Isekai

TBATE, I know you can do Better

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Beginning After the End Ep 1 Review

In my time on this blog, you have heard me mention something called “The Seven Summits of Isekai.” Putting it simply, it’s a term I use for what I consider to be the titans of the isekai genre. The series that put in the legwork to make the worlds the protagonists get summoned and/or reborn into feel real. In other words, the good stuff that stands mountains above the usual isekai fare. Mushoku Tensei is among those seven, and, after reading over the webcomic, I was looking forward to adding its spiritual younger brother, The Beginning After the End, to the group. However, after seeing the first episode, I may need to rethink its membership.

For those who haven’t already, I highly recommend you head over and read my initial overview of the series, as it does a good job of explaining the basic premise. This way, I can dive in, review the first episode, and explain why TBATE is going to be fighting an uphill battle.

A Small Divergence from Mushoku Tensei

Over the years, TBATE has been accused of being too similar to the likes of Mushoku Tensei, and its detractors aren’t wrong. As the first episode deals with King Grey’s death in his first life and the beginning of his new life as Arthur, it copies a lot from the start of Mushoku Tensei. Like Rudeus before him, Arthur milks his time as a baby for all its worth to help give himself an early advantage in life. Which eventually leads to both of them revealing their apparent genius in the most explosive way possible.

While it may seem like this is a word-for-word copy of the moment when Rudy blew a hole in his childhood home. However, there’s one major difference between him and Arthur that changes how things play out: their reactions. Unlike Rudy, who was never in any real danger afterwards, Arthur almost dies thanks to some falling debris, only for his dad to save him. It was this experience that finally made the former king-turned-baby realize something that Rudy wouldn’t fully understand until he was an adult: Alice and Reynolds are his parents. They love him, and he loves them, and this realization leads to all them having this very heartwarming moment together. The kind of moment that Rudeus wishes he could have had with his own family before he left Buena Village. It’s very sweet to see…

Is what I would say. Except there’s one problem with this anime that’s so bad, even I notice it: the animation.

The animation…is trash

There’s no easy way to say this about The Beginning After the End: the animation is trash.

I normally don’t put that much attention onto the animation quality for a series, as I usually care more about the storytelling. It allows me to overlook moments that may not have the best animation in order to enjoy the story to its fullest. However, when the animation quality is so bad that even I notice it, then there’s something very wrong.

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Everything about the animation in the first episode only serves to fuel the allegations that TBATE is a cheap knock-off of Mushoku Tensei. That, in turn, will only harm its reputation in the long run. I know how stressful the the anime industry can be, but the people behind this should at least have some level of standard that they’re trying to uphold. Mushoku Tensei was able to get an entire studio founded just so it could succeed in being the best, so why can’t TBATE?

I have become a fan of The Beginning After the End, but it’s seeing the anime in action that makes me question whether this will be worth watching or not. This might be a rare instance in which the webcomic or manga might be better than the anime, and that’s not something that I like to see take place. That being said, I’m going to keep reviewing the anime anyway. If we’re lucky, the story will help to offset the poor animation long enough for it to gain traction. Until then, though…

AARON! Solo Leveling stays the manwha king!

I Give “The Rebirth of the King” a 2/5

The Beginning After the End Has a Long Road Ahead of it

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , ,

The Beginning After the End Initial Overview

A month ago, Aaron and I were talking on Discord about the then-upcoming spring 2025 season of anime. Somewhere in the conversation, he brought up an upcoming isekai anime that, he claimed, could be bigger than Solo Leveling. It was called The Beginning After the End, and it was something that I had vaguely recalled hearing about. Despite being skeptical about his claims, they still intrigued me. Thus, I found myself jumping online and binge-reading through the webcomic that the anime would be adapting. Within a few days, I had read through the majority of the chapters currently out. And, while I still remain skeptical about its ability to be better than Solo Leveling, I do think The Beginning After the End is a good read.

A Western Isekai

Firstly, let us clarify some things: while The Beginning After the End, or TBATE, has gotten an anime adaptation, it doesn’t originate from Japan. In fact, its author, who goes by the moniker TurtleMe, is American. He’s been writing the ongoing TBATE web novel since 2017, with the webcomic coming a year later. If you want to check out the latest chapters, find them on Tapas, or join his Patreon for early access.

As its name suggests, The Beginning After the End is an isekai, and it begins with an essential moment in the protagonist’s life: his death. The protagonist, Grey, was a man who had risen to become the King of his nation on a potential future version of Earth. However, his life was miserable, with his status as King depriving him of any family or friends. Worse, it gets cut short in his mid-thirties by a death so sudden, not even he knows why he died. Being an isekai, his death only means he gets reincarnated into another world filled with swords and magic. While initially unhappy with being a baby in such a medieval setting, Grey, now going by Arthur Leywin, soon sees the second chance he’s been given. Thus, he resolves to make sure his new life is everything that his old one isn’t. IE, one filled with warmth and kindness and surrounded by the friends and family he never really had his first time around.

