Episode Air Date
09-07-2025
WARNING: The following review contains spoilers fromZenshuseason 1, episode 1, “First Stroke”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
MAPPA’s new anime,Zenshu, follows an up-and-coming animator whose writer’s block becomes an impetus for a fantasy adventure. Directed by Mitsue Yamazaki (Attack on Titan) and written by Kimiko Ueno (Delicious in Dungeon), the anime’s premiere episode gives a very meta take on the Isekai genre. And whileZenshu’spilot takes time to cook, the payoff in Act 3 makes the waiting worth it.
Season 1, episode 1, “First Stroke,” begins in anordinary office space. Animator Natsuko Hirose’s most significant obstacles are deadlines and high expectations. Then, a food poisoning incident transports her into the world of one of her favorite anime films. However, to save the characters she loves dearly, Hirose must find the passion that ignited her love for drawing. Unlocking this potential lays the groundwork for a season of possibilities.
Millennial Burnout Kills the Anime Star
Season 1, episode 1, “First Stroke,” introduces the audience to Natsuko Hirose (JP: Anna Nagase, EN: Madeleine Morris), an enigmatic anime prodigy whose career exploded after graduating high school.Fresh off directing a magical girl series, the rising star attempts to helm a romantic movie. Unfortunately, the film is significantly behind schedule.
A Dull Office Atmosphere Brings Writer’s Block to Life
Zenshu’s first act captures Hirose’s creative crisis well. The image of the young animator, hunched over her desk, hair disheveled from lack of self-care, is all too familiar to any creative. Hirose struggles under the burden of her perfectionism. Trapped in a shoebox-sized cubicle, she tears scrapped pages off her incomplete storyboard.A pushy executive checks on Hirose’s work, their cheery attitude masking the money on their mind. Rumblings of gossip suggest the fate of the film is rocky.
Surprisingly, this workplace scene carries the most tension despite the epic battle scene later in the episode. Viewers get a close-up view of Hirose’s spiral into procrastination. As Hirose views her phone, each social media comment impounds the pressure of churning out a successful product, from the fans who swear her work saved their lives to the trolls who want her gone already.
Hirose’s demanding nature fosters resentment among her coworkers. A subordinate passes on keyframes for the film’s teaser only for Hirose to flatly request a complete rehaul. When an eavesdropping coworker scolds Hirose’s stubborn self-reliance, she menacingly pivots in her office chair,glaring at him like Sadaka Yamamura(she refuses to cut her hair until she finishes the storyboard, which adds to the harrowing effect).
An Ambiguous Food-Poisoning Leaves Questions
Hirose’s composure swiftly changes upon learning of industry titan Kamataro Tsuruyama’s death via food poisoning (a heavy-handed foreshadowing of what’s to come). After recovering from the shock, she eats her bento box lunch while rewatchingTsuruyama’s cult classic filmA Tale of Perishing. Unfortunately, she’s unaware she mindlessly ingested perished clams.
The tension of workplace malaise suddenly breaks as Hirose collapses to the floor. A small crowd surrounds her, including a panicking executive, as the burnt-out artist falls out of consciousness. In the final shot of Act 1, Hirose’s strained eyes chillingly roll into the back of her head.
Hirose’s death is not explicitly confirmed, so it’s hard to believe the clams did her in. Whatever her fate, she watches her life flash before her eyes like cels on a peg bar. Another sequence shows Hirose as a child clutching her popcorn while watchingA Tale ofPerishing’s tragic events unfold. Suddenly, she awakens in a desert of ruins.
We’ve Seen This Before, and So Has Natsuko Hirose
In episode 1’s second act,Hirose finds herself reincarnatedinto the world of one of her favorite films,A Tale of Perishing. However, as she meets some of her favorite characters, her instincts remind her of the film’s upcoming peril. She warns the heroes of The Last City of this danger. Ultimately, it’s up to Hirose to become the hero of her own story.
Waiting for the Inevitable Is Boring
After succumbing to the poison of expired bento box clams, Hirose awakes in a desert scattered with ruined ancient buildings. However, her initial confusion gets interrupted by a vicious giant insectlike monster called a void. Fortunately, the valiant pretty-boy knight, Luke Braveheart (JP: Kazuki Ura, EN: Ryan Negron), comes to her rescue and slays the beast.
The following story beats are very predictable. Hirose goes through the typical stages of Isekai disbelief. First, she suspects she’s at an anime con with expert cosplayers. Then, Hirose enters the Last City, civilization’s last refuge not destroyed by the void. After witnessing one ofA Tale of Perising’sscenes shot-for-shot, Hirose realizes she is literally inside the film’s world. Then, the other shoe drops.
Hirose remembers a tragic scene fromA Tale of Perishingin which an army of void monsters attacks the Last City. While the city wins the battle, it’s at the expense of theannoyingly lovable unicorn mascot characterUnio’s (JP: Rie Kugimiya, EN: Luci Christian) life. Unio’s death sends Lord Braveheart into a depressive spiral, setting the stage for tragic consequences to come.
Hirose cannot allow Unio’s death to happen. The devoted fan urgently pleads with Braveheart, Unio, and others to heed her warning, but her concern falls on disinterested ears. (Kudos to Nagase and Morris for their dynamic portrayals of Hirose. They capturethe animator’s stoic cynicismand nerdy excitement in equal parts. Their acting helps convey a character whose face stays hidden for most of the episode.)
It’s frustrating to watch Hirose get ignored despite her anime clairvoyance. However, it’s also pretty dull. We’ve seen the kind of dark fantasy show Hirose fell into andtheGroundhog Dayformulaplayed out before. However, we’ve yet to see Zenshu’s' it factor.'
A Newly Empowered Artist Invigorates the Third Act
Everything plays out as expected. The void army arrives, the heroes embark on the battlefield, and Unio orders Braveheart to fall back so he can sacrifice himself. Hirose watches the tragedy play out in frustration and horror, powerless to change anything. Suddenly, her peg bar speaks to her from inside her hoodie pocket:
Natsuko! New fates must be drawn.
The call to action jolts Natsuko Hirose into action, and that’s when the real fun begins. She runs onto the battlefield, whips out her peg bar, and enters a flashy magical girl sequence. She mythically flies into a makeshift desk via her projectile office chair. Once seated, the genius animator sketches at lightning speed, and the audience sees the creator’s face for the first time.A momentous pencil-drawn monsteremerges, wiping out the wave of voids in an explosion of paper. The day, and Unio, is saved!
Zenshu episode 1’s final act displays what makes the anime so intriguing. Iron-clad knights, buff mayors, magical unicorns, and anthropomorphic animals are OK, but the true hero is an artist’s imagination. Now that Hirose’s power has awakened, viewers can enthusiastically anticipate what she does next in episode 2.
