Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!

Being an anime fan, the question of how animation is made is probably one I’m sure most people have asked themselves before. Before Eizouken debuted on TV, we have to remember that creating anime isn’t an easy task. It takes an immense level of commitment, passion, and expertise to make what we see on the screen. It’s not a program that follows a specific code as every anime is different, in shape, in form, and in seeking its ways to entertain the audience.

Masaaki Yuasa is no stranger when it comes animating and storyboarding in his past projects. With decades of experience, he’s been progressively adapting ... and evolving his techniques in the field of animation. From unique sports show Ping Pong: The Animation to the wildly space odyssey of Space Dandy, he’s here to show the world once again that animation has an unlimited realm of imagination. Starting off, we meet Midori Asakusa, a girl who is fascinated by how animation is made. It doesn’t take long for her to form a trio with Sayaka Kanamori and Tsubame Mizusaki, two high school students with similar interests. As a club together, they are united under the passion of making anime, a dream they hope to share with others.

Despite the realistic idea of making anime, this show follows more of an artistic adventures together as the Eizouken Club. But know this, we are also introduced about the fundamentals of the anime industry. It’s something similar compared to P.A. Works’ Shirobako. However, Eizouken has enough confidence to be its own show. With our trio of and the right hands, they embark this journey to not just make anime but also learn about what it really takes to be an animator. It’s like following a boyhood dream together and see how far their journey takes them. Interestingly, the show’s setting offers a technological advanced setting, one that is believable but also not too farfetched to be unrealistic. What this means is the series can open many opportunities for the trio to experiment with whatever ideas they come up with. But for starters, we have to understand what making anime is not easy. It is a tedious job that takes expertise in the field, dedicated minds to create something unique, and knowing when mistakes are made. They’re humans after all and learning from mistakes is important so they can rise above them. The group makes mistakes early by setting expectations far beyond their standards. This creates tension in the club to the point where one of its members feels they may not be good enough. Plus, let’s not forget that making animation demands meeting timely deadlines so there’s no doubt the club runs into crunch time issues. Luckily, the club has support between themselves and this is thanks to Kanamori’s ability to compromise and create an environment where they can express ideas freely. And that’s the beauty of this show. It chooses to be free by using ideas of various genres and expressing them. Then, these ideas are created to become an anime project to showcase the world to see.

But like most animation projects, the group faces challenges that they must overcome together. These include budget funding and securing the resources they need to make their dreams come true. And sometimes, the trio realizes their club needs more help than they realize. For instance, making an animated work isn’t enough if they can’t promote themselves. Marketing is a new field that the group wasn’t equipped to handle given their lack of experience. Luckily, they receive help from the school’s secretary. Later in the show, Eiozuken is also joined by Parker Doumeki, a girl interested in their audio files but takes a role to help their sound department. Together, this club grows more and more as we witness their transformation from a dream to a reality.

Another important part of what makes this show special also refined to the close relationship between our three main leads. They start off as friends but by the end of this show, the trio looks more like a family. At the same time, each individual member has their own skills that are imperative for the club to succeed. This includes Kanamori’s business knowledge and negotiating, Asakusa’s talent for drawing, and Mizusaki’s skill of planning and observing. When you put these skills together, there’s immense potential to succeed with the right hands and tools. However, it’s also not to say to say that the trio does want to get some fame and fortune. A running gag in the show involves Kanamori’s love for money and hopes to make maximum profit. Other running gags in the show deals with how the trio runs into trouble with the law. If we talk about realism, this show sometimes negates that element as the problems the club runs into could’ve easily resulted in its destruction. But let’s get too far ahead of ourselves. This anime is designed to showcase the love of a club to fulfill their dreams rather than just showing the consequences of the anime industry. I’m sure the more fans watch this show, the more they’ll come to that realization.

Like some of Yuasa’s other works, he likes to experiment and adapt this free style of animation. In this particular anime, we get simple character designs and animation that can be deceptively complex. This is easily told through the storytelling and brainstormed ideas from our main leads. In some segments, the animation tosses common logic out the window and transcends into daydreams. The audience will notice this by the stylish art shifts and occasional picture frames that seems out of reality. It’s one of the positive perks about this show as it allows art to be experimented beyond its usual structure. So bravo once again to Yuasa for gracing us with his brilliant designs. Speaking of designs, the main character cast are distinctive such as Midori’s short height, Mizusaki’s fiery hair, or Kanamori’s buck teeth. It’s also noticeable the producers gave each of them the school type look to show that they are in a stage of growing up. Being at school means to learn and together as a club, Eizouken is eager to show their potential. Finally, I really want to give props to the unique animation of the OP song. It’s something you don’t see often inspired by pop culture but translated into anime medium.

I’m going to miss the weekends. I really am knowing that this show is over after gracing us with its fabulousness. When watching anime, you don’t often think too much about how it came together but every episode in this show convinced me a different story. And with 12 episodes, this is a type of anime that is inspirational as I’m sure there’s a little bit of Midori Asakusa inside all of us.

Animation is a wonderful medium, isn’t it? The way drawings get put into a consecutive illusion of motion, combining all sorts of aspects of art and color to create spectacles that inspire others to do the same. That’s the power of visual media: creative inspiration. You can look at all sorts of auteurs and visionaries such as Quentin Tarantino and Hideaki Anno, and they’ll tell you their inspirations: anime, movies, tokusatsu productions, etc. It’s the origin story of most in all creative industries. Creativity begets creativity, so it’s all the more wonderful to see works that celebrate it. 2014’s Shirobako was a charming and immersive ... look into the anime industry from the perspective of 5 friends working in different aspects of that field. 2017’s Re:Creators brought all sorts of fictional creations to the real world to showcase the many sides of what writers and authors are capable of as well as what kinds of influences and intentions their works hold. Now that we’re in the year of our lord 2020, Keep Your Hands off Eizouken provides a charming look at 3 passionate high school girls in different production roles of animation, and how they work with each other to create their own anime.

It’s gonna be difficult not to gush about this show on a level that most of its main characters do, so pardon me. The energy of this show radiates a level of autistic CBF energy I adore to no end as its passion and charm breathe life into me. The eccentric, high-energy nature of Midori Azakusa and Tsubame Mizukashi is precious with how they gush about the technical aspects of animation. Their chemistry with each other and resident penny-pincher and schemer Sayaka Kanamori is a sight to behold. Their no-chill energy might be a bit much for some people, but they alone could be fun in almost any scenario, as the anime shows us. The way they gush over animation techniques and still make it presentable, the way they come up with ideas like a moving logo akin to the Pixar lamp, the way the three casually interact with a mix of hyper and deadpan energy, all make my mind race at a thousand miles per hour! I love how they have to keep thinking about believability in their fantasy before making concessions. I love the theatric air they sometimes put on in their declarations. The show is just a joyous bundle of joy, one with a lot of comedic value such as them praying to the fallen comrade of 30K yen or what comes of filming Azakusa falling off guard rails on the second floor of a building. It also tackles a robot anime while having the characters balance the unrealistic nature of the genre in general with a level of plausibility, coolness, and internal logic in a way meant to harken back to the appeal of mecha in the first place. Needless to say, the mere concept of the arc excited me, and bias aside, the execution delivered!

