Where's my sock?
Why is it always just one sock that disappears?!
Ugh. If they both disappeared, at least I could give up.
This'll do.
Oh... My phone! My phone!
Nee-chan Incoming Call
Hel—
Wow! This is surprising. You're actually awake?
Of course I'm awake. I have to go to work.
What? But I thought anime companies start work in the afternoon or evening.
Not us! Everyone has to be at the office by 10 AM,
and we all have to be present for the president's morning assembly.
Wow! What a shock. It sounds like an actual company.
It is! Did you call me just to say that, Nee-chan?
Of course not. So, hey.
I'm coming over there today.
Here? Huh? Today?
Oh, the bullet train's here.
I won't be home.
That's fine. Just leave the key in the mailbox or somewhere.
What do you mean, "somewhere"?!
Thanks!
The mailbox? There's no way I could do that!
Hm? Good morning, Oi-chan-senpai.
Thank goodness you're awake, Rii-chan.
Actually, I'm just about to go to bed.
Dost's "Crime and Punishment" was so interesting, I pulled an all-nighter.
Dost...oyevsky?
Raskolnikov's character is so solid.
Was there some problem?
Will you be home today until about noon?
Yep. Today's going to be a Dost day for me.
Then could you give this to Nee-chan?
Nee-chan? You mean Kao-chan-neesan?
Out of nowhere, she just said she's coming over today.
Sounds like her. Sudden, as usual.
Yeah, really.
Okay. No problem.
Huh?
Ema's already here? She's early.
Morning.
Good morning.
Retake With Cats
Retake With Cats.
Today, there'll be maintenance done on the copy machine.
It'll start at 1 PM, and it's expected to take about an hour.
So please get all your work done in a timely fashion.
Also...
Ochiai-kun has something he'd like to say.
I, Ochiai Tatsuya, will be leaving Musashino Animation
after this week due to personal reasons.
Thank you all for taking care of me for so long.
Thank you for your hard work.
Do your best!
Huh?
What?! What do you mean?
"Personal reasons" is totally not an explanation!
Shut up. It means that he's quitting Musani.
Quit?! But we've worked together for so long!
I feel like a dog owner whose dog just bit him on the hand!
Really? A dog? And you're the owner?
All production assistants, please stick around after the morning assembly.
We'll be discussing the future schedule.
This ends the morning assembly.
Yes, ma'am.
And so...
Seriously, I'm not okay with this.
No one cares what you think.
As for what's going to follow...
I'm going to have Yano-san take over on Ochiai-kun's Exodus episode eleven.
Okay. Tarou, you're going to be doing my episode twelve.
Why?!
In cases like this, our projects slide down the line.
Things have been going well so far,
so if the filming doesn't make it in time for the dubbing...
You know what'll happen, right?
What? Power harrassment?
It'll be worse.
Sexual harrassment, then?!
Also, Miyamori-san.
Yes!
I'd like you to work on episode thirteen.
It'll be rough, but I'm counting on you.
But thirteen is the final episode, isn't it?
Are you sure it's okay for me to work on such an important episode?
Aw, I'm jealous.
The prestigious final episode...
I wanted to work on it.
Sorry, Miyamori. I wanted to see things through until we finished airing.
It's fine...
Also, being in charge of the final episode
is sort of an equal exchange.
You'll have minor prestige for going through major hell.
What? Really?
Lucky! Safe, safe, totally safe!
But if you get through it once, it'll give you more confidence.
I recommend it for advancement.
What do you mean, "recommend"? Talk about tough love, Ochiai.
I know, and I'm really sorry.
Why do you two seem to understand each other so well?
Could it be... You're quitting because you're getting married?!
Are you really that stupid?
All right, you're all dismissed! Go!
Hey, wait!
Segawa-san's great.
I wonder if she'd consider doing chara-de yet.
Character design?
Among key animators, there are people who want to eventually do designs,
and those who want to keep pursuing their goals,
so it might not be any of my business,
but I would love to see Segawa-san's original characters.
Then maybe when you direct...
