Young director Natsuko Hirose grapples with a creative block as she embarks on her new project in the trailer of Zenshu, an upcoming original anime that explores the struggles of creating animated films in the highly competitive anime industry of Japan.

Dropped by Crunchyroll on Friday, the trailer opens with a shot of Natsuko consumed by her next project, locked up in her room and working long hours. Her assistant interrupts to hand her the latest script. After a quick glance, Natsuko requests changes, leaving her assistant visibly shocked. The scene sets the tone for the competitive world of anime creation that Zenshu promises to explore.

Completely oblivious to the strands of hair falling across her face as she works, Natsuko immerses herself in her latest project — a romcom anime film that poses her greatest challenge yet after creating consecutive masterpieces. Her perfectionism becomes a double-edged sword, often stalling her crew members and adding to the overwhelming pressure.

The trailer also provides a glimpse of the film that Natsuko wants to create — a fantasy film filled with action, adventure and romance. It ends with the skilled genius taking on extra work while working on the script of her upcoming project.

“It's an anime about making anime. ZENSHU, a brand new original series, is coming to Crunchyroll,” Crunchyroll wrote alongside the trailer on Instagram.

“After graduating from high school, Natsuko Hirose starts her career as an animator. Her talent quickly flourishes, and she makes her debut as a director in no time. Her first anime becomes a massive hit, sparking a social phenomenon and earning her recognition as an up-and-coming genius director. Her next project is set to be a romantic comedy movie themed around first love! However, having never been in love herself, Natsuko struggles to understand the concept of first love, and as a result, she’s unable to create the storyboard, causing the movie production to come to a standstill,” reads the official synopsis of the series on Crunchyroll.

Zenshu is created by MAPPA, the studio behind popular anime like Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan. The voice cast includes Anna Nagase (Natsuko Hirose), Kazuki Ura, Rie Kugimiya, Minori Suzuki and Akio Suyama.