Zenshu

So Many Fire Moments of Anime, So Little Time!

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

RJ Writing Ink’s Picks for Best Anime Moments of 2025

What a great year of anime that we’ve had! 2025 was filled with so many hits that there was no way I could possibly watch them all. From Jin-Woo continuing to slay as an aura farmer to Rentaro’s legendary yap about his girlfriends, there were a lot of anime moments that will live rent-free in my head for a long time. To celebrate the end of the year, I’m continuing my tradition of naming my favorite anime moments of 2025. Full disclosure: I will be limiting this to the anime that I managed to watch. This year got pretty busy for me, so I was unable to follow through on everything I wanted to see.

Super Saiyan 4 Returns, Dragon Ball Daima

Dragon Ball Daima was a bittersweet event for Dragon Ball fans, as it would be Akira Toriyama’s final contribution to his creation before his passing. However, he made sure to cook us up a feast before he died, culminating in the return of one of Goku’s most legendary forms, Super Saiyan 4. While Dragon Ball GT remains a controversial entry to the franchise, everyone agrees that SSJ4 was the best thing to come out of it. Needless to say, getting to see it re-enter the canon at the climax of Goku’s journey through the Demon Realm was like a blessing from the heavens themselves. Thank you, Toriyama.

Kuma Gets Revenge on Saturn, One Piece

If you remember my post praising the story of Bartholomew Kuma, then you also remember how offended I am by the mere existence of his mortal enemy, Jaygarcia Saturn. The monstrous member of the Five Elders of the World Government went out of his way to make Kuma’s life miserable, kidnapping and injecting the love of his life with a fatal illness, giving said illness to her daughter, and then forcing Kuma to give up his humanity to save her life. Needless to say, every fiber of my being wanted Saturn dead before the Straw Hats left Egghead. While that would end up happening, I found it way more satisfying when Kuma came to rescue his adoptive daughter from death at the hands of Saturn, and then repay him for a lifetime’s worth of pain in one cathartic punch. Guess good things come to those who wait.

Rentaro’s 2-Minute Monologue about his Girlfriends, The 100 Girlfriends

I know I like to talk about 100 Girlfriends a lot on this blog, but normally, I wouldn’t include something from it as one of the greatest moments in anime for the years. However, I think this should count as an exception. In the final minutes of season two, Rentaro proceeds to go on an entire monologue about everything he loves about his girlfriends. Besides demonstrating just how much of a CHAD he is, that monologue actually made the record books, earning the record for the longest speech in Japanese Animation at over 7,453 characters. The dub is just as impressive, coming in at more than 3k words! And all of it had to be sped up to fit it into that one scene. Earning a world record is more than enough to make it onto this list!

Jin-woo vs the Ant King, Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadows

I’ve called Sung Jin-woo the Black Air Force Hunter for a reason, and the second season of his show continued to demonstrate why he’s worthy of that title. There were plenty of epic moments throughout the season, but its magnum opus is, without a doubt, when Jin-woo faces off against the Ant King on Jeju Island. When the best Hunters of two countries are left at the brink of death, Jin-woo shows up to save the day. The entire country then gets to see firsthand why Jin-woo is the strongest as we get this visually spectacular battle between Hunter and Monster. And the music they used was just the icing on the cake!

Natsuko Rewrites the Ending, Zenshu

After getting isekaied into a world based on her favorite movie, A Tale of Perishing, Natsuko did everything in her power to change the story’s ending, only for it to seem to be for naught. As the world begins to be destroyed by the embodiment of despair, the Ultimate Void, Natsuko uses all her drawing skills to make one last attempt to rewrite the story, creating a version of Luke strong enough to destroy it. In doing so, not only does she confess her love for the actual Luke, but manages to recreate the entire world and bring back everyone who died in the process. Not only is this whole thing absolutely gorgeous to look at, but it ties back into the show’s overall message of hope over despair. And it’s a much better ending than the film’s creator could ever have made. Score one for fan writing!

Speaking of which…

Midoriya and the Heroes Defeat All for One, My Hero Academia Final Season

Speaking as a fellow Star Wars fan, I can’t but think that Kohei Horikoshi looked at the climax of The Rise of Skywalker and thought, “hey, maybe I can do better.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, but seeing all of the Heroes help Deku defeat the evil All for One definitely gave off those vibes. As Midoriya puts everything he has left into one final attack, we get a montage of all the Heroes still capable of fighting doing everything they can to help him, culminating in a final, gorgeous moment as Deku lands the blow that will ultimately seal the villain’s fate. To make it even better, the entire thing was played to the series most iconic song, the ever-memeable “You Say Run.” That song really does go with everything!

