Natsuko Hirose

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

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

Zenshu Ep 12 Review

And that’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 Kametaro’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, there’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 light’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, they’re the personification of the despair that people can hit when they begin to think that nothing they do matters. It’s something that everyone will experience at some point in their lives, and they’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 she’s ever drawn anything before. She draws an army of Lukes and throws them at the personification of hopelessness and despair. There’s probably some sort of deeper meaning behind it, but it’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 Natsuko’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 Kametaro’s side and say that it’s a lame cop-out that makes no sense. I, on the other hand, think that it’s the right kind of deus ex machina. Then again, this isn’t the first time I’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 wasn’t a dream brought on by a near-death experience is that Natsuko kept Unio’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 she’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 didn’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

When the Story Starts to Clap Back

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

Zenshu Ep 9 Review

I owe everyone an explanation about why I suddenly stopped putting up reviews for each episode of Zenshu. I am a sucker for spoilers; once I see them, I can’t forget them. So, despite not finishing episode 8, I wound up spoiling myself with clips from the next episodes. And once I saw what was going to happen, I knew I would have to binge everything. Things get incredibly dark incredibly fast as Kametaro’s warnings to Natsuko start to ring true. The story of A Tale of Perishing is now beginning to clap back against Natsuko’s changes…and it leads to tragic results.

Luke has had a terrible Life

The firet third of the episode comes in the form of an extended flashback as the series retells events from Luke’s perspective. Zenshu has gradually revealed bits and pieces about the Nine Soldiers’ past, but this offers the most detailed look at Luke’s life. Through his own inner monologues, we see just how hard the burden of being a hero had become for him. He thinks he’s failing in his role as the hero, and because of that, his friends and the rest of the whole world suffers. As we learn later, the events of the movie would only be the final nail in this coffin of despair.

Then Natsuko arrived and she changed everything.

Once Natsuko appears in his life, Luke’s mindset starts to change for the better. The man was close to his breaking point, but by virtue of being herself, Natsuko gave him hope and joy for the first time in forever. That’s what leads Luke to fall in love with Natsuko: to him, she’s the embodiment of hope and joy. She made his life better simply by being in it; that’s something that is true for many couples in both fiction and in real life.

The question is, though: does Natsuko love Luke back?

When Natsuko comes to back in the Last Town, she has no idea how to react to Luke’s love for her. Her lack of experience with romance shows once more, and this leads to some rather humorous moments. Alas, Natsuko doesn’t have the chance to think about this new feeling, as the Spectre of Kametaro’s words hangs over her.

How It Originally Ended

Over the course of the series, Natsuko’s inner thoughts have gradually revealed the ending to A Tale of Perishing. However, it’s during a conversation with QJ that we finally learn what was supposed to happen:

  • Everyone turns on Luke and Destiny after Memmeln’s death. The former for killing his comrade, the latter for “seducing” Luke
  • Destiny dies in the next Void attack
  • This drives Luke over the edge, leading to him destroying the Soul Future, bringing forth the Ultimate Void and ending the world.

Good grief, no wonder A Tale of Perishing was panned by audiences and critics. That ending is as depressing as they come! While one could argue that endings like that do play out in real life, most people don’t want to be reminded about that! They want to see stories that will ultimately help them forget about their troubles, not make them want to give up on existing! The world can already be dark enough as it is!

Regardless of how much people may think the story’s ending may stink, the story itself doesn’t seem to care. And just as QJ gives Natsuko a pep-talk, the story steps ups its attempts to course correct to new levels. During the next Void attack, Natsuko sees, to her horror, that the monsters aren’t just coming up with original ideas anymore. Now, they’re copying her own drawings! The story is weaponizing plagiarism to mess with Natsuko.

The worst part? It works. The knowledge that whatever she may draw could be used against her, coupled with Kametaro’s words, causes her to doubt herself long enough for things to start to course-correct.

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RIP QJ

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And in the end, one of the Nine Soldiers does lose their life. However, it’s not Unio; instead, it’s QJ.

From a storytelling perspective, QJ dying makes the most sense. He had the least amount of importance to the plot as a whole until this episode. However, his decision to sacrifice himself achieves the same results that it would have had Unio done so. The only difference is that it breaks Natsuko the most.