Me? I'm not suited to be a director.
My style is dull,
and I don't think I can take the full brunt of everything.
That's not true.
The action in episode four was amazing.
No, no, no...
I've seen both good and bad examples.
Actually, I've probably seen too much.
Not gonna make it...
Wait just one more hour, please!
Ochiai-san also...
I wonder if Ochiai-san also saw too much.
Oh, him... He's going to Canaan.
What? By Canaan, you mean Studio Canaan?!
They're huge!
Do the others know?
Yeah, most of them.
So he got recruited... That's amazing.
Well... You know Canaan's
original robot anime that's starting in January of next year?
Um...
Roboharu: The Robot I Made is
Going Through Puberty, and It's Rough.
Yes, that one.
It's an original series that's going to be two cours,
but the storyboards are going up three days before editing... From episode two.
Yikes. Is that why Ochiai-san's going to Canaan?
I think he originally planned on transferring after Exodus was done.
But considering the timing...
It'll be rough for him.
Yeah.
Canaan's line producer is Ochiai's upperclassman from college,
and they've known each other for a long time,
so if he begged him, he probably couldn't refuse.
But this schedule is even worse than Exodus!
Oh, much worse. But it's still better than Jiggly Heaven.
I've heard people talk about it,
but was the legendary Jiggly Jiggly Heaven that terrible?
The Beginning of the Legend
The schedule fell apart, the animation melted,
we had three recap episodes, the official blog page got flamed,
Beware: It's Gross
and there were the BPO and PTA incidents and the refusal to deliver the product.
An animator's mental breakdown
Dear world, this is animation
I ended up spending every night in the studio for three months straight.
My landlord called my parents, thinking I was some suspicious 30-something,
and then we had some very colorful mold form in the rice cooker...
No one has seen that kind of hell since...
...yet.
"Yet"? Yamada-san, don't say something so ominous!
Let's stop talking about this.
If we diss other studios' schedules,
it's going to come back at us like a boomerang.
That always happens in this business.
No! It might happen to me tomorrow!
Right. Working your hardest at what you need to do is what's best.
How many key frames are expected to get done today?
Twenty-four.
That'll be tight. Make sure they don't all come at the end.
Understood.
Also, with episode thirteen,
you really should get on the director's ass about that.
The storyboards for the B part aren't done yet, are they?
Ah!
The storyboards are missing!
His progress was lousy, so he hid them.
He wouldn't do something so immature!
Oh, yes, he would.
When Kinoshita Seiichi is trapped in a corner, he'll do anything.
Director! Where are the storyboards?
Don't worry. Don't worry.
I'll make it in time... by next month.
Next month? The broadcast will be finished by then!
Then the month after that...
What should I do?
What?
Go get 'em, Miyamori.
What?!
Roasted tea...
Cats are difficult.
Have you ever owned a cat?
I haven't.
I see...
You know, there's a certain principle to a cat's gait...
Ema!
Ah, Oi-chan.
About the remaining key frames...
Yeah, I'm working on them right now.
How are they coming? When do you think you'll be done?
I'm sure I can manage if I hurry...
Really?
But...
I'd like to turn in this whole scene at once...
I know we said you'd have until the end of the week,
but at this rate, I think Segawa-san and Yamada-san's checks will be really rough.
I want to lighten their burden, so if you could turn them in a few at a time, it'd be great.
Segawa-san's...?
Yeah.
In the end, I'm sure Segawa-san will get us all caught up, though.
Isn't she amazing? She's so fast and good.
Oh, it's Kisa-san. All right, I'm counting on you, Ema!
Yes, this is Miyamori.
Huh? You tore a muscle? In your leg, right? Not your hand?!
Today's Thursday... I have to finish ten cuts by the end of the week...
You can only acquire speediness
in your hands while you're young.
Huh?
This is the time you need to work hard.
Won't I become faster if I get better?
To draw faster, you need to get better.
To get better, you need to draw a lot.
To draw a lot, you need to draw faster.
Technique and speed are completely different issues.
