I remember reading Robinson Crusoe as a little kid, i don't even know what made me pick up that book and frankly i found it to be a bit boring. But it was the only source of entertainment that i had during a family vacation every time we went back to where we were staying. I could either sleep or read, and i read.
Despite feeling like a boring book, there was something about it that resonated with me. That feeling of adventure, of going to unkown lands, of having to be creative and use whatever one can find to survive. And ultimately it made me love stories about journeys and how creative one can become when placed in a situation that tests our limits.
That's exactly what i loved about doing these silly school plays in which we had to act when i was a kid, we had this pretty strict teacher that wanted us to truly feel like we were doing any kind of acting and just interpret and have fun being someone else for as long as we were standing up on that stage. That opened my mind, made me realize how important improvisation is, and what creativity can do, what it can show us. From that point on i was always interested in many forms of art, whether it would be acting, drawing, writing or even something like editing later on. I wouldn't say that im great at any of these disciplines, but that isn't the point. What matters is to understand that i have a kind of "creative background", ive done a lot of stuff either by myself or in groups. And i always look forward to the impression on people's faces, to what they will say or think about what i made, i live for that expression, whether it is sweet or sour doesn't really matter as long as it's a genuine one.
And that's exactly what made me fall in love with Eizouken, it's brimming with passion and so genuine in its depictions.
It's a story about 3 silly girls wanting to not only make their own animation club, but one in which they will be doing everything from the sketches, to the concept art, to the animations, the color, the sound, the music, etc. And how they go from working on black and white animation first to finally get to productions that are full of sound, music and color.
It begins as a simple 3 friend club that makes animations, and with each new work they will add new members to the team that add a new layer of complexity to the task.
We have a rather small cast of characters which is great since this is a 12 episode anime, and in turn that makes all of the important ones that do appear have some kind of development and importance. It's a series that knows exactly when to be fast and colorful and when to slow down, turn the music off and show what is going on. And that allows us to have a deeper look at each of the protagonists and properly understand where they come from, who they are, and what they seek.
From Asakusa, a short, shy and timid but creative and excessively passionate girl that conveys passion and love for each and every project that they work on. And with a pretty analytical and critical mind, she wants to take her ideas and make them reality with a proper treatment. She worries about the little details too much but knows when to stop and keep going thanks to Kanamori. Kanamori is pretty much the brain, she takes care of the logistics and makes sure to organize everything and of the talking and bussiness side of things.
Tall, fierce, an imposing figure that knows how to get what she wants. But ultimately a charming and caring person that would do anything for her friends, this is the character i like the most and one that feels the most developed of them all maybe. Everything from her is just top notch and perfectly balances the team, as Asakusa and Mizusaki (the last girl of the 3) can sometimes be too passionate about their ideas and lose themselves in their imagination, often thinking more about what they would like to do than actually doing. Mizusaki is pretty much the trump card, she's a hard working individual that seeks to replicate realistic motions in her animations. She's the most calm of the 3, working part time as a model which is important as this will allow them to make all of the publicity that their works need through her image.
Every single one of them has their own vision and motivations, for Asakusa it's all about bringing ideas to fruition, for Kanamori it's all about the bussiness and money, and Mizusaki just seeks a break from the promising future that her parents wanted her to have. To seek her own path through the joy of animation, motivated by her obsession with motion ever since she was a kid. Note that im not only able to talk about how and who these characters are, but also what they seek and what their role is. The fact that i can make these distinctions, to me, exemplifies how great this anime was at conveying what each of these individuals is supposed to be like. Ultimately making the three of them well established characters.
Something that i also feel like it's worth pointing out, is how these girls actually look, sound, appear and act as a normal person would. There have been and still are so many shows in which girls are depicted as an object devoid of any kind of personality, objects that exist for the sole purpose of appealing to a male audience through sexualization. Im tired of this, and this show doesn't have any of that. There isn't any kind of "fan service" or moments in which the girls are anything more than just girls. They are characters that feel like real people, and thats sadly something that can't be said about the majority of anime and media but something that will hopefully get better as time goes on. After all, it has gotten better, at a slow pace but it's better than anything i guess.
Most of the time the series focuses on the present, but there are some unique situations in which it decides to show us a bit of each characters past, and every single time it does it's wonderful and emotional.
This is ultimately an emotional series, seeing how they go from work to work, how they work hard on every single project until their last breath, often having to improvise and adapt to the difficulties that each task represents and the problems that outside people bring is just so fun and it can be quite easy to relate to. And that's exactly where the fun begins, this series takes us on an emotional journey. I remember 4 particular episodes in which i cried and truly felt emotional, and it's all on me. The series itself doesn't want you to cry, doesn't ask you to, it isn't like the majority of anime and narratives that bring up sensitive topics to make you feel, no. This one just let's you feel.
Anyone that has done any kind of creative work in their lifetime should take the time to watch this show and be amazed at how great it is at conveying what goes on in our heads while we work and do stuff. There's this particular scene that i love in which after showing their first short film in front of a gigantic audience everyone is absolutely blown up by how awesome and immersive it was. And yet Asakusa just stands in the stage and starts talking to Mizusaki and Kanamori about how they could have done a particular shot better, and basically goes on a rant of her own project in front of a shocked audience that can do nothing more than stand there processing what they just saw. And that spoke to me on such a personal level that i broke down in tears. Seeing them presenting that project that they worked so hard on, to at the end of the day, no matter how great it was, start going on a rant about how they could have done it better and start taking ideas for future projects. I feel like everyone who has done anything creative can relate to this, it was so genuinely beautiful.
And that's exactly what made me fall in love for this series and love it from beginning to end, it's such a genuine ride. This series shows us how sometimes things don't go as we would like them to, but we need to adapt, improvise and keep trying in order to get better. Most of the time the greatest ideas come from limitations and trying to work around problems that show up during our creative process.
There's even illustrations at the end of each episode drawn by various artists that depict the main trio in different styles and situations, and every single one of those make for great wallpapers. I love them and im a huge fan of little details like showing illustrations at the end of each episode, it's a silly and simple thing but one that i find extremely heartwarming and cute.
And what can i even say about the animation and directing, it's just perfect. It's Masaaki Yuasa, the man that brough us so much stuff and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come. I feel like one could do an analysis of both Devilman Crybaby and Eizouken as they feel like polar opposites in so many ways, but both are excellent in what they try to do. What im trying to say is: if devilman crybaby left you feeling hollow, this will fill you up and make you feel warm.
Ultimately, this show is a love letter to creative minds and people who seek to get better at any kind of artistic discipline. Hope you will love it as much as i did or at least have fun with it.
33.5 out of 37 users liked this review