This is Not Like Rudeus…mostly.

If the synopsis sounds similar to Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, there’s a good reason. In an interview with IGN, TurtleMe said that Mushoku Tensei was one of the biggest inspirations behind The Beginning After the End. Both center around a protagonist who had an unhappy first life before suffering from a premature death. Both are reborn as babies to loving parents in a world dominated by the use of magic and medieval technology. And both use their prior knowledge to help them get ahead in life in order to ensure they live their new lives to the fullest. While some may see this as TurtleMe merely copying Mushoku Tensei’s formula, there are several differences that become apparent as time passes.

Firstly, while they both had similarly unhappy lives and premature deaths, Arthur is radically different from Rudeus. Rudeus had plenty of chances to better himself and open up to others in his first life and wasted them. While Grey also chose to cut himself off from others past a certain point, it was so he couldn’t be manipulated by others once he became king, leaving him little choice in the matter. In addition, there’s how both see their families in their new lives. Rudeus never considered Paul and Zenith his parents until after Paul’s death, something he regrets. In contrast, Arthur initially keeps his distance due to not knowing what familial love is due to being an orphan in his first life. Once he understands the feeling, though, he doesn’t hesitate to consider Alice and Reynolds his mom and dad and becomes fiercely protective of them.

Secondly, while their plots start off similiarly, past a certain point, TBATE diverges from Mushoku Tensei. While Mushoku Tensei will come to encompass this grand plot involving the future for the world, it remains largely focused on the life of Rudeus and his growing family. In contrast, Arthur begins to find himself involved in a conflict that’s bigger than he ever thought possible. The kind of conflict that has the potential to end the world if things go bad. Rudeus will go on to fight great battles in the future, but none will be on the scale of what Arthur and his allies will come to face.

Lastly, and this is the most important part, is the fact that Arthur is nowhere near as flawed as Rudeus was starting out. In other words, Arthur is not as h**ny as Rudeus can be. In fact, that can apply to the entire world of TBATE. They’re nowhere near down bad as Rudeus’ new world is!

There’s Always the Web Novel and Comic

I can’t reveal anything further regarding the plot of TBATE without spoiling things. However, while the anime might not be as good as it could be, I do still think that the webcomic is worth the read. If you want to give it a shot yourself, then I highly recommend going to TAPAS and helping to support TurtleMe. He’s also got a patreon where he releases chapters of the web novel early. I might end up supporting him myself if it means he can keep making this story.

Zenshu Gets a Happy Ending! TAKE THAT, HAG BIRD!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zenshu Ep 12 Review

And thatโ€™s a wrap, people! After three months, twelve episodes, and a ton of shout-outs to great anime and the people who made them, Zenshu is over! And what an ending it was! At the end of the last episode, it looked as though Kametaroโ€™s horrendously depressing ending was going to come true. In his grief over the loss of Natsuko, Luke had destroyed the final Soul Future, heralding the arrival of the Ultimate Void. Yet, thereโ€™s something that that old bag of a director never understood about humanity: that no matter how bad things may get for us, we keep looking for a light in the dark. In this case, that lightโ€™s name is Natsuko Hirose.

Don’t put too much stock into Destiny

Picking up where the previous episode left off, the transformation of Luke into the Ultimate Void helps us to understand why the mindless monsters are called Voids. In a nutshell, theyโ€™re the personification of the despair that people can hit when they begin to think that nothing they do matters. Itโ€™s something that everyone will experience at some point in their lives, and theyโ€™re left with two options. They can either give into despair like Luke, or they can do what Natsuko does: roll up their sleeves and tell despair to shove it. And does Natsuko tell despair and hopelessness to shove it.

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Even as the entire world begins to fall to pieces and everyone gets the Thanos dusting treatment, Natsuko refuses to give up. She draws harder than sheโ€™s ever drawn anything before. She draws an army of Lukes and throws them at the personification of hopelessness and despair. Thereโ€™s probably some sort of deeper meaning behind it, but itโ€™s hard to find over the sheer amount of awesome animation.

Despite being the last one standing, Natsuko gets some unexpected aid from someone she thought was gone for good: QJ! Memeln and her friends gathered the fragments of his body and rebuilt him just in time for him to come to Natsukoโ€™s aid. And together, the two of them manage to do the impossible. They change the ending of the story.

Not the first time I’ve seen a world remade

Some people might complain about how Natsuko effectively rebuilt the entire world into one where the Voids no longer exist. They may take Kametaroโ€™s side and say that itโ€™s a lame cop-out that makes no sense. I, on the other hand, think that itโ€™s the right kind of deus ex machina. Then again, this isnโ€™t the first time Iโ€™ve seen a protagonist recreate the world from nothing, nor will it be the last.

Sadly, the happy ending is mired by the fact that Natsuko returns to her world, with Luke vowing to come find her, somehow. No explanation as to how the film was capable of creating an alternate world given, nor any explanation as to why Natsuko got summoned to it or got her powers. Nor do we get a chance to see Luke and Natsuko kiss. In fact, the only proof that this wasnโ€™t a dream brought on by a near-death experience is that Natsuko kept Unioโ€™s horn as a hairpin.