There are some problems with the show’s pacing. While the arc structure is generally solid, the episodes themselves can feel almost lackadaisical, as if we’re just flowing or cutting from one scene to another with little in the way of escalation. Episode 11 is probably the biggest offender of this, as it ends up feeling a lot longer than it actually is as a result. There are a few examples of episodes that also can’t figure out a good stopping point, either. It’s not the biggest issue in the world, and it being more of a slice of life title does help excuse it a little, but it’s still a problem that exists.

One can argue that these characters aren’t especially layered or complex compared to some of other Yuasa titles such as Ping Pong: The Animation. As true as that is, it might be missing the point as a criticism of Eizouken’s writing. These characters are essentially vectors for this passion for animation that this somewhat dramatic slice of life-esque title presents. On top of that, while one can argue how similar Azakusa and Mizukashi are to the point of being as similar as Carole and Tuesday (from the eponymous disappointment of 2019) are in terms of characterization, they at least have incredible chemistry with one another and with Hinamori. Frankly, this dynamic of friendship is what sells the trio for me, as it’s fun to see them not just talk about the medium or about cash, but about anything else as they just have fun with whatever they’re doing. Azakusa’s definitely a ball of energy who gets too carried away with herself, but one who is otherwise laid-back and socially awkward. Mizukashi’s similarly energetic about a different part of animation --hence the two coming off as similar at times-- but she’s an incredibly sheltered girl at the end of the day, and one who just wants to follow her passions. Hinamori is the tough girl of the bunch, as she’s a schemer always on the hunt for money, and a deadpan hardass to boot. They’re not the most fleshed-out or interesting personalities in the world, but for what they are, the show takes advantage of them and explores their dynamics well. It’s also amusing to see all the little sound effects characters make and that Azakusa is capable of nitpicking and breaking down the believability of settings and ideas in anime, though that’s the aspie and reviewer in me talking, respectively.

The show also takes advantage of how painful being an animator can be. The girls working for free is made for a morbidly humorous comparison to the low wages animators work for. Cuts take absolutely forever and require absurd lengths of time to complete as animators work for what feels like nonstop. Understanding realistic or plausible physics of whatever an animator is shooting for can be downright aggravating, like with smoke, sword movements, or hair movements. Several concessions often end up having to be made for the sake of getting a work of animation done in time, resulting in cost-cutting measures that can look cheap if desperate enough. An example of this is when the characters talk about how to convey the fast movement of a tank rolling around, and they discuss the idea of a background with moving highlights before Mizukashi rightfully calls out how much she hates the technique and they find a better solution. If Shirobako takes a somewhat lighthearted approach to what troubled production looks like, Eizouken does the same regarding the grueling nature of working as an animator, even on freelance projects not commissioned by anyone but themselves.

I’m also intrigued by the strange, sci-fi school setting. We always see new bits being fleshed out with each episode like how clubs work or what getting lunch is like over there. Student council students are a level of hardass even Kanamori has trouble keeping up with, and club presentations can reach a level of violence where armored guards are forced to step in to protect club members with shitty presentations from getting trampled and beaten. The school itself is this strange hodgepodge of inconsistent elements in its design, as Azakusa points out in the first episode. It’s a chaotic mess that vaguely resembles the real world while having the grandiose and almost bloodthirsty attitude present in say, Kill la Kill’s Honnouji Academy. There’s also this semblance of reality and fiction melting together much like Satoshi Kon’s filmography, as the overactive imagination of characters physically transports them into whatever they’re visually brainstorming or whatever gets shown on-screen. The level of immersion characters reach gets to a point where they react and interact with what isn’t even there.

Then again, with how great the visuals are, hard not to gush about and get immersed in them as much as the characters do. Masaaki Yuasa and his team at Science SARU do a beautiful job of taking the strange and creative world of the manga and bringing it to life. The absurd and extremely emotive facial expressions characters have all of the time are all amusing and ever-shifting. The character designs all feel distinct from one another with different head proportions that still feel grounded in the same world. The colors all pop while still feeling somewhat cool, almost akin to Tokyo Godfathers. This is most exemplified by the drawings the characters make, which radiate this endless, unbound youthful energy to them. Of course, where the show tries to flex its muscles the most outside of its character animation is when the characters immerse themselves in a setting. The beautifully unfinished setting models are just adorable, as pencil marks remain on models that haven’t been fully colored. It captures the setting and design sketching phase beautifully, and it does so while keeping the models consistent. It’s fun to see how the outfits our characters wear change in response to these scenes, and models such as the dragonfly plane sketch our characters envision themselves piloting in episode 1 make for the best use of 3D CGI in a 2D anime I have noted in years. Of course, the level of detail in the animation itself is impressive in terms of fluidity, about as much as when the show tries to recreate Future Boy Conan, one of Asakusa’s favorite shows. The way she gushes over the physicality of the characters’ movements and other aspects of animation are represented perfectly in this recreation of an anime classic. This is all just gushing about episode 1! I haven’t talked about a single thing about the rest of the show’s visuals, the stellar animation showcases that make up the climax of each arc, or about the vibrance present in the OP and ED. That should tell you just how visually stunning the show is, and I didn’t even talk about my favorite moment from the first episode.

There are several gorgeous scenes thanks to Masaaki Yuasa’s directing as well as due to lovely art direction that works perfectly with the strange school setting our characters find themselves in. Perhaps nothing is quite as artsy as say, Berserk 1997’s shots, but there are still gorgeous moments such as the space scene at the end of the big imagination setpiece of episode 1. Sunsets are as warm as they can be without ever feeling plain like most other anime, and the CG water somehow looks both photorealistic and capable of usually blending in with the environment of the show. It doesn’t always work out and there are a few awkward CG moments, but this is still a joy to look at. There are other details, such as at the end of episode 2 when Azakusa and her family are shocked at a video of her falling that got filmed earlier in the episode. She’s so embarrassed that she’s literally malformed and shittily drawn compared to everyone else in the shot. A lot of the techniques and explanations this show employs get nice visual representations as well. I’m not entirely sure if this is my favorite Yuasa work from a visual perspective, but it is certainly one of the best in this regard. Not every episode quite lives up to episode 1, as there are a few CG problems and several moments that do admittedly look plain. This is to be expected from a contemporary anime production, and what they get away with on a regular basis is still vibrant and imaginative enough to properly convey and live up to the intricacies of the medium it puts on display. The series captures this overactive imagination that I envision every day given that I often think visually, and I love that.

As you can tell, this show is hyper and that energy has rubbed off on me.

If I had to find the weakest link, it would be the OST. This is the first anime OST done by Oorutaichi, and while it fits the setting and vibe of the show rather well, little of it is particularly memorable. The show also overuses certain tracks, as if there is one specific piece meant to be used every time the characters go into their visually-driven imagination setpieces. That said, I did notice how each arc of the show introduces new tracks, all of which are nice enough. I also like the brash and peppy energy presented by the OP, “Easy Breezy” by chelmico. The visuals of the OP have been memed to death thanks to the Drake-inspired dance moves the girls show off, but the song itself is still what I like most about it, though it isn’t especially remarkable. I’m less fond of the ED so that’s all I’ll say about it.

