Episode 18 of Shirobako, titled “You Tricked Me!,” is currently streaming on Crunchyroll for paid members. Free members can watch the same episode six days from now on February 19th.
The beginning gives a look at the voice acting part of the production. Voice acting is similar to live acting, but there are distinct differences. A rookie can get the starring because because that person’s voice is the perfect fit.
That means anybody has a chance of getting a starring or major role.
MusAni is holding a recording sessions, which means it also has to deal with the agents and their managers. You have to understand that agents find work for the voice actors and managers handle their careers, where they both receive a commission from what the actors receive.
Suzuki, the voice actress behind Aria, is struggling with her role.
I already appreciate the hard work voice actors have put in voicing their characters for video games and animated works, but the scene with Suzuki has made me more appreciative. Many people think acting let alone voice acting is easy, but it is far from what many would assume.
Production had hit a surprising pitfall when Aoi visited Ookura to help with some backgrounds, but she made the mistake of approaching him when he was completely drunk. It is not surprising that Ookura didn’t remember Aoi after he sobered up.
Aoi should have noticed that Ookura was drunk and left an extensive letter reminding him of their conversation. You can’t talk to someone who is drunk and expect that person to remember the everything the next day.
I felt Aoi looked like an amateur.
At least Aoi made a “hail Mary” play and finally got Ookura to help with the background scenes, but another snag happens as I assumed things would be smooth sailing for the rest of the episode. It brings a slight confrontation between Kinoshita and Zaruyoshi, one of the episode directors.
Zaruyoshi stands his ground and warns Kinoshita that if he will have an accident if he remains rigid, which holds true because of Jiggly Paradise.
Fire and brimstone rain down on Aoi because of episode director quit, a snag in episode four’s production, and other things.
It is an interesting episode and I found it heart-pounding at the end because Aoi is unable to find a director for a specific episode. This should be an important lesson for anime fans to be patient and appreciate of the work that the studios and performers do.
This episode teaches a valuable lesson: s—t happens…
