Studio MAPPA has been on a roll with original anime, exploring different ideas, concepts, and genres. This season, their latest work, Zenshu, is airing—a story about an animator who gets isekai’d into an anime. Given MAPPA’s workplace conditions, the premise is both ironic and hilarious. Regardless, the anime itself is pretty fun.

Synopsis (Zenshu Anime Plot)

The story follows Natsuko Hirose, a workaholic animator with little sense of teamwork. She prefers to work alone, avoiding explanations or discussions. (Talk about motivating half-dead animators at MAPPA.) However, after ironically kicking the bucket during a break, she’s transported into an anime she watched as a kid—the very show that inspired her to become an animator. The twist? It’s a tragic fantasy story called A Tale of Perishing, where everyone dies.

Like any isekai, Natsuko gains a special ability. At a critical moment, she remembers an impending tragedy, triggering her power, which alters the course of the story. She can animate anything into existence, using it to help the heroes win battles—or just annihilate enemies outright. This earns her a place in the hero’s party, allowing her to explore the world and its characters in ways she never could as a viewer.

Her ability essentially grants her Heaven’s Door—as her heart opens like animation pages, she locks into drawing mode with Zenshu main theme playing in the background, driven by her love for animation. However, the more she changes the story, the less she knows about future events, making things increasingly dangerous.

The Appeal

It’s fun watching Natsuko interact with the fictional world and vice versa. The in-anime characters evolve after witnessing her powers and her foresight of upcoming events. However, her character arc is a bit unbalanced. Initially, she’s a lone wolf who adapts surprisingly fast to her new world, handling situations with ease thanks to her prior knowledge. The pegbar she carries tells her to draw, she does so in a strikingly catchy way, and she saves the day. It feels as if the world itself demands a rewrite.

But as the story diverges from its original path, she can no longer change events alone. This forces her to rely on others, leading to some character development. How much she’ll grow remains to be seen.

Completion of an Untold Story (Zenshu Analysis)

The anime within the anime, A Tale of Perishing, is intriguing—it embodies the archetype of a “bad anime,” making it deeply relatable. Like many of us, Natsuko grew up with a show full of predictable deaths, forced plot conveniences, nonsensical character designs, an annoying mascot, a gullible protagonist, a terrible love interest, and lackluster world-building. Many such anime are criticized today, despite being formative for fans. We often latch onto internet opinions and forget our own feelings.

Zenshu shows that even a flawed story can have heart—and with more effort, it could have been great. Many anime fail due to rushed production and poor management. Animators are often restricted, unable to fully explore a story’s potential. Zenshu reflects this, as Natsuko uncovers hidden lore, characters, and locations that never made it to the screen. The title Zenshu (全修) can be interpreted as “Complete Mastery,” fittingly encapsulating the show’s theme.

The Animation

As expected from MAPPA, the animation is great. The art style is fairly typical but has its flair. The elements Natsuko animates into existence have a rough, sketchy look, symbolizing rushed animation—yet they still look fantastic. Fight scenes are packed with effects and a strong soundtrack, elevating the action. Some characters have distinct designs, but the anime’s aesthetic feels modern rather than evoking a ‘90s or early 2000s fantasy anime. A stronger retro influence would’ve been a nice touch.

The Opening and Ending themes are great as well which are “Zen”, performed by Band-Maid and “Tada, Kimi no Mama de”, performed by Sou respectively.

Afterthought

I never expected to have so much to say about an anime that seemingly dropped out of nowhere. As an original project with no source material, Zenshu crafts moments that invite deeper thought. If you’re looking for something fresh this season that isn’t a sequel, this one’s a must-watch in winter 2025.

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