Mecha vs. Space Kaiju, DanDaDan S2

You know what’s better than giant robots fighting equally giant monsters. Absolutely nothing! There were a lot of standout moments in the second season of DanDaDan, but I think the gang turning the Ayase house into a mecha to fight a space kaiju takes the cake. But even more importantly was getting to see newcomer Kinta not only solidify his role as an ally of Okarun and Momo, but he got to live out his dream of piloting a giant robot. Every Gundam fan in the world has got to be jealous of that guy at that moment! He may have his flaws, but when push came to shove, Kinta proved he had that dawg in him!!

Chainsaw Man vs Storm Devil, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc

After waiting years for the story ofChainsaw Man to continue in anime form, the Reze Arc movie didn’t fail to disappoint. Denjiโ€™s fight against the likes of Reze was already crazy enough as it was. However, we all know that Chainsaw Man is one of those series that thrives on being as chaotic as possible. Ergo, instead of fighting just Reze, we get to see Denji fight her and the Typhoon Devil. All while riding atop the Shark Fiend. What is is crazier than riding a shark into battle?

The Whole Thing, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba-The Movie: Infinity Castle

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle was the kind of film that needed to be seen on the big screen. Anything less would be a great disservice, as would my attempting to pick one moment from it to single out. This entire movie was pretty much one big greatest anime moment of the year. The Demon Slayer Corps charging into their final battle against the Demons. Shinobuโ€™s ultimate fate fighting Douma. Zenitsu killing his former sibling disciple turned Demon. Tanjiro fighting and beating the Demon that killed Rengoku! There’s too much to choose from, so I’m choosing it all! I’m so glad I got to see it on the big screen!

So, what were your favorite anime moments from 2025? Let us know!

So Many Great Waifu’s to Come Out of 2025

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

RJ Writing Ink’s Picks for Top Waifus of 2025

Well, another year is in the books, and that means it’s time to reflect on everything that’s happened. For anime fans, that means it’s time to talk about their favorite moments of the year, their favorite anime, and just as important, what fictional characters they would date if they were real. I’m RJ Writing Ink, and once again, it is time for me to go over my picks for the best waifus for 2025. As was the case with last year, I will be including multiple entries from the same series if I deem it necessary. Mostly because some picks are so good that I can’t decide on one.

The Rentaro Family-The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

First up on our list, it would be crazy to have a waifu list and not include one of the biggest group of best girls out there, the Rentaro family. This year, 100 Girlfriends was happy to welcome five new girlfriends to its membership: a constantly hangry girl, a maid, a tomboy, a beauty queen, and a super-shy girl. Given how well-writen and entertaining they all are, we’re just going to include all of them by default. However, if I had to play favorites, I think my personal choice is Iku Sutou. Firstly, she’s a tomboy, and I believe in tomboy supremacy. Secondly, I love the irony of her being a masochist who’s seiyu is played by Megumin’s from Konosuba. If you know, you know.

Cha Hae-In-Solo Leveling

Admittedly, Solo Leveling is not the kind of anime that you would think of when you think of best girls since it’s focus is on Jin-woo. However, the anime seems to make a notable exception when it comes to Cha Hae-In. From day one, the anime has gone out of its way to include extra scenes focusing on Hae-In, with some not-so-subtle money shots included. Don’t be fooled, though. She’s the strongest female Hunter in Korea, with only a handful of the boys able to surpass her. The most notable being Jin-woo himself, whom Hae-In’s taken an interest in. And it’s not just because he’s the only Hunter whose smell she can stand.

Natsuko Hirose-Zenshu

For the life of me, I can’t remember the last time I saw a woman be the protagonist for an isekai, but man, did Natsuko slay. At the start of the series, she managed to turn her love of animation into a career, and she was incredibly talented at it. The catch was that because she focused so much on her art, her social skills were almost nonexistent by the time she gets isekaied. Over the course of being stuck in her favorite movie, though, she learns how to open up to others, accept help, and even understand what love is. Thanks to that, not only does she manage to rewrite the film’s downer ending, but the ending implies her true love found a way to make it to her world. And, if I’m being honest, she is very pretty underneath that hoodie she wears.

