The best anime about animation

One of the greatest strengths of anime is the way it can be used as an outlet for the creators’ passion for any type of activity. There are many animes that explore what certain industries are like, and some of the best stories the medium has to offer are those that focus on some type of hobby, special interest, or art form. There are two animes 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 PAWORKS (Ya Kongming boy!), is an anime series that follows the life of a newcomer to the anime industry, who works at the popular animation studio Musashino Animation, while Keep your hands off Eizouken! (2020) follows a group of high school girls who establish a cheer club and work to become the cheerleaders they dream of being. What makes these two anime titles so important?

What is Shirobako?

What is it like to work in animation production?

Shirobakoproduced by PAWORKS, 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 with her in the animation club, who would one day produce her 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 actress, 3D graphic 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 problems and obstacles that arise in the realm of animation production.

He Shirobako the anime is an original project; However, a manga was released on ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Bunko imprint from September 2014 to November 2015 and was 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, responsible for the composition of the series, 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. TO Shirobako The film, 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 PAWORKS. The title, “Shirobako”, meaning “white box” is a reference to the videos given to the anime’s production staff before its release, which in the days of VHS, were delivered in blank white boxes.

About Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

“A love letter to animation”

Keep your hands off Eizouken is 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 believes she can’t create animation by itself.

Midori’s best friend, Sayaka Kanamori, a money-loving, business-minded strategist, sees talent waiting to be unleashed and her mind is flooded with thoughts about the financial prospects of an animation career for Midori. At school, they meet her classmate, model Tsubame Mizusaki, who dreams of becoming an cheerleader but her parents have forbidden her from joining her school’s anime club. Together, the three girls found an animation club at school and worked toward the goal of bringing their ideas to life.

The series is directed by Science SARU’s Masaaki Yuasa, who wrote the series’ scripts alongside Yūichirō Kido; featuring character designs by Naoyuki Asano with music by Oorutaichi. The anime ran for 12 episodes from January to March 2020 and is adapted from the manga by Sumito Ōwara originally published in Shogakukan’s seinen manga magazine Monthly Big Comic Spirits since 2016. Cast members include Sairi Itō as Midori Asakusa, Mutsumi Tamura like Sayaka Kanamori and Misato. Matsuoka as Tsubame Mizusaki.

The series was immensely popular when it aired for its catchy opening theme, “Easy Breezy” performed by chelmico; its very fascinating images and attention to detail; its highly motivated main character and its clear respect and adoration for all things animation. Each episode is a masterclass in animation and there are very few anime adaptations that capture the core of a story so well; that’s why Eizouken It is often described as “a love letter to animation.”

How do they differ in their approach?

The passion of a novice versus the passion of a professional

Both titles are about people pursuing their passion for animation with vigor, and in both cases it is an exploration of their approach to making their dreams come true. Shirobako takes a slightly more sober approach because it is set against the backdrop of the animation industry and shows a young woman in the position of having landed a job in her dream industry.

It’s not as fiery with the same sense of excitement of a teenager who is discovering his passion and becoming who he is the way he wants. Eizouken it’s because it follows the main character into adulthood, and a common aspect of working in any industry is that it’s never exactly what you expected when you were still aspiring to establish a career in that field; but it shows the animation production process in immense and revealing detail. There is an emphasis on the limitlessness of animation as a medium that springs from every pore of Eizoukenand his enthusiasm for animation matches his characters and his youth, while Shirobako is based more on his exploration of the professional difficulties and obstacles that come with “living the dream” or trying to do so.

Both titles are explorations of the love of animation, with generally optimistic and fun themes. Shirobako serving as a sort of reality check at times, while Eizouken The exuberance and his (literally) childlike joy for animation not only as a career, but also the joy of the craft itself shines through his imaginative and vivid animation style. That is not to say that there are no conflicts or interests at stake in Eizouken; his perspective has more to do with the creativity, imagination and collaboration inherent in animation.

Shirobako is satisfying because it deals with Aoi beyond the idealism and romanticism that are part and parcel of adolescence, or the “spring of youth” as they say in anime, which is great because she is still at the beginning of her journey and you’re still discovering things, but it provides a professional animation angle through the experiences of its characters. If you are a casual animation fan; someone who wants to be part of a great animation project or wants to follow in Tezuka’s footsteps, both Shirobako and Keep your hands off Eizouken! They are brilliant titles about the creation of the art that we as anime fans fall in love with, and they come highly recommended.

Shirobako, Shirobako the movie and Keep your hands off Eizouken! are available to stream on Crunchyroll.