That being said, this is still a monumentally better ending than what A Tale of Perishing was in the film version.

Top-Tier Ending for a Top-Tier Anime

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Debunked dream theories aside, I was right about this whole experience changing Natsuko for the better. The ending has her adopt a more open nature towards her coworkers, symbolized by the fact that she no longer hides her face behind her hair. And because sheโ€™s learned how to work in a team, her rom-com film becomes a massive success. However, the ending leaves things ambiguous regarding whether or not Luke finds his way to her world, which is a little frustrating. But not enough to take away from the fact that this was a good ending. A bit cliche, maybe, but still a good ending!

And with that, Zenshu has come to an end. It may have had its ups and downs at times, but as whole, it was one of the great shows of 2025. You can tell that Studio Mappa put a lot of love into this original creation of theirs. It pays tribute to the Isekai genre in a unique way. It pays tribute to the people who make anime possible. Most importantly, though, it shows a great deal of respect for the fans that drive entertainment forward and how they can find ways to improve on what has come before. In this case, that means taking a terrible ending by a woman who didnโ€™t  know what she was doing and make it into an uplifting story about first love and daring to hope in the face of impossible odds.

Also, it proves that sometimes the fans can do a better job than the creators!

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I Give “Zenshu” a 4.5/5

This is Overkill for Course-Correction!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , ,

Zenshuย Ep 10 Review

Interesting thing about me: there is only so much sadness that I can handle. Thatโ€™s true for everyone, but I have a harder time than others handling sad moments due to how my brain works. So, when faced with a story that veers into the realm of overwhelmingly depressing, my mind reacts in the only way it can: it waits. It waits for things to get better before it lets me go back to something. In the case of Zenshu, the ending to the last episode, coupled with the spoilers for this one, made me do just that. Otherwise, I wouldโ€™ve plunged into despair like Natsuko does as the story goes from correcting itself to over-correcting.

Rock. Bottom

QJ is dead, to begin with, and the entire Last Town is nearing rock bottom. People have been forced to flee from their homes as refugees, and Luke is pushing himself to his breaking point once more. Except, unlike before, he does not have Natsuko to save him, because sheโ€™s handling QJโ€™s death even worse.

In a nutshell, this entire episode can be summed as Natsuko being pushed further and further into despair. She blames her hesitation for making QJ sacrifice himself. She blames her drawings for being used as fuel for the Voids. And to make matters worse, Elder Baobab drops a big bombshell about the prophecy of the Nine Soldiers: itโ€™s a lie. It was something someone made up to give people hope that they could survive the end of the world. Whoever came up with that prophecy wanted to give people hope against impossible odds, but they didnโ€™t believe it would come true.

This is Barbaric Overkill

There was probably some big, Game of Thrones-type lesson that Kametaro wanted to teach people when she created this story. However, itโ€™s beyond me. Prophecies can wind up being hit or miss in fiction, so that doesnโ€™t help things. What makes things worse, though, is how the world of the story begins to overstep its bounds trying to correct itself. Firstly, Destiny tells Natsuko that sheโ€™s going to marry the Chairman after all. Then, out of nowhere, the townsfolk start believing that Natsuko is a traitor because her drawings turn into Voids. The craziest part, though, is the fact that the Void Cult returns and starts saying Natsuko is their antichrist.

No matter how you slice it, whatever the world is doing to make things turn out like this is overkill! Natsuko herself recognizes this as an angry mob tries to kill her right as more Voids attack. However, I think the fact that things start turning out this way is the whole point. The story is trying so hard to get โ€œback on trackโ€ that itโ€™s made things far worse. The most sinister aspect of this railroading, though, is what it does for Natsuko. It effectively has her take Destinyโ€™s place in the story as the one whose death will send Luke over the edge.

This is Why I Waited

This is why I had to wait until the next episode to review this. If I hadnโ€™t done that, I wouldโ€™ve spent the entire week driving myself crazy over what happens next! Itโ€™s chaos, plain and simple!

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Luckily for us, the anime will have already finished by the time this goes out. Hereโ€™s hoping that it winds up being a banger.

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I Give “Chaos” a 4/5

Natsuko+Luke 4Ever

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zenshu Ep 8 Review

Firstly, I would like to apologize for how long this review took to get out. I got so busy that I wasn’t able to keep up with watching Zenshu until there were already multiple episodes out. Thus, I wrote the reviews for the next four episodes at the same time so I could be caught up in time for the finale. Which will likely already be on Crunchyroll by the time this goes out. I am sorry for that.

That being said, my belief that things would begin to pick up in the second half of Zenshu was valid. Natsuko has gotten to the point where she’s content with her life in World of Perishing. More importantly, though, she’s starting to understand the importance of teamwork and opening yourself up to others. Unfortunately, she still has no idea how to deal with things like love and romance, which is about to become a big problem for her. In addition, she also learns that the mystery bird that’s been stalking her doesn’t have good intentions for this world.

