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Natsuko Hirose’s journey into her favorite anime film,A Tale of Perishing, has led her to rediscover her artistic passion.Zenshu’sburnt-out animator thrives in a fantasy world that bends to her whims. Is there any challenge left for this purple-hooded hero inZenshu’sfuture? In season 1, episode 5, “Justice,” the young prodigy confronts her strongest enemy yet: her ego.
Episode 5 continues expandingA Tale of Perishing’sworld far beyond Natsuko’s fan-based knowledge. Upon entering a district never addressed in the film, Natsuko discovers a popular hero living a less-than-heroic life. As Natsuko’s understanding ofA Tale of Perishingdiminishes, her chances of failure increase, leading to a grim encounter.
Can Natsuko Do It All Herself?
Natsuko Hirose (JP: Anna Nagase, EN: Madeleine Morris) is entering her peak era. She makes quick work of Voids, and the Last Town adores her. But as Natsuko’s ego expands, her self-awareness shrinks. Episode 5’s first act demonstrates the pros and cons of her hyper-self-reliance.
ZenshuReturns to the Office
Fans eager to learn more about Natsuko will enjoy episode 5’s opening scene, which flashbacks to hercreative meltdown while developing her ailing romance drama. As a form of research, the deranged animator forces a staffer to draw their first love. According to her coworkers, Natsuko has subjected everyone to similar workplace harassment.
In the break room, two studio employees fret over the film’s status, comparing its lagging development toA Tale of Perishing(definitely not a coincidence). When Naomi, the executive, suggests Natsuko pick up the pace orpass the storyboards on to someone else, the stoic artist replies:
I can just do it all. It’s always faster to do it that way.
Natsuko Outshines the Nine Warriors
Zenshu returns from its intro with a montage of Natsuko’s animation magic. In each scene, she defeats the Voids without any help from Memerun (JP: Minori Suzuki, EN: Alexis Tipton), Unio (JP: Rie Kugimiya, EN: Luci Christian), or Luke (JP: Kazuki Ura, EN: Ryan Negron). This sequence highlights Natsuko’s versatility. She summons a squadron of anime archetypes, includinga magical girl likeSailor Moon, aGundam-esque kaiju, and a baseball player who could pass for a character fromMajor.
Natsuko knows she’s on a roll. The world ofA Tale of Perishinghas become her creative playground. Furthermore, the Last Town’s citizens can’t get enough of her. Natsuko relishes each moment,intoxicated by the lavish parades, heaps of praise, and her command of a flock of new fans. Unio tries to call out Natsuko, but she can’t hear him over the rumble of her jubilant narcissism.
While it’s nice to see Natsuko overcome her creative dry spell, one can recognize the danger that’s to come. No one stays on top forever. And the higher Natsuko soars, the further she can fall.
Justice the Dragon Himbo’s Cautionary Tale
The second act sets aside Natsuko’s overconfidenceto focus on Destiny Heartwarming’s(JP: Manaka Iwami, EN: Dani Chambers) character development. The ingenue has abandoned the damsel act, replacing her dainty waifishness with muscular decisiveness. (She could easily be on the cover of a body-building magazine.) The pink-haired luchadora has opened her orphanage, the Serval Cat House, and wants to open its services to the underserved children in the District of Despair.
What’s the District of Despair? This province doesn’t appear inany of Natsuko’s reference books. According to Luke, the District of Despair is an area outside of the Soul Future’s reach, causing its residents to succumb to depression and hopelessness. In short, the District of Despair isA Tale of Perishing’ssecret Red Light District.
Natsuko is a natural with the district’s children, enthusiastically escorting them to the orphanage food kitchen. However, the victory feels bittersweet after she discovers one ofA Tale of Perishing’sheroes is down on their luck. Justice (JP: Romi Park, EN: Corey Wilder), a former member of the Nine Warriors (and a ripped dragon-human hybrid straight fromthe hentai you delete from your browser history), has been reduced to a shady club bouncer.
What caused Justice to quit the Nine Warriors and fall from grace? In search of an answer, Natsuko cozies up to Justice with flirtatious advances. Upon moving in for an embrace, her hands graze upon Justice’s broken wing. That’s when she discovers that Justice’s last battle with the Nine Warriors left him unable to fly.Rather than confide in Luke about his disability, Justice’s pride pushes him to ghost his comrade. He couldn’t let his friend take the blame for yet another tragedy.
After their conversation, Justice suggests Natsuko stay alert for a possible Void attack. Natsuko (in her Gaston era) brushes the comment off. After all, a lot changed (and for the better) since Natsuko came to the Last Town. Justice leaves her with a warning:
I know that attitude turns confidence into hubris.
Luke and Unio spy on Natsuko’s conversation with Justice, leading the nosey unicorn to suspect that the animator has a thing for the dragon himbo. Luke turns red thinking about the possibility, hinting that his feelings toward Natsuko are more than professional. Perhaps a love triangle is forming?
Natsuko Dismisses Her Teammates, Leading To a Cliffhanger
Justice’s warning becomes prophecy in episode 5’s final act. During a festive meal at the Serval Cat House, QJ alerts that Voids are south of the main gate. The Warriors swiftly depart to battle. However, Natsuko gets stalled by the ominous hawk (yes, the movie theater one), who delivers a foreboding remark:
It’s no use. Even with all your corrections.
The following animation cel revealsthe hawk’s most detailed look yet. The hawk’s glaring, mascara-laden eye sits under a peculiar red bob. Something about this hawk feels familiar.
Oh, wait. That’s Kamataro Tsuruyama,A Tale of Perishing’sdirector, who, like Natsuko, also perished to rotten clams.
If the director of the film you’re galavanting around in sends you a message like that, chances are that things will turn grim fast. And, of course, they do. Natsuko and her fellow soldiers approach a nest of red domes similar to theXenomorph eggs from theAlienfranchise. Luke directs QJ (JP: Akio Suyama, EN: Derick Snow) to inspect the nest, commanding his squad to wait for his signal to attack. Unfortunately, a cavalier Natsuko ignores his command, casually strutting into danger.
Natsuko conjures a silent samurai, Kasa and all, to scramble the Void eggs out of existence. However, her plan backfires when the gelatinous messreforms into a symbiote-like oozethat targets Natsuko and her allies. The malevolent ooze skewers the paper samurai with a dozen sharp spikes, leaving the self-assured protagonist defenseless. Will Natsuko’s recklessness result in a casualty? Viewers will have to wait and find out in episode 6.
