Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Neat explanation of Asakusa's preference for the word "comrade" there. These three really are more than just friends at this point and it's all been great to witness.

As for the sound mix-up, I assumed it was because they hired the OST guy as a third party - even if Asakusa explained what she wanted to happen, there's only so much that gets translated over webcam meetings. Maybe it hurt that the OST guy wasn't with them from the start, so he wouldn't know what they were gunning for, exactly.

Or maybe the OST guy accidentally sent them the wrong file, because he might be a freelancer, and you know how swamped freelancers usually are.

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EXPELLED WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE!

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WEED?

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FRIENDSHIP IS WHAT NOW?!

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LOOK AT HOW SMOL THEY ARE

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SUBMARINES HECK YEAH!

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THUGBELINA!

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HOPE THE REST OF YOU ARE DOING OKAY IN QUARANTINE!
 
I forgot to mention this in my first post, but

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Asakusa and Mizusaki are totally me when shit goes down out in public. I mean, I wouldn't have my phone out or anything, but I'd totally be slowing down and taking off my headphones just so I can get a clearer picture of the situation.
 
This was the most consistent and well balanced anime of the season. Yuasa's direction was stylish and quirky as usual, but it didn't overwhelm the story. Instead the interesting style uplifted an already well written coming of age story for the central three characters while providing animation nerds with a lot of interesting food for thought in how anime and other animation actually gets made. 9 out of 10
 
12[finale]:

Me during crunch time, this has never been so relatable:
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God, I burst out laughing with those faces but I FUCKING FELT THIS BRO. Looking like some dried out raisins, crunching till the deadline all high up on energy drinks and soda.

This show was a marvel of creativity, ambition and passion, wasn't a single moment I didn't enjoy with how feel good this show made me feel, all fluttery inside. Wholesomeness personified and it is the most well animated show of the season.

4.5/5

This is one of Yuasa's most grounded shows by his standards but it's also one of his best, up there with Ping Pong: The animation, I DARE SAY. Which is also quite grounded.
 
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Every artist thinks they're a fuckin' auteur. The music person couldn't just stick to the plan. They had to call an audible. Granted the team would have had more warning if they ever bothered to check their e-mail.

Ping Pong: The Animation is a good comparison point for this show. It's the same kind of mix of heightened reality along with some ground and nuanced character work.
 
Ep. 12-
I'm glad we got to see the final product. However, I'm a bit confused- I thought they did voice actor auditions a couple of episodes back and I assumed it was to voice characters in this short. Maybe I'm wrong though. Anyway, I wish there had been one more episode so we could see how things turned out and maybe a bit of the future, but I guess it's not really necessary, since they obviously sold out, the short was a success, and I liked how it ended with Asakusa's "We can do better." All in all, quite an enjoyable show. It was a feast for the eyes and gave us a window into how anime is made.
 
Alright, that was a good final episode.

I loved the final product they sold. I feel like the music was actually perfect for the story of the short animated film. It was also great how everyone's devices exploded after watching it. Everything was creatively made as usual.

I've stated my opinion on this show many times and it remains unchanged. Namely, I love it.
 
Fellas, I think I just heard the worst sound in the world, and that's the sound of Mizusaki on the edge of panic. It just doesn't feel right to hear her nearly burst into tears on the spot, let me tell you.

I like that these high school girls made what was essentially an animated version of Dunkirk in - what, a few weeks? That's some serious high-grade stuff. The story might have been a little all over the place - fuckin' deadlines and freelancers with a mind of their own - but all the technicals were just an 11/10 all around. Most of the story's faults could really be blamed on circumstances that were mostly beyond their control, so I guess that's something that can be overlooked. Their UFO short is mostly just a demo reel anyway, and what great stuff it already is for a group of high schoolers!

Even Asakusa says it herself at the end, after all: there's still a lot of room for improvement.

I love that last shot of the ED too. Go, Asakusa, go run after your dreams!