That Dumb Bird!

Over several episodes, Natsuko’s been harassed by this mysterious, talking bird that keeps saying her efforts are “no use.” At the end of my review of the last episode, I speculated that the bird was an in-universe avatar for the creator of A Tale of Perishing, Kametaro Tsuruyama. It turns out that I was close: the bird is the late director herself.

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Like Natsuko, Kametaro Tsuruyama died back in Japan (from eating bad clams, no less) only to find herself in the world of her creation. Whereas Natsuko gained the power to alter the original story, though, it’s unclear what powers Kametaro got, if she got any. Nor is it made clear what force allowed both women to reincarnate in the World of Perishing. However, once Natsuko manages to corner her (and finish gushing over meeting her hero), one thing is made clear: Kametaro isn’t happy about Natsuko’s meddling.

Unlike Natsuko, who actively changed the story, Kametaro wants to see events play out in the way that she wrote them. Instead of being flattered by Natsuko’s adoration for her, she derides her, saying her “fan edits” are pointless and ruining “her masterpiece.”

The Bird=The Worst Kind of Creator

I’ve repeatedly said that part of the appeal behind Zenshu is how it feels like a commentary on the relationship between stories, storytellers, and fans of said stories. In this case, Kametaro serves as a rather brilliant foil to Natsuko. Both are talented storytellers who put everything into their creations, which is something every great storyteller should strive to achieve. What makes them different, though, is how they view their own creations. Despite loving A Tale of Perishing, Natsuko hasn’t been afraid to point out its flaws and plotholes. She’s open and willing to change things to suit the story better. In contrast, Kametaro sees A Tale of Perishing as her perfect masterpiece and refuses to accept any other opinion. She wants her story to be this angsty, depressing downer which ends with the entire world being destroyed, regardless of what will happen to her or the people in it.

Okay, real talk.  Kametaro Tsuruyama is, in my opinion, the worst kind of creator that we can get. She refuses to let the world she created grow and develop on its own. She may or may not be actively trying to course correct it, despite knowing that the original ending will kill her too. And worst of all, she’s critical of Natsuko for changing the story. It’s OK to take pride in your own creation, but if the majority of people can’t even watch it because it’s so depressing, you might want to rethink things. In addition, despite the stance some authors and creators have against fan-created content, you’d be surprised at how good some of it can get. I.E. Allen Blaster’s Shield Hero series is so good, it’s been called better than the canon story!

Natsuko is Like, “DOES NOT COMPUTE”

However, everything that Kametaro says to Natsuko takes a backseat for most of the episode. The real focus is on something that most people saw coming, but could still enjoy: Luke is in love with Natsuko.

The show hasn’t been subtle about the fact that Luke has fallen for Natsuko. Nor, hilariously, is Luke subtle when he decides to confess his love to her.

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Seeing Luke tell Natsuko that he loves her over and over is the right kind of cringe. The kind where you want to look away because it’s so awkward, but you can’t help but keep watching. However, it’s the reactions of Natsuko, who’s just as inept at romance, that makes the entire sequence enjoyable. The shock of the confession is so great that she has to go into denial over the fact that the world she’s in is as real as hers!

Thankfully, the show doesn’t linger on the cringeworthy moments for long. Thanks to good advice from ultimate wing-man Justice (thank you, Justice), Luke takes Natsuko on a genuinely romantic date to a hot spring! They do bathe out of site on opposite sides, but that’s besides the point.

Hot Spring Time

In many anime, hot springs are often used for one of two things: fanservice and letting characters discuss their thoughts and feelings. In this regard, the writers of Zenshu nailed both. The setting itself is incredibly detailed and well drawn, with good use of various cool colors to give it an otherworldly feel. The fanservice isn’t over-the-top, with Luke ending up showing more while Natsuko winds up averting any big money shots. And hearing the two bond over their mutual love of their comrades is very sweet. It’s these kinds of moments that the strongest forms of love are built on.

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Too bad a wandering Void shows up. To make matters worse, this isn’t just a Void Natsuko’s never seen before: it has the powers of her drawings back during the first episode. AKA her expy of the God Warrior from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Thankfully, with Luke’s swordsmanship, and Natsuko drawing a freaking Gundam, the two manage to vanquish the monster! And at the very end, as Natsuko experiences the same thing the people who fell for her did around her.

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Just like I predicted, Natsuko and Luke have fallen for each other…and I wholeheartedly ship them! They make for a very sweet couple! However, any excitement one may feel over the fact that Natsuko is finally experiencing love is overshadowed by the stinger. Each episode only reveals an image over the title for the next episode, but the appearance of this next one is very bleak. Combined with Kametaro’s warnings about Natsuko’s efforts being pointless and how the story seems to be trying to course correct, it paints a very grim picture.