It’s hard to avoid spilling everything I love about the show and what it tackles in detail. This review needs to maintain a level of coherence, after all. The show isn’t this 10/10 hype beast that I adore from beginning to end, but it resonates with me on a level that makes it difficult to get bored or find much to complain about. I didn’t even get to touch on the main conflicts much like with how beautifully and earnestly Mizukashi’s conflict with her actor parents concludes, or go into scenes like when the characters travel to a location for inspiration. The final arc involves the show’s understanding of social media marketing and how star-power gets many interested in a studio’s body of work so that the more invested can follow it thoroughly and deep-dive their catalog. I also never got to talk about the decent supporting cast and how interesting the scenes where they and our main trio come to an understanding are. Barring minor contrivances, everything feels natural rather than forced. All of the conflicts and interactions have this genuineness to their execution.

There’s so much love and passion for the medium oozing out of Eizouken, and it’s hard not to get invested. Sure, the high-energy nature and how specialized it is in this field can turn some away, but it’s hard not to appreciate just how much about anime the series covers. Its heart isn’t just with animation, as the show has a few beautiful character moments and emotional climaxes of its own. The likable characters and wonderful visuals accentuate the joyful feeling of this show and how much it cares about what it covers. The show does not shy away from the darker and more complicated aspects of being an animator, even though it doesn’t dwell on the grim nature of it all. Eizouken’s simply a treat to watch, and certainly a contender for anime of the year moving forward. It understands, and that’s what allows it to shine so brightly.

“Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!” is pure passion for animation. Every aspect of the show from its eclectic score to its quick, quippy dialogue is charged with a wacky, frenetic, creative energy that flows straight from the screen to the viewer through each lovingly crafted frame. It’s impossible not to have fun watching the off-beat, silly, and inspiring adventures of these three girls who just wanna make amazing anime.

Admittedly, the plot isn’t complex or deep -- there’s not much more to know than “three misfits starting an animation club.” Its lead characters Asakusa, Kanamori and Mizusaki aren’t amazingly nuanced or compelling either, but they’re expressive, ... unique, and most importantly, they work well together. Within a couple minutes of natural interaction between the trio I was sold on their friendship, and their dynamic is strong enough to carry the show into what it truly excels at: gorgeous and inventive animating sequences.

At least once per episode, “Eizouken” veers off from the girls’ daily lives and the motion picture club to revel in a surreal, hyper-animated fantasy sequence made up spontaneously by our main trio. These range from flying a dragonfly-like airship to escape from MIBs to bombing a building and flooding a city to create the ultimate windmill. The scenes are dynamic and unique, animated as if the girls really are drawing them as they go. It feels like you're there with them, truly impressing the wonder of animation that inspires Asakusa, Kanamori and Mizusaki on the viewer. Absolutely exhilarating.

Ultimately, it’s clear to me that “Eizouken” is about people who love animation, written by a person who loves animation, and adapted by people who love animation. While its story might not be particularly impressive, it’s refreshing enough to accompany this fantastic piece of moving art that reminds us how fun anime can be.

(also the op slaps, you gotta check it out)

Let me start off this review by saying, I LOVED episode 1 of this series, when I watched it I felt like I'd been sucked into a world of wonder and imagination and I was in love, I felt like I'd discovered a gem that had insane amounts of potential, I told everyone I knew to watch this series, I LOVED the unique art style and the depiction of passion and everything about it. When episode 2 finally came around however, I was met with disappointment.

I still liked episode 2, but it didn't have the same spark as episode 1, it felt more... dull somehow, ... and episode 3 was even worse, after the initial awe wore off, all I felt while switching on a new Eizouken episode was boredom, it felt like a chore. Episode 4 was an improvement, due to its tenser plot and pace, but episode 5 and 6 went back to being dull.

And that is the root of my problem with Eizouken, it's boring.

I loved the creative "losing reality and getting lost into imagination" scenes at first but eventually, they just got annoying and tiring and repetitive as well.

I think the reason I ended up finding Eizouken so boring is because the plot and characters are BOTH dull. The plot is fairly relaxed and slice of life-ish, and this would be fine and entertaining if the characters had any actual life, any personality, but the don't. The characters are one dimensional as hell and have a single personality trait, this combined with the relaxed, eventless plot is what made this boring in my opinion. There's just nothing entertaining there. It's also why episode 4 was good, it had actual stakes and a feel of tenseness regarding the plot, which made up for the bland characters.

As for why I enjoyed episode 1, everything was so new and fresh and unique then, but past episode 1, when the show didn't evolve, when the characters didn't show any new personality traits, it just become stale.

Keep in mind that I don't think Eizouken is a bad show, just mediocre and forgettable. There are good things about it, as I mentioned before, I like the exploration of passion through the characters of Asakusa and Mizusaki, I love the art and animation style, it's very unique, cool and memorable, and the opening is an absolute banger.

I'm just tired of forcing myself to watch every new episode however, because this series doesn't entertain me in the slightest. So I'm dropping it.

I really wanted to love this show, it’s just there is nothing to love, because there is nothing, period. It is entirely devoid of substance.

The series is a monster-of-the-week about three aspiring anime creators, the “monster” being them imagining their various everyday happenstances as fantastical animated dream sequences. There is some glimpse of a plot about their anime-making school club, but that’s not the point, the point is a love letter to the medium, celebrating the creative power of animation. These imaginative scenarios are indeed creative and pleasant to look at. You know what else is creative and pleasant to look at? Actual anime, where ... cool pictures have context and substance behind them. The very first episode of the show illustrates it already: it includes an entire meticulously recreated by hand sequence from Future Boy Conan, complete with the characters being awestruck by how cool it is. Ok, Future Boy Conan is cool, so why don’t I just watch Future Boy Conan? What’s the point of watching a fictional equivalent of a youtube reaction video? Recreating a scene from an old anime without adding anything transformative to it isn’t an artistic achievement, it’s just copy pasting. It’s a rather unorthodox case of failing the “show, don’t tell” principle - the show tries so hard to tell you how cool anime as a medium is, it fails to be an actual anime that is cool by itself. It also tries too hard to be artsy, coming off as artificial, insincere, and pretentious, because the “artsiness” is not supposed to be deliberately constructed. Just listen to Yuasa talking about how they’ve made the main girls ugly on purpose, “to subvert the moeblob trend” - nevermind that one of the girls is supposed to be a photo model - it just reeks of pretentiousness.