Yihdra Arvoln-The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World

Speaking of the isekai genre, let’s talk about the main heroine for this fun series I mentioned, The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World. Or, as Yihdra would call it, I teamed up with a hot-headed weirdo and ended up falling for him without meaning to. Yihdra is a talented young mage who’s goal in life is to restore her family’s honor and prove that magical items can be used responsibly. That leads her to teaming up with Red to fight against the threat of returning demons, and while his antics do exasperate her at times, his talk about bonds and friendship does grow on her. It also becomes pretty obvious that she’s started to fall for him. She took the bandaid he gave her for her finger and acted like it was an engagement ring!

Huntr/x-Kpop Demon Hunters

Is Kpop Demon Hunters an anime movie? No, and Huntr/x isn’t even Japanese. But if their movie was big enough to get them on the cover of Time Magazine (look it up), then we’re giving them a pass. This K-pop trio of songstresses protects the world from demons and looks amazing while doing so. Their dynamic reminds people of another close-knit trio inspired by anime, the Totally Spies. And everyone of their songs is an absolute banger. Ergo, they’re on this list!

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The Mikadono Sisters-Dealing With the Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze

If you read my reviews of Tomo-Chan is a Girl!, then you know I believe in tomboy supremacy. So what’s better than having three tomboys at the heart of this heartwarming anime about family. Kazuki, Niko, and Miwa are three talented sisters at the top of their prestigious school and their respective talents, but they’re also incredibly cold. All that changes when they take in the son of a friend of the family who wants nothing more than to have the family life he never had with his late mom. And, despite being utterly talentless, Yuu Ayase wins them over with his kindness, warmth, and ability to get them flustered without even realizing it. In fact, I don’t even think he’s realized that the three of them have started to fall for him.

Popโ˜†Step-My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

From the My Hero Academia universe, we have the young vigilante, Popโ˜†Step. Well, being a vigilante is not her first choice. She’s actually an aspiring pop star who regularly holds street performances, using her Quirk to bounce high while her singing takes care of the rest. Young, brash, and a little insecure about herself, Pop winds up becoming a vigilante by complete accident when she runs into Koichi and Knuckleduster, and winds up sticking with them. Her ultimate goal is to make it big as a singer, and she’s got the skills to do it.

Nico Wakatsuki-Witch Watch

This is one witch that you definitley want as your best friend, and lucky for you, she probably would want to be your friend. Nico is a witch-in-training who returns to Japan to live with her childhood friend, Morihito. He’s supposed to be her bodyguard and keep her safe, but his efforts are complicated due to Nico’s friendly nature compelling her to use magic to help others, with often disastrous results. Friendly, outgoing, and eager to aid others, Nico is the kind of friend that everyone would want. Her one weakness: her huge crush on Morihito, who just can’t seem to get it.

Reze-Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc

Normally, I wouldn’t include someone who tried to kill the main protagonist on this list, but I will make an exception for Reze’s case. Born and raised as a Soviet agent, Reze was tasked with the mission of capturing Denji and obtaining his chainsaw heart. Despite trying to kill him, though, Reze did seem to become genuinely fond of Denji, enough to consider leaving it all behind with him…until Makima intervenes. While their relationship ends in bloodshed and tragedy, Reze represents the kind of life that Denji could have if the world wasn’t out to constantly screw him over.

Scarlet El Vandimion-May I Ask for One Final Thing?

Admit it: after all the time I’ve spent singing her praises, I would be crazy to not include the queen of crash-outs, Scarlet El Vandimion. All her life, this highborn girl has loved nothing more than throwing hands with wicked people, only to force her to repress that due to her terrible arranged marriage. The second her idiotic fiance breaks things off, though, the dog is let off the leash and won’t go back on. Scarlet is absolutely fearsome and capable of pulverizing anyone dumb enough to arouse her anger. At the same time, though, she’s actually a very kind and caring person who truly loves her kingdom and wants the best for everyone in it. Or as I like to put it, she has a zero tolerance policy for other people’s bs. Given how her victims crimes include corruption, slavery, attempted murder, blackmail, brainwashing, and warmongering, it’s not hard to see why.

Who Were Your Favorite Girls for 2024? Let us Know!

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

The Power of Hope over Despair

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

Zenshu Episode 11 Review

The moment that everyone dreaded to see has finally arrived: A Tale of Perishing has seemingly gotten back on track for its horrendously sad ending. With the Last Town reeling over the loss of QJ, everyone turned on Natsuko. They blamed her for everything going wrong and the Voids copying her drawings. Then, in the biggest wham moment of the entire series, Natsuko and Unio were seemingly killed by one of those new Voids. And now, Luke begins to succumb to despair.

But where there is despair, there is also hope.

