A stunning anime that breaks Isekai tropes, following an animator in a world where her favourite anime show exists, where hope, love, and despair collide.
Zenshu, an original anime entry by MAPPA, is perhaps the most underrated gem that this year’s Winter Season has given us—and I implore everyone to give it a chance. At first glance, many might dismiss it based on the synopsis alone, assuming it’s just another isekai.
Yet this short, bittersweet series defies expectations, rising above typical isekai tropes to deliver a fresh, heartrending spin on the genre; one that lingers long after the final episode.
The series begins as a light-hearted piece but quickly proves adept at navigating a full spectrum of emotions. It starts with sharp comedic beats, segues into toe-curling romance, and gradually draws viewers into a pit of despair that builds steadily until the climax—only to lift them back up with a powerful surge of hope and determination.
The series is also generously peppered with realistic, well-crafted character development, from the leads to even the supporting cast. And it is executed so effectively that it’s nearly impossible not to root for every one of them. On top of that, the whole series is full of great animation and incredible musical scoring so that it ties the storytelling together and pulls at your heartstrings in every way.
Zenshu stuns its viewers with colourful, detailed animation—fitting, since the anime itself centres around an animator. The way it seamlessly incorporates hand-drawn sketches into its animated environment is nothing short of mind-blowing. Paired with smart yet simple storyboarding (which somehow includes Unio stuck on the ground with his unicorn butt sticking out 50% of the time), the show delivers combat scenes that feel genuinely fantastic.
Part of what makes these scenes so effective is the music. The grandiose background score elevates every moment, making even minor scuffles feel like boss fights pulled straight from a video game. In fact, Zenshu's soundtrack is another reason why this series stands out as an absolute gem.
From BAND-MAID’s headbanging Zen, to the impactful background scores, to Miyano Mamoru’s Boku wa, chō jitsuzai Igujisuto sa—which breathes manic life into the Ultimate Exister—and even to the show’s more melancholic turns, the music never misses a beat. Sou’s ending theme, Tada, Kimi no Mama de, ties it all together beautifully.
So what is it about Zenshu’s story that makes it shine? What sets it apart? And what does it accomplish that so many other isekai titles don’t?
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Zenshu begins by introducing Hirose Natsuko, an overworked yet hyper-talented animator who makes a quiet vow not to cut her hair until she completes the storyboard for her latest film. Like many isekai protagonists, Natsuko meets an untimely end — not by the usual truck-kun, but through a rather unceremonious case of food poisoning from a rotten clam in her lunch bento.
She awakens in the dunes near the Last Town in the world, which is the setting of her favourite anime movie, A Tale of Perishing. There, she encounters Luke Braveheart and the rest of the surviving Nine Soldiers, who are defending the townsfolk and the remnants of the Soul Future from the monstrous Voids. In this strange new world, Natsuko discovers an extraordinary power: the ability to bring her animations to life. With it, she begins altering the tragic narrative of A Tale of Perishing, bringing a glimmer of hope to the very story that first inspired her to become an animator.
Ah yes, the overpowered main character…or not?
Natsuko isn’t your typical isekai protagonist, but somehow, she still fits. After all, is there any kind of character an isekai doesn’t absorb into its formula? The first time she brought her animation to life in that world, I was floored. It felt like watching a magical girl transformation, except instead of a wand, she had her entire desk to draw with.
In the early episodes, everything felt fun and exciting, which is pretty standard isekai fare. The Voids didn’t stand a chance against her powers, and her creations weren’t always built for combat either. Sometimes they were just what the situation called for, like the unexpected idol, the Ultimate Exister.
And that’s how most isekai stories begin: the main character either keeps levelling up or finds a team that boosts their power. But Zenshu throws curveballs. Natsuko isn’t just a benevolent, aura-farming powerhouse: she’s flawed. She struggles with her pride, her vanity. Unlike most isekai leads who breeze through with solo strength and instant trust, Natsuko breaks down. She learns the hard way that sometimes, surviving means leaning on others.
Her journey takes another turn when she meets the original creator of A Tale of Perishing: a once-revered figure now reduced to a twisted, vulture-like shadow of her former self. That encounter shakes her, and self-doubt begins to gnaw at her resolve.
But it’s not all hardship. As someone who has never known romantic love, Natsuko experiences it for the first time through Luke Braveheart.
These emotional layers, her struggles and her awakenings, make Natsuko a dynamic and unpredictable lead. She’s far more grounded than most isekai protagonists, who often serve as little more than escapist vessels for the viewers. Natsuko feels real, and that’s what makes her unforgettable.
Well, that escalated quickly
After the first half of the season, when most viewers might have comfortably accepted that Natsuko is the biggest hero in town and started rooting for the budding romance between her and her favourite anime character since childhood, the story suddenly pulls that soft, comfortable mantle from underneath us—and things take a dark turn fast.
Eventually, we learn that Natsuko is not the answer to everything, and nothing is typical in this isekai.
Because somehow, someone—maybe vulture-san—is copying her work and using everything she’s created so far against her. And in one swift motion, all the events that should have taken place before her arrival catch up to them in a matter of days.
The way the series toys with our emotions after building everything up so hopefully, only to spiral into deeper and deeper despair, is brutally effective. It brings you to tears. Nothing Natsuko tries works anymore. In fact, she does nothing at all; sinking into self-pity as she is eaten by the hand-drawn Void.
It gets so bad that even Luke, after watching Natsuko and Unio get swallowed whole, becomes completely disillusioned. You reach a point of no return with him. And by then, you’ve already accepted that this is somehow a tragedy of sorts. Your heart is at the lowest depths of the seventh circle of hell and all you can think is: “What the hell is this anime?”
The ending is good…but it leaves a bit more to be desired
If the anime had ended there, I wouldn’t have recommended it so wholeheartedly. After all, I’m a “simpleton”, a sucker for happy endings. Or at least endings that feel as happy as the writers allow them to be. Because somehow, after all the pain both Natsuko and Luke endured, the rewards were good, but a little lacking for the two of them.
However, that’s probably what makes this anime really, really good: instead of handing everything neatly over to the viewers like we usually expect, the story ends in a way that’s open to interpretation and imagination. In fact, it’s so Spirited Away-coded and frustrating that most viewers, myself included, end up heading to fanfic sites like Archive of Our Own just to explore the possibilities left hanging.
Overall, though, because of everything I’ve mentioned above, Zenshu is a must-watch. With stunning visuals, a powerful soundtrack, and an unforgettable story that leaves you wanting more, it stays with you, lingering like the last page of a book you’re not ready to close.