And outside of the “I fucking love anime” the series offers nothing. The plot is an excuse for the sakuga moments and the main trio are one-note plot devices devoid of any actual character. There is nothing to care about, empathize with, or be invested into. Nothing to look forward to either, if you’ve seen the first episode, you’ve seen the entire show. There is Yuasa’s art and direction, but again - there is plenty of actual anime also directed by Yuasa, where stuff happens and things matter. The informational tidbits about the technical aspects of the animation process are theme-park level, you’d be better off watching Shirobako for that (and by “that” I mean wanking over how educated you are because you watched a cartoon, someone who genuinely wanted to learn about the real life process of creating animation should watch documentaries). Even the imagination sequences quickly get repetitive and boring because there is only so much fun in watching substanceless moving pictures.
This is not the worst show in the universe, and it’s not like it does something monumentally awful. It’s just there are hundreds of better shows that are more deserving of your time being invested into them.

4/10 for “don’t watch anime reaction videos, watch actual anime.”

It feels wrong to swing the hammer at a show made by Masaki Yuasa. Everything the distinctive director has been responsible I've enjoyed immensely, and even his messier works like Kaiba and Kemonozume were full of heart and punch.

Eizouken was different though. I had to drag myself to the finish line on this one, forcing myself through the final few episodes. It really shouldn't have been this way. Every PIECE of Eizouken is incredible: the animation is distinctive and evocative, switching styles with a grace that demonstrates great understanding of the medium. The central trio all have powerful, unique personalities not often found in anime--Asakusa, ... the imaginative gremiln, Kanamori, the stern pillar of willpower with a love for money, and Mizusaki, the bubbly, popular idol who really just wants to make anime. Their dialogue is well-written, their various strengths and weaknesses well-defined. And if you look at Eizouken at a glance, the story is completely functional, following our artistic trio as they embark on their maiden attempt to create their own anime. It's an informative and passionate tale of the many challenges faced by budding creators, and a lot of the specific aspects that go into making an anime.

So what's the issue, you ask? Well, at first I wasn't sure. All I knew is that by the time I got about halfway through I was bored. Even though the quality of the show hadn't dipped, my interest had plummeted. After thinking about it a bit though, I noticed a pattern that hung through to the finale.

Every conflict in this show has an immediate, easy resolution.

There's no tension! The show throws a non-stop barrage of problems at our protagonists, but they shrug off every single one after a minute of deliberation. Eizouken sometimes starts an episode with the group being presented with a conflict: a lack of funds, a story idea that hasn't come together, censorship from the student council, whatever it may be. Then, Asakusa will go on a walk, or see something neat, have an idea, and that idea will fix the problem. Queue fifteen minutes of the main characters going to the baths, or wandering around looking at the town. Look, I have no problem with slice-of-life stuff, but even this show's fucking title is aggressive: Keep Your Hands of Eizouken, a bold challenge towards anyone who would meddle with our trio's project. I can only assume this title is supposed to be about the student council, who consistently attempt to stand in our protagonist's paths, but rather than building towards any sort of meaningful conflict where the practical nature of the administration clashes with the creative-driven soul of Asakusa and Mizusaki, the student council functions more like the show's Team Rocket, popping in to stir things up and then easily being bested, often off-screen.

All throughout the show Eizouken provides signs that it wants to be about creative perseverance, not simple, easy living. The show brings up the financial viability of anime, the social taboos of being implicated in creating it, the restrictions imposed on the mobility of minors, the struggle of working for a deadline, and more. But rather than delve into these roadblocks the show seems content to wave them aside with ease. None of our main characters are forced to really grapple with anything difficult. Everything they do takes two sped-through tries, if not one. Asakusa is supposed to be lazy and easily distracted, a fatal flaw for the director of a production, but everything gets done on time anyways and she's never forced to face it. Mizusaki initially worries about how to not disappoint her high-society profile while working on anime, but then everyone just immediately accepts it and she moves on without having to make any difficult choices. Kanamori resolves financial problems by waving her hands. Where are the sparks? Where are the moments where the characters fail and face consequences, or have to take a real step back to dig deep and do some growth? We keep getting told that the club is always on the verge of being shut down, but they continue to do whatever they want and nothing comes of it. It's an ethereal threat, just like the rest of the threats in the show, one that has no weight, and as the show goes on and the audience starts to realize that none of the so-called conflicts have any bite behind them and the show gets boring. This is the A-grade Yuasa show equivalent of a maxed-out shonen hero who always wins easily.

I could see an argument that the merits of this show outshine any issues with lacking tension: after all, it's a show about making anime first and foremost. But the fact that a show about the conflict of creation lacked any actual tension feels pretty damning to me, and the fact that it was straight-up a chore to watch by the end when it should have been magical and addicting... well, I can't really overlook that. I love Yuasa and even in this project you can see many of his countless strengths exemplified, but for Eizouken in particular...

I guess it was just too goddamn Easy Breezy after all.

Let's go on an adventure. Let's do it for the fourth fucking time since that's how many times I've had to post this review without it getting deleted. Thank you to the 3 people who will read this and hit the upvote button.

Eizouken is the rare kind of series that kindles or rekindles your love for creativity and animation in general. It's the sort of work that introduces its characters and concepts with such freshness and enthusiasm that you get absorbed into - it grabs your hand and says "we're going on a fucking ride, are you ready to have fun?" and then before you ... know it, you've logged into your MyAnimeList accountf or the first time in a year just tell everyone else that they're coming too.

The elevator pitch isn't unheard of: a bunch of kids get together to make the medium that you're currently watching. The twist? Masaki Yuasa is directing it. If you haven't seen Ping Pong, Devilman Crybaby, Night is Short Walk on Girl or Lu Over the Wall, then you've done yourself a great disservice, because I'm confident that that loopy man is one of the only people carrying this medium. While people like Makoto Shinkai are effectively the Tyler Perry of anime, Yuasa isn't afraid to be bold, personal and aesthetically fresh, and all of his best traits shine through here.

Eizouken is about three girls who are making an anime. They're real girls with real interests, character designs and agency, rather than the hapless, recycled uguu harem goblins who exist only to sell hug pillows and onaholes. This basic twist is incredibly refreshing and immediately sets it apart from every show I've seen in the last few years. Their personalities are made clear to you immediately, and dictate all of their actions in every scene. One is a jittery otaku concept artist and her best friend is an impossibly tall girl with an extreme sense for business. Together they meet an affluent, aspiring animator and off they go. Each one has clear, established intentions and goals and you're never once bored or bewildered why one of them did a little finger dance while eating a pastry and losing their clothes, or whatever it is anime girls do.

Perhaps the most stunningly beautiful show this season (and probably year), the backgrounds are draw with a great level of detail and care, the bizarre school the story takes place in effectively becoming the fourth major character. It reminds me a lot of Tekkonkinkreet - you see the little bits of rust on the guardrails and the nonsensical layouts of the wiring and airducts in every scene. The characters are animated fluidly and are very expressive. Overall it's pretty reminiscent of Yuasa's other works, with a little bit of a whimsical, water colory flair.

The show goes into detail about the different terms and processes of making anime, without resorting to dry info dumps. Concepts are brought up naturally and via the characters' enthusiasm and are supported by the animation style changing to illustrate not just what's being talked about, but what the characters are feeling while they do it. It's truly wild, and you will see this trio set off and create something amazing, literally right before your eyes. This is not a 'process' show like Bakuman, it's far more like more fantastical parts of The Wind Rises, where characters step in and out of reality.