This is Heartbreaking to Watch

The first half of this episode is, frankly, the visual embodiment of despair. The Voids start to slaughter both the cultists and the mob (no lost tears for the latter) while the rest of the named characters are fighting for their lives. Through it all, Luke has the thousand-yard stare as his mind starts to fall apart. You can practically hear the sound of glass shattering as he goes into full-on denial of the people heโ€™s lost. Once Natsukoโ€™s pegbar dissolves into light, though, he fully breaks. Itโ€™s like taking every sad moment in a Shonen series and rolling it into one.

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Meanwhile, Natsuko is still alive inside the Void, and sheโ€™s in the middle of her own form of despair. She sees everyone sheโ€™s ever known mocking her, calling her drawings trash and saying sheโ€™s not as good as she thought she was. In other words, Natsuko is dealing with the bane of every creator to ever exist: haters. And they get to her.

Natsuko herself doesnโ€™t like to touch upon it, but the series itself has no such compunctions as it shows just how much stress she was under before she got isekaiโ€™d. Everyoneโ€™s expectations for her were sky-high, and she was under so much pressure to meet them, even though she didnโ€™t know what she was doing. Itโ€™s one of the biggest drawbacks to this kind of runaway success. When people expect you to keep topping whatever you did last, eventually it becomesโ€ฆimpossible.

Natsuko Completes her Character Development

I loved this part of the episode because it went so in-depth into Natsukoโ€™s insecurities. Underneath her carefree attitude is a women whose suffering from a very realistic fear of failing. Nobody likes to fail, especially when people place so much trust into them. However, failure is going to happen one way or another at some point in our lives. What matters is if we can recover from it. And if we canโ€™t, thatโ€™s what having other people around is for.

Which is why the animeโ€™s choice of having Unio being the one to get through to Natsuko is brilliant. As he was the one who was most at odds with Natsuko, having him admit that sheโ€™s the only one who can help him has the most impact. Which leads into yet another amazing moment for the episode.

There’s Nothing Wrong With Loving Fictional Characters

As a proud nerd who isnโ€™t afraid to show his love for works of fiction, Iโ€™ve never understood why people feel the need to mock someone because they love a fictional character. People get called weirdos because theyโ€™re obsessed with this one character from their favorite show or movie. However, what those people fail to understand is that when you truly love a character from fiction, then they can remain a positive influence on your everyday life. They can encourage you when youโ€™re feeling down about life, which will happen often. Their actions can serve as an example of how you should live your life. Seeing what they do could very well inspire someone to do something great with their lives. It could spark a lifetime of love for something. Donte and Aaron had the characters of Dragon Ball, and I canโ€™t keep count of how many characters have inspired me over the years!

And for Natsuko, that character was Luke.

Natsuko has likely been in love with Luke ever since she first saw A Tale of Perishing for the first time. It took her getting to meet the real Luke to get her to realize her love, though. Which, honestly, seems like a dream come true for everyone whose ever had a crush on a fictional character. Itโ€™s great that she gets to live the dream.

So, with Natsukoโ€™s confidence restored and Unio by her side, the two head back into the world to save it from a bad ending. And not a moment too soon, because Luke is about to commit a canon event. Though, just like in the Spiderverse films, screw the canon events!

I Give “Despair” 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

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 canโ€™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 Kametaroโ€™s warnings to Natsuko start to ring true. The story of A Tale of Perishing is now beginning to clap back against Natsukoโ€™s changesโ€ฆand 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 Lukeโ€™s life. Through his own inner monologues, we see just how hard the burden of being a hero had become for him. He thinks heโ€™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, Lukeโ€™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. Thatโ€™s what leads Luke to fall in love with Natsuko: to him, sheโ€™s the embodiment of hope and joy. She made his life better simply by being in it; thatโ€™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 Lukeโ€™s love for her. Her lack of experience with romance shows once more, and this leads to some rather humorous moments. Alas, Natsuko doesnโ€™t have the chance to think about this new feeling, as the Spectre of Kametaroโ€™s words hangs over her.

How It Originally Ended

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

  • Everyone turns on Luke and Destiny after Memmelnโ€™s death. The former for killing his comrade, the latter for โ€œseducingโ€ 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 donโ€™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 storyโ€™s ending may stink, the story itself doesnโ€™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 arenโ€™t just coming up with original ideas anymore. Now, theyโ€™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 Kametaroโ€™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, itโ€™s not Unio; instead, itโ€™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 itโ€™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 didnโ€™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

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

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