SHIROBAKO Specials: Episode Guide & Ratings

Episode 1 of Musashino Animation's Exodus! Akane, Aya, and Arupin, the members of the idol group Tracy, stage a performance at a supermarket, but no one stops to listen to their singing. As the girls redress into maid costumes inside bathroom stalls, Arupin remains optimistic of the reception, pretending the trio is living perfect lives as idols instead of being employees at the supermarket. However, she is scolded by Akane, who chastises her for not facing the reality of their situation. After comparing the dismal number of their fans to the fanbase of a rival idol, Ginger, they receive a call from a woman they call their "Onee-san", who praises a performance video they sent her. The girls then eat some manjū, which inspires Akane to speak to the trio's manager, Taguchi. Arupin follows her, but loses her and then finds Taguchi lying dead in a pool of blood. At the crime scene is a bloody knife identical to the ones the girls kept as part of their costumes, along with a partial message written by Taguchi with his blood, beginning with the letter 'A'. Shortly after, Akane and Aya stumble upon the scene as well, then all three are spotted by a man, who assumes they murdered Taguchi and alerts security. The girls then receive a call from Onee-san on Taguchi's cellphone; she instructs them to flee. Taguchi's murder is assigned to Inspector Miho Koigakubo, who declares the girls wanted criminals. Near Musashino Dome, Akane reveals her dream to sing in Musashino Dome in front of a crowd of fans. They then receive another call from Onee-san, who informs them that they were identified as murder suspects and their fanbase skyrocketed as a result. Seconds later, they are spotted by a fan and retreat to a basement parking lot, where they find a motorbike supplied by Onee-san that they use to flee. After stealing a policeman's revolver, the girls managed to evade police on a boat, although they wind up losing their makeup in the process, surprising them as they had never seen each other before without makeup.

Episode 1 of Musashino Animation's "Third Aerial Girls Squad".