Eizouken doesn't tell you about the ride, or have the characters simply build the ride in front of you. It is the ride, and you are here to join the characters on their journey.

How to make anime 101

I never thought I would watch something like this but damn it was worth to start. This is very interesting show to say at least. The show has very unique art style but what can you expect from Masaaki Yuasa and Studio Science SARU. Since all their works look interesting.

Story: It is quite simple. Our main character Midori Asakusa moved to a new city and started getting interested in Drawing. She soon started liking anime and wanted to know what happens behind the scenes of anime production and wants to make her own anime. Years go by and she starts ... to become a great artist. Soon she teams up with money loving Sayka Kanamori and a child model Tsubame Mizusaki. They start a film club for producing anime.

Characters: Midori Asakusa loves to draw and wants to make anime. She sees the world very uniquely. Even the simplest of things are an adventure for her. Sayka Kanamori is the best girl of the show. She can be a very smooth talker when the right situation comes. She is loves money and does everything to obtain it. She also taker care of the clubs budget. Her personality is kind but in a very weird way. Tsubame Mizusaki is a child model and very rich of course. She wants to make anime and join the anime club but her parents wont let her. She is as interested in making anime as Midori. She wants to become the next Shinkai Makoto. She wants to animate realistic shots.

Opening: This is probably one of my favourite openings of all time. The visuals are interesting and the music is just candy to my ears. The visuals fit the music well.

There is a lot that can be said about Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na. It is a passion project that is coming from one of the most influential and distinguished directors of the anime industry, Masaaki Yuasa. The main theme that the show is tackling is the production of anime, much in the spirit of Shirobako. So far it sounds great, right ? Well, that’s what I thought as well before the show started its run. Masaaki Yuasa has definitely proven himself to be capable to direct incredible anime that have mass appeal such as Devilman Crybaby and Ping Pong The Animation, then, ... why is Eizouken so boring ? After the first couple of episodes, the feeling of novelty that I had has completely disappeared, why did that happen ? Well, I think there are quite a few factors that contributed to the decline of my personal enjoyment of the show but I think I’ll start with the main one, that being, the show relies too much on the technical side of producing anime. It’s more of an issue of presentation, sure, the process of making anime does sound magical, but then when you think about it, it really is about sitting on your desk for an unreasonable amount of time trying to hit deadlines, the show does a pretty good job at conveying that (while poking a little bit of fun at it). When you realize that, then it stops to sound so magical, does it ? You are being introduced to terms you (probably) have never heard in your life (unless you’re into animation) which do nothing more than add a layer of confusion that hinders the enjoyment of the viewer. Personally, I believe this is a similar case to Tatami Galaxy, an anime that is pretty extraordinary in its own right, however I feel like it is created with a specific audience in mind rather than mass appeal. If you like Masaaki Yuasa’s works, then you’ll probably like this one as well. If you’ve never heard of him, and if you are not particularly interested in animation then you’ll most likely find this boring much like myself. It also does not help that so far almost half of the show is dedicated to showcasing the creation of a mecha anime, a genre that I am not particularly invested in. I could go on and explain why Shirobako does a much better job at introducing the common viewer to the complex process of producing an anime while staying fresh and not feeling too overwhelming like Eizouken does, but that would take too much time out of your day now would it ? In conclusion, I would recommend Shirobako over Eizouken for casual viewers that want to grasp a basic understanding of the process of creating anime, however if you’re a fan of Yuasa, you’ll most likely love this anime since it retains most of the qualities of his other works.

Often enough, what hooks you into an anime is ultimately how it makes you feel.

I don't know if i'm in a soft spot now but, it did made me feel like i understood the love and passion for animation, for the process, for how each and every author makes everything feel unique by leaving imprints; How who we are, how we feel, where we go, impacts the art that is made.

This is what i felt watching it, passion and love.

It helps having a honestly refreshing character design, cool animation, humour and a care-free plot. I'm not giving it a 10 because i think it's ... perfect, it absolutely is not even close, but what i felt is what counts, and i loved feeling it.

This originally wasn't one of the anime of the Winter 2020 season I was interested in until I saw all the praise it was getting on Twitter. I saw tons of memes of the opening, praises of the character designs, and people saying it was already a contender for anime of the years just based on the few episodes that were out at the time. Because of all this, I decided to give it a go. I was unfortunately disappointed.

Before getting into the things I didn't like about the show, I will say that artistically, the show is done very well. The opening was very ... nice both musically and visually, but unfortunately overexposure to it through all the memes it was getting made it lose it's magic a little. I can agree the opening is a little overpraised, it's not one of my favorites or even my favorite of the season (I liked the JSHK opening better), but it was one of the memorable aspects of the show, along with the art and character designs. Anime has a habit of making teenagers look like 20-something years olds. Although there are teenagers who look older, it's nice to see character designs like those of Eizouken, which just look like awkward teenage girls. Despite being very simple, these designs instantly became recognizable by the anime community (especially Kanamori). Now for my favorite part of the show, the setting, and backgrounds. The setting was so creative and unique I actually enjoyed looking at the backgrounds because they were so interesting. Small things such as the faculty office being in an empty pool was so cool to me.

That's unfortunately where most of my praise ends. After taking some time to watch the first two episodes I was actually excited for the rest of the show to come out. I waited for all the episodes to air so I could binge the rest and... it was an extremely boring binge. The first two episodes set it up to see like a fun, adventure show, then around episode 3/4, it fell flat. The show began to feel stale and repetitive. It felt like there was no conflict, except there was, but it arose and vanished in absolutely no time at all. The school or student council will get mad at the film club over something and Kanamori will argue with them then the conflict is just over and ignored. Or the club will be running out of time and unable to compromise so everyone gets mad at each other. Then Asakusa just goes on a walk or something, comes back and everything is fine and they're able to finish it. Or they bring up issues like budget and then ignore them. The little conflict they did set up lasted like two minutes, and that's not even an exaggeration.

The show became a boring drag to finish. Even the aspects I liked got stale, such as those hand-drawn, 'imagination" scenes (idk what to call them so I call it that). They all felt the same and after a few of those scenes, I would just go on my phone because I wasn't interested.

After hearing that Eizouken was a 'masterpiece', I was very disappointed. It could have been really good but messed it up. If you are interested in this show, I'd still give it a go. I'll watch pretty much anything, but these more slice of life shows aren't really my favorite, so if you are a fan of that stuff, don't let me make you take it off your plan to watch list. It's probably not really made for me, but I still wanted to share my take on this show.

First of all, I'm not much of one to write a review on MAL, but I saw a particular review claiming that the show essentially doesn't deliver on what is promised in its premise.
I couldn't disagree more.
If you watch this anime for the intention of learning the key processes in the production of animation, you will be satisfied to know that it will teach you these things. Every episode, they give major notes on what part of the process they are working on, and give insightful tips on how to get better looking animations, sound design, etc.
They give enough information to paint you a clear ... picture of what they are trying to teach, without it feeling like an overbearing and boring tutorial.

