Anime originals are hard to get right. Let’s face it, a lot of anime originals suffer from a variety of things, whether it is a lack of creativity, poor pacing, production woes, you name it. However, when an anime original manages to push through the obstacles that the anime industry faces, it can sweep you off your feet, and that is exactly what Apocalypse Hotel did. From the very first episode, I was thoroughly charmed at the setting, the characters, the music, basically everything, and the rest of the series followed suit. It reminded me of another anime original from last year that put its wacky ideas to good use, which was Train to the End of the World, which thrived on its absurdity. It is another reminder that when creative minds come together, and work on something that they clearly WANT to do, amazing things can happen. It is an irreplaceable experience being able to speculate on what would happen next in a story, without anyone being able to spoil you on how it ends.

Human-robot interaction in media is something that has been done plenty of times. With a lot of them revolving around humans getting to know a robot, and the robot becoming more “human” at the end, I thought this “genre” was getting a tad bit old. So what if, there were no humans left in civilization? Humanity has been wiped off the planet seemingly, but they could return at any point. Therefore, one day, people could flood back into the Gingarou Hotel, the main setting of the series. The hope that human civilization would return once more was a hope that Yachiyo, the main character, and a robot no less, was clinging on to, and when there is hope, hard work will ensue.

And that is where the charm kicks in. Seeing a group of robots clean up so willingly and happily, proud of their work, even when no customers showed up. The story of Sisyphus comes to mind, as after each day ends, the same work would have to be done with the hotel, over and over, for hundreds, thousands of years, until someone, anyone would visit the hotel once more. The unwavering nature of the robots won me over even in the first episode, because to live a fulfilling life even in a bleak, dying world, I thought it was quite inspirational. Oh, and by the way, these are just robots. Why am I feeling this way?

The anime was melancholic but hopeful throughout, and provided the viewer with a wide range of material, whether it was the joy of cleaning and working, dealing with wacky animal customers, insane action scenes, or exploring the areas around the hotel. Even as the characters were as happy as could be, dancing around, partying, or in whatever adventures they were in, reality remained the same, in that the world would not be returning to how it was before. However, the story tells you that is okay.

The backgrounds were among the best I have seen in anime, and combined with the soundtrack, the atmosphere was immaculate. I thought some of the best moments were ones that were dialogue-free, where we could just revel in the beauty of the desolate. It is undoubtedly a world that I would not mind being a part of, even as bleak as it looked. In that, it reminded me a little of Girls’ Last Tour, where the main message was how we can still get along with the feeling of hopelessness.

(Through all the fun and wackiness, the melancholiness of the show did not change. It may have faded in terms of its prominence, but it was always there. The characters just have to learn to cope with it.)

Undoubtedly, one of things I always appreciate the most is unrestrained creativity. Just writers and authors letting their ideas flow. It might not be “perfect”, it could be a bit rough around the edges, it might be so wacky that it breaks the confines of what an ordinary person could ever imagine, but in the end, it is what they chose to do. Even if Apocalypse Hotel ended up not working out, I would have still appreciated it greatly. There is nothing more powerful than a group of people with crazy ideas about a story, and having it come to life. Truly a beautiful thing. Full props to Kana Shundou on his directorial debut, and everyone else who had a hand in this. I hope they all get many more chances to work on anime in the future. That gacha money from Uma Musume was definitely put to good use.

I was wondering though, what would end the world faster, mass pollutants, or not having a shower cap?