This is what TV Tropes calls a case of Cerberus Syndrome: the point in which a light-hearted story takes a darker and more serious tone. And it’s not going to let up over the remaining episodes as we now approach the endgame. Which, by the time this goes out, will have already taken place! Since I didn’t watch it (mostly) yet, fingers crossed things get better.

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I Give “Hero” 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

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

Natsuko Just Fixed a Useless Character

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

Zenshu Ep. 3 Review

Zenshu has now hit its third episode (fourth by the time this is out), and that marks an important milestone. The anime’s reaching the point where viewers will decide whether it’s worth watching or they decide to move onto something else. Thankfully, after a few rough patches, the third episode manages to be its strongest thus far. In addition to further expanding on the world that Natsuko finds herself in by introducing Luke’s designated love interest, the episode hints that what she knows should happen and what will happen might not always add up.

Which is a fancy way of saying that the story might be mixing things up in an attempt to course-correct.

I Respect Natsuko’s Aversions to Fancy Clothes

Thanks to the efforts of Natsuko, two of the tragic events that originally occurred in A Tale of Perishing have been averted. As a result, rather than the joint funeral for Unio and the townsfolk that Natsuko notes would’ve happened, the Last Town’s harvest festival takes place as planned. To her dismay, being the guest of honor also means she has to wear a fancy dress, which she despises, much to Unio’s amusement.

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The harvest festival, as a whole, serves as an excellent means of further developing Natsuko and the Nine Soldiers. Natsuko’s disdain for her fancy dress highlights how she wants to live life on her own terms and doesn’t care what others think. Unio proves to be a casanova wannabe who tries and fails to flirt with multiple women, to Natsuko’s amusement. Memmeln refrains from the town’s religious practices because she’s lived so long, she sees them as a fad. And despite his good looks, Luke is shown to be very shy around large groups of women. Which may explain his earlier sexist remarks towards Natsuko.

This is unfortunate, as this episode marks the introduction of his love interest from the film Destiny Heartwarming (yes, that is her real name.) She’s the sweet, sheltered daughter of the town’s mayor, engaged to a wealthy businessman to be the next of his many wives…and that’s it. As Natsuko notes, she’s only there for her and Luke to fall in love…so that when she shows up at the worst possible time and dies, it will break him even further.

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A USELESS CHARACTER, DESTINY IS (For Now)

There’s a name for characters like this: dead. weight. Natsuko thinks that in her inner monologues, which is likely Zenshu providing commentary on how fans can come to hate certain characters for various reasons. In Natsuko’s case, not only is it because she’s a jinx, but because she’s only marrying that businessman because she thinks it’s the best way to start an orphanage for the town’s children. For someone who values her own freedom like Natsuko, Destiny’s way of thinking offends her to her very core.

In any case, Natsuko tells everyone that they have a month before the Void return, so they can take it easy. However, she’s soon proven wrong when a Void comes in disguised as a priest, something that shouldn’t have happened until later in the story. How this is happening is unclear, but it’s possible the story is attempting to right itself after Natsuko’s interference changed events. And with Destiny in danger and Luke drunk in vodka, she has to come up with another deus ex machina.

WRESTLING!!!

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This time, it’s a cat luchador. Which leads to an enjoyable moment where Natsuko provides commentary as her creation delivers a smack down like it’s an actual wrestling match. Say what you want, but someone at MAPPA has a sense of humor.

In the end, another crisis is averted thanks to Natsuko, and in more ways than one. After waking up three days later (which seems to be standard), she finds out her words left a positive impact on Destiny. Not only did she dump business guy and open the orphanage on her own, she decided to follow Natsuko’s example and live life on her terms. And those terms include emulating the cat wrestler, which is hilarious.

Natsuko Hirose. Making bad characters better since 2025.

It was touch and go for a while, but after this episode, Zenshu looks like it can handle itself with the big boys. This is one anime to watch for the winter season of 2025, as there’s no telling how things will turn out. We still don’t know how Natsuko got to this world or why she was brought there, but there are sure to be some theories at work already.

