ZENSHU.

Episode 10

Despite QJ's noble sacrifice last week, it looks like Tsuruyama might be right: changing the ending of Tale of Perishing won't be so easy. QJ died in Unio's place and now that they're down another of the Nine Soldiers, the story's gears have started to grind again, despite Natsuko's best efforts. Now, Luke is feeling the crushing pressure of the people hoping for him to save them, Destiny is engaged to the chairman, and the death cult has returned. On top of all that, Natsuko is regarded as a harbinger of the Ultimate Void, if not the Ultimate Void herself.

No one could have possibly guessed that QJ's sacrifice would set the narrative back on track rather than preventing it from coming to pass. It feels almost cruel, but it's also a masterful bit of storytelling from Mitsue Yamazaki and Kimiko Ueno. ZENSHU has already sidestepped several common storytelling tropes, using expected narrative structures to challenge viewer expectations. The midway point, when Natsuko figured out a way to support her team members rather than doing everything herself would perfectly satisfy her character arc, as would the flashback episode where she wakes up and realizes how contented she is.

However, Yamazaki and Ueno have pushed not just Natsuko but the entire world to a true nadir. The Voids have, somehow, been taking on the forms of Natsuko's previous animation cuts, laying waste to the final city and destroying the people's faith in her. Natsuko's art block is worse than ever as she tries to think of something that cannot be imitated and turned against her. Other than Unio and perhaps Justice, everyone is in the place they would have been without her, if not worse off. It feels like everyone, no matter how hard the struggle, is ultimately powerless against their destiny. In one shot, as Natsuko contemplates the hopelessness of their situation, a bird's shadow passes over her, reminding us of Tsuruyama's taunts. It's all useless.

But what about Memmeln? She doesn't have any reason to fall into the same existential depression she once did. There hasn't been a Void version of Exister that sapped her of her will to live, and yet she's back to consorting with the other leaders of her death cult. I believe this is a misdirection – she still has the feeling of hope she regained thanks to Natsuko's art. That thing they're piecing back together under the mountain must be QJ because, for all his wisdom and friendliness, he's technically an inanimate object. You can't bring back the dead, but you can repair things.

QJ's death doesn't hit Luke quite the same way Unio's would have. While Luke liked and respected QJ as a comrade, Unio was like a brother to him. The depth of grief Luke feels at these two versions of events isn't equivalent. He's still overcome by the pressure of being the destined Hero, sacrificing food and sleep to do his best to save everyone. However, he still has his best friend and the woman he loves to ground him. As long as he has the people he cares about, he'll be able to keep it together and not give into despair, even as scribbly Voids based on Natsuko's discarded drawing run through the town and an angry mob pursues Natsuko, looking for someone to blame for their fear and despair.

And that's why a chill ran down my spine when Natsuko ran to help a fallen child being attacked by a Void and Unio moved to help her. Luke's fall to despair didn't hinge on Destiny's death; it hinged on the loss of everyone he loved. The narrative doesn't care whether it's the mayor's softhearted daughter or an abrasive animator from another world only that Luke's love must die.

While this episode was structurally important, it didn't stand out on its own the way other episodes had. The animation was weaker than usual, and more functional than flashy. Other than the final minutes, there weren't a lot of moments that stuck out to me either. While ZENSHU has been well-paced overall, I wonder what kind of impact certain scenes would have had if we'd had a few more hangout episodes. What kind of relationships did the Nine Soldiers have with QJ? What is daily life in Last Town like, now that it's being threatened? I know some would consider that filler, but generally, I'd prefer a series to be slightly too long rather than slightly too short. It gives times like this, where darkness threatens to overtake the world, more impact.

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