You can still acquire technique when you're older,
but the amount you can draw in a day doesn't change much.
Actually, your speed starts to drop.
You have the best examples around you.
Ogasawara-san and Iguchi-san
both got over the wall you're facing right now,
so talk with them.
But...
You can focus on the quality of your work
bit by bit, once you've gotten the speed down.
So it can't be helped if you're not that good in the beginning?
You have to at least meet
the director's standards.
If you can do that, you can at least eat.
If you can't, you give up.
That's the kind of a job an animator has.
That's scary...
Well, I'm just an old guy who missed his chance to give up.
Whoa! This is Tokyo?
It's not that different from back home.
Ah,
Ema-chan!
Welcome! Miyamori Kaori-sama
"Welcome! Miyamori Kaori-sama.
Please come to room 301."
It's been so long, Rii-chan!
Hi, Kao-chan-neesan.
I'm holding onto the key for you.
Maybe that wasn't Ema-chan...
No, it probably was.
Really?
She eats lunch at home.
Wow, she's dedicated! That's admirable of her.
She says she wants to be more economical.
Huh...
This place is cleaner than I thought it'd be.
Kao-chan-neesan, are you off today?
Of course not.
There's no way a credit union employee would be off on a weekday.
Right...
Paid vacation, paid vacation.
Hyoutan-ya
Here. Don Don donuts.
Oi-chan-senpai will be thrilled.
Her taste is so... country.
I'm sure there are foods that are much more fancy and delicious.
Now then, time to relax.
Is the bath this way?
Yes.
Oh?
These guys are still here, too?
This brings back memories!
You're amazing, Ema!
You're the best! Thank you!
It's not all of it. Just four cuts.
Yeah. Oh, are you done for the day?
Nee-chan is coming over. I was wondering if you wanted to stop by.
I'm going to work a bit more.
I see! Well, maybe next time!
I'm home!
Welcome home.
Another work day well done!
Thanks for your hard work!
Hey! The sea urchin can!
Sea Urchin Can
The sea urchin can is open!
There's too much to eat all at once.
I was saving that for a special occasion!
Well, today is special. I'm here.
Nee-chan. Those are my clothes.
I'm borrowing them.
Also...
Nee-chan, did you use my shampoo?
Yeah. It had "Ogleby" written on it.
I was saving that for a special occasion!
What? How dirty! She totally said a special occasion!
That's not...
This is all so nostalgic.
Huh?
Listening to you two talk
is really relaxing.
How?
I came home in such a great mood, too...
So good...
Great mood? Did something good happen?
Well, everything went according to plan at work today.
Huh? Everything going according to plan is normal.
I know! I know that, Nee-chan.
But everything going according to plan
is a really, really rare thing.
You poor child. Here, eat up.
Don't pity me! And that sea urchin can is mine.
Did Ema-chan lose some weight?
Not to mention,
are you sure you're not working Ema-chan too hard?
Huh? What am I supposed to do?
I'm not the one in charge of dividing up the work...
Ema-senpai is really diligent.
Well, yeah. I think her seat rate is pretty high right now.
Seat rate?
How often she's in her seat.
Wow! Such a hard worker!
Diligent, huh...
What is it, Nee-chan?
There are good and bad things about being diligent.
What do you mean?
I don't think you guys will understand yet.
Hey, Tarou.
You still haven't contacted Shiroki-san?
Hurry up and call.
I was going to do it sometime today.
Anime's not a soba shop.
Same goes for you, Yano-san. Is episode eleven going okay?
That reminds me.
Tarou, I'm going to be giving episode twelve to you tonight.
Give me a break!
I have episode eight's all-rush today, so I don't have time for that!
What?
And I have episode seven's video editing tomorrow.
As they are right now, the supervising animator will have to fix all of the cuts, and will not be able to hand them over to the in-betweens. Please have retakes done on all of the cuts Yasuhara-san turned in this time. Please tell her that if things get rushed at this point, it is a problem.
Once Ochiai-kun gets back from episode eleven's editing, make some time.
We need retakes on all four cuts I had her finish yesterday?
