“Shiro Bako” (and there is a review out; I do a lot of anime watching and reviewing), was an anime show about making an anime show. The front part of the series spoke about “Exodus!”, which was the first anime they were producing. The OVA is the ‘first episode’ of that anime run, so we can see the fruits of their labors.

The show is about the idol girl group “Tracy”, composed of (left to right) Aya, Akane and either Alpine or Arupin (it depends on which source you use). Their manager also promotes the group Ginger and everything Ginger is, Tracy is not. They perform in front of practically no one and their dressing room is the staff toilet. They are, understandably, depressed and they are on the verge of breaking up when Akane decides to talk to their manager, Taguchi, about things.

Well, it really goes off the tracks when the girls are accused of murdering their manager and are forced to flee, narrowly escaping the clutches of trigger happy cop Miho Koigakubo, who shoots first, last and always. So, the OVA shows how they go on the lam in an attempt to clear their name. “Exodus!” was referenced to heavily in the first half of “Shiro Baku”, as we got to see some key animation scenes and much discussion was made of how they wanted the show to go, discussing voice and color design and the emotional moments. Too bad the results are not really up to the hype. Part of the problem is that things are heavy-handed set up so that we know that not only is this a frame job, but that the manager was doing a load of under-the-table kind of actions. You also feel that the choreographer for the group is in on something as well.

It felt like another version of “The Fugitive”, where these ladies are on the lam, surviving by their wits until they can get a chance to prove their innocence. My concern is that there is something off with the animation, as the girls are too anime (really, really long skinny legs; really, really big eyes; really, really out of control hair). I enjoyed the tie-in, as we can see the results, but one has to question them. In all honestly, if this was a real series run, I would have probably walked after the second episode, as there is no real reason for a show like this. It could have been written better (and knowing what problems the writer had, it ‘shows’). Still, I would suggest you view it, as part and parcel of the series itself. Now, where is “Third Aerial Girls Squad”?

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork 6 (Feels a bit too forced)
Plot 7 (Rather typical)
Pacing 7 (Move consistently but obviously)
Effectiveness 6 (Seems too scattered)
Conclusion 0 (It’s a one-off, so it doesn’t count)
Fan Service 5 (A similar show would be “Maburaho!”)

Overall 6 (Too hot and cold)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. How many hits on our video?