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I Give “Destiny” a 4/5

‘Zenshu’ an Original Isekai by MAPPA

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

Zenshu Ep 1&2 Review

Since its inception almost fourteen years ago, Studio MAPPA has made quite a name for itself. It’s produced some of the biggest anime of the last few years, including Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and even the final season of Attack on Titan. However, one genre of anime that they have yet to touch is that of the Isekai genre. Much less an Isekai that’s wholly original and not based on any light novel, webcomic, or manga. Yet they decided to kick off 2025 doing exactly that with their new, original series, Zenshu. AKA a self-insert fanfiction being made into an anime.

Anyone who has ever loved a story but hated the ending should have a vested interest in this anime.

Oh, you thought this was a work-place comedy? Think again!

Zenshu starts off with a bait-and-switch as it introduces us to our main character, Natsuko Hirose. She’s a young, talented animator who got hired right out of high school and already made a name for herself making a hit anime. Now, she’s working on her next project, a rom-com about first love. Except she’s got writer’s block because she knows nothing about romance whatsoever and is already running behind schedule.

At first, Zenshu looked like it would be a work-place dramedy about working in the anime industry, and that alone has its appeal. The animation industry in Japan has become infamous for how stressful it can be, and having an anime focus on that would be interesting to watch. However, here’s where the bait-and-switch comes in: Natsuko eats bad clams for lunch and apparently dies. When she wakes up , shes in the desert outside a medieval city while a group of warriors are fighting monsters.

The One Anime Where Everyone Dies

It takes a while for Natsuko to realize it, but she’s somehow gotten isekaied into A Tale of Perishing, the anime film that inspired her to become an animator in the first place. Unfortunately for her, the film was panned by critics and audiences for a good reason: all the heroes die. Few people would ever want to watch a story where the protagonists all die. And she happened to show up right when the main hero’s best friend is about to pull a Chiatzou and sacrifice himself to stop the monsters, called the Void.

Natsuko’s response: “Nah…I’m gonna fix that.” And somehow, her animating tool lets her manifest her desk and start drawing a deus ex machina to prevent this tragedy from occurring. And while the anime can be a little cringy up to this point (it doesn’t help that I couldn’t decide if I liked dubbed or subbed better) you can tell MAPPA wanted to cook with this one scene in particular.

It boils down to Natsuko recreating the climax of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, minus the main character briefly dying!

Natsuko and Luke Have Some Issues

The second episode picks up with Natsuko coming out of a three day slumber to be confronted by Luke Braveheart, the main protagonist of the film. From there, it essentially deals with Natsuko trying to understand how she got into this situation as well as how she managed to do whatever she did. Unfortunately, all she can learn is that she can’t use that magic whenever she wants; only when they’re fighting. In addition, she can only drawing a new ending once, so she has to get creative with her approach. Which is a nice handicap MAPPA came up with to make the story more interesting. Zenshu wants Natsuko to work for what she wants!

The other main focus of the second episode, though, is on the growing dynamic between Natsuko and Luke. At first, Luke is very weary of Natsuko, not even knowing if she’s human or not. Then, in this episode, when the mayor of the city offers to have her join the hero’s party, he makes a sexist remark by saying women can’t fight. Right in front of his female teammate, no less. That alone would get him canceled on social media.

Yet, for some reason, Zenshu drops subtle hints that it’s shipping Luke and Natsuko. So, there’s likely going to be some character development on both parts. Plus, it’s hinted that Luke acts like this because of something from his backstory, though it doesn’t say what.

I Hope this Show Develops the Characters More

It’s not just Luke that is a problem, though. It feels like the characters from A Tale of Perishing don’t have much depth to them. Since this is only the first two episodes, though, that will (hopefully) change. But it doesn’t help that Luke’s best friend, a talking unicorn named Unio, is a little irritating. Not even having him voiced by Luci Christian in the dub can help that!

Speaking of dub, it’s hard to tell which is going to be better, subbed or dubbed. On the one hand, the dub does have some good talent with Madeline Morris, the voice of Rudeus Greyrat, voicing Natsuko. On the other hand, the dub can feel a little cringy at times, though that might also be the story.

Despite some of the issues with Zenshu, I did put it as one of the anime to look forward to going into 2025. As such, it only feels right to try and stick it out until the end. At the very least, reviewing it every week might help others decide if it’s worth the watch or not.

I Give “First Stroke” and “Defending to the Death” a 3.5/5 and a 4/5