And we were right to think like that. This episode basically marks the last time we can experience something lighthearted in Zenshu. The next episode, things start to hit the fan.

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I Give “Confession” a 4.5/5

Turns Out Natsuko was Always Waifu Material

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zenshu Ep 7 Review

By this point in the story, it’s evident that Natsuko Hirose was brought to the World of Perishing for a reason. She’s not just there to turn the tragic ending into a potentially happy one. She’s also been sent to that world so she can learn to overcome her negative character traits. I.E., to teach her the values of friendship and love. While the last two episodes have seen success on getting her to work with others, when it comes to love, she remains clueless. As this episode dives into Natusko’s past through the eyes of others, it’s revealed that her inability to understand love is something she’s dealt with her entire life. And, for extra irony, she’s made more than just Luke fall for her without even trying!

Also, this episode likely gave us the identity of the overall antagonist, AKA that mysterious bird that keeps appearing.

Natsuko is Winning Over Everyone…

Through a series of flashbacks, this episode gives us a look at Natsuko’s life from the perspective of four people. Each of them ranges from a childhood friend of hers all the way up to her boss at her animation studio, but they all have one thing in common. That thing being that Natsuko manages to evoke strong, often romantic, feelings from each of them. Granted, one of them, a senpai from a college, uses those feelings to fuel his (failed) attempts to surpass her, but that’s beside the point. The point is that Natsuko has been capable of making people fall for her, and never realized it.

As the main protagonist, Zenshu has given viewers a pretty good grasp of Natsuko’s personality by now. She can come off as rude and abrasive at times, but, as it should be evident by now, it’s less out of malice and more out of not understanding social cues or personal space. Yet despite these shortcomings, her upfront nature, dedication to her craft, and overall passion also make her very charismatic without even trying. Enough to make multiple people fall in love with her.

Which makes her own inability to understand what it’s like being in love all the more ironic.

…But Has 0 ROMANTIC XP!

As the final flashback of the episode demonstrates, Natsuko is utterly clueless on what it’s like to be in love. So what does she do? She turns to romance manga, harasses people on their own first loves, and attempts to play out romcom tropes in real life. Including “the running into someone while carrying breakfast in your mouth” routine!  But if finding love could be forced to happen like that, then nobody would be single in this world. Sadly, it doesn’t work like that, and all she does is annoy her coworkers.

The funny part to all of this is that Natsuko doesn’t even need to force romance. If she had paid more attention to the people around her, she would see how many people of both genders are attracted to her. Though truth be told, it seems like the events of Zenshu are setting her up for her own first love: Luke. In fact, given her obsession with A Tale of Perishing, it seems like she was always in love with Luke but didn’t realize it. But as the episode ends in the present day, with Natsuko celebrating with the Nine Soldiers, there might still be hope for her.

Assuming that the mysterious bird that’s been appearing doesn’t have anything to say about it.

Who is that Weird Bird?

Over the past few episodes, Natsuko has been repeatedly visited by this mysterious-looking bird with big eyes. It keeps saying that all her attempts to give the story a happier ending won’t work, and it seems to be the one actively changing the story to ensure it returns to its “correct” path. And this episode might have revealed who this being might be.

We don’t get a good enough look at her, but based on the drawings of the creator of A Tale of Perishing that Natsuko looks at, this bird might be the avatar for the film’s own creator. And for whatever reason, she seems to be bent on ensuring things play out as she envisioned them. Which in and of itself could be seen as meta-commentary on creators who actively shut down any and all attempts by fans to improve their story. Or it could all just be a coincidence. Either way, with Zenshu now in the back half of its episodes, things are going to start ramping up. Will Natsuko find a way home? Will she understand the meaning of love? Is all of this a dream as she’s recovering in a hospital bed? Here’s hoping we find out!

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I Give “First Love” a 5/5

Did…did Natsuko Go Through Character Development?

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , ,

Zenshu Ep 6 Review

It was going to happen sooner or later, but that doesn’t make it any less painful: Natsuko has screwed up. Big time. Because she insisted on handling the Voids by herself, she failed to stop them during their last fight. As a result, she came dangerously close to dying, possibly for good! With the Void now poised to get the last Soul Future (the crystal MacGuffin preventing the end of the world), Natsuko needs to get her act together. It’s long overdue for her to learn…how to work in a team.

If this is all a dream or she gets sent back to Japan when this is all over, this will be an important life lesson.

Given how the last episode ended right as the Void were about to attack Natsuko, one would expect its follow-up to pick up immediately from there. However, for some reason, Zenshu never actually shows us exactly how Natsuko escaped certain death. All that is known is that Luke and the others saved her, and then spent days trying to heal her injuries with their magic.

What the show does do, though, is start the episode by revealing the other members of the Nine Soldiers. Save for Justice, the missing members are deceased, a sobering reminder of how bleak A Tale of Perishing was before Natsuko arrived.

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Regardless of what happened, the liquid Void embedded itself next to the tower containing the last Soul Future and placed itself into a chrysalis. When it emerges, it will attempt to consume the one thing keeping the world from ending.

And worst of all? Natsuko didn’t seem to learn anything from her failure.

Reality Check, Natsuko!

This episode’s name is particularly meaningful, as it marks a big change in Natsuko. At first, she says she will handle the Void like she always does, but the Nine Soldiers aren’t having any of it. Everyone (except Unio) does everything from yell at her for being reckless (Luke) to patiently reassuring her she’s not alone. However, it’s QJ, the robot and character who’s had the least impact on the story, that manages to get through to her. In a very sobering moment, QJ plays back footage revealing how hard the others worked to save her life.

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The anime has yet to explain why Natsuko developed this mindset of doing everything herself, but it has shown how detrimental it is. Back in Japan, her stubbornness put the entire studio in jeopardy, which is bad enough. But in A World of Perishing? It almost got her killed. It has to stop, and thankfully, the message sticks with Natsuko. She finally learns the importance of working with a team.

When the Nine Soldiers next fight the Void near the Soul Future itself, this time, it’s not just Natsuko who saves the day. The entire group uses a plan that Luke comes up with that requires all of them. And it works! They manage to stop the Void and save the Soul Future, thus preventing the end of the world once more!

Another Crisis Solved

The best part, though, is that the fight prompts Justice to get back into the fray. And after helping Natsuko pull things off, Luke sees for himself how Justice’s wings were mangled, preventing them from flying to their full extent. And that makes Luke realize that he was so caught up in his own problems that he never realized how Justice was feeling. So, it looks like Justice is going to end up rejoining the Nine Soldiers.

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The timing couldn’t be better. With the Voids now taking on forms that Natsuko doesn’t know about, they need to up their game. They need to change how they work.

And with that, Zenshu has reached its halfway point. Sorry for the delay, but more reviews will be out soon!

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I Give “Change” a 4/5

What if Rudeus Reunited With Sylphie Sooner?

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Early Arrival-A Mushoku Tensei Fanfic

If you read this blog over the over the past two years, you’ll notice that we’re fans of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. It was one of the stories that led to the Isekai genre’s explosion in popularity. It’s about imperfect and flawed characters who are trying to better themselves. And it’s filled with plenty of rich lore and world-building. However, there are two things about the story that I take issue with. The first is with the way that Eris left the main character, Rudeus, and broke his heart in the process. Secondly, the trauma she unintentionally inflicted on him was so bad that he was left depressed and impotent for the next three years. Whatever faults Rudeus Greyrat may have (and he’s well aware of them), he didn’t deserve what he went through!

So, what if Rudeus didn’t have to spend three years in his own mental hell? What if he managed to get the help he needed earlier than in the canon? How would this affect the story’s pacing and the decisions its characters make? That is the main premise behind this interesting fanfic, Early Arrival. AKA, what happens if Rudy reunites with Sylphie sooner than planned?

Name: Early Arrival

Type of Fanfic: AU

Written By: GameGladiator46

Started: April 2024

Status: Ongoing

What if Rudeus Reunited With Sylphie Sooner?

Like many canon-divergent AUs, Early Arrival is an example of either the Butterfly or Snowball effects in action. Starting right after Rudy discovered he was impotent, the story sees him make a different decision. Instead of events leading him to burn his bridges with Sara and leave with Soldat, here he impulsively decides to leave town altogether. That puts him on the road to Sharia right as Ariel’s party is making their own way there, leading him to save them from assassins and for the Princess to ask him to join them to their mutual destination.

Because of that one decision, events that take place in Rudeus’ life begin to take place years ahead of the canon. As a result, the relationships he establishes with key people at Ranoa University have extra time to develop and mature, allowing him to become closer to many lifelong acquaintances far sooner. Take Ariel, for example. While he’s grateful for her help in reuniting him with Sylphie, they’re still not that close by the end of the anime’s second season. Here, they become close friends, especially after he gets her interested in going out drinking together. Hilariously, this does become a problem when she sometimes gets too into it.

That’s only one example, though. Those two extra years allow Rudy the chance to form stronger bonds with many of the people he comes to know at Ranoa University. He reunites with Zanoba in time to see Linia and Pursena smash his Roxy Figurine. Unfortunately, seeing it happen makes his reaction more extreme than it was in the canon story. However, it should be noted that he feels incredibly guilty about it afterward, and eventually apologizes and tells Sylphie and Ariel everything. As for a silver lining, Luke being there to help him manage his negative emotions means the two form a genuine bond as family. Luke even helps explain how sorry Rudy is to Sylphie and Ariel, preventing a potential fallout.

Say what you want about Luke Notos Greyrat, but he respects the bro code.

Rudy and Sylphie grow even closer before marrying

The main draw to Early Arrival, though, is how it allows Rudeus and Sylphiette to develop their relationship sooner than in the actual Mushoku Tensei. Like in canon, Rudeus doesn’t realize that Fitz is Sylphie when they first reunite. Unlike in canon, though, it doesn’t take Rudy a whole year to figure out who she is. Instead, it happens near the end of their trip to Sharia. However, once he knows who she is, the two quickly capitalize on their feelings and become a happy couple. It doesn’t cure Rudeus of his ED right away, but he doesn’t keep it a secret from her.

In hindsight, one drawback to Rudy and Sylphie marrying almost as soon as they become a couple is that we never get to see them date. They had already spent a year growing closer, but having to maintain her Fitz guise meant Sylphie could never go as far as she wanted. With that guise no longer a factor, though, Early Arrival has them spend that first year at Ranoa U enjoying dating each other. And because Rudy is more open about his problems, Sylphie is in a better position to help him work through them.

Perhaps most important, though, is how the story further explores the opinion Sylphie develops of Eris before ever meeting her. While it’s touched upon in the light novels, the anime doesn’t go into as much detail about her thoughts on Eris. Early Arrival, though, fully explores her complicated feelings towards Rudeus’ former traveling companion. On the one hand, she manages to help Rudy figure out why Eris left, something that he has yet to fully do in the anime. Understanding, though, isn’t the same as accepting something, and Sylphie makes it known that she resents Eris for hurting the man they loved so badly.

The bottom line is that the two will have to work out some issues should Eris return (which we know she will). Talking about it further, though, veers into spoiler territory from the light novels.

An Interesting Read for Mushoku Tensei Fans

For those expecting for Early Arrival to be as detailed a story as Mushoku Tensei itself, they might end up being disappointed. At 142,000+ words and counting, it’s a decent read for a fanfic. A dedicated reader could likely binge the entire thing in the span of a day or two. However, it’s not trying to re-tell the entire story from scratch. It’s only trying to cut out what could be considered unnecessary waste of time. Which, truthfully, isn’t the wrong way to look at the two-year gap between Rudy leaving with Soldat and then heading to Ranoa University. Those two years were likely some of the most miserable of his life, and Rudy didn’t deserve to suffer for that long for all his faults.

It should also be noted that it’s only now that the story is beginning to re-align with several of the events of the canon, meaning it’s technically only halfway through the series second season. There’s still plenty of time for it to develop more ideas. And it is making the most out of its premise, which is always appealing. So, if you didn’t want Rudy to suffer as long as he did, then you should find this fanfic pretty cathartic to read.

Click Here to Read it on AO3

Natsuko, get your ego under control!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Blogging, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , ,

Zenshu Ep 5 Review

Natsuko has been on an absolute tear ever since she came to the world of A Tale of Perishing. Every time a Void has shown up, whether she’s seen them before or not, Natsuko has managed to win. At the rate Zenshu is going, she can change the downer ending into a happy one. However, it would make for a boring anime if things continued along this same pathfr the rest of the series. With Zenshu nearing its halfway point, it has to mix things up to keep the viewers interested. In this case, that, sadly, involves teaching Natsuko an important lesson: just because she knows the original story, doesn’t mean she can solve all its problems.

Natsuko is letting her ego show

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It was established in the first episode that Natsuko wasn’t someone who worked well with others. Because she has such high standards for herself, she would get repeatedly frustrated when others couldn’t be on her level. Thus, instead of admitting she had no clue what she was doing with her romance flick and asking for help, she tried to do everything alone. While Zenshu already indicated that things were getting bad for the studio she worked at, the opening to this episode showed us just how bad they were getting. If that upcoming film didn’t do well, the entire studio would go under, and it would all be Natuskoโ€™s fault.

Here’s the thing, though: Natsuko never figured this out. Nor have her experiences in a world of Perishing helped to curb her lone wolf mentality. Instead, her string of victories over the Void has caused her ego to swell to the size of a planet. She’s openly basking in the peopleโ€™s adulation and saying that she’s handling everything. Even when she acknowledges how the story has gone way off the rails, she thinks she’s got it covered.๏ฟผ Even the cocky Unio believes she’s got too big a head on her shoulders!

Natsuko needs to get her act together

There are two significant issues with how Natsuko is acting in this episode. Firstly, there’s the story itself. If Natsuko is dreaming all this on a hospital bed, then when she wakes up, she wont have learned any important life lessons. Nothing will change, and thus sheโ€™ll doom her job due to her ego. Secondly, thinking you know how a story in an isekai will end can be a recipe for disaster. Case in point, the other heroes in Shield Hero thought the same thing. Look up how that turned out for them!

Bottom line, Natsuko needs to start learning how to work with a team, especially now that she’s begun to make an impact on the Nine Soldiers.

Luke is getting jealous of Justice

By now, it should be evident that Luke is falling for Natsuko. Luke may try to deny those feelings, and Natsuko might be oblivious to them (for now), but Unio is fully aware and hates it! Those feelings only continue to grow in this episode when Destiny asks the group to help out the orphans in the District of Despair. Not only is Luke impressed with how easily Natsuko wins over the kids, but he grows jealous when they reunite with an old friend of there’s who starts hitting on Natsuko.

