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Animeta! #5
Animeta! Volume 5
Branching Routes Bring Reluctance...
N2 have managed to fund their new movie - only to discover a number of crowdfunders were left out of the credits. It's a scramble to make corrections and get bums on seats if the studio wants to remain solvent. Even with a feature on the big screen, there are difficult choices ahead as Serizawa continues to pursue Miyuki, Maria faces an offer with serious strings attached, and Fujiko... is getting engaged?!
N2 have managed to fund their new movie - only to discover a number of crowdfunders were left out of the credits. It's a scramble to make corrections and get bums on seats if the studio wants to remain solvent. Even with a feature on the big screen, there are difficult choices ahead as Serizawa continues to pursue Miyuki, Maria faces an offer with serious strings attached, and Fujiko... is getting engaged?!
197 pages, Paperback
First published January 23, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 20, 2021
Yukimura didn’t manage to pass the key animator exam, but she still got a dream job offer from the director of Pannacotta, Serizawa. Taking it would mean giving up on her working relationship with Kujo, but does that even matter? And we even get some major life changes for Maria and Fujiko to boot... or do we?
Animeta is such a shockingly consistent and wonderful series that I wish had more buzz. It turns out that isn’t just my feeling - the author notes in this volume, almost as fascinating as the entire rest of the book, reveal that Animeta was saved from an untimely cancellation by a groundswell of popularity on Twitter. It deserved it.
This series has a couple of points to make even as it also shows the general crazy of trying to make a living in the animation industry (or make anything at all for that matter - who knew end credits could be so tough!?).
The main point, which I think is quite profound, is that nobody can achieve what they want simply by talent - they have to put the work in to nurture that talent. Yukimura is this personified - we have known from the start that she has amazing potential, but the series has made her struggle and fight to express that to its fullest and I kind of love that - every win she gets is earned and it makes them all the more triumphant as a reader.
This point is truly brought home when we see Fujiko on a woefully mismatched blind date with somebody who just never believed in himself and simply let his dreams fade away and die. We get to see, in flashback, how Fujiko slowly lost her passion and how, just maybe, Yukimura is showing her why it’s worth rediscovering. A lot of Fujiko’s story is coming to terms with what you are best at and why you don’t have to consider it settling.
Maria is her own special case; fighting against perceived nepotism because of her famous mother and struggling to come out from under her shadow. It’s really interesting how the three new hires all go off in very different directions (and the way the ‘take the easy way out’ guy comes back to haunt the story later). It’s fun how Maria is clearly Yukimura’s rival, but Yukimura doesn’t think of her like that at all.
If I take issue with Maria’s story, it’s the way it handles her mom. While ultimately very sweet, in a way, and a testament to the impact creators have on others, I’m not sure it treats her mental health issues with the greatest nuance. Still, whatever you might say about the manga editor who shows up, he IS being very accommodating and not entirely mercenary.
All this and there’s still the movie being released, a fascinating bit of business on its own, and the endlessly annoying Serizawa, who is the closest thing this story has to an antagonist. He’s one of those smiles on the outside, utterly petty inside types and truly obnoxious; ie, a perfect foil. He drops a real bombshell at the end that, once you think of the implications, makes for an excellent subtle cliffhanger.
Top it off with the crazy author notes (I had no idea over two years came and went between volumes 4 and 5 in Japan!) and a shocking explanation about manga publishing practices that I’d never heard before, and it’s a full, full book.
4.5 stars and we’ll round up because this series is so good (and those notes just engrossed me). It has strong female characters, a very clear point of view, good art, and tells a really good story set in a truly hard profession. Definitely more a character study than an action piece, but well worth reading.
Animeta is such a shockingly consistent and wonderful series that I wish had more buzz. It turns out that isn’t just my feeling - the author notes in this volume, almost as fascinating as the entire rest of the book, reveal that Animeta was saved from an untimely cancellation by a groundswell of popularity on Twitter. It deserved it.
This series has a couple of points to make even as it also shows the general crazy of trying to make a living in the animation industry (or make anything at all for that matter - who knew end credits could be so tough!?).
The main point, which I think is quite profound, is that nobody can achieve what they want simply by talent - they have to put the work in to nurture that talent. Yukimura is this personified - we have known from the start that she has amazing potential, but the series has made her struggle and fight to express that to its fullest and I kind of love that - every win she gets is earned and it makes them all the more triumphant as a reader.
This point is truly brought home when we see Fujiko on a woefully mismatched blind date with somebody who just never believed in himself and simply let his dreams fade away and die. We get to see, in flashback, how Fujiko slowly lost her passion and how, just maybe, Yukimura is showing her why it’s worth rediscovering. A lot of Fujiko’s story is coming to terms with what you are best at and why you don’t have to consider it settling.
Maria is her own special case; fighting against perceived nepotism because of her famous mother and struggling to come out from under her shadow. It’s really interesting how the three new hires all go off in very different directions (and the way the ‘take the easy way out’ guy comes back to haunt the story later). It’s fun how Maria is clearly Yukimura’s rival, but Yukimura doesn’t think of her like that at all.
If I take issue with Maria’s story, it’s the way it handles her mom. While ultimately very sweet, in a way, and a testament to the impact creators have on others, I’m not sure it treats her mental health issues with the greatest nuance. Still, whatever you might say about the manga editor who shows up, he IS being very accommodating and not entirely mercenary.
All this and there’s still the movie being released, a fascinating bit of business on its own, and the endlessly annoying Serizawa, who is the closest thing this story has to an antagonist. He’s one of those smiles on the outside, utterly petty inside types and truly obnoxious; ie, a perfect foil. He drops a real bombshell at the end that, once you think of the implications, makes for an excellent subtle cliffhanger.
Top it off with the crazy author notes (I had no idea over two years came and went between volumes 4 and 5 in Japan!) and a shocking explanation about manga publishing practices that I’d never heard before, and it’s a full, full book.
4.5 stars and we’ll round up because this series is so good (and those notes just engrossed me). It has strong female characters, a very clear point of view, good art, and tells a really good story set in a truly hard profession. Definitely more a character study than an action piece, but well worth reading.
September 11, 2023
I had the biggest moment of "that's it?" when I finished this, volume 6 needs to come out ASAP, but I know how difficult it was to keep this going in the first place. This is such an interesting and insightful look at the animation and publishing industry without having a random romance undertone to it, it's just what you would hope for, something genuine that cares about the source. I love Miyuki so much for her stubbornness while still being realistic, and even though there's so much here that caps off it feels like there could be so much more, too.
November 30, 2023
¡Me gusta mucho este manga! No se si este es el final de la serie (espero que no porque quedó muy abierto). Los personajes son complejos pero realistas, muy recomendado y además aprendes mucho de la industria del anime.
January 8, 2022
I really enjoyed this one. The author always knows how to end a volume with a BANGER !!!!!
September 24, 2022
Quality finish to the end of the series. I enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews