Ep 23. Umsturz zur Zweiten

In Shirobako season 1 episode 23, titled "Umsturz zur Zweiten," tensions continue to rise at Musashino Animation as the team works to finish the final episode of their anime series, Third Aerial Girls Squad. With only one month left until the broadcast deadline, the staff members are feeling the pressure and struggling to keep up with the workload.

Director Seiichi Kinoshita, who has been pushing the team hard throughout the production, realizes that he may have gone too far when he sees the exhausted faces of his coworkers. Fearing that he has caused irreparable damage, Seiichi starts to question his own leadership abilities.

Meanwhile, Aoi Miyamori, the series' production manager, is dealing with her own set of problems. She has been putting off a meeting with the executives at Musashino's parent company, Toyama Inc., who are unhappy with the direction of the show and want to make changes to the ending. Aoi knows that this could spell disaster for the series, but she also realizes that she can't keep avoiding the issue forever.

As the deadline approaches, Musashino's staff members are forced to work long hours and push themselves to their limits in order to finish the final episode on time. Some of them start to question whether all of the sacrifices they have made were worth it, while others feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as they see their hard work pay off.

In the end, whether or not Third Aerial Girls Squad will be a success remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the experience has taught everyone at Musashino Animation valuable lessons about the realities of the anime industry and the challenges of creating something truly great.