. Here's that added insert cut.
Right!
How much longer on fixing the lighting for cut 280?
About ten more minutes.
All right. Laugh or cry, there's only a little more time. Everyone, do your best!
For cut 341,
they want more of a lighting effect where the light source is noticeable,
so they want one more take on that.
All right, let's make this gorgeous.
Also, there's one cut I'd like to retake myself, if that's okay.
I want to make the shaky cam a bit cooler.
I'll contact video editing.
And fly.
Ack! It crashed?!
What?!
Here's the HD.
Horse! Horse! Broadcast! Hurry! Horse!
All right, switching them now.
There's no time to be impressed! Hurry!
Okay, all the switches are finished.
I'll start the preview now.
Please.
Oh? It froze.
Trying again.
What?!
Please wait one moment.
It's okay. It'll be fine.
How long is one moment?!
Sorry to keep you waiting. Here we go.
She really did come!
Huh?
Onee-san!
I'm finally here! Sorry I was late.
No, I knew you'd come!
Hello, this is Musashino Animation.
I'm sorry. Watanabe is currently out.
Sure, I'll let him know.
Yes, this is Miyamori.
Good work. The preview is finished. Everything is okay.
I'm sending over copies now, so hand them out to everyone.
Okay! Everyone, the video edit finished without a problem.
Great work!
Yay!
Yahoo!
Good work.
Well done.
Now we can welcome the new year.
And boldly.
Thanks for your hard work.
Great job.
Thank you.
Let's drink! We have to drink today!
Yeah, let's drink.
Don't worry about the cost. Just go have fun.
Thank you very much.
Good work, Oi-chan.
Y-Yeah.
Okay. We'll be waiting.
The director and Yano-san are in Obikubo right now.
Nabe-P is coming, too.
Hot Bento
Sugie-san?
Sorry, but I'll pass.
Huh?
I'm always in bed by 11:00 PM.
Oh, right.
Thank you.
Let's go.
Yeah.
So, it's Christmas time,
but that's that, and this is this.
Because of everyone's hard work,
we were able to safely deliver the final episode.
So now, cheers to—
Oh, Nabe-P is here.
Sorry I'm late.
Thank you for your hard work.
Here. A present.
"White Box"! It's finished!
If it wasn't, we wouldn't be here.
I wanna see it!
Excuse me, could we borrow your player?
Exodus #13 White Box
Nine!
Eight, seven, six,
five, four,
three, two, one!
To Be Continued
Hello, this is Musashino Animation.
Please continue to support us next year, as well.
Next time on Shirobako, "What Kind of Cloud Do You Like?"
What Kind of Cloud Do You Like?