If you've seen a lot of my previous reviews, then you know that I adore TV episodes about the characters banding together and working on a film. So when I found out that there's a goofy slice of life anime about a group of kids banding together to work on an anime of their own, I knew that this show was made for me.
Eisouken is an anime about three kids, Asakusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki, who form their own film club to work on an anime of their own. Right from the get-go, you feel like the series is a love letter to animation, and a commentary on its reputation in the world. While the main trio (except maybe Kanamori) have found some sort of inspiration in and love for animation, the main conflict of the story is that they have to pretend it's a live action club (what Eizouken means) because the school believes the two mediums are separate. This anime also doesn't shy away from just how long animation takes to produce, with an entire sequence just about how to make a rotating windmill look nice. You get to see the entire animation process in detail, watching the characters through their successes and failures. Even more, there are storylines and sequences that comment on the anime industry, crunch, pay, and cutting corners, all through the premise of an animation club. If you're interested in film or animation at all, this series packs in a ton of fascinating information on how the industry works. For me, someone who's been in a bunch of film production clubs of my own and loves learning about the filmmaking craft, this is like an ideal show for me. But even if you're not interested in this kind of stuff, Eizouken is still a ton of fun. The writing is sharp and jokes come fast, the majority of which hit hard. The whole anime has this great sense of energy, through its fun comedy, inventive sequences where the characters act out their own anime ideas, and especially its amazing characters.
While the main premise is really cool on its own and executed amazingly, Eizouken is still primarily a story about its characters, and they are excellent. While I don't mind moe art styles (I do love K-On after all), the main trio all feel like realistic teenage girls, all with varied designs and voices. They're just a bunch of goofballs who get distracted constantly, I love it! Each member of the cast is memorable, and they all get a third of the season to focus on them. Asakusa is the quirky and lovable heart of the series, the lead background animator with a passion for anime, though she struggles in social situations. Mizusaki is the rich famous model with a love for animation, yet her parents forbid her from pursuing this interest. She definitely has the most dramatic storyline of the series, though it's usually still just used for a bunch of fun slapstick scenes with her bodyguards. Then there's Kanamori, Asakusa's friend who isn't actually interested in animation, rather she inserts herself into the role of producer for the money. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, Kanamori is absolutely hysterical and the highlight of the series. She plays off of Asakusa and Mizusaki incredibly well, her greed leads to a lot of funny sequences, and her snarky attitude leads to a ton of great one-liners. But even with her motives, Kanamori slots in the role of producer incredibly quickly and always makes sure the trio gets what they need. The whole cast is a ton of fun to watch, and feel like a perfect comedic trio like some of the best comedies out there.
But even better than the story, concept, and characters is the show's amazing animation. I already mentioned how well-designed the characters are. There's no same face syndrome here, the main trio each looks entirely different from each other. The anime is super fluid and cartoonish, with each episode packing in tons of goofy and memorable character expressions. Each frame is also so detailed, with something hilarious happening in the background nearly all the time. But the most impressive aspect are those aforementioned imagination sequences, with the characters acting out their anime ideas. There's one of these every episode and every single one of them is a joy to watch, filled with unique imagery and different art styles, ranging from sketchbook to watercolor. I also love the detail of the characters making the sound effects in these segments with their own voices. Speaking of which, the voice acting in this series is excellent, especially for Asakusa, whose voice just fits the character to a tee. As for the music, the background music isn't anything amazing as far as anime is concerned, but the OP "Easy Breezy" is just so good, I can definitely see why it became a it of a meme. It's goofy, it's catchy, and it's not super long, so I found myself barely skipping it (which is super rare for me, I even skip my favorite openings just to save time).
The whole show is insanely entertaining, but these episodes are the highlights:
The Greatest World: This was an excellent pilot episode for the series, bringing the main trio together, revealing their motivations, and packing in a ton of memorable, hilarious, and stunning sequences, from Asakusa's backstory, to the chase scene with Mizusaki's bodyguard, to the amazing final sequence revealing Asakusa's greatest world. It's a great showcase of everything you should come to expect from the series.
Hold That Machete Tight: While the first three episodes showed shades of it, this episode goes full satire as the club is forced to figure out a way to finish their film by the deadline without sacrificing quality. It's impressive just how much this episode accomplishes alongside resolving the first arc of the series, as we get to see nearly the entire process behind the titular short film, see the film itself, provide a compelling conflict between Kanamori and Mizusaki, while also discussing things like crunch, reusing footage, in-betweening, and moments of sakuga. And the third act during the big presentation was just amazing. It was funny, entertaining, and I love the ending where everyone found themselves blown away by the anime, but the animators themselves. An absolutely amazing episode.
The Grand Shibahama Festival: The robot arc was my personal least favorite of the series, but it also had a pretty great ending. Unlike the more satire-focused Hold That Machete Tight, this arc finale was far more character-driven as Mizusaki is forced to reveal her anime hobby to her parents, resulting in a surprisingly heartwarming finale. But the whole cast gets something to do here, from Asakusa running into the bodyguards again, to Ono living out his dream, to the robot club fighting the student council, to Kanamori blackmailing the school and selling DVDs. It's a fun and frantic caper that might even surpass Machete with its frantic pace, rapid fire jokes, and emotional heft, not to mention yet another excellent film showcase.
Aim For Comet A: Earlier on in the review, I said that Kanamori was one of my favorite characters, so it makes sense that her backstory would be one of my favorite episodes. Young Kanamori is adorable and it's super fascinating to watch her talent in business grow as she works at her family's store, and the fact that it was forced to close down serves as a strong motivation for her to keep the Eizouken up and running. Also, Asakusa's rant at the end of the episode is absolutely beautifully animated.
Shibahama UFO Wars: While probably the weakest of the three arc finales, this was still a really great episode and works really well as a series finale. I thought the ending where Asakusa's "Greatest World" becomes a reality through her films to be pretty perfect. The titular UFO Wars film is easily the most ambitious and visually stunning of the Eizouken films, taking up nearly half of the episode! Once again, it's great to see all of the ideas that the team had drafted out over the course of the last four episodes come together in such a big way.
Overall, I adored Eizouken. The main premise is right up my alley and it balances between a love letter to animation and a biting commentary on the industry. The characters are memorable and well-written, the comedy is clever, and the animation is amazing. This is definitely going up the ranks as one of my personal favorite anime.
5/5 Stars
Favorite Episode: The Grand Shibahama Festival
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