REVIEW: ‘ZENSHU’ Episode 2 — “DEFEND”

ZENSHU Episode 2 from MAPPA continues the narrative’s simple nature and sees Natsuko, acclimating to her new world as a hero. The episode is much more enjoyable than the previous one, but it still fails to do anything unique. The episode opens with a flashback to a young Natsuko (Anna Nagase) in grade school, breaking down the synopsis of her favorite anime film to her classmates. After the opening credits, Natsuko wakes up in an unfamiliar place but is quickly met by Luke (Kazuki Ura), who pesters her for more information about where she came from and her mysterious powers.

After Luke feeds her, Natsuko learns she was asleep for three days. She also tells him about the movie’s reference sheets, which is why she knows so much about him and how they have information about the cast’s likes and dislikes. She then tries to conjure up her powers at Luke’s request, to no avail. While trying, she trips and falls on Luke, and the two have the typical anime attempt at a brief, shocking moment of intimacy, except their stone-faced expressions make the scene feel a bit awkward.

Unio (Rie Kugimiya) interrupts their not-so-touching moment, freaking out at the sight. He and Natsuko then begin arguing. Memerun (Minori Suzuki) and the group inform the two that the mayor has summoned them. In the next scene, Natsuko appreciates the mayor’s and the city’s prophet, Baobab’s physical designs.

The two then ask her the same questions Luke did, and she reveals that she died eating a rotten clam and how the characters and everything in this world are part of a movie drawn by animators. She then starts to contemplate whether or not she’s actually dead and why she was transported to this world, all while the characters wonder about her sanity.

Is Natsuko Really Dead in ZENSHU Episode 2?

This scene seamlessly and casually reveals that even Natsuko isn’t entirely sure whether she’s dead. The fact that both Natsuko and the viewers aren’t fully sure whether she is dead is becoming a major driving element of the narrative, one of the few things that makes it interesting. It also shows how her revelations about their world have seemingly gone over the characters’ heads.

While it’s not surprising that they don’t believe her, their lack of reaction, specifically from Luke, after learning that their world and lives are all part of a limited fictitious story is disappointing. Natsuko warns the group that more Voids will appear from the sky in three days. Baobab then proposes that Natsuko join the Nine Heroes, to the dismay of Unio and Luke.

Luke is vehemently against Natsuko joining in ZENSHU Episode 2, claiming that she is a woman and that women are only good for gossiping in groups, despite a woman already being on the team. This misguided, somewhat misogynistic comment unsurprisingly triggers Natsuko, and the two begin to argue. She calls Luke out on his idiotic statement and says she won’t help the group anymore because of his comments. This is one of the best scenes in the episode as it proves how good a character Natsuko is.

The episode shows her intelligence and boisterous personality all in this scene and how, unlike many young female anime characters, she is not afraid to stand up for herself. The back and forth between Natsuko and Luke is one of the more engaging parts of the series, as their dialogue and how they express their grievances regarding one another is executed excellently.

ZENSHU May Be MAPPA’s Best-Directed Anime Yet.

Natsuko leaves the group angrily and laments her circumstances for the first time, praying to God to let her go home. However, she quickly rejoins the group after getting hungry. She then tells the heroes how the Void will invade the village and destroy all the crops. She also claims that while in this world, she’ll try to protect and enjoy food as much as possible.

Luke then declares that Natsuko can only join the heroes if she successfully helps fight off the Void. After a brief montage showing the villagers training and preparing for the next big fight, Natsuko goes to a nearby tavern. There, she meets a character seemingly based on her studio’s president, who was seen in the last episode. This makes her recall her previous lifestyle and contemplate whether or not she actually wants to return.

It’s worth noting how the scenes showing Natsuko in several locations in the village showcase fantastic framing and almost film-like cinematography. The pacing from location to location, the camera angles, and the art direction make this episode feel more like an anime film and less like a standard series. So much so that it’s not an exaggeration to say that ZENSHU is one of the best-directed anime from MAPPA thus far.

The next scene shows the day of the invasion. Natsuko struggles to activate her powers, but after a long struggle, she finally draws missiles that destroy the Voids and their ships. Natsuko’s activation of her powers is another brilliant display of MAPPA’s excellent animation production prowess.

The motions, colors, music, backgrounds, and sound effects make the scene stand out more than anything in this episode in all the right ways. After saving the day again, Natsuko wakes up to learn she’s been asleep for three days and notes that the key animation she drew to conjure up the missiles would take three days in the real world. The episode ends with Luke providing Natsuko with a meal and watching her eat.

Given MAPPA’s history with staff working conditions, having a character pass out from exhaustion after doing a lot of key animation is a bit meta and depressing, to say the least. What’s worse, this aspect isn’t even addressed properly and is presented to viewers as normal without any depth, which is disappointing.

Overall, ZENSHU Episode 2 is a well-produced, entertaining episode that, thanks to its characters, succeeds in being more engaging and entertaining than the previous episode. While the narrative is still shallow in some parts and lackluster in others, the episode’s direction makes up for it.

ZENSHU Episode 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.