1. Introduction

Episode 3 of “Zenshu” mainly explains the setting of the story. In the previous episode, Natsuko saved the last town she visited and became one of the “Nine Soldiers”, who are believed to be the ones who will save the world from another world the people. Episode 3 takes place after that.

I felt that it expressed the ordinary daily life of this world and provided insight into the world view of the anime. It was mostly comedic, but it also included some foreshadowing. I still don’t know how all of this will tie into the storyline going forward.

2. Plot Summary

The people of the last town held the Harvest Festival, which even Natsuko didn’t know about. The first half of Episode 3, in which they are introduced, shows their ordinary lives. But there is some important information, such as the fact that the people of the last town have faith in Soul Feature. The race is similar to elves, with long ears, one of them belongs to the “Nine Soldiers”, has a long life span. Additionally, a new character, Destiny, who is in charge of sex appeal, also appears.

There is foreshadowing in the latter part. Somehow, behind everyone’s back, Meruru is killing their enemies. Why is she hiding? If she wanted to kill the enemies, she could get help from her comrades. That’s why I thought it had an important meaning.

3. Key Moments & Highlights

1) How do they live together many races?

Mainly the first half shows us that there are some races. But how do they live together? I found that they have some religion, but I didn’t expect they live together in harmony without conflict. Maybe there are nine races in this world, for instance, human-type, elf-type, cray figure-type, and beastman-type. That’s too many races!

2)Why are the elves hiding and defeating their enemies?

The foreshadowing of the latter half revealed that the elves did something in secret. Most likely, they killed the enemies. But I don’t know why they are hiding it. Did they have any secret purposes? Now, I have no idea. By the way, did Natsuko know why they do that? If Natsuko doesn’t know about that, the anime she watched didn’t explain what they did.

The last scene of episode 3 also emphasized this. Episode 4 will probably tell us about that.

3) Natsuko knows this world is an anime—but she’s part of it too!

I’m curious about how Natsuko’s awareness will affect the story. That’s because Natsuko already knows that this world is an anime. They seemed real, but Natsuko herself said that they are an anime. But she was also an anime character. It was the anime “Zenshu”, and she is the protagonist of the anime. Despite her awareness, she considered that she was only a resident of the real world.

Could there be a plot where Natsuko realizes that she, too, is a resident of the anime world?

4) Where was the battle scene in this episode borrowed from?

I couldn’t really tell where the battle scene in this episode was referenced from. It was like at least 40 years ago, anime. At this time, professional wrestling was popular. I also used to watch professional wrestling on TV when I was in junior high. It was so fun. But I can’t remember watching a professional wrestling anime, that’ why I believe that the source material for this is from quite a long time ago.

4. Overall Impressions & Final Verdict

Episode 3 told us about the ordinary life in this world and gave us some foreshadowing. The writers clever mixed in humor, and I became curious about the next episode. I’m more intrigued than ever to see what happens next!