ZENSHU

Fresh out of high school, Natsuko Hirose jumps into the anime industry as an animator and quickly rises to prominence. Her early work grabs attention, and she earns a directing debut that becomes a cultural hit, marking her as a promising new voice. When she signs on to create a romantic comedy about first love, she runs into an unexpected creative block: she has never experienced love herself, and she can't translate the feeling into a storyboard. While sketching, Natsuko collapses and wakes up inside the world of the childhood anime that inspired her, where the rules of fiction and reality start to collide and force her to reexamine how art and life connect.

Created by Kimiko Ueno, Saiki Atsumi, and Wataru Sena, ZENSHU premiered in 2025 and features voice performances from Anna Nagase, Kazuki Ura, Rie Kugimiya, Minori Suzuki, and Akio Suyama.

As of its release, ZENSHU hasn’t secured major industry awards, though its strong fan response and festival screenings could position it for recognition in animation and writing categories in future seasons.

ZENSHU quickly generated online conversation about the realities of creative work and the line between fandom and professional craft. Viewers have shared fan art and theory threads, and the show’s meta setup has become a frequent reference point in discussions about how creators use personal experience in storytelling.

Critical and audience response has been generally positive, reflected in a 7.9/10 vote average from early viewers. Reviewers highlight the show’s inventive premise, striking animation, and emotional focus on first love, creativity, and identity. The series asks how you learn to depict something you’ve never felt, and it balances industry satire with action and fantasy elements to keep the stakes emotional and kinetic.