I'm glad she finished them so quickly,
but it's not just a matter of a few problems with the cuts.
It's how the cuts were drawn in general.
Um, does that mean...
Because she drew them in a hurry,
all of the lines are vague, like they were just thrown in.
Meaning,
the lines would be especially hard to pick up in the in-betweens.
It'll be hard to do the in-betweens, and they will melt.
Melt?
Understood. I'll tell her myself...
I thought Yasuhara-san was
a more diligent, hard worker than this. I'm pretty disappointed.
What?
The cuts I got today...
The diligence and neatness that Yasuhara-san has always had
are totally gone.
She shouldn't be learning laziness like this.
Understood. I'll tell Yasuhara personally.
What? Did you forget something?
Huh? Did I say that?
Like I told you,
there are good and bad things about being diligent.
Diligent people are usually pretty hard on themselves,
and it's also easy for them to lose themselves, isn't it?
What should you do...?
If you tell someone who's lost themselves to find themselves,
they'll ask what they're supposed to find...
I think all you can do is tell them that they've lost themselves.
Who are you talking about, anyway?
She hung up.
Jeez.
Retakes...
And not on just one cut?
Yeah. Segawa-san said
that if they aren't all fixed, she can't send them to the in-betweens.
All of them...
That's a failure as a key animator, isn't it?
I wouldn't say failure...
But that's what it is, right?
It'll be fine! Ema, you're great!
Even Honda-san was saying we rarely get key animators
who get that position after just a year and a half.
I heard that Fukuyama Atsumi-san
became a key animator after just two months.
But Fukuyama-san is just a genuis!
Yeah, and I'm not.
I didn't mean that you're not a genius, Ema.
What did Segawa-san say?
Eh? Um...
That you shouldn't be doing it that way.
She was worried because
you usually draw things so carefully.
It's all because I hurried you.
I'm sorry...
So if you just do the retakes carefully like you usually do,
everything will be fine, so...
But if I drew things more carefully,
there would never be enough time.
At this rate, I'm never going to get faster,
and I won't be able to better my technique.
I'll end up as a useless animator
and not be able to eat.
I think... I think that you're trying to make everything too perfect,
and you probably don't have to try that hard...
How hard is "that hard"?
Um...
I wonder if Segawa-san hates me now.
Why would she?!
Well, my episode four cuts were returned, too.
She's not the type to let liking or hating influence her work.
Really? I think like and hate are pretty normal.
There are always some drawings you love, and some you hate.
It's perfectly normal if
Segawa-san doesn't like my drawings.
If a supervising animator ends up hating the work
of a newbie key animator like me, I'm pretty much finished.
You're not finished! It'll be fine!
But if word gets out that I'm not useful,
I'll get less work.
You're just beginning! You still have your future!
But the future is after the present.
If I'm failing in the present, the future's not going to get better.
I'm a professional.
Just doing my best isn't going to cut it.
I...
I honestly think you're amazing
for even thinking about the future.
You even said you want to be like Horiuchi-san.
You know specifically who you want to be like.
My plate is so full that I can't even see past tomorrow.
So what does the future mean to you, Oi-chan?
Huh? Wha...?
The future? Um...
You mean after Exodus is done?
Ultimately, I mean.
Ultimately?
I don't know... I wonder what my ultimate goal is...
I have to get back to work.
I'll eat this later.
Whoops.
Be careful.
Is this yours, Yasuharacchi?
Want it back?
Then I'll have it.
What's wrong?
Ta-da!
Wow! You look like you're going to a wedding!
A wedding? Great idea! Let's go!
Were you invited to one?
Nope.
Huh?
You should try something on, too, Rii-chan.
I can't afford clothes like these.
Come on! Just try them on.
Huh? Um, Kao-chan-neesan? Wai—
Loading...
From: Nee-chan
Shopping with Rii-chan!
Hello, this is Musashino Animation.
I'm sorry, no one from production is around, so I don't know.
Next time on Shirobako, "I'm Not Criticizing You or Anything."
I'm Not Criticizing You or Anything