If you’re a Hallmark fan (or a fan of any lighthearted romance story that’s mixed with adventure), then you’ll love the new anime, Zenshu. I just binged the first eight episodes and fell in love. Here’s a mostly spoiler-free look at why Hallmark fans (and others!) should give the anime a try, based on the first eight episodes I’ve watched so far.
And by the way, the anime airs on Crunchyroll. If you’ve never tried the platform out, you can binge the show via a free trial. Just go to this (affiliate) link.
Zenshu Is About a Woman Destined to Save the Hero
“An animator’s life is turned upside down after she wakes up in the world of her favorite childhood anime movie” — this is Crunchyroll’s synopsis for the show, but it’s so much more than that.
(First, let me get a couple things out of the way. The subtitled version and English dub come out simultaneously. So if you prefer watching with English audio, it’s already there. Also, the show begins with Natsuko always hiding her face behind her hair to the point that we can’t even see her eyes. I almost didn’t watch because this bugged me so much. But as the series progresses, she does this less and less.)
The main character is Natsuko Hirose, a young prodigy animator who already has a big hit under her belt. She’s tasked with creating a romantic comedy anime about the concept of first love, but there’s one problem… She’s never been in love. So she asks teens what it’s like, she tries to force her colleagues to explain what their first love was like… But she simply can’t get it because she’s never felt those emotions.
The reason is, in part, because Zenshu is an accomplished, talented woman who takes all the responsibility of her job onto herself, rarely relying on her team of co-animators. This helps her succeed, but also comes at a cost. She’s neglected all other parts of her life to focus on her dream.
But in some ways, her dream is focused on her first love. Only that first love wasn’t a person. She fell in love with an anime called “A Tale of Perishing” and the main character, Luke Braveheart. (And what makes this so realistic is most of her friends think the anime is mid and don’t understand why she loves it so much. 😄)
Sadly, her favorite anime had a tragic ending that led to Luke’s demise, and she never got over that.
Then one day, Natsuko chokes on her food and dies (a common anime trope), waking up to find that she’s in the world of her favorite anime. She is IN “A Tale of Perishing.” And the first people she meets are Luke Braveheart and his team of heroes.
Zenshu also discovers she has an amazing power… At certain times that she can’t control, her penboard glows and she’s able to make an edit to the anime, changing the outcome of battles by creating her own superheroes to help the team. With this power, her goal is now clear. Natsuko is the hero who will save the hero. She wants to change the anime enough so Luke will get a happy ending. But that’s easier said than done.
The Romance Will Have You Kicking Your Feet in Joy
MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS SECTION ABOUT THE ROMANCE.
Ok, from this point on I will have some minor spoilers. But it won’t ruin your enjoyment of the show. I actually started watching because I saw a major spoiler in a video and it was so cute, it made me immediately want to watch the whole thing.
This article is for Hallmark fans, so let me assure you: you will love the romance in this anime. Yes, adventure and mystery are big parts of the show. And since it’s an anime, there are also parts that are a little more “kid-like” (you’ll recognize those when they come up.)
But intertwined through the adventure and mystery is a sweet romance that grows slowly in those first eight episode. It’s a romance where I’m truly rooting for the characters to be together, while I also have no idea if they’ll have a happy ending or not. (And the fact that I don’t know makes this so much fun!)
The romance is so much fun! At first, the two don’t even get along. But as they spend more time together, they begin to respect each other more and more. They truly become partners in fighting evil, realizing that they must rely on each other and their friends.
There’s no miscommunication trope (and when it seems like it will appear, it’s quickly removed, so don’t worry about that!) And when the male romantic lead realizes his feelings, he’s absolutely determined to win her heart. Of course, mistakes will be made. But because the show isn’t relying on tropes like miscommunication, the mistakes are really cute and funny.
Episode 8 is my favorite so far, and you’ll understand when you watch it. So do yourself a favor and make sure you watch that far. (These are short episodes!) There’s a romantic moment in episode 8 that will have you kicking your feet and grinning so big that you’ll immediately want to watch it again. Trust me.
(Here’s the closing video that ends each episode if you want to watch.)
Stephanie Dwilson has been working in entertainment journalism for more than a decade. She's led teams of writers covering top TV show franchises like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, and more. She's a veteran Hallmark journalist and runs a 60,000-member Facebook group dedicated to the genre.
Stephanie is a licensed attorney and she has a master's in science in science and technology journalism. You can reach her at [email protected].
