The first thing I’m going to do is give credit where it’s due. This was a really good finale, one fully worthy of the first six episodes of the series. In fact the last two episodes of Apocalypse Hotel were outstanding. #11 reflected the Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou that’s always been a little part of this series’ DNA. And the final ep was consistent with the themes of the first half of the series, and both funny and uplifting because of that. It’s an Enzo truism to be sure, even if I didn’t invent it – endings are important.
All that, however, just makes the run from 7-10 that much more inexplicable. It’s like the show had some kind of weird seizure or something (like Yachiyo when she wigs out, maybe). I’m frankly at a loss to explain it – to have a series turn it off like a light switch for a pretty long stretch (7-9 were especially misguided), and then just as suddenly switch it back on. How does that happen? Why does that happen? As far as I know there were no major staff changes for those eps, and in fact Apocalypse Hotel seems very much to be a personal expression of writer Murakoshi Shigeru and director Shundo Kana. But Episodes 7-9 being by the same writer as most of the other nine beggars belief, at least for me.
That’s all the more true because not only was that four episode stretch not all that funny or entertaining, the first park of it was in total thematic defiance of what came before – and after – it. I thought maybe it was just Murakoshi-san’s true colors revealing themselves, and the early part of the show was a misdirection. But in the end it’s like he pretended those eps never happened. No acknowledgement of them, no admission that what Ponko did was wrong and offensive and really stupid. Just a big Emily Litella “Never mind”.
But in the end sanity was restored, and I guess you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. We close with the return of humanity, as I always strongly suspected we might. One tiny sliver of it, anyway – an astronaut named Tomari Iori (Komatsu Mikako). She’s on a solo survey mission to Earth, which is about the most logical way to make this development happen. She’s rather astonished to find that there are humans on this planet supposedly now devoid of sentient life. And even more so to learn they’re actuallyhotelier robots and Tanukians.
Naturally Yachiyo books Tomari-san in as a guest. The latter is wide-eyed at a hotel full of extraterrestrials, soft beds, free shampoo. Even a shampoo hat – but she quite rightly points out that it would be pointless to put one on over her suit. Tomari’s bioscanner was damaged on impact, and she’s operating under the assumption that the virus is still rampant. So she enjoys the hospitality as best she can while Yachiyo has an existential crisis over her presence. Once she’s established that Tomari is indeed human despite – unthinkably – turning down a shampoo hat, she starts malfunctioning and doesn’t understand why.
All this screamed for the intervention of Environment Checker Robot, and if it’d taken one more minute for him to show up I’d have plotzed. Fortunately he did, and immediately escorts Tomari on a tour. This is without a doubt the emotional highlight of the episode for me. ECR is a truly wonderful (and underutilized) character first of all, with a wonderful performance by Miki Shinichirou. This is his very reason for existence, and his emotion at finally being able to tell a human that the Earth was virus-free (thanks to the first extra-terrestrial guest’s gift, just as I predicted) hit me like a ton of bricks. Add to that Tomari’s wonder at seeing this Eden Earth and the whole thing is wonderfully effective. I actually thought ECR was going to shut down right then and there, but thank goodness they didn’t go that route.
All the while I was thinking, “you know, I don’t really want humans to come back to this world. This Earth with its pristine environment, where everyone is getting along so well”. I actually thought Tomari might have the same thought but no, she didn’t. We got there, but the decision was taken out of her hands. Almost as soon as she took off her helmet to breathe in the idyll, she turned green and keeled over. According to Ponstin, because of a severe allergic reason. And according to Environment Checker Robot, because humans have now evolved to a form unable to remain in Earth’s atmosphere (and a good thing too, if you ask me). So it’s back to their arks in space, at least for now (say hi to Tom Baker if you see him).
As for Yachiyo, her wonky functionality is a function of angst – which goes to show just how human she is. When you’ve been anticipating something as long as she has the reality can’t possibly match the anticipation, and that’s really the issue here. Yachiyo is just as happy about her extraterrestrial guests as her human one, as Ponko (in a marked turn from her recent annoying behavior) points out. And that’s as it should be, frankly. That’s what Apocalypse Hotel was preaching for half its run, before it bafflingly decided to preach the opposite for three weeks. It’s “people are people” leveled up to “sentients are sentients”. Just accept them as they are and get along. Is that really so hard?
I think this amounts to a happy ending in almost every sense, albeit dependent on how you view the human return factor. Yachiyo did indeed get what she dreamed of. And in doing so she finally fulfilled her promise to Owner-san – only to have Tomari unwittingly rope her into another open-ended promise (I don’t blame Yachiyo for being pissed). Humans did survive, and they can visit just like anyone else. But this isn’t their planet anymore – it belongs to the universe. And it has soft beds, onsen, and whisky so it’s pretty much perfect as is.
So where does all this wind up in terms of rehabilitating Apocalypse Hotel’s reputation? That’s a tough one to answer. The year is only half-over, and summer is if nothing else a monstrously huge season. This series went from a cinch top 10 and possible masterpiece to most likely off the year-end lists altogether to- what? My instant reaction is probably back in the 11-20 list somewhere, but I’m honestly not sure how I’m going to feel about this show with the passage of time. Endings are, again, important. And Apocalypse Hotel managed some truly impressive peaks, with real profundity and beauty. It’s a hard show to classify in every sense, but it certainly isn’t one I’m going to forget anytime soon.
catterbu
June 26, 2025 at 2:41 amI appreciate your writing about this series Enzo! Even a reference to a classic Fourth Doctor story! In the end, we disagree on the magnitude of the misstep (I thought it was minor and the damage to the story in that one episode alone). It was to me more of a fly in the ointment sort of situation. I am happy that it brought you back by the end. I wonder what your response would be if that one weapon part was excised. Let Yachiyo end up in space for another reason, then it is fine.
