A slice of life take on the anime industry, Girlish Number follows the story of voice actor Chitose Karasuma. Wannabe rising star Chitose scores her first proper gig thanks to her manager brother Gojō, being cast as the heroine in new harem anime Millennium Princess x Kowloon Overlord. Has the disillusioned Chitose got her big break at last?

Whilst Chitose is the star of the show, Girlish Number also gives plenty of airtime to her fellow cast members – Yae Kugayama, Koto Katakura, Momoka Sonō and Kazuha Shibasaki. The quirky voice artists bounce off each other in a way that’s funny without being overly cutesy or jarring, and they’re a fairly likeable bunch despite Chitose’s cynical sniping. By contrast, their producer Kuzu is a walking disaster; an irresponsible skiver who leaves his long-suffering assistant Towada to pick up the slack. And by ‘pick up slack’, we mean single-handedly manage the entire production committee…

Being a slice of life series, the 12-episode Girlish Number doesn’t get bogged down in the scheduling and minutiae of making an anime, however. Instead, the focus is firmly on the characters themselves and whether they can push through their personal problems and actually get Millennium Princess x Kowloon Overlord to the small screen. Lazy, jaded and vastly overconfident of her own abilities, our protagonist Chitose certainly has plenty of room for improvement!

The second half of the anime sees cracks appear in people’s protective shells. But while most of the cast manages to move forward and grow, Chitose is left wallowing in her own incompetence along with the good-for-nothing Kuzu. Fortunately, the arrival of high school student Nanami, an enthusiastic young voice actor who looks up Chitose, jolts her out of her slump and helps her see her role in a new light – not as the egotistical star of the show, but as a genuine member of the team.

It’s a bit of a stretch to say that Chitose becomes a hugely better person throughout the course of Girlish Number, but she does become a good deal more self-aware – and her realisation that ‘I’m not a great voice actor and I don’t understand the show, but I’m going to do my best until the end!’ makes for a highly satisfying conclusion. Easy-to-watch rather than groundbreaking, Girlish Number is an enjoyable comedy that pokes fun at the anime industry but still has plenty of heart. Reviewed by Owen Chan.

INFO
Release: Out Now
From: MVM
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Age Rating: 12