Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (12 Eps)
It is not uncommon for anime directors to go years between the release of projects crafting their stories and painstaking animation but there is one name who seemingly operates on his own timeline void of what seems humanly possible. Masaaki Yuasa doesn't just release one project a year but instead multiple full-length anime series and feature films each year. Not only is Yuasa putting out an impressive amount of content but every project is of actual value being some of the best films and anime series of each year. Because of this, of course there is excitement for every new Masaaki Yuasa project and just when it seems like it is known what to expect from Yuasa projects with their traditional works often being a deeper emotional exploration of some aspect of the human experience through some fantasy catalyst, Yuasa changes it up with Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! being arguably his most grounded work to date. Following 3 girls who decide to start a club to produce anime during their time in high school, the show serves a love letter to anime and those producing it.
As far as a look into the production of anime and the passion which some creators put into their work, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! works extremely well really selling the unlimited potential of the animated space. Episodes will often feature the main character Midori Asakusa (Sairi Ito) dreaming of a concept she wants to create in an animated space only for the world around her to transform into a rough draft of that fantasy world quite literally sucking the characters into her fantasy. This wonder and drive for creativity is felt throughout the show and where it often is shown through extravagant means, does have the quieter more grounded moments such as the characters watching Future Boy Conan and being inspired by the worldbuilding in the show. This is where the show is having the most fun and clearly serves at least partly as a place for Yuasa to showcase and explain his own love for the animated space. There are multiple scenes that are also just genuinely stunning as the lines before reality and fiction get blurred and the show visually represents the impact the anime created in the show has on its viewers. The show also does a great job showing the various elements that go into anime and the importance of them. The show actually takes the time to explore things like sound editing and shot composition and explains how important they are. The reason the show is so effective at this is because it doesn't just tell the audience what these concepts mean but instead also shows their impact. Over the course of the season, the anime shows the evolution of the anime being made within the show allowing the audience to see the impact of every minor choice.
Where this might make the show interesting, it is the characters and the world that the show takes place in that makes it engaging. Each of the three main characters are really well defined and are fun both on their own and with the dynamics of the group. Midori Asakusa is the socially awkward girl who has a deep passion for anime and constantly has to find how to express this to others who don't share the same appreciation, Sayaka Kanamori (Mutsumi Tamura) is the girl who doesn't have the same passion for the artistic quality of anime but rather is focused with keeping the club running and making deadlines often blackmailing others and being strict to get what she and the club wants, and Tsubame Mizusaki (Misato Matsuoka) is the girl who has to keep her work from her parents who have forbidden her from joining an Anime Club but her desire to create anime is too great for her not to betray their rules. Some of the best moments of the show are the moments of downtime where these girls are able to play off of each other and simply live life. One thing clear is that every character is making a sacrifice, the show paints anime as a rewarding yet incredibly difficult career and hobby never straying too far away from the truth. Creating anime is a constant mess of meeting deadlines and pushing through physical pain and the show isn't afraid to explore that making the characters even more likable. The world created around the characters is also incredibly fun and dynamic. Not only is the city in general breathtaking with it being built on the water and being an all-around exciting city to explore, but the school itself is one of the most entertaining locations in any anime in recent memory. Acting as its own miniature world with dozens of clubs running every element of the school including a government always out to prey on the weaker clubs, the dynamics between students constantly provides entertainment without taking away from the magic of the anime creation portion of the show.
Part of the reason the world and bigger visual ideas of the show works so well is the animation which continues the Masaaki Yuasa tradition of being visually stunning and creative. Not only is Yuasa's simplistic animation and linework perfect when it comes to realizing this world and setting, but the show is able to play around in the space of Midori Asakusa's daydreams bringing her ideas and concepts to life using designs that feel like rough drafts both making them stand out while feeling smooth enough that they are not distracting. The music throughout the show is also really enjoyable coming from Oorutaichi. It creates effective musical ques that feel iconic and helps make the show stand out. The OP "Easy Breezy" by chelmico also stands out as one of the most memorable and fun OP's in recent memory and is sure to go down as one of the best of the year.
Every time it seems like Masaaki Yuasa has revealed his cards and true talent doing something unique and special. he goes and does something completely different with the same level of quality. The only minor issue within Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is that it can feel a bit repetitive as its characters move from project to project but still the characters and the world is entertaining enough to easily look past this. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is a love letter to anime and those making it becoming one of the most grounded and personal projects Masaaki Yuasa has ever created. With it being widely available on services like Crunchyroll and HBO Max, this series is nearly must-watch for fans of anime and probably will go down as one of the best shows of the year.
Part of the reason the world and bigger visual ideas of the show works so well is the animation which continues the Masaaki Yuasa tradition of being visually stunning and creative. Not only is Yuasa's simplistic animation and linework perfect when it comes to realizing this world and setting, but the show is able to play around in the space of Midori Asakusa's daydreams bringing her ideas and concepts to life using designs that feel like rough drafts both making them stand out while feeling smooth enough that they are not distracting. The music throughout the show is also really enjoyable coming from Oorutaichi. It creates effective musical ques that feel iconic and helps make the show stand out. The OP "Easy Breezy" by chelmico also stands out as one of the most memorable and fun OP's in recent memory and is sure to go down as one of the best of the year.
Every time it seems like Masaaki Yuasa has revealed his cards and true talent doing something unique and special. he goes and does something completely different with the same level of quality. The only minor issue within Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is that it can feel a bit repetitive as its characters move from project to project but still the characters and the world is entertaining enough to easily look past this. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is a love letter to anime and those making it becoming one of the most grounded and personal projects Masaaki Yuasa has ever created. With it being widely available on services like Crunchyroll and HBO Max, this series is nearly must-watch for fans of anime and probably will go down as one of the best shows of the year.