“Draw. You need to draw, Natsuko.”

I have a history of walking into anime assuming it will be one thing, based on a cursory examination of the series description, and it turns out to be something completely different… and usually an isekai. So I thought Zenshu was going to be an anime about making anime, and I suppose that isn’t entirely wrong, but it’s also an isekai. The result is an odd blend of factors that I feel the show doesn’t fully embrace within the first episode.

I might be a little hard on this one, and I’m struggling to determine whether I’m likely to follow it this season. On one hand, MAPPA brings their trademark quality animation to bear in some creative ways, and there is a lot of promise in the core idea, but on the other hand, I feel this episode gets bogged down in setting up its central idea and hasn’t done a sufficient job of setting up its characters yet. Ultimately, I think Zenshu is a show that could take off, but it’s probably worth subjecting to some version of the three episode test. For now, I’m reserving judgment and affording it a tentative recommendation.

Zenshu follows Hirose Natusko, a talented animation director who has struggled to release a follow-up to her breakout hit. While attempting to force a breakthrough, she inadvertently eats expired shellfish and seemingly dies, almost instantaneously, of food poisoning. She awakes to find herself in a desert under attack by a giant monster. She’s saved just in the nick of time by the heroes of the very anime that inspired her to become an animator. Thus she reaches the obvious conclusion… She’s encountered cosplayers.

This is honestly the biggest mistake of the premiere for me. Hirose is supposed to be genre savvy, but she spends far too long questioning if she’s in a theme park or contemplating other mundane explanations. This can be a reasonable approach, but it depends heavily on the circumstances, and Hirose awoke in a desert being chased by a monster. There isn’t much room for interpretation. The show only leaves Hirose in the dark for a few minutes, but for someone who is supposed to be intimately aware of both the medium and the work she’s landed in, it feels like someone handed her the idiot ball.

MAPPA remains a titan of anime, both in the sense that they put out impressively animated works, and in the sense that they’re known to chew up and spit out lowly humans. Still, I can’t deny that I’m always eager to sample their works, and Zenshu has some great sakuga on display. This doesn’t show up until the latter half, and there were moments where I thought this might be a step down from the studio’s usual quality. It was never bad, or even mediocre, but there was a simplicity to the palate of the beginning of the episode that was absent from the midpoint onward. It looks like Hirose’s abilities will enable MAPPA to stretch their creativity as the show continues, and I’m intrigued to see where it goes.

We don’t get an opening in this episode, but the ED is pleasant, and has everyone’s favorite gimmick of a character singing along to the lyrics. That might sound sarcastic, but it isn’t. My one criticism is that the low framerate detracts from the immersion of the ED. I get what they’re going for, but it didn’t land effectively. Perhaps beginning with a lower framerate and then increasing it as the animation becomes more refined would have worked better.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• Hirose has evidently committed to not cut her hair until she’s done with the storyboards for her new project. As such, she spends the overwhelming majority of the episode with her face hidden behind her hair. I’m not sure what the benefit of this is, given her face is in promotional material, and there is no apparent significance to the reveal.
• I was wondering what the last original series I’d seen from MAPPA was. It turned out to be Listeners. Here’s hoping this show holds up better.
• Evidently, their next project, set to air later this year, is a joint production blending the talents of Shinichiro Watanabe with the director of the John Wick films, Chad Stahelski, and various musical talents. Even if I’m not the biggest fan of Watanabe’s filmography, I’m intrigued.

Zenshu has potential, but it isn’t the sure bet I’d like it to be. Much of it feels dated in the way it handles its isekai premise. For now, I’ll give it a recommendation, but waiting to see what reception it gets once it’s all finished isn’t a bad idea either.

Score: 3.5/5