REVIEW: ‘ZENSHU’ Episode 5 — “JUSTICE”

ZENSHU Episode 5 does a fantastic job of highlighting its main characters and showcasing their development. It also continues to showcase excellent direction across the board. The episode starts by providing a brief look at the modern world. It shows a flashback of  Natsuko (Anna Nagase) before being spirited away to the fantasy world she’s in now.

As mentioned multiple times in the series, Natsuko has never been in love and is struggling in the flashback to draw the storyboards for her studio’s upcoming love-centric anime film. So much so that she forces any staff member close to her to draw their love history so she can somehow find some inspiration. Despite her studio having enough capable animators and storyboard artists, Natsuko insists that she does it all herself because it’s “much faster” that way.

However, the studio is running out of time, and if this film fails, it’ll be in trouble. Natsuko is a highly diligent director who takes her work seriously. But all her success has gone to her head as she no longer relies on her colleagues. She thinks she can do everything herself, which is a misguided notion. This scene does a good job of showing who Natsuko is and all her noticeable flaws. It further cements her as an interesting character with distinct layers.

Her individualistic approach to life unsurprisingly follows Natsuko to the fantasy realm. After the brief flashback, the scene shifts to Natsuko in The Last Town, thriving and getting used to her status as a member of the Nine Heroes. She’s so used to killing Voids that other members are notably dissatisfied with how quickly and easily she defeats them on her own. On the other hand, Natsuko loves doing it all herself and the praise she gets. This further proves that she is far from humble and is very much an egoist.

Natsuko doesn’t yet realize Luke’s developing feelings. 

The opening fight scene features one of Natsuko’s drawings: a giant baseball player who defeats the Void creatures in one fell swoop. Natsuko’s drawings are visually uncanny due to their unicolor sketch aesthetic, but they’re incredibly mesmerizing regardless. Their motions are precise and smooth, and the overall animation quality from MAPPA gets a significant boost whenever they’re on screen.

After their last battle, the gang meets up with Destiny (Manaka Iwami), and she’s clearly different from the last time she was on screen. She’s a lot more buff and a lot less clumsy. She notes that she prefers herself this way and is noticeably more confident thanks to Natsuko’s influences.

Natsuko’s presence in this world has influenced it and the overall narrative in many ways, some of which she’s admitted herself. Different void creatures are now appearing, and their patterns are different, meaning Natsuko cannot predict things as she used to. Her presence also notably affects Luke (Kazuki Ura), who originally was meant to fall in love with Destiny but is now developing feelings for her instead. He’s uncharacteristically shy around Natsuko and is overly interested in seeing her face. And if it wasn’t apparent that Natsuko has no experience with love, it’s clear now. She noticeably does not pick up on these hints, while others like Unio (Rie Kugimiya) do, to his dismay.

ZENSHU Episode 5 introduces a former member of the Nine Heroes. 

Destiny asks the heroes to help her move some orphaned kids from the shady Despair District to the new orphanage she built. Natsuko reveals that the district is yet another part of this world that wasn’t included in A Perishing Tale, and Luke explains that it is the worst location in The Last Town, and he hopes to help all its residents.

The heroes meet the children, and they quickly take a liking to them. With a lot of help from Natsuko, they quickly move the rowdy kids to Destiny’s orphanage, but not before running into Justice, a womanizing, drunkard dragon and former member of the Nine Heroes. He’s fallen into hard times after leaving the group and doesn’t seem to be on good terms with them. Through some exposition from Natsuko, the anime reveals that Justice was injured in a previous battle, and a former member named Gengar lost his life. After this, Justice retired from heroism but never revealed why in order to prevent Luke from blaming himself, proving he still cares for his former team.

Justice is the first-ever member of the Nine Heroes to appear who is not a part of the main cast. After his introduction, it’s clear why he wasn’t part of the group. While the fate of the other heroes is still unclear, it’s safe to assume that they may have also met unfortunate fates. This revelation proves just how dark the world of A Perishing Tale can be and how different things would be without Natsuko’s presence. However, it’s hard not to point out how slow the anime is about revealing what happened to the rest of the heroes and how insignificant the narrative makes them seem, which is unfortunate.

Natsuko faces defeat by the end of ZENSHU Episode 5. 

The direction especially shines in these scenes. The framing and camera work are as cinematic as ever, emphasizing the intricate character designs of the heroes and villagers and the surprisingly picturesque look of the district.

Shortly after meeting the Justice, Natsuko and the heroes are alerted to another Void invasion. Despite not knowing how the Void fights, Natsuko rushes in and tries to solo it with a quick and nicely drawn Samurai warrior. However, her hubris is ultimately her undoing, and her samurai is quickly defeated. For the first time, Natsuko has to draw a second time, but before she can finish, the Void defeats her samurai, stopping her in her tracks. ZENSHU Episode 5 ends with Natsuko tasting defeat and a painful cliffhanger with her seemingly encroaching demise.

For the first time in the series, Natsuko is humbled as she learns she can’t do everything herself, no matter how good she thinks she is. The episode showcases character development across the cast, except for Natsuko, who it sets up to finally learn a lesson in humility. The final scene also showcases the best visual spectacles, chiefly seen through the amazing shot of the desert, the stage of the final fight, and the fluid motions of the samurai.

Zenshu Episode 5 is another excellent installment. It showcases more visually striking scenes than ever before and does a fantastic job of highlighting the positive aspects of its cast. The episode also lays a solid foundation for Natsuko’s character arc and paves the way for greater stories and character development.

ZENSHU Episode 5 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.