Train to the End of the World – Episode 12

Episode Synopsis:

The girls give chase as Pontaro tries to flee with Yoka. Aided by Kuroki’s zombies, they manage to board his getaway train and defeat him, but Yoka’s amnesia is still in effect. Will she remember her friends, and if she does, will she be willing to overlook Shizuru’s cruel words and return to Agano with them?

Review:

The finale of Train to the End of the World is a fitting ending. It’s as bonkers and energetic as any of the previous episodes and makes good use of the cast it’s built up. While the ending is fairly predictable, it delivers on its potential and ties things up in a satisfying way.

For the bulk of this episode, the name of the game is hustle, as the girls finally realize that Yoka needs to be the one to press the button and turn off the 7G signal. It’s a little grating that this has to be explained backwards and forwards a bunch of times before it clicks for them, but then, none of these kids are winning awards for their deductive skills. This forces them into a high-speed chase on elevated rails as Pontaro tries to escape in an armored train car with Yoka still in a daze.

Far and away the best part of this sequence is Kuroki’s zombie horde, who absolutely carry the team as they retrieve the 7G button, steady the Apogee while under fire, and even bridge a gap in the rails. Those undead are dynamite, and it’s a blast to see them in action.

Once they board the train, Pontaro is quickly dealt with thanks to a combination of his own incompetence and the bodyguard Pochi, whose loyalty to Yoka overrides any towards the grifter. This leaves Shizuru free to try to reconcile with Yoka. She admits that she had said those hurtful things out of fear and envy, but honestly regrets it. Their reunion goes almost exactly as you’d expect if you’ve ever seen an anime with estranged friends, but it’s delivered in a way that feels genuine despite its roughness.

With Yoka’s memories recovered, there’s just one thing left to do – press the big old button and set the world to rights. Just as she’s about to turn off 7G, she’s interrupted by that jackass Pontaro – how can they possibly handle this turn of events?!

GET BOATED, SUCKER! Beautiful resolution to that problem; nonsensical, but no more so than any of the other nuttiness we’ve seen on this trip.

Yoka presses the button and shuts off 7G, reverting most of the world back to its normal state. However, many oddities remain, albeit changed in new ways. Pochi (the bodyguard) reverts to being a crow, and Kuroki’s zombies are returned to life, but still regard her as their queen, which everyone is pretty okay with. Pontaro gets turned into an egg custard, just as predicted (?).

Back in Agano, Zenjiro is slowly regaining his faculties, Dr. Mokoto is now huge instead of tiny, and the rest of the citizens are becoming more anthropomorphic. While still weird, