Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

This anime series is centred on a trio of school girls who get together and create an anime club. They don't sit around watching anime; they intend to make their own. Midori believes anime is all about great world building; she is constantly on the lookout for inspiration in the world around them. Tsubame is a local model but aspires to be an animator. Sayaka isn't as interested in anime as the other two but she sees a money making opportunity and negotiates with the school authorities when needed. Throughout the series the group work to be allowed to form a club then work to create their first anime; to do this they will have to work with other clubs; most notably the one member Audio Club.

There are numerous anime series about school girls getting together to form a club; don't be fooled into thinking this is going to be like most of those... this is something special. At first sight the character designs look a little basic but really suit the characters. The town they live in is beautifully designed and as Midori imagines various anime possibilities the animation style changes seamlessly to make it clear what is real and what isn't. The characters are great fun to watch and their activities seem real even when things occasionally get far-fetched. Overall I'd say this is the 'anime of the season' for me; it is just a pity it is only twelve episodes long... definitely one to watch.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.