ZENSHU (2024)
Isekaiseries are some of my favorite in all anime.
At their core, they have an incredibly simple premise.
That’s the plot forThe Eminence in Shadow, Overlord, Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy,and more.
At their core, they’re one of the best animation studios in Japan.
Japanese people are so overworked that they even have a phrase for “overwork death”:Karoshi.
Sadly,MAPPA is one of the most infamous anime production studiosforoverworking their employees.
Custom image by Jeanne Mariz Fetalco
Zenshuis about an animator who dies because she is severely overworked.
The main character, Natsuko Hirose, is a genius animator.
That is a great premise for an anime series.
Natsuko’s redeeming qualities are incredibly hard to find.
She’s selfish, rude, and never enjoyable to be around.
Her design hiding her face also makes me uncomfortable.
Combining Isekai and reverse isekai is rare but not unheard of, but Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!
’s use of romance makes all the difference.
There aren’t enough positive qualities in the side characters to make them so unlikable.
Unfortunately, the series is a lot more than those two moments.
It’s like eating a dish that’s super spicyandit tastes bad.
When Natsuko arrives in the world ofA Tale of Perishing,she treats it like a joke.
It’s not asking for much at all.
It’s hard to believe the studio behind so many great hits would flop so thoroughly.
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