Girlish Number got dark in the best way possible this week, by taking a break from Chitose’s narcissism to revel in the sadness of all the other characters. Koto, Kazuha, and Momoka all got solid material this time, with Koto in particular offering some personal reflections that echoed the general poison of the anime industry. That’s pretty much what I was hoping for from this show – not pointed economic satire, but reflections on how the problems in the industry have a specific human cost. Hopefully this is a good sign for the episodes to come!
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my barely-existent notes below.
They’re over budget, so Kuzu-P has them go on a trip to Okinawa to avoid the repercussions. Time for a beach episode!
They’re filming bonus materials for the disc releases, ostensibly
Time for a lengthy swimsuit montage. Kinda weird level of self-awareness here
Oh great, boob comparison joke
Shibazaki’s getting more material, though!
“If I couldn’t get a main role on my next try, I was going to go back home” Dang
Talking about approaching her thirties
Shibasaki’s drunk now
And now we get Momoka material, seeing her at home, feeling like she’s still in her mother’s shadow
And the other girls are all getting more work than Chitose
Shibasaki not answering her mother on the phone
RE: Momoka and her mom. Meaningless trivia but veteran Kikuko Inoue (Lust from FMA and so on) also has a 18-year-old daughter who seems to show an interest in seiyuu-ing and singing. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=151186 Then there’s also Megumi Han (Gon from HxH) who also has a seiyuu mom. Wonder how their parent-child relationships are!
I tend to think of Belldandy as Kikuko Inoue’s defining role. Which makes it fun when she plays something completely different like The Boss in Metal Gear Solid III. 😛
Despite the questionable beginning, this episode is where the series finally seems to be coming into its own. Hopefully it’ll keep it up.
Also, this episode makes me feel kind of old by reminding me of my early days as an anime fan when I thought the lead actress in Blood+ being younger than I am was a novelty. Nowadays that pretty much normal. Maybe that’s part of the reason I don’t pay as much attention to the newer voice talent. 😛