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ZENSHU. ‒ Episode 6

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ZENSHU.

by Caitlin Moore, Feb 12th 2025

How would you rate episode 6 of
ZENSHU. ? Community score: 4.5

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Where do we go from here?

All along, the expected moral of the story has been “collaboration is important.” Natsuko wanted to do everything herself, even when she couldn't, and had to learn to trust in her allies. In “CHANGE,” that's exactly what happens: after facing her first defeat, Natsuko realizes that she must work as part of a team with her fellow soldiers, rather than animating a super-powerful ally that takes out the Void singlehandedly and calling it a day. But we're only halfway through the series – what more does the story have to say?

In a lot of ways, the episode feels like the climax of the story. With the Void monster pupating against the tower of the Soul Future, the heroes have no choice but to stop and take a breath. After QJ briefs her on the situation, Natsuko wakes up and immediately starts brainstorming what she should have done differently against an enemy that liquefies. Luke gets in her face, yelling at her that she could have died.

While we've gotten plenty of peeks at the trauma Luke would have faced from the deaths of Union, Destiny, and Memmeln, this is the first real glimpse of the turmoil he's already faced. After all, they're called the Nine Soldiers, and when Natsuko entered the narrative, there were only four of them. He storms off to the graveyard where his four fallen comrades rest and sit in quiet contemplation until Justice joins him. We get a glimpse of the other soldiers in the cold open, and there's some great variety in the designs: a dwarf, an undine, a golem, and a dryad with some unfortunate racial coding.

The scene is a beautiful opportunity to see all we know about Luke – his prickly stubbornness, sense of honor and determination, devotion to his comrades – contextualized away from Natsuko. He wants to win against the Void, not just to save the world, but to prove that his friends' sacrifice was not in vain. Because that's what his sense of right and wrong tells him: that if they win, everything will be worth it. Otherwise, it will have been for nothing. He's angry at Justice for leaving and abandoning the fight without thinking about why they left because such a thing is unfathomable to his naivete. At the same time, though, he trusts them and can express feelings that he isn't able to even with his other party members.

Unlike the last fight, the Nine Soldiers have the gift of foresight this time. The chrysalis means that this Void will likely be an insectoid, and Natsuko heads to Naomi's bar to sketch out some ideas. And y'all? They are STINKERS. She's got 'Insecticide Robot' and 'Insect Cage Man,' both of which are about as intimidating and effective as if she had drawn a big Moomin. Once again, she's trying to fight through a block alone, taking sole responsibility for a problem she doesn't know how to fix because she doesn't play nice with others. Until QJ shows up, showing her how Memmeln and Unio healed her after she collapsed from the Void, defeating her samurai. It echoes what one of her animators said to her: you're not doing this yourself.

When heroes try to take on too much themselves in stories like this, it's out of a sense of duty and responsibility. They want to protect everyone and keep their comrades out of harm's way! This variation shows up over and over in fiction, but this is not what motivates Natsuko. She's genuinely arrogant and self-centered, operating under the belief that she can and should do it alone. It's part of how she defines herself. It's a lot less likable, but it's much more realistic of a flaw for a modern adult protagonist and thus more interesting than the alternative.

And so, Natsuko does something we've never seen from her before; she listens. As the town evacuates, despite the apparent hopelessness of the situation, the soldiers form a plan involving all their strengths. Of course, things go awry almost immediately, with Unio's horn getting broken off, robbing him of his powers. So, instead of drawing an offensive character like originally planned, Natsuko accepts a support role and draws stairs. I've heard stories about how it can be a struggle to find animators willing to do challenging but unflashy animations because there's no glory in it. Natsuko's willingness not just to draw something simple but essential but to put all of her effort into maintaining them shows just how she's grown this episode. She uses Unio's fallen horn as a hair stick, bringing the symbolism of her hair in her face full circle – she is no longer closed off. She accepts herself as one person working collaboratively with others.

There is a little bit of irony in how this action sequence, in which Natsuko accepts the humble but essential role of drawing stairs so that Luke and Unio can make their ascent, is the most gorgeous action scene of the show. Natsuko drafts Justice to fly her and her animation desk around, redrawing stairs as the horrifying, centipede-shaped Void destroys them on its way to destroy the Soul Future. Every time stairs break, hastily written animation codes appear as the chunks go flying. As Justice struggles to fly, the camera follows their swoops and flounders with Natsuko on their back. It's hand-drawn and breathtaking, creating a full sense of the power and physics at play, making it one of the best flying scenes I've ever seen in a TV anime.

At the start of the review, I asked where we go from here. Natsuko has learned her lesson, after all. However, there are still plenty of plot threads to be settled, such as her blossoming relationship with Luke. There's also the director, who doesn't seem pleased with how Natsuko is changing her narrative. It will be interesting to see how they all end up tying together.

Rating:

ZENSHU. is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Sundays.
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