The one
The only
Eiken
With a colorful cast of characters who's names I almost remember and a plot that rivals the best that cinema has to offer ( yes, even Rats: Nights of Terror ) it's not hard to see that Eiken is a anime that defined a generation.
Uninformed detractors might say something along the lines of "If you want a picture of Eiken, imagine a pair of breasts smacking into a human face, forever." which would be unfair considering the deep emotional, philosophical and political issues that Eiken touches on such as love, the role of women in society, body image, cross dressing and subtle imagery that could take weeks or maybe even months for your mind to digest properly.
While many remember this terrific series for it's truly magnificent artwork and not to mention the realistic yet subtly sensual imagery I personally feel that the story is what makes Eiken such a masterpiece. Our main character Densuke is a complex man in a relatable situation struggling to prove his love to a woman suffering from chronic back pains because of her tragically over sized breasts and to prove himself as something other than your run-of-the-mill playboy he joins their secret club and enter a contest. ( I'm particularly fond of the famous yogurt slide scene as I'm sure most viewers are, I will go into this more deeply later ) The stakes are high, my pulse got high, the writer may or may not have been high and it all adds up to a truly artistic spectacle unlike anything else seen in anime, cinema or dadaist art.
Despite being a progressive piece of art, Eiken still follows some standard narrative conventions, Densuke has a rival to face in the competition. Our antagonist is thrown into the mix for a love triangle of sorts, the likes that many novels have probably taken inspiration from. Being a very forward thinking series I won't spoil the ending, it'll leave you shocked, surprised and possibly even a bit aroused.
I'll now touch opon my favorite scene in Eiken, the yogurt slide. Because it's filled to the brim and beyond with social commentary about human nature and the likes. To win the yogurt slide the team must be touching each other or lose the game. Paralleling the hardships of life in a way that is both unique and touching ( no pun intended ). When we as a species lose our connection with each other we fragment and eventually start fighting and as such we lose the game of life. Fighting over things like oil, land and different beliefs. Eiken sees that the only way to win the game of life is to stick together through the ups and downs. Then we can all emerge victorious and finally evolve to the next level as human beings. This is the message I took most to heart and try to live by.
It's a shame that in anime and cinema alike women have been mainly shown as nothing but pinups and sex objects. But where Eiken has earned most of its rightly gained acclaim is its sensitive portrayal of women both in the writing and the artistic department, shunning the exploitative industry standard. In fact, the art is probably what most viewers will remember. Vividly animated and beautifully drawn in a way that would make Hayao Miyazaki positively green with envy. It draws the viewer in and never lets go, much in the same way a magnificent painting would. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in Eiken's case I think ten thousand is a more realistic estimate.
I simply can't recommend Eiken enough. So go pick up a copy of it, even the dub is fantastic which many anime fans will say is quite a rarity. Our time here on Earth is short and it should be spent watching the finest in entertainment. Thankfully I'll be here to point them out.