Guardian Enzo
June 26, 2025 at 6:37 amA sure top-10 show without E 7-9. As is, we’ll see.
I wouldn’t hate a sequel but I kind of feel like they wrapped it in a good way.
catterbu
June 27, 2025 at 12:25 amYep. I get that. Honestly, I just hope CyGames can monetize this properly because I want more anime like this. 🙂
Collectr
June 27, 2025 at 2:27 amDefinitely stuck the landing. And Tomari’s open-ended promise gives Yachiyo a reason to keep running and keeping herself in repair. The hotel serve its purpose. She serve her purpose. As you said, for sentients everywhere – of which humans are now just another extra-terrestrial species.
I like the checkback to the very first visitor and his gift. All the extra-terrestrial visitors have undoubtedly brought their own contributions to the Earth’s biosphere. Did all these minute additions make our planet an allergy trap to its former masters? The Tanukians seem quite immune, but they’ve had eons to adapt to the changing conditions; ditto the surviving animals. Best not to think too much about it.
Series that zig left (or up or sideways) when they should go straight are a rarity. I can forgive Apocalypse Hotel its trespasses, because its ‘on’ game was better than 99% of the shows out there.
Joshua
June 28, 2025 at 5:08 amI’ve been largely very allergic to CyGames’ usual original series shtick, not just because I’m rather cynical to seeing a gacha company spend “fuck you” money on poaching creatives and animators, but because they bewilderingly try to follow the same format as the one fluke hit they had in 2018 (Zombieland Saga) which was to flood the zone with wacky shit happening all the time with a winking irony to it and hope people pay attention after their bait and switch premieres. Stuff like Akiba Maid Sensou, The Marginal Service, Bang Brave Bang Bravern and next season’s Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show have relied on the same shtick to an egregiously repetitive degree at the expense of proper tone or storytelling all to try to copy the success of ZLS when they’re not spluging that cash on more UmaMusu.
Apocalypse Hotel, ironically from the same writer as that fluke ZLS was different to a degree. The highs were incredibly high, among some of the very best stuff that CyGames has ever done, the low lows however like the stretch of episodes you’ve mentioned dubiously reminded me of CyGames at their worst, trying to obnoxiously flex with their sakuga and their wacky, ironic premises. And yet, it didn’t feel like they were aiming for virality over coherency, but more huge swings that missed just as often as it hit. Yet, that made it significantly more preferable to a CyGames show constantly trying to aim for quality consistently but oftentimes winding up mediocre or downright bad as a result. I’d take another one like this over more seasons of UmaMusu, the inevitable sakuga orgy of Kagurabachi or the next invoking of the definition of insanity trying to copy Zombieland Saga.
Nadavu
June 28, 2025 at 6:24 amMad respect to Apocalypse Hotel for daring to go where it did, time and time again. The funedding episode is, in my opinion, the most daring and impactful episode in many an anime-season. The rod from god bit – I’m totally fine with it, except that Ponko was already getting on my nerves at that point and that the extended gag about Yachiyo turning a tank-girl delinquent was, well, boring.
One point of criticism I have is that, if asked what’s the show’s main focus, I would have to say it’s Yachiyo’s friendship with Ponko, which is weird since it doesn’t feel like that should be the correct answer. Less Ponko and more rest of the staff would have made this show even better.
Jinrui no baka!
Guardian Enzo
June 28, 2025 at 10:00 amFunedding?
Another issue I have is that in the end, I didn’t really feel anything for Yachiyo. She turned out to be kind of a jerk.
Simone
June 28, 2025 at 3:17 pmFuneral-wedding.
Why did Yachiyo feel like a jerk? I mean, obviously in various situations she shows her flaws (like that whole attempt to hide a dead body…) but I’d say it’s an effectual and funny way to portray her as more than just robotic. This show has a bit of the “terrible people being terrible” vein of comedy at times, though it never goes quite THAT far.
Nadavu
June 28, 2025 at 6:05 pmI kinda feel for Yachiyo, on an intellectual level. She was manufactured for a specific task, but the people who made her never thought what existence would be for her AI if left alone for 600+ years and had to make decisions that are well outside the intended domain. She showed great flexibility, as seen in her coming to view extraterrestrial guests as just as important as human guests and her acceptance of the two new Gingarou Tanukian-based rules. But she’s not essentially good or kind as a person, since she’s not really a person. She’s a Hotelier, and part of that is putting an inviting smile and catering to the needs of the guests. The nicest guy at Starbucks can be a real jerk at home. And Yachino, well, she sorta had to figure that whole “person” thing on her own.
nadavu@gmail.com
June 29, 2025 at 12:39 amAlso, I think what Yachiyo understood (or maybe she didn’t understand, but went through) is that her emotional connection wasn’t to Humanity, it was to The Owner, specifically, and he’s been dead for centuaries.
Simone
June 30, 2025 at 1:40 amYeah, that’s the impression. Like at the beginning of this episode – she’s back from her time off and her existential realization of feeling alive. So what does she do? Back to the grind with renewed energy! Because ultimately she’s still what she is – a somewhat human entity but still with non-human priorities. We value things like love, companionship, art. And she values running a hotel. Deeply, fundamentally, as a core part of her being.
So yeah, sometimes she looks like a jerk but IMO that’s just that she acts in ways that would be weird and contradictory for a human being… because she’s not a human being. She’s a hotelier AI and sometimes that means she deviates from the script. Hiding a body to protect the hotel’s reputation seems an offense to decency and a horrible case of twisted priorities to us, because only a greedy insensitive psychopath would do that. But to Yachiyo, the hotel is everything. So, off with a body or two. Do what must be done. The hotel must thrive.