However, you don't have to be an aspiring animator or hard core weeb/otaku to enjoy the plot, characters, story, sound design, and of course animation. The show does a splendid job of being generally enjoyable and beautiful to anyone.

By the way, this review is completely spoiler free.

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The story: is not the most unique at a glance. But, of all the anime I've seen about the main characters making anime, this one differs in that it knows what it's talking about. It takes the subject very seriously, while still making the process fun, and even very funny at times.
I won't go into the plot very much for the sake of not spoiling it, but it centers around three high school girls who want to make fantastical animations. It covers their struggles to start a club, work together, gather the necessary resources, and put in the work to make the best animations they possibly can.
It provides a realistic, yet optimistic view of how animations are made, by showing the struggles of these distinct, charming characters.

The sound: is subtly wonderful. It isn't over the top unless it needs to be, and when it needs to be, it delivers. Some sounds are so well done, you don't even realize, until you read the comments section, and find someone who did notice, and decided to point it out.
The soundtrack is delightful, being both fun and in tone with whatever is happening in the story. I personally enjoy the opening theme quite a bit, and I think the ending them is pretty good too. However, music tastes differ drastically between people, so take that how you will.
The voice acting is unique in that they don't sound like every other anime girl you've ever heard, and instead sound a bit more like real people.

The characters: are very well written, and mesh well with each other. They're just a rag-tag group of three girls with their own weird quirks who want to make really good animations. Although they may not be the most original archetypes in some senses, they are far from one dimensional. They're very relatable and realistic in their personalities and motivations. So much so, that they might even seem similar to real people you've met in real life.
People such as:
That socially awakward and weird, yet incredibly talented person; that popular and well liked person that has a grand passion for something; that one really tall and intimidating person (lol).
The characters are driven toward a goal, and they work hard to achieve it. The show doesn't hide the work they do, or make it seem easy. They show the determination of the characters by showing the extensive efforts that they make along the way.

And, of course, the art: is beautiful.
The backgrounds and settings are detailed, yet not not distracting; realistic, yet adventurous.
The movement of everything is incredibly fluid. The animation style is clearly inspired by, but not a carbon copy of, almost anything by studio Ghibli. They even make a few nods to Ghibli (but not in any way that felt like pandering).
The characters are well animated, and incredibly expressive both physically, and even just in their faces. There are compilations on YouTube of just the facial expressions of the characters, if you're unconvinced (or just missing them as you read the subtitles).
There are imagination sequences where the three main characters share in the joy of the idea sharing phase, which is one of the most fun parts of the creative process. These sequences are incredibly well constructed, and often a spectacle to marvel at.

The enjoyment: that I felt as I watched each episode was far above how I often feel from watching other shows of similar styles, genres, categories, etc.
As of the time of this review, there are only 8 episodes released out of the 12 planned, yet some episodes along the way feel like the creators could've ended the series then and there with a very satisfying conclusion. Yet, each continuation doesn't feel out of place or unnecessary.
They run through the plot at a comfortable pace, and don't linger for too long, while still not flying by too fast to keep up with.
There aren't any annoying cliffhangers, but there was always a feeling of anticipation that kept me eagerly awaiting the next episode.

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10/10

All of what I'm saying may seem far-fetched; giving this show a ten in every category. If you look at my profile, you'll see I've given out a lot of 10s, so you might still be skeptical.
However, believe me when I say that this will be by far the best anime of 2020 (despite the fact that it'll probably be overshadowed by some garbage that'll come out in December).

Regardless, give it a watch, and relax.
Enjoy the fun music and fantastical animation, be drawn into the unique and grand settings, and along the way, you might find yourself laughing at the little gags they have sprinkled throughout.
Maybe you'll even be inspired to explore your own creative outlets. I know that personally, after every episode I watched, I felt inspired to work on my own creative pursuits.
I hope you enjoy the show just as much as I do, and thank you for reading my review.

Ah yes, Keep Your Hands Of Eizouken. The new anime that people love to circlejerk about how much of a masterpiece it is. That is not saying that they don't have a point tho.

Keep Your Hands Of Eizouken is a delightful anime about three girls making an anime. One day Midori moves to a beautiful city and after watching an anime anime becomes her passion. Along the way she gets Sayaka by her side to keep Midori in check and finally these two meet the idol Tsubame. Tsubame also has a passion for anime and both convince eachother to make an anime together. ... Oh yeah, Sayaka tags along for the ride. Simple story, not much to say about it.

The characters are pretty fun. You have Midori, the adventurous twat that sets the plots of in motion, Tsubame, a cheerful idol who goes along adventurous twat's storie, and then you Sayaka, the rutheless business woman (seriously she only joins the other cause of money).

While I could go on about how beautiful the animation is or how bangin the OP is, what I most enjoy about this anime is the little tidbits of information about how to make anime. These are Always really interesting to see and it gives a little inside in how the working and thinking process of an animator works.

What I also like is how they present these information bits. I already mentioned how beautiful the animation is, but it is also really clever how they use that beautiful animation. In episode 3 for example they have a whole action scene in sketches to show how an animator sketches an action scene which is briliant.

So yeah, this anime is pretty good. As good as people make it out to be on twitter? Eeeeeeh maybe not but it isn't like that hype isn't unfounded.

Give this anime an episode or two, especially if you are an animator.

“Art reflects reality”

A commonly used expression usually used to express the idea that art takes shape based on happenings in the real world.

2020’s winter crown jewel without a doubt is Eizouken and offers a perfect example of the aforementioned expression. It follows three high school girls on their journey to create an anime for an upcoming festival. The two creatives, Tsubame and Asakusa are held together by Kanamori who acts as their de facto agent and manager, keeping them on track. Along the way we are able to follow the creative process of the girls and gain amazing insight into the absolutely monumental task ... that is creating an anime. It’s so easy to sit back in bed and turn on Crunchyroll or Funimation to watch the latest episode of your favourite series, but do you really know how much work went into just a single episode?

There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that we take for granted from the sound production, to movement to character design that requires a tremendous amount of effort to produce. Eizouken walks us through all of these challenges and offers an inspirational message for all aspiring creatives, go for it. It doesn’t matter what your friends or family think. Go for it.

If you’re tired of the same generic shows being released endlessly every season, this is something you’ll want to watch. It’s truly a breath of fresh air and offers a really nice story that any fan of art can appreciate.

From a technical standpoint, it’s a Yuasa work so you know the art is top notch, the animation when it’s needed, is solid. Eizouken features one of the best OP’s I’ve ever seen from a visual standpoint and one that’s sure to be up there in the best of the decade discussions in 2029. The characters themselves are very well written, unique and all have their own strengths that they bring to the show. From Asakusa’s creativity to Tsubame’s animation skills to Kanamori’s business mentality. They all occupy their lanes well and make the show a blast.

In conclusion, if during this time of encouraged social isolation you’re looking for a fresh and original show to watch that isn’t full of fan-service, otaku escapism motifs or rehashed anime tropes, or you’ve ever wanted to know what goes into making an anime, this is the one for you. Eizouken gets 10 tall girls out of 10.

This anime is like a love letter to the creative process, a celebration of the boundless possibilities of animation.

"Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" follows the quirky trio of Asakusa, Mizusaki, and Kanamori as they embark on a journey to create their own anime. The series is a meta exploration of the animation industry, delving into the nitty-gritty of concept design, storytelling, and the sheer passion that fuels the creative process. It's a love story to the art of animation itself.

Let's talk characters. Asakusa, the dreamy animator with an insatiable imagination; Mizusaki, the high-class model with a passion for movement; and Kanamori, the pragmatic producer with ... an eye for the bottom line – each character brings a unique perspective to the table. Their chemistry is the beating heart of the series, and their dynamic personalities create a balance that reflects the different facets of the creative process.

The animation by Science SARU is a visual feast. The series seamlessly blends reality and fantasy, with the characters' imaginations coming to life in vibrant, sketch-like sequences. The distinct animation style adds charm and authenticity, capturing the raw and unpolished nature of the creative journey. It's not about sleek, polished visuals; it's about the raw, untamed spirit of creation.

"Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" excels in showcasing the highs and lows of the creative process. It doesn't shy away from the struggles – the creative blocks, the compromises, the clashes of vision. Instead, it embraces them, portraying them as essential components of the journey. The series invites viewers to appreciate the beauty in the chaos of creation and to understand that the creative path is rarely a straight line.

Let's talk music. "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" nails it with its soundtrack. "Easy Breezy" by chelmico perfectly captures the energetic and carefree spirit of the series. The music complements the visuals, enhancing the overall experience and immersing the viewer in the whimsical world of the Eizouken trio.

In conclusion, "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" isn't just an anime; it's a passionate manifesto for creators and dreamers alike. It's an ode to the magic of animation, a celebration of the chaotic beauty that emerges when creativity runs wild. While the narrative may be unconventional, that's precisely what makes it so authentic and compelling.

When I originally watched it as it came out, I ended up grading this an A- at 90/100. I recently rewatched it, and caught so much I missed in the original viewing, I had to bump that way up.

I always loved the artwork here. Nothing edgy or avant garde but there's a wonderful creativity and professionalism that is apparent behind every scene. The second time through, I caught so much in the animation that I had missed initially. There is no detail too small not to be fussed over. It is not shonenesque by any means, but it's near perfect for every scene presented.

Originally I ... thought our trio of heroines were a very odd fit, and I was sometimes a bit quizzical about how they interacted. The second go around, it dawned on me this anime is a love lettter to the industry. These three individuals represented the three segments of the business required to create anime series. It made more sense to see how they meshed and conflicted at that level. The writers did such a nice job in that regard. Kudos!

The narrative is pretty straightforward. What's got to happen to make the girls' anime dreams come true? They are presented with realistic challenges, and have to deal with them in realistic ways. No waving of the fantasy magic wand and everything works out right. They have to work hard, and assemble a team of trustworthy helpers, to bring their vision to fruition.

One of the things that really struck me in my second viewing was how absolutely magnificent all the VA work was. From the MCs down to the most fringe secondary characters, the director knew how to get the best work from everyone, With the splendid artwork and animation values, the director put in some of the finest work I have ever seen,

I don't often mention soundtracks. They rarely add or detract from most series. But the series has as good of a soundtrack as you'll ever hear. Easy Breezy may be the most obnoxious earworm ever created. There it goes into my head again, and now it will be stuck there all day.

I couldn't get my hands on enough Eizouken. As I mentioned previously, this grade skyrocketed to 99/100 A+ on my second viewing. It was epic to see something so wonderfully woven together, as a gift of love to the entire industry. I can't recommend it enough, especially if you are sick of all the shonen/isekai/mecha/romcom trash the studios put out today. This is what anime aspires to be, and almost always fails to become.

This anime is so refreshing in every way possible. It tells the story of young school girls who are passionate about creating anime or, in the case of some, making it popular to make money.

All three projects the girls worked on during these 12 episodes were very well written from the production side. Science SARU really showed us all the struggles in anime studios. It was nice to see how Asakusa was going crazy with her ideas, Mizusaki tried her best to make animation as detailed and realistic as possible, and Kanamori just being there for them, guiding them, putting them together and making ... them work and not just dreaming.

It was also refreshing from the concept and genre. Nowadays we have a lot of shonen, isekai, fantasy or just rom-com comedies when girls bully boys, etc. This, on the other hand, was really original, yeah, we can say that there is already one anime about anime, but this is much different from Shirobako, it just shows how without a budget, team or even all the needed stuff for work, just on pure passion something great and interesting can be created.

It is also very funny and heartwarming. There are a lot of good comedy situations with Asakusa, and Kanamori, being all that serious and a businesswoman, is also funny as hell.

Sometimes you might have questions about one or another story moment, but there is really nothing critical that will ruin your experience, so I totally recommend this to everyone and especially to those, who grow tired of all modern anime. Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na! is definitely a breath of fresh air that everyone needs.

Eizouken is a blast of 100% DIY, punk rock energy in anime form. Once the first notes of “Easy Breezy” play, you know you’re in for something genuinely different, and things just get better from there. The three high school girls of Eizouken, determined to make anime at any cost, embody in every line of their animated existence an irrepressible energy that can’t help but translate into an emotionally moving and compulsively watchable journey for anyone willing to jump on board for the crazy ride.

And a wild ride exactly what you get. While Eizouken doesn’t wave away the details that go into making animation, it’s ... not too concerned with the day-to-day operations (unlike the exemplary series Shirobako). Instead, Eizouken is more focused on the intense drive to create, and the frustrations that inevitably arise when irrepressible imagination confronts implacable reality. Luckily, a lot of Machiavellian scheming and some old-fashioned blunt coercion on the part of Kanamori Sayaka, who takes the part of the team’s producer, keeps things careening along towards their goals.

Meanwhile, on the fully unhinged side, we have Asakusa Midori, the character who’s really the driving force behind the whole crazy anime project. She regularly pulls ideas out of her notebooks and engages her friends in absolutely joyful flights through imagined landscapes, improvising wildly along the way. As these fantasies unfold, the focus is on how all three girls contribute to create a shared, vibrant, and cohesive world. Technical problems are solved (or cleverly “explained” away), and everyone has a role in getting to the “end” until it all starts up again the next day.

While Asakusa’s imagined world is lovely, and highly reminiscent of Miyazaki Hayao’s sketches, the actual world of the characters is just as compelling in its own way. Canals run through apartment complexes, the high school’s faculty office room is an abandoned swimming pool, and the city in which our characters run riot exists as a chaotic warren of narrow passages, secret escape routes, barely stable architecture, and tantalizing vistas of a semi-drowned metropolis. It’s our world in a way, but beautifully transformed. It teases familiarity while always reminding us that something’s just not quite right. Mostly, it makes me want to go exploring. It doesn’t even matter if I never figure out the mysteries of Eizouken’s world; isn’t it enough to just visit and maybe make some new friends?