This episode introduces the audience to Justice, a Dragon-man and former member of the Nine Soldiers before he quit. On the surface, it looks like did it to indulge In a life of debauchery. In truth, though, it was because in an earlier battle where a teammate died, his wings got crippled. As a result, he can’t fly. To a dragon, that’s the same as being paralyzed. The worst part, though, is that Luke didn’t even notice it because he was so worried about their other dying comrade.

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Natsuko is able to bond with Justice because she understands his pain genuinely. Unfortunately, she doesn’t learn from his mistakes of not asking for help from others. In addition, her spending time around Justice starts giving Luke the wrong idea.

Natsuko might have bit off more than she can chew

Eventually, though, Natuskoโ€™s hubris catches up with her when the next group of Voids appear. For the first time since she got isekaiโ€™d, Natsukoโ€™s drawings fail to defeat the good. The last moment of the episode is of her sitting vulnerable on the ground as the Void looks ready to end her life!

What a cliffhanger! For the first time, things are about to take a turn for the serious! Even if Natsuko makes it out in one piece, the consequences will still be significant. Hopefully, this experience will be the wake-up call she needs. Otherwise, this whole isekai experience will have been for nothing.

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I Give “Justice” a 4/5

Memmeln is Acting Hecka Sus!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , ,

Some people think that living for centuries would be awesome. However, what good is getting to live for hundreds, even thousands of years, if everyone you know grows old and dies without you? In fantasy novels, it is the curse of many elves to outlast their fellow mortals, like Memmeln from Zenshu. Even with everything Natsuko knows about the film sheโ€™s stuck in, she doesnโ€™t know what drives Memmeln. And that not knowing almost costs them the Nine Soldiers everything in the new episode of Zenshu.

Memmeln is a Void Stan

As Natsuko is working on her drawings, Luke asks a question out of the blue regarding the Void that snuck into the festival last episode. None of them know how that happened in the first place, but Natsuko knowsโ€ฆsort of.

Spoiler alert: Memmeln is part of a group that cast a spell to disguise the Void as the priest. Their plan was to summon the Ultimate Void, but when they do, and Luke killed it, it was revealed to be Memmeln. The problem is that the film never explained why this happened, so Natsukoโ€™s left fumbling for answers, just like Luke.

Which leads to the big โ€œwtfโ€ reveal of the episode: Memmeln is part of a group of elves that are fed up with living. Theyโ€™ve seen death and destruction too many times over the course of their lives, so they just want the pain to end. In short, theyโ€™re trying to create a mass extinction event to embrace death.

Immortality is Overrated…

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While thereโ€™s no denying that getting to stave off aging for a century or two would be nice, not everyone thinks of the downsides of such a long life. Live long enough, and everything starts to become a blur. People you know and love die, and youโ€™re left alone. Living that long can be a curse unto itself, something Memmeln is acutely aware of. However, instead of cherishing the time she has all the more, Natsuko points out how self-serving her plans are. And sheโ€™s not wrong. It is rather selfish to unilaterally decide to end the world.

So, the big issue is how do Natsuko and Luke convince Memmeln and her group not to go through their plans? Something Natsuko knows well: the immortality of a creator.

Unless you create something really cool!

It can be argued that, besides the existence of the soul, the only true form of immortality is having the world remember your name. And in this regard, great storytellers can wind up being remembered long after theyโ€™ve left this world. Homer, Shakespeare, Tolkien, all of them have been dead from anywhere from several decades to thousands of years, but people still remember them. Centuries from now, people might still remember Toriyama, Tezuka, Oda, and the other great mangaka of 20th and 21st centuries. The bottom line is that all these people created characters that, even after theyโ€™re dead and gone, are going to be remembered.

So, Natsuko plays into that with her latest drawing. Itโ€™s to remind Memmeln and her choir that, for all the suffering and loss that comes with the fullness of time, there are still beautiful things worth cherishing. Granted, she used a boy band heartthrob from an anime she worked on, but that doesnโ€™t take away any of the poignancy. No matter how much destruction and loss the world is filled with, thereโ€™s still beauty to be found!

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Natsuko and Lukeโ€™s plan works. They manage to convince Memmeln and her followers to not give up on life when they can still stan anime husbandoโ€™s. The bad news is that seeing them go off together briefly gave Unio the impression that Natsuko and Luke were dating. And Lukeโ€™s denial at the end only makes him even more suspicious.

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Who thinks Natsuko and Luke are going to date?

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Itโ€™s official: Zenshu is shipping Natsuko and Luke, which could be both good and bad. Good, because if it goes through and she gets some character development before waking up back in Japan, Natsuko would have the experience to finish that romance anime she was stuck on. Bad, because it could lead to the story ending far worse if something bad happens. That, and she and Luke would be separated if she went back home. It could go either way.

Clearly, Zenshu is playing the long game and trying to make us invested in how things will turn out, and it could go either way.

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I Give “Eternity” a 3.5/5