Zenshu Ep 9 Review
I owe everyone an explanation about why I suddenly stopped putting up reviews for each episode of Zenshu. I am a sucker for spoilers; once I see them, I can’t forget them. So, despite not finishing episode 8, I wound up spoiling myself with clips from the next episodes. And once I saw what was going to happen, I knew I would have to binge everything. Things get incredibly dark incredibly fast as Kametaro’s warnings to Natsuko start to ring true. The story of A Tale of Perishing is now beginning to clap back against Natsuko’s changes…and it leads to tragic results.
Luke has had a terrible Life
The firet third of the episode comes in the form of an extended flashback as the series retells events from Luke’s perspective. Zenshu has gradually revealed bits and pieces about the Nine Soldiers’ past, but this offers the most detailed look at Luke’s life. Through his own inner monologues, we see just how hard the burden of being a hero had become for him. He thinks he’s failing in his role as the hero, and because of that, his friends and the rest of the whole world suffers. As we learn later, the events of the movie would only be the final nail in this coffin of despair.
Then Natsuko arrived and she changed everything.
Once Natsuko appears in his life, Luke’s mindset starts to change for the better. The man was close to his breaking point, but by virtue of being herself, Natsuko gave him hope and joy for the first time in forever. That’s what leads Luke to fall in love with Natsuko: to him, she’s the embodiment of hope and joy. She made his life better simply by being in it; that’s something that is true for many couples in both fiction and in real life.
The question is, though: does Natsuko love Luke back?
When Natsuko comes to back in the Last Town, she has no idea how to react to Luke’s love for her. Her lack of experience with romance shows once more, and this leads to some rather humorous moments. Alas, Natsuko doesn’t have the chance to think about this new feeling, as the Spectre of Kametaro’s words hangs over her.
How It Originally Ended
Over the course of the series, Natsuko’s inner thoughts have gradually revealed the ending to A Tale of Perishing. However, it’s during a conversation with QJ that we finally learn what was supposed to happen:
Everyone turns on Luke and Destiny after Memmeln’s death. The former for killing his comrade, the latter for “seducing” Luke
Destiny dies in the next Void attack
This drives Luke over the edge, leading to him destroying the Soul Future, bringing forth the Ultimate Void and ending the world.
Good grief, no wonder A Tale of Perishing was panned by audiences and critics. That ending is as depressing as they come! While one could argue that endings like that do play out in real life, most people don’t want to be reminded about that! They want to see stories that will ultimately help them forget about their troubles, not make them want to give up on existing! The world can already be dark enough as it is!
Regardless of how much people may think the story’s ending may stink, the story itself doesn’t seem to care. And just as QJ gives Natsuko a pep-talk, the story steps ups its attempts to course correct to new levels. During the next Void attack, Natsuko sees, to her horror, that the monsters aren’t just coming up with original ideas anymore. Now, they’re copying her own drawings! The story is weaponizing plagiarism to mess with Natsuko.
The worst part? It works. The knowledge that whatever she may draw could be used against her, coupled with Kametaro’s words, causes her to doubt herself long enough for things to start to course-correct.
Natsuko has kept all the darker events of the story from happening, but how long can she continue to carry that burden as the story creator’s words echo in her mind? Things turn heavy in this episode of #Zenshu, and the whole dub team bears the weight brilliantly! @MaddieMorrisVA pic.twitter.com/bz5dBYKIdf
— Kyle Collins (@KyleCinVail) March 2, 2025 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
RIP QJ
#zenshu episode 1-8: #zenshu episode 9:
— Sesshømaru-sama (@insomniaczs) March 2, 2025 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
And in the end, one of the Nine Soldiers does lose their life. However, it’s not Unio; instead, it’s QJ.
From a storytelling perspective, QJ dying makes the most sense. He had the least amount of importance to the plot as a whole until this episode. However, his decision to sacrifice himself achieves the same results that it would have had Unio done so. The only difference is that it breaks Natsuko the most.
This is what TV Tropes calls a case of Cerberus Syndrome: the point in which a light-hearted story takes a darker and more serious tone. And it’s not going to let up over the remaining episodes as we now approach the endgame. Which, by the time this goes out, will have already taken place! Since I didn’t watch it (mostly) yet, fingers crossed things get better.
This ending is so good
Zenshu ed pic.twitter.com/S619dC4dMr
— ANURAAAAAGG (@AnusamXX) January 6, 2025 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