Preferably, it’d be nice to make the acquaintance of Asakusa Midori, the impossibly electric creative talent; Kanamori Sayaka, Asakusa’s affectionately cynical and practical-minded best friend; and Mizusaki Tsubame, who’s determined to become an animator despite her rich parents’ objections. The show wastes little time on polite introductions, overly complex back stories, or endless complications based on contrived misunderstandings or the dreaded “character who’s so shy it takes 12 episodes to get her to smile” trope.

Instead, we get three unique individuals who just decide to say “what the hell” and see what happens. Interpersonal conflicts and developments that occur develop naturally as they get to know each other, but they keep focused on the main thing: they are absolutely 100% making anime. For real. And it’s that dedication to the joy of shared creation, the excitement of pursuing a dream sheerly because it makes you feel so damn alive, that elevates these three girls far above the grim archetypes that haunt most seasonal anime productions. They are all, in their own ways, fully alive.

Eizouken is a love story dedicated to animation as an expressive medium and as a source of emotional connection, drawn with such energy and blissful abandon that one only encounters work of this quality every few years at best. While an anime series that’s about making anime might not seem appealing to everyone, this show is really just about the thrill of new friends and the incomparable exhilaration of experiencing a new creation just as it takes flight. Shows like this remind me why I love anime.

I love anime. You love anime. We all love anime.

Eizouken: Hands off the Motion Pictures Club is about people who love anime. They love it so much. They spend the entire show making anime, talking about anime, and thinking about anime. The intricacies of storyboarding, animation, sound design, voice acting, and management get illustrated in detail. I learned a great deal about anime production by watching this.

Eizouken wanted to capture the magic of creativity and artists’ extraordinary minds, and maybe it did for a few moments. The rest is an unfulfilled promise that left me feeling robbed.

It introduces three likable comrades who are passionate about ... anime; Midori and Mizusaki are the two artists, and Kanamori, their business-focused manager. They have good chemistry with each other; The space-cadet artist, a teenage star and now an animator, and the strict—but kindhearted—money-hungry manager who can whip them into shape. Each of them has a distinctive character design that reflects their personality, expressive voice acting, and an endless supply of funny faces.

Throughout the series, the club struggles to earn enough funds to buy equipment and maintain their clubhouse. To alleviate this problem, they endeavor to make the best anime they can to prove they’re worth a bigger budget. The end goal is to make more anime, better anime, and prove to everyone they are worth watching. It would seem we have come full circle. Eventually, this became the show’s rhythm; the three friends worry about some drama that always appears as quickly as it disappears. Their obstacles get resolved much easier than the show makes them seem. They need to make a club, find an advisor, find a budget, the same formula every few episodes—and it never gets more exciting. The more significant conflicts culminate in a finished animated short made by the team. These parts got drawn with the best art in the series. There’s never really an arc for the club, the quality of their work gets noticeably better, but their popularity is always reliant on Mizusaki’s fame as a model.

The pacing plateaued after the third episode. It was no longer the adventurous and awe-inspiring anime I fell in love with. As the episodes passed by, I realized I was watching it to see the fantastic opening. Eventually, it lost its magic too. I realized everyone was talking about the opening, and no one was talking about the show. Over time Eizouken transitioned into a boring tutorial on how to make a good anime without being a model example itself. The background music was excellent—more specifically, three songs. But they were repeated ad nauseam every episode, promptly losing their magic.

About a third of this anime takes place in each character’s artistic imagination, and the other half is spent in the real world discussing the club’s project and maintaining their budget. The imagination sequences are drawn amateurishly with every sound effect voiced by the characters, it’s so charming. The charm starts to wear off when the third fantasy in an episode begins, and you have to witness the plain white background with chicken scratch art. There’s also the general question of how the three club comrades are dreaming the same dream simultaneously. It’s intriguing how Yuasa plays with diegesis here. A quick definition of diegesis: The visuals/audio that the characters can perceive versus or what is only perceivable to the audience (such as a narrator or background music).

When Mizusaki or Midori present their drawings to Kanamori, it’s clear they’re all imagining what’s depicted in the storyboard, so the jump cut to hand-drawn art makes sense. These sequences are sometimes awe-inspiring, and it truly feels like they’re three friends adventuring into the most creative corners of their minds. It is an excellent use of diegesis to develop the cast and thrill the audience without bending our suspension of disbelief. During the first few episodes, these sequences get used quite effectively. Unfortunately, Yuasa seems to forget the rules of diegesis, and he makes many of the fantasy sequences a confusing blend of diegetic and nondiegetic elements with no basis in reality. For example, Midori often gets lost in thought while walking down the streets with her friends, imagining the world is an exciting anime. We’ve all done it before as kids, it’s pointless to the show but entertaining nonetheless. She’ll visualize street lamps as rockets or picture a giant monster looming on the horizon, then suddenly her friends are part of it. It’s not clear whether it’s all in her head or if she is talking about it so that they dream with her. These scenes lost my attention. There is just no substance to them.

It’s a shame they wasted so many excellent components because Eizouken had the workings of a masterpiece. The real-world setting has a great aesthetic. Everything about the architecture is confusing but strangely beautiful. Buildings are a jumble of concrete in different shapes on a hill to make all of them visible. Rivers are all over the lowest level, inspiring Midori to dream of traveling the city on a boat. Every frame is colored with a washed-out palette, making every frame relaxing. If only this beautiful world were populated with something, anything, interesting. Mystery, lore, anything to make it worth exploring. As far as we see, there’s nothing cool about it other than how it looks. There were minor references to capitalism, socialism, and environmental degradation, but they were surface level, never explored in depth. I appreciated the references to Hayao Miyazaki. In that respect, I would call the anime a love letter, even though it adds nothing to the show’s actual quality. In the end, Eizouken’s emotional finale rung hollow, leaving the story incomplete. Likely, this will not receive a sequel, but if it does, I’ll be back with hopes it will utilize its characters and setting far more.

If you love anime, you should watch Eizouken. That’s not to say you will love Eizouken, but it is an essential watch for anime fans interested in the production of the medium we love. It drew me in with its child-like fascination with anime and its happy messages of aspiring to achieve your dreams, capitalizing on my nostalgia. Quickly it let my fondest memories fade away as it lost track of what made it special. Alright, that’s enough disappointment. I have said my piece. Now, Masaki Yuasa fans, I accept my fate. No, I will not resist. Take me to the guillotine.

This review consists of my initial review after watching 4 episodes, and another after watching Episode 5 and 6.

Watching Eizouken with a cup of coffee is a GREAT start to whatever that you need to do. I can't even specifically tell you what it is, but there is just SOMETHING in seeing these three high school girls be busy with animation that gets me all pumped up.

In case you might be wondering, the assumed main character (the shorty with the short hair) is a girl by the way--not a boy. (I found out about the anime from its trailer on my feed on Facebook, and ... assumed it was a boy, but nope--not that I mind anyway.)

EP 5+6: The anime is REALLY revolved around animation and the three club members MAKING anime and the cruel process that happens behind the scene. It goes over motivation and being inspired as well as how tasks are supposed to be efficiently done, but done another way. SO, do NOT expect the average amount of drama in animes, it's barely existent in this one.

Plus the opening and ending songs are great.

Q u i r k y