Reviews

There is a lot that can be said about Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na. It is a passion project that is coming from one of the most influential and distinguished directors of the anime industry, Masaaki Yuasa. The main theme that the show is tackling is the production of anime, much in the spirit of Shirobako. So far it sounds great, right ? Well, that’s what I thought as well before the show started its run. Masaaki Yuasa has definitely proven himself to be capable to direct incredible anime that have mass appeal such as Devilman Crybaby and Ping Pong The Animation, then, why is Eizouken so boring ? After the first couple of episodes, the feeling of novelty that I had has completely disappeared, why did that happen ? Well, I think there are quite a few factors that contributed to the decline of my personal enjoyment of the show but I think I’ll start with the main one, that being, the show relies too much on the technical side of producing anime. It’s more of an issue of presentation, sure, the process of making anime does sound magical, but then when you think about it, it really is about sitting on your desk for an unreasonable amount of time trying to hit deadlines, the show does a pretty good job at conveying that (while poking a little bit of fun at it). When you realize that, then it stops to sound so magical, does it ? You are being introduced to terms you (probably) have never heard in your life (unless you’re into animation) which do nothing more than add a layer of confusion that hinders the enjoyment of the viewer. Personally, I believe this is a similar case to Tatami Galaxy, an anime that is pretty extraordinary in its own right, however I feel like it is created with a specific audience in mind rather than mass appeal. If you like Masaaki Yuasa’s works, then you’ll probably like this one as well. If you’ve never heard of him, and if you are not particularly interested in animation then you’ll most likely find this boring much like myself. It also does not help that so far almost half of the show is dedicated to showcasing the creation of a mecha anime, a genre that I am not particularly invested in. I could go on and explain why Shirobako does a much better job at introducing the common viewer to the complex process of producing an anime while staying fresh and not feeling too overwhelming like Eizouken does, but that would take too much time out of your day now would it ? In conclusion, I would recommend Shirobako over Eizouken for casual viewers that want to grasp a basic understanding of the process of creating anime, however if you’re a fan of Yuasa, you’ll most likely love this anime since it retains most of the qualities of his other works.