One of the standout anime series of recent years has definitely got to be Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, so this Blu-ray release is something I’ve looked forward to.
Loosely speaking, Eizouken is an anime about how anime is made. Taken from the perspective of three high school girls, that of Asakusa, Mizusaki and Kanamori. With each of the girls representing different aspects of an anime’s production. Such as Asakusa undertaking the planning and direction, Mizusaki handling the animation and Kanamori overseeing production.
Creating their own club, that of “Eizouken”, they undertake the immense task of making their own anime and dealing with all the various high school related hijinks along the way, but that doesn’t really explain what makes this series so special.
Based on the manga by Sumito Owara, the anime version blurs the lines (often literally) between the ideas behind and actual production of animation. It also beautifully captures what it means to be creative and make something of your own.
Each of three main characters are also very endearing. With Asakusa’s unruly enthusiasm being especially infectious. Although I did tend to gravitate more towards Kanamori’s dryer wit.
The other major character in Eizouken is the bonkers location of of Shibahama. A fictional place, probably in Shikoku, its layout is fascinatingly complex and overrun. It also acts as much of the major creative inspiration for what the girls end up animating.
One of the other major inspirations within the anime, especially on why Asakusa wants to make anime in the first place, is that of Future Boy Conan. Admittedly, they can’t call it that within the series, in fact they call it “Conaso”, but the sections that are shown are very clearly from Conan.
For anyone that knows the history of anime, Conan is not only one of the best anime series ever made but it has also openly influenced many of the major figures within the medium. So to have it pop up here, feels entirely fitting and apt.
The music by Oorutaichi is also remarkable and suits the wide-eyed enthusiasm that Eizouken is ultimately all about.
As for this Blu-ray release, the visuals are pristine and the audio is excellent. You also have the original Japanese dialogue and English dub to choose from. The extra content is a little on the lean side, but really the series itself is the main attraction.
I also feel that Eizouken firmly dispels the empty myth about representation in media. The fact that three girls are making anime doesn’t matter, when it’s clearly their passion that carries them and you through. It’s complete nonsense that you need a character to be the same as you to relate to them. After all, I was happily cheering this trio on as they battled their high school council and whenever Asakusa went on one of her creative “trips”.
Put simply, Eizouken is a genuinely unfettered and joyous anime about anime, that takes you through the bumpy and fun world of making something within the limitations we all have and face. With the manga still ongoing, I do hope we get some more of this anime at some point but for now, this concise and excellent series will certainly do.
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is available on Blu-ray from the Sentai Filmworks store for $48.99.
Disclosure: Sentai Filmworks sent me this Blu-ray for the purposes of this review.
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