Train to the End of the World – Episode 06

Episode Synopsis:

Our intrepid train now has a name; Apogee! The name is revealed by Shizuka to be a tribute to a word Yoka taught her. As the other three girls debate the reason Yoka ran off to Ikebukuro, Shizuka finally reveals a fight she and Yoka had that ended up being the trigger. After a conflict with the group, Shizuka decides to strike out on her own and gets attacked by some zombies. She’s taken to a nearby village where she meets the Zombie Queen. Not knowing if Shizuka is safe or not, the other three girls venture out to save her.

Review:

It’s not lost on me that the writer of this show is Apogeego. Nice work Train to the End of the World.

This episode has more heart than we’ve seen in the previous ones. Here at the midway point, I have a theory that this journey is basically a metaphor for Shizuka’s journey to understand herself and ultimately why she was in the wrong for saying harsh things to Yoka about her dream. Previous episodes have hinted that some of the imagery and themes of these stops have to do with things related to Shizuka herself, and it may be that Yoka was thinking of her or their conflict when 7G activated (and thus, influenced this nightmare-scape with her thoughts).

A quick note about our cast: While I don’t dislike any of them, they also don’t have much of their personalities hidden so they ultimately come off as boring. The show isn’t dark enough to be suspenseful, nor bold enough in themes/ideas to make it thought provoking. Every week when I watch it I just say, “Well, that was…fine…I guess.” It feels like the stops we are encountering are more of a hodgepodge of “what weird thingy can we think of”, instead of a truly well thought out city/town that’s been altered by the 7G incident and has its own ecosystem. The connective tissue of each stop representing some small part of a grander whole is sorely missing.

Shizuka’s fallout with Yoka is the most tangible “drama” I’ve felt from this dang show. Her words are cruel, in the way only a close friend’s innocent but ultimately ignorant words can be, and I bet it hits hard for anyone who’s had a dream that seems big and distant from where they are now. It desperately makes me wish the show had built more equity into the relationship between these two girls so I could feel the impact of this scene.

This episode is a dramatic set piece, as the bulk of it is taken up by learning about the rift between Shizuka and Yoka, and watching the former push the other girls away. Shizuka is stubborn to a fault and pigheadedly decides to venture out on her own to Ikebukuro without the aid of the Apogee, or her friends. Girlfriend…seriously? You think you are going to walk through this crazy world to Ikebukuro?! Did you miss the part in the last episode or two where one of the stops was…internal organs?!! Gah!

She almost pays for her hubris, as zombies come into play. This rapidly devolves into…comedy…sort of…as she ends up in a town that’s been zombie-fied but is just existing day to day. I’m curious what lesson she’ll glean from this experience.

As a side note, I hope we stop setting things up and resolving them instantaneously. Akira having a mushroom butt could have been dramatic if it was dragged out farther into the series and forced the girls into a really tough spot. The “Gulliver’s Travels” episodes could have forced the girls into a debate between crushing that small town and saving their friend. One of these previous episodes could have gotten the girls to realize the map is actually really useful so they could start theorizing about it. I’m craving some tension here show! Come on!!

Summary:

Here at the midpoint I’m honestly bored. The show is chugging along (haha) but it ultimately doesn’t have enough substance for me to care much about the journey we are on. Hopefully the drama between Shizuka and the other girls forces them all to be more interesting or learn something about themselves. Shizuka in particular really needs some introspection. At this point though, I’d just appreciate these girls being in actual danger. Up the stakes a little show, sheesh!

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