Mangirl!

Mangirl! is a 13 episode comedic look at the life of manga editors.  The series is based on the manga of the same name, and each 3 minute episode aired in Japan in the beginning of 2013

    Mangirl!, the combination of Manga and Girl, follows 4 hapless women who have decided to start up a monthly manga magazine.  Hana Sasayama is the clueless and spunky editor-in-chief.   Aki Torii, assistant editor-in-chief, is the level headed one with experience as a successful dojinshi artist.  Tsugumi Haraki, ravenous snack lover and Ringo Nishijima, ditzy realist, are both editors.  The four of them go through trials and tribulations in starting the magazine, meeting the deadlines and following through with the magazines success.

    This is a fun, short and enjoyable series that gives a comedic snap shot of the life of those that work in the manga industry.  While not totally realistic it does touch upon some interesting aspects in the field, some of which I have experience in with my years in the publishing industry and could relate with.  The anime and manga appear to actually be loosely autobiographical, as the magazine they create is a real magazine of which the real manga appears in.  The final episode of the anime also brings it full circle by suggesting the creation of the anime series.  The animation is ok, the character design is typical anime style with odd hair colors and moe features.  Given that the manga is of the yonkomi genre would help to explain why I liked it and why it reminded me in more than one way of Azumanga Daioh.  The best way to sum up the feel of the series would be to say it is Minami-ke if done about manga editors.  So, if you liked Azumanga Daioh, Minami-ke or Ichigo Mashimaro this is a great series to take up about an hour of your time.

    The anime is currently available in North America streaming on Crunchyroll and will probably never see a release on disc.