Zenshu episode 1 review: MAPPA's new project about animators is not what viewers expected

Modified Jan 05, 2025 18:00 GMT

Zenshu episode 1 review: MAPPA — Natsuko Hirose as seen in Zenshu episode 1 (Image via MAPPA)

Zenshu episode 1, titled Starting Line, premiered on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 11:45 pm JST. As fans must know, MAPPA has been infamous for its production-related issues. Thus, fans became highly curious about what was to come when the animation studio announced an anime focused on an animator.

In time, the anime revealed that the series was an isekai focused on an anime director getting reborn into the world of her favorite anime movie. This was a bummer for fans as there have already been too many isekai anime, but not many that focus on an animation studio.

Regardless, as far as the story is concerned, it seems like a fresh take. So, let's analyze how MAPPA has handled the Zenshu episode 1 debut.

Zenshu episode 1 review: Narrative and character design

Natsuko Hirose as seen in Zenshu episode 1 (Image via MAPPA)

Given that Zenshu is an original anime created by Director Mitsue Yamazaki and Scriptwriter Kimiko Ueno, the narrative is the biggest aspect of the anime. The story focuses on Natsuko Hirose, an Anime Director, who is left stuck while drawing the storyboards for her upcoming romance movie "First Love." The following events saw Natsuko reborn into the world of her favorite anime film.

With no source material to compare with, Zenshu's story is surprising. This is because the anime's first promotional video painted a vivid picture of the series being about animators. While the PV featured some characters from the anime world, they looked like ones animated by the characters within the series.

Luke Braveheart as seen in Zenshu episode 1 (Image via MAPPA)

In time, the anime released further promotional videos explaining the synopsis. However, those fans who go into the anime after just watching the first PV are certain to be left shocked to learn that it is an isekai series. The good thing is that, even if fans watch the anime without knowing its true nature, the story isn't like any generic Isekai series.

In fact, Zenshu's story must be what most fans desire: an experience where they enter the world of their favorite anime, knowing what will happen and altering the events to save their favorite characters from certain doom.

Unio as seen in Zenshu episode 1 (Image via MAPPA)

As for Character Design, Yoshiteru Tsujino and Kayako Ishikawa have done a fantastic job as the characters from the real world and the anime world look far too different. In fact, some of the characters from the anime world, like Unio and QJ, don't even seem like they belong in the same anime. With that, the series has created a clear difference between Natsuko Hirose and the characters from the anime world.

Speaking of Natsuko Hirose, the anime only gave fans a glimpse of her face during its promotion. This led fans to believe they would be forced to watch an anime with its protagonist's face hidden throughout the entire series. Fortunately, fans do not need to wait long as the anime premiere reveals her face.

Production and cast

With MAPPA animating Zenshu, it was nearly guaranteed that the series was set to feature great animation, and that's exactly what fans received. While the characters and setting do not seem to need a lot of sakuga, the anime will surprise you with its rendition of the protagonist using her newfound powers in the anime world.

As far as the voice cast is concerned, each cast member seemingly did a great job. When the anime depicted the real world, the voice acting seemed perfect for each character. Natsuko Hirose's voice carried some gravitas as the anime director, the producer's voice sounded confident, and the other staff members sounded nervous due to the production's standstill.

Staff member as seen in Zenshu episode 1 (Image via MAPPA)

Meanwhile, the characters from the anime world sounded arrogantly confident. They were the ones who protected the world from great evil; hence, the tone of their voice made perfect sense.

Final thoughts on Zenshu episode 1

While Zenshu episode 1 may not be what fans expected from the anime, it is fun to watch. Given the fresh take on the isekai genre with an anime director being reborn into the anime world, there is no telling what fans can expect from the series' future. Therefore, the new MAPPA anime might be a must-watch for the Winter 2025 anime season.