REVIEW: ‘ZENSHU’ Season 1 Sets A New Standard For Original Anime Series

ZENSHU is one of the most entertaining and engaging anime of the season. As far as isekai anime go, the show distinguishes itself in many ways. It develops its characters meaningfully, has a simple but engaging narrative, and has an ending that wraps it all up fantastically.

The anime follows Natsuko (Anna Nagase), a young animation director who rose to fame and prominence with a successful career shortly after graduating from high school. Her next project is a romantic comedy film, but Natsuko struggles with this concept because she is unfamiliar with romance and fails to finish the storyboards on time.

One day, while contemplating her next moves and analyzing her favorite childhood anime film, “A Tale of Perishing,” Natsuko passes out in a rather brutal-looking way while consuming some expired lunch. She wakes up, finds herself in the film’s world, and meets all its main characters.

These include the gloomy but righteous main protagonist, Luke Braveheart (Kazuki Ura), and his tropey, overzealous teammate, Unio (Rie Kugimiya). One thing leads to another, and Natsuko is forced to save one of the main characters in the film. In the process, she discovers she can draw basically anything into existence in this world. She is forced to figure out these powers and how to navigate the world as a foreign visitor. She joins the Nine Heroes, fighting off hordes of enemy Void creatures hellbent on destroying the world while getting closer to the movie’s characters and growing herself in the process.

ZENSHU’s first mark of success is how it lures you into a false sense of security.

ZENSHU starts by luring you into a false sense of security by making you believe this is an anime about anime production. In its first few minutes, viewers see Natsuko recall her past accomplishments in the industry, her performance of her duties as a director, and her interactions with her co-workers.

However, upon further viewing, you learn this is not the case. ZENSHU is very much an isekai anime. The majority of it takes place in the fantasy world of “A Tale of Perishing,” with several fantasy elements, including world-building and special abilities. ZENSHU‘s story is very simple. The narrative doesn’t go beyond the world and the core concept.

Nonetheless, the narrative is entirely engaging and entertaining thanks to its characters, specifically how they develop throughout the series. Each of them starts as quite simple, typical characters consistent with the genre. But in just twelve episodes, everyone has their own satisfying arcs that make them more endearing, less shallow, and way more interesting.

Luke starts off as a gloomy but typically righteous hero who is not fond of Natsuko but changes to a more mellow character as the anime progresses and the two get significantly closer. Destiny is another prime example of excellent character development. Despite being a side character, she changes from your typical damsel in distress to a more independent, confident character with clear goals and aspirations.

This development is especially noticeable in the protagonist, Natsuko, who starts as a talented but egotistical artist and ends up incredibly humble. She learns the value of relying on others and finally learns what it means to love another person, all things she visibly lacked at the start of the anime.

The characters and world make ZENSHU a great success.

The world of The Last Town is also a core and interesting part of ZENSHU. The anime does a fantastic job of showcasing all the important and interesting details about this world. These include the different districts, from the town’s lively and intricately designed main hub to the drab and depressing slum district. The show reveals the town’s cultural history and why certain things are the way they are, which is rare to see in many anime in the genre.

While somewhat predictable given previous events, the anime’s final episode drives home the point that everything Natsuko experienced was worth it, and she and the citizens of the Last Town gained a lot from it. ZENSHU demonstrates an excellent way to end a series as its ending upholds its themes and messages and maintains its characters’ development. While not necessary at all, it also leaves a potential for a second season that could explain some still-unexplained details.

Additionally, ZENSHU exhibits stellar production quality throughout. It’s impressive how MAPPA maintained its impeccable animation quality without any lapses or drops in quality from episodes one to twelve. The anime sports an amazing art direction, mesmerizing visual effects, intricate character designs, and fluid motions. Despite this, the anime was never delayed either, which is impressive, especially given the studio’s shaky past.

Overall, ZENSHU is a fantastic, highly engaging, and memorable series. The anime features an interesting concept and endearing characters. It maintained incredible production quality throughout and wrapped everything up satisfactorily, which is more than we’ve been able to say in past seasons. As such, ZENSHU sets a new standard for original anime series.

ZENSHU is available now on Crunchyroll.