Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Overactive imagination. A friendship based on shared (mostly) passion. Distinctive personalities. Funny dialogue. Well-drawn animation. Cute but not overly kawaii girls. This anime series is really good!

What I like most is that Midori, Sayaka, and Tsubame are totally believable and relatable characters. Even Mr. Fujimoto is realistic in a humorous way. This anime is actually much better than the live-action version.

PS ... Wish I could join their club :D.

This anime series is centred on a trio of school girls who get together and create an anime club. They don't sit around watching anime; they intend to make their own. Midori believes anime is all about great world building; she is constantly on the lookout for inspiration in the world around them. Tsubame is a local model but aspires to be an animator. Sayaka isn't as interested in anime as the other two but she sees a money making opportunity and negotiates with the school authorities when needed. Throughout the series the group work to be allowed to form a club then work to create their first anime; to do this they will have to work with other clubs; most notably the one member Audio Club.

There are numerous anime series about school girls getting together to form a club; don't be fooled into thinking this is going to be like most of those... this is something special. At first sight the character designs look a little basic but really suit the characters. The town they live in is beautifully designed and as Midori imagines various anime possibilities the animation style changes seamlessly to make it clear what is real and what isn't. The characters are great fun to watch and their activities seem real even when things occasionally get far-fetched. Overall I'd say this is the 'anime of the season' for me; it is just a pity it is only twelve episodes long... definitely one to watch.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

Eizouken. Best anime of the year, hands down. I think it in short is the best anime of the year because it frankly, has a simple but amazing storyline with 3 realistic girls making anime, with natural struggles, budget issues, action, wholesomeness, best girl Sayori, commentary on the anime industry, great art, and a intro that slaps. It really reminded me why I love anime. The story, style, and vibe. 100% recommend to all new and old weebs.

It's a show about young animators making an anime, there's really nothing more to it. However, anyone with a passion for creating things - whether writing, filming, editing, or animating - will identify with the lead characters. It does a great job of capturing the spirit of creating something, and it gives off a pretty good message that at the end of the day, as long as you're creating something, you're accomplishing something. That being said, I really liked this show.

I really enjoyed how 'free-form' the twelve-episode piece felt. As though the creators' vision was coming together more organically than any high profile anime I have seen in recent years. My favourite part of all is the three main characters, each very different in her own way but an indispensable member of the team. All the characters felt very human, with all their talents and personal challenges given plenty of time to shine despite the relatively short total runtime. I found the plot airtight with all its ups and downs coming beautifully to fruition at the end. The art is very expressive, dipping into unorthodox styles to show what animation is like from the maker's perspective. I recommend this anime to aspiring artists or makers of any creative project, as I can see how the way it tells its story could be enormously inspiring to anybody who develops a piece of work in collaboration with others.