Every now and then, an anime series of such high-quality and passion comes along and grabs the attention of viewers far outside its primary demographic. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is one such series, and it's making history as the first anime to be included in both The New York Times' and The New Yorker's best shows of the year lists. By utilizing extremely likable characters, an enthusiastic tone that brightens one's mood and a wild animation style courtesy of director Masaaki Yuasa, the series is firing up the imagination of all who view it.
The Appeal of Eizouken
Eizouken's accessible premise, backed with excellent direction and amazing animation, has earned it a spot on The New York Times' best TV shows of 2020 list. Critic James Poniewozik describes the series as "...a giddy flying robot of a story, and it’s worth letting it scoop you up and rocket you away." Eizouken was also the second anime to be featured on Mike Hale's Best International Shows list; A Place Further than the Universe, another show about girls in an eccentric high school club, made his list in 2018.
Not only has Eizouken been recognized by the New York Times, but The New Yorker also featured the series on its own best of the year list. Doreen St. Felix writes, "The show’s visual world is zany and gorgeous, and its meditations on creative frustration brought me to tears more than once."
Breaking Barriers
Anime is a form of entertainment that, aside from the occasional Studio Ghibli movie, is often ignored if not flat-out dismissed by many mainstream critics. In their eyes, anime is either kids' stuff or hyper-sexualized weirdness. The fact that many mainstream anime series do fall into these two categories (or at least appear to at a glance) leads serious TV critics to dismiss the medium simply at face value.
Eizouken is one of those shows that has the power to change the way anime is perceived. Rather than using schmaltzy tropes to appeal to a younger audience or creepy fanservice to appease an otaku niche, the series employs mature writing and a beautifully animated style to dazzle the eyes and awaken the spirit. The series strikes a perfect balance between imagination and reality, blending the two together and creating a wholly unique experience.
Exposure is also everything when it comes to getting attention outside of the anime sphere, and Eizouken had the luck of being one of the first series to be featured on HBO Max's limited selection of Crunchyroll anime. By putting the series on a mainstream TV outlet like HBO, the series can be viewed by a much wider audience, extending beyond the typical otaku audience. This is a huge step in introducing anime to a much broader group of viewers.
If, by chance, you're reading this and you don't consider yourself an anime fan, please give Eizouken a chance. Watch it, and you'll understand what makes people love anime in the first place.