Summary
One of anime’s biggest strengths is the way it can be used asan outlet for the creators' passion for any kind of activity. There are plenty of anime that explore what certain industries are like, and some of the very best stories the medium has to offer are the kind that are centered on some kind of hobby, special interest or form of art. There are two anime about the medium itself that explore it in different ways, but are united by the passion that emanates from both titles.
Shirobako(2014), produced by P.A.WORKS (Ya Boy Kongming!), is an anime series that follows the life of a new entrant to the anime industry, working at popular animation studio Musashino Animation, whileKeep Your Hands Off Eizouken!(2020) follows a group of high school girls as they establish an animation club and work towards becoming the animators they dream of being. What makes these two anime titles so significant?
What Is Shirobako?
What’s It Like To Work in Animation Production?
Shirobako, produced by P.A.WORKS, follows Aoi Miyamori, who made a promise with her four best friends from high school, Ema Yasuhara, Shizuka Sakaki, Misa Tōdō, and Midori Imai; who were together with her in the animation club, that they would one day produce their own anime.
Years later, Aoi works at Musashino Animation as a production assistant, where Ema is now an animator; while Shizuka, Misa and Midori have become a voice actor, 3D graphics artist and writer, respectively. The series follows Aoi’s team as they work on the anime adaptation of a manga as well as an original anime project, facing the various issues and obstacles that come with the realm of animation production.
TheShirobakoanime is an original project; however, a manga was released in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko imprint from September 2014 to November 2015 and collected into 2 volumes. The anime ran for 24 episodes from October 2014 to March 2015 and was directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (director,Genshiken); with scripts by Michiko Yokote, who is responsible for series composition, Reiko Yoshida and Tatsuhiko Urahata.
The cast includes Juri Kimura as Aoi Miyamori; Haruka Yoshimura as Ema Yasuhara; Asami Takano as Misa Tōdō; Haruka Chisuga as Shizuka Sakaki and Hitomi Ōwada as Midori Imai. AShirobakofilm, set four years after the events of the anime, premiered in February 2020 and was produced by the same staff as the television series at P.A.WORKS.The title, “Shirobako”, meaning “white box"is a reference to the videos given to anime production staff prior to release, which back in the days of VHS, would be given in blank white cases.
About Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
“A Love Letter to Animation”
Keep Your Hands Off Eizoukenis based on the manga by Sumito Ōwara and follows first-year high school student Midori Asakusa, a girl who loves animation more than anything else and spends hours creating concept art and filling sketchbooks, but she believes she can’t create animation by herself.
Midori’s best friend, Sayaka Kanamori, a business-minded money-loving tactician, sees the talent just waiting to be unleashed, and her mind is flooded with thoughts of the financial prospects of an animation career for Midori. At school, they meet their classmate, fashion model Tsubame Mizusaki, who dreams of becoming an animator but has been forbidden from joining their school’s anime club by her parents. Together,the three girls establish an animation club at schooland work towards their goal of breathing life into their ideas.
The series is directed by Masaaki Yuasa at Science SARU, who wrote the series scripts alongside Yūichirō Kido; with character designs by Naoyuki Asano with music by Oorutaichi. The anime ran for 12 episodes from January to March 2020, and is adapted from Sumito Ōwara’s manga originally published in Shogakukan’s seinen manga magazine Monthly Big Comic Spirits since 2016. Cast members include Sairi Itō as Midori Asakusa, Mutsumi Tamura as Sayaka Kanamori, and Misato Matsuoka as Tsubame Mizusaki.
The series was immensely popular when it aired for its catchy opening theme song, “Easy Breezy” performed by chelmico; its highly entrancing visuals and attention to detail; its highly motivated main character and its clear respect and adoration for all things animation.Every episode is a masterclass in animationand there are very few anime adaptations that capture the core of a story this well; which is whyEizoukenis often described as “a love letter to animation”.
How Do They Differ In Their Approach?
The Passion of a Novice vs The Passion of a Professional
Both titles are about people pursuing their passion for animation with vigour, and in both instances, it’s an exploration of their approach to making their dreams come true.Shirobakohas a bit of a more sober approach because it is set against the backdrop of the animation industry and depicts a young woman in the position of having gotten work in her dream industry.
It’s not quite as burning with the same sense of the excitement of an adolescent who isdiscovering their passion and becoming who they arein the way thatEizoukenis because it follows the main character in her adulthood, and a common aspect of work in any industry is that it’s never quite what you expected when you were still aspiring to establish a career in that realm; but it shows the animation production pipeline in immense, eye-opening detail. There’s an emphasis on the boundlessness of animation as a medium that pours out of every pore ofEizouken, and its enthusiasm for animation matches its characters and their youth, whileShirobakois more grounded by its exploration of the professional difficulties and obstacles that come with “living the dream”, or trying to.
Both titles are explorations of the love of animation, with the generally upbeat and humorousShirobakoserving as a bit of a reality-check at times, whileEizouken’sexuberance and its (literally) childlike joy at animation not just as a career, but the joys of the craft itself shine through its imaginative and vivid animation style. That’s not to say there’s no conflict or stakes in Eizouken; its perspective is more about the creativity, imagination and collaboration inherent to animation.
Shirobakois satisfying because it’s concerned with Aoi beyond the idealism and romanticism that are part and parcel of adolescence, or the"Springtime of one’s youth"as is often said in anime, which is great because she’s still at the beginning of her journey and is still figuring things out, but provides an angle on professional animation through the experiences of its characters. Whether you’re a casual fan of animation; someone who wants to be part of a major animation project or wants to follow in the footsteps of Tezuka, bothShirobakoandKeep Your Hands Off Eizouken!are brilliant titles about the creation of the art that we are so enamoured by as anime fans, and come highly recommended.
Shirobako,Shirobako the MovieandKeep Your Hands Off Eizouken!are available to stream on Crunchyroll.
