A new surreal anime from Crunchyroll has stunned audiences with a first episode that must be seen to be believed. When it comes to surreal artistry, animation has proven to be the perfect medium to carry out the creator’s vision. Animated shows and movies have no limitations regarding what can happen, so anything that comes to the artist’s imagination can happen. Anime in particular has thrived on surrealism with studios like Science Saru bending what’s possible to tell unique stories. Now, Crunchyroll has introduced a new surreal series to its library, and its first episode has fully delivered on its wild premise.
Train to the End of the World is a new series from Girls Und Panzer‘s apogeego that thrusts the viewer into a mysterious post-apocalyptic future. Two years after the unveiling of a new 7G cellular system gone wrong, Japan has undergone a bizarre change with reality itself shifting in odd ways. People have transformed into various creatures with citizens Agano turning into animals once they’re 21-years-old. Four girls from the town – Shizuru, Nadeshiko, Remi and Akira–soon discover that a former friend named Yoka is alive-and-well in Ikebukuro and set out on a grand adventure across the railways to find her.
From minute one, the first episode of the series clues audiences into how bizarre the series will be. Yoka is plucked off the streets by a remote statue to push the button that starts the reality-shifting apocalypse, and things only get stranger from there.
Train to the End of the World is a Must-See Fever Dream
Apogeego and EMT Squared’s Post-Apocalyptic Dramedy Calls Back to a Classic Lewis Carroll Story
Train to the End of the World is a series that audiences will either love or hate. The series immediately throws viewers into the action, and it’s certainly a lot to take in. This is especially true when it’s revealed that the main story takes place two years after people have settled into their new reality. However, that’s what makes the series so fun. This anime pays a lot of tribute to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
The story is fairly basic, but it’s tied together by admiring the surreal weirdness of this new Japan. From animals that used to be people sometimes giving into their instincts to a man who has lost his sanity occasionally communicating when wearing a conductor’s cap, nothing is off-limits for this series. The viewers are Alice as they find themselves in this new world, and they’re at the mercy of the characters to try and make sense of the nonsensical nature of the show’s post-apocalyptic future.
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Train’s OP Hints at a Greater World to Come in Future Episodes
New Japan’s World is More Than Just Talking Animals
What’s interesting about the series is how its world will be explored in future episodes. Episode 1 is fairly limited to Agano with only a brief glimpse at the surreal dystopia in Ikebukuro whetting fans’ appetites of what’s to come. When looking at the OP for the series, it’s clear that post-apocalyptic Japan will throw twists and turns at the show’s main characters and the audience throughout their adventure. Just a few notable examples include sillhouettes of fairies, giants, yokai and what appear to be zombies living in a rapidly altering environment. As the first episode ends with a line stating that there are 30 stops to Ikebukuro, it’s clear that viewers are in for a thrilling ride as they navigate unfamiliar terrain with the series’ protagonists.
Train Can Be Off-Putting for Certain Viewers, But Rewarding For Those That Are Patient
Quick Exposition and Lack of Explanation Could Turn Some Fans Away
While Train to the End of the World‘s stunning animation and surreal setting make this show one of the most unique anime in years, certain elements could understandably push some to turn it off before it gets going. The first episode’s biggest problem is that it relies heavily on exposition and moves at breakneck speed to get to its premise. After the show’s prologue, viewers are immediately thrust into the world two years later with the inhabitants of a new town they haven’t seen yet hitting the bullet points of the rules in Agano. There’s very little room to breathe as the show wants to hit the basics so its main characters can explore Japan. This anime doesn’t tell a traditional story, so it can be completely understood if some find it off-putting.
However, for those patient to get through the cliff notes of how the world works, what comes next is something special. The world around Shizuru and the other girls is the real star of the show. It’s a series that prides itself in creative environmental storytelling that explores a world gone mad by a bizarre shift in reality.
It’s similar in a way to films like Mad Max: Fury Road, which tells a simple story but uses the dystopian future itself to tell a grander narrative than the characters ever could. As each episode passes by, viewers will be able to get a closer look at how this new Japan works through the way the girls interact with threats and allies across the country as they make their way to Yoka. Whether they face horrifying monsters or kind village people, the world around them is bigger than the story they’re trying to tell, and sometimes that’s all that’s needed for a series rooted in surrealism.
With only one episode down and many more to go, viewers will want to tune in every week as the adventures of Shizuru and her friends are simulcasted to worldwide audiences. The first episode left a grand first impression with its unique visuals and bold approach to storytelling that isn’t seen often in the media outside the arthouse circuit. It absolutely has its flaws that will undoubtedly turn potential viewers away, but Crunchyroll‘s Train to the End of the World does so much in its first episode that warrants anime fans to give it a shot as they may be surprised by just how clever its environmental storytelling can be.
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Source: KADOKAWAanime
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is a North American-based streaming service owned by Sony that focuses largely on Japanese anime but also covers several East Asian drama series. The service is available in several countries and has a small catalog of self-created and published series, with most of its content licensed with partners overseas.
