Feb 25, 2025
If you don't get it- this is a brilliant cultural reference to some of the most profound animators in the biz (Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka and Naoko Takeuchi). Zenshu is the story of a woman taking her skills and talents for granted, and slowly learning she has placed the sole meaning of life into her singular passion/work. She grows to cherish the value of relying upon others, mutual trust, and of course- falling in love. Everything from the animation style to the dialogue is wholly intentional.
But why is it brilliant? Natsuko Hirose (our main character) is the creator of a "worldwide phenomenon" of anime
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that stars a *certain blonde magical girl* in a sailor uniform. (Naoko Takeuchi created Sailor Moon; I suspect Natusko was named with her in mind). And she is transported to a world that is destined for tragedy, much like Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind. The destructive insects, hokey animation, and somewhat solarpunk fantasy mashup that we see in Miyazaki's film are all reimagined in Zenshu- making it a very fascinating and nuanced take of "What if we took the creator of Sailor Moon, and isekai'd her into a tragic Ghibli film?" The initial trajectory of the world she is reincarnated into, what was an anime film, is excessively tragic and intended as a children's movie. These themes, and the character "Unio" are a direct reference to Tezuka's work "The Fantastic Adventures of Unico." Countless of these references are made in homage to them. And it spins those tragic stories into a tale of hope.
A lot of love was put into this anime. It's okay if you don't enjoy it because you missed those cues. Even without them, it is a beautiful and enjoyable story. Many of the characters, from different perspectives, embark on the journey of exploring what it truly means to live. It's colorful, easy to watch, and feels very much like an action packed shoujo. But most of all, it was made in honor of the giants who created the anime industry to be what it is today. This is for the people who love anime the way film buffs love film!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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