I admit, a big part of the reason why the first two episodes of Apocalypse Hotel delighted me so much is that the same studio and some of the same team are working on Hikaru no Shinda Natsu, and that’s an adaptation I care very much about. The inventiveness and style of this show, along with the fact that it’s apparently already finished production, is a very good sigh for Hikaru. But we’re at the point now where it’s all about Apocalypse for its own sake. I love what this series is doing.

Yep, this is it. That rare series that just trashes expectations and threatens to break the glass ceiling. Three episodes does not a full series make, and writer Murakoshi Shigeru doesn’t have a specific line on his resume proving he can pull this off. But my goodness, I can’t ask for a whole lot more from a first act. And what’s really encouraging is that every week the cast and premise have expanded, and each expansion has made the overall product better. You obviously can’t keep that up for 12 episodes, but we’re already at a pretty high plateau as is. It’s a little Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, a little Uchouten Kazoku. And a whole lot of something wholly original.

As we pick up the action, 5o years have passed since the plant alien checked out (and its “gift” seems to be thriving). Yachi-YO is still digging for an onsen. Environment Checker Robot mockingly tells her she’s going to hit magma first (HA!). But then a funky little ship crash lands nearby, and Yachiyo dares to hope – could this finally be humans, returning to the Earth? ECR is skeptical (it’s his nature) even as tantalizingly human forms emerge from the battered craft. And then introduce themselves, in Japanese, as “Earthlings”. The Procione family, to be precise.

Yes, these are the tanuki family teased by the OP/ED. Father Bumbuko, mother Mami, big sister Ponko, little bro Fuguri. Oh, and grandma Mujina. A proper nuclear family indeed, each politely introducing themselves as Earthlings. Until little Fuguri lets “Tanukian” slip out. Threats of death and a huddle later he corrects himself, but ECR’s skepticism is well-founded. These are tanuki if tanuki ever existed (complete with a fear of hot pots). Why is there an alien planet with tanuki just like tanuki from Japanese mythology? Some questions are best left unasked (shame on me), never mind unanswered.

Simply put, the “Prociones” are all awesome. Because tanuki are awesome. Their whole intro is wonderful, not least because Miki Shinchirou keeps ripping off truly God-like like deliveries (“Grandma pressure!”). Yachiyo wants so badly to believe, bless her. She only checks to see if these critters can pay after Environment Checker reminds her. But after Ponko and Fuguri get a little too naughty with him and he transforms, the truth becomes so glaring even Yachiyo can’t not see it. An explanation is in order, and it’s forthcoming. The tanukians home planet blew up (how literally is unclear) in a great war, and the family fled into space. Earth was supposedly a backwater planet, but a possible opportunity to raise the kids in nature instead of on a ship.

There’s no way Yachiyo isn’t going to let the tanuki stay – the Ginzarou has a proud history with extraterrestrial guests after all. But I mean, she should anyway. And it seems to be going fine, generally. The kids are adorable and interested in her work, the grown-ups timid and inclined to hide during the day (Ponko notes she and Otouto are different because they were raised in space). But then the children use the fish tank as a pool and hotel buffet. And piles of poop start appearing in the halls. And the inside of the Procione suite is a disaster area. Worst of all, their attitude becomes rather arrogant and combative. Which opens up another bonus quest for Yachiyo, “punch a guest”.

The tanukis aren’t bad people (well – they aren’t people at all but you get the point). Their customs are just different, and rather disconcerting to humans (and robots made to serve them) to boot. But one’s corner of the universe is a small place and can be very cold, and understanding is part of great customer service. The tanukis seem genuinely remorseful rather than just terrified (though certainly that too). They start cleaning up their messes, and Ponko (she’s 54 so it’s all legal) even joins the Ginzarou staff.

But they have a terrible secret (as terrible as it is, the post-credits scene had me ROFLMAO as hard as anything this season) – what they really found on that Earth ship besides the movies that let them learn human speech and gave them the idea to come to Earth. Perhaps they withhold that truth out of kindness. Perhaps out of fear of being cast aside if it be told. In any event it doesn’t close the door on some humans surviving, somewhere. And the fuzzy family and Earth robots trying to bridge their cultural divides holds great promise both for comedy and pathos. I see a lot of promise with Apocalypse Hotel generally, and I can’t wait to see where it careens off to from here.