Do you remember what it’s like to first fall in love? And of course, it doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic love. It’s that thing you encounter or experience that stops your heart and shifts your entire world. Studio MAPPA takes us right into the heart of that feeling in their latest original anime “Zenshu” from director Mitsue Yamazaki and writer Kimiko Ueno.
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Anime-directing prodigy Natsuko Hirose has achieved remarkable success with her first series. Many are looking forward to her next work: a coming-of-age cinema release focused on first love. This proves difficult for Natsuko, as she’s never fallen in love before. After an experience with a bad clam, she wakes up in the world of “A Tale of Perishing”, the dark fantasy movie that first sparked her passion for animation. She has also gained the power to bring drawings to life. Using this power to help the heroes led by swordsman Luke Braveheart in their fight for survival, Natsuko must face the question of whether she’s saving the world that means so much to her, or condemning it to an even darker fate.
The biggest star in “Zenshu” is the animation itself. What MAPPA has created is an absolute feast for the eyes, with at least one moment in every episode that will leave you stunned. The action sequences are well-paced and genuinely perilous, and the environments of this dark fantasy world on the brink of destruction are stunning. Supported by Yukari Hashimoto‘s phenomenal score, at times epic and sweeping, at others understated and delicate, this is also a story that serves as a love letter to anime and animation itself.
The first thing Natsuko summons with her power is one of the destructive Giant Warriors designed by Hideaki Anno from “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” (1984). Many of the things she brings to life contain similar references, and spotting them is part of the fun. They appear in an unfinished, sketchy style and, if injured, burst into sheafs of paper. There’s even a magical girl-like transformation sequence every time Natsuko uses her powers. When scenes from the original “A Tale of Perishing” appear, there’s a noticeable change in style, rougher, with thicker lines that emulate anime from the 1980s and 1990s. The attention to detail is immensely satisfying, showing that Ueno and Yamazaki had devoted anime fans in mind while crafting this story.
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But it’s not just the references that carry “Zenshu”. As an isekai story, character interaction with the new world is a major element. Since Natsuko is an anime director and a fan of this particular world, she’s aware of the conventions of this subgenre, which makes for a clever twist. One of her first priorities upon realizing she’s in her favorite movie is to eat all the beautifully animated food, which is highly relatable. Natsuko’s design, with her hoodie and face-concealing hair, reflects both her insular and obsessive personality. She’s selfish and sometimes callous, but not unkind. Anna Nagase‘s performance brings these layers of the character to life with skill.
As for the other characters, designed by Yoshiteru Tsujino and adapted for animation by Kayoko Ishikawa, those from the world of “A Tale of Perishing” strike a perfect balance between embodying classic fantasy archetypes and having unique identities. Some of the best humor comes from Natsuko interacting with these long-familiar characters, especially her bickering rivalry with Unio the unicorn, a cute mascot character.
There is a noticeable dip in quality after the first couple of episodes, but the story regains its footing in episode five. This is when we see the full extent of the pressure Natsuko places on herself to succeed, which parallels the stress weighing on Luke Braveheart. He is the legendary hero whose purpose is to fight to the bitter end. While that fits a typical fantasy mold, he grows into something more as Natsuko—and we—see different sides of him. He transforms from a character into a person. As the stakes rise in the second half of the series, the emotional impact intensifies. When things get dark, they really get dark, heartbreakingly so.
My favorite episode is episode 7, where we see how Natsuko’s passion can inspire emotion in others. It’s significant that in the world of “Zenshu”, the movie “A Tale of Perishing” is not a popular or well-regarded title. It’s easy to love what everyone else loves, but it takes a special kind of passion to champion the strange, overlooked story.
Beautifully animated and full of emotion, “Zenshu” explores what it means to love a story and how stories shape us. It’s a very different kind of isekai. Sometimes a silly celebration of animation, other times a haunting tale of personal turmoil, but always an engaging and entertaining experience. MAPPA rarely does anything halfway, and here they give everything. It’s far too early to definitively call this one of the anime of the year, but it’s certainly a strong contender.
