Growing up, I was obsessed with anime. I devoured every detail, researched every character, and imagined countless scenarios beyond what the original shows offered. This led me to writing fanfiction, stories that either fit neatly into the existing plot or explored completely new adventures with my favorite characters. Writing fanfiction wasn’t just a hobby; it was a way to deepen my connection with the shows I loved and explore the “what ifs” that lingered in my mind.
ZENSHU really hit home because it’s essentially about that same desire. The main character, Natsuko Hirose, is a brilliant animator who’s completely obsessed with an anime movie called A Tale of Perishing. She loves it so much that she gets a chance to rewrite its tragic ending. It’s the ultimate fanfic writer’s dream come true.
Natsuko is a workaholic. She’s incredibly talented but also very critical, often redoing other people’s work because it doesn’t meet her standards. She’s working on her own movie, First Love, but struggles to capture the feeling of romance because she has no experience with it. Then, she finds out that the director of A Tale of Perishing, Kametaro Tsuruyama, has died. Devastated, she rewatches her favorite movie and suddenly dies herself from food poisoning, just like Tsuruyama.
But this isn’t the end for Natsuko. She wakes up in another world, a desert filled with dangerous creatures called Voids. Luckily, she’s rescued by the Nine Soldiers, a group of heroes led by the brave Luke Braveheart. They’re protecting the Last Town, the last refuge in a world facing an apocalypse. The Last Town is also home to the Soul Future, a magic crystal that’s the only thing keeping the Ultimate Void from destroying everything.
Here’s where the “isekai” part gets interesting. Natsuko recognizes this world. It’s the world of A Tale of Perishing! She knows the characters, the settings, and the tragic events that are about to unfold. Armed with this knowledge, she discovers a new power: she can use her animation skills to bring things to life and help the Nine Soldiers fight back.
Natsuko becomes an unofficial member of the Nine Soldiers, determined to rewrite the ending of her favorite movie. She’s loved A Tale of Perishing since she was a child. She knows everything about it, from the characters’ personalities to the smallest details of the plot. She’s especially attached to Luke Braveheart, and she’s determined to give him and the other characters the happy ending they deserve.
To me, Natsuko is the ultimate fanfic writer. She’s taking her love for an anime and using her skills to create a self-insert, revisionist story where she gets to save her favorite characters. She’s giving them the depth, attention, and happy endings that the original story didn’t provide.
I remember doing the same thing when I was younger. I always gravitated towards the obscure characters, the ones who didn’t get much screen time or development. I wrote fanfiction to give them the spotlight, whether it was through a romantic story or by fleshing out their backstories. I wanted them to flourish in ways that the original series never allowed.
Natsuko is doing this in real time. She knows what’s going to happen to her favorite characters, and she’s doing everything she can to change their fate. She uses her knowledge of art and anime to help the Nine Soldiers, even if it means adding elements that don’t quite fit the original setting, like giant mecha or pro wrestling moves. As long as it helps her favorite characters survive, she’s willing to do it.
These changes have a ripple effect on the world. The characters become different from how they were in the movie, happier and more confident. Natsuko even faces opposition from Kametaro Tsuruyama, the original director, who has been reincarnated as a bird. Tsuruyama believes that the story should remain as she intended, tragic ending and all.
The world seems to push back against Natsuko’s changes. The Voids adapt to her art, and the characters start to fall into place as per the original plot. But Natsuko refuses to give up. She’s determined to save Luke and the others, even if it means defying fate itself.
It’s not that Natsuko hates the original story. In fact, she loves it so much that she knows every detail by heart. She even respects Tsuruyama. But she resonates with A Tale of Perishing in a way that Tsuruyama probably never imagined. Tsuruyama wants her work to be preserved as it is, but Natsuko wants more for the characters she loves. She wants to give them a happy ending, a chance to live and thrive.
Like any fan artist, Natsuko is using her position as a fan to create her own version of A Tale of Perishing, one where no one dies. And in the end, she succeeds. She uses her love for the movie to defeat the Ultimate Void and save everyone. She even restores the Soul Futures, ushering in a new era of peace. She then returns to her own world, satisfied that she was able to give her favorite movie the happy ending it deserved.
Back in reality, Natsuko’s movie becomes a huge success. She was able to capture the feeling of first love by experiencing it firsthand with her first love, A Tale of Perishing. It’s interesting that her actions in the other world don’t seem to have changed the history of the film in her world. The original tragic ending still exists, but that doesn’t diminish Natsuko’s accomplishment.
This is the essence of fan work. It’s not always about changing the source material. It’s about appreciating it more deeply through the act of creation. Natsuko created her own version of A Tale of Perishing, and it doesn’t have to align with anyone else’s. It’s a fan work that belongs to her alone.
ZENSHU reminds me of a quote from Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. When asked if Luke Skywalker could be gay, he replied, “I would say it’s meant to be interpreted by you. If you think he’s gay, of course he is!” ZENSHU takes this concept and turns it into a wish-fulfillment epic. Fans have the power to create their own versions of their favorite stories and characters. Just as Luke Skywalker could be gay for one person, Natsuko made a Tale of Perishing where Luke Braveheart could be happy.
ZENSHU perfectly captures the spirit of fanfiction. It’s about loving something so much that you want to add to it, change it, and make it your own. It’s about giving your favorite characters the happy endings they deserve. Natsuko is a fan artist through and through, and in ZENSHU, she gets the rare opportunity to touch the lives of her favorite characters by producing her fan work with all the knowledge and passion of a fanfic creator. The series beautifully illustrates how fan-created content, born from deep affection and meticulous attention to detail, can offer unique and fulfilling interpretations of beloved stories. It celebrates the transformative power of fandom and the joy of creating alternate realities where cherished characters find happiness and resolution.