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On a side note, we've been asking ourselves the wrong question this whole time. It's not a question of whether you're Kanamori, Mizusaki, or Asakusa - we're all really Doumeki and there's nothing we can do about that.

That helpless smile she makes when they all realize how much shit they're in? Oh man, if that wasn't me back in the day. It's also neat to see some members of the student council tuning in to watch the Eizouken club's final short.

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Also, this is now officially the best shot of the series. I really do love the smell of a project coming together in the morning.

Eizouken's just top-tier stuff all around. It's quietly subtle about its heartwarming and inspiring moments, and I love that it relies just as much on its characters' interactions and personalities as it does its animation.

I really do feel like I've pulled a series of all-nighters with these four girls, so watching their short gave me some real feelings of accomplishment. It's been a while since I last did something worth losing sleep over. You know, a real passion project; one you were unafraid of showing to the world. I miss the feeling.

Not only does the show help you remember what that once felt like; it also kind of nudges you to get out there and do it again. It's a reminder we could all do well to remember. Sometimes, it's not bad to start feeling like a kid again.

4/5
 
This anime did a very good job portraying the journey of the characters, not knowing if they would succeed, but being driven by their passion for it. And by passion I mean sacrificing their sleep and doing whatever it took to finish their anime. And by the end of it it felt like I was watching a real anime made by real girls and having me watch it.

Truly an inspiring series. I won't say this is for everyone, but I will say that this is an anime for the truly hardcore anime fans. A 4.5/5 experience. But I bet what Asakusa would say is, "We can make it better."
 
XII - There's Still Room for Improvement

What a beautiful and perfect anime this was. This last episode put a perfect cap on it, their last project that they worked so hard to squeeze in the final changes on. And than that last scene brought me almost to tears. I'm so proud of these goddamn girls. And this anime.

Also kanamori got some more respect for me, I thought she would end the show being one of the less good characters in it for me, but she really shines in intense situations and comes through with the level-headedness.

I want to write a review for this, but politics got me feeling like shit right now so I'm not feeling it. In the meantime I'll go ahead and give this my best score.

Ten Asakusa's spittin' straight facts out of ten:

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/10
 
Just got done watching the last episode of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and in conclusion. This is by far one of the best anime we had of this season. The last episode overall was nicely done while not one of the most grand conclusions I've seen. It does make me feel sad that we won't be seeing more of this creative show. The main trio are full of personality and have such excellent chemistry with memorable character designs that make them stand out. My highest praise for this show would be it's animation.

The amount of creativity and effort that was put into it really astounded me. Both from the animated films they make and the animation as a whole. While it's not one of the most dramatic or emotional depth shows. It does offer a feel good sort of vibe to the show as in it really makes you happy from start to finish. I was kind of hoping for more hardships along the road nonetheless I was still hooked on it because of how charming it was.

Keep Your Hands of Eizouken is a high recommendation if you enjoyed the director's other works such as Tatami Galaxy or Ping Pong the Animation. Or if you really are interested in anime that talks about making anime then this is a very unique show to watch that does it greatly.

8/10.
 
12
Aww, don't cut the dance scene :(
I'm glad we finally got to see a full product without any interruptions at last. And it was pretty damn amazing. The music was great. I almost teared up watching it.

While the love of animation and the characters and the world were amazing, I wasn't always fully entertained. Sometimes the plot just dragged. So I guess I'm giving this a nice 8.5/10
That said, I'm going to miss this show. I hope we get another season.
 
Another neat thing they built up to in the finale:

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Everything ties up to constantly improving yourself, whether you're an artist or not. It's not just the Eizouken team that sought to improve themselves over the course of the series, it could be us, too. We may not be artists like them, but we can always do our best to be the best versions of ourselves.

Life imitates art imitates life. Pretty neat how the girls managed to make their work feel so personal, even if they're not always as obvious as Mizusaki's trademark tea toss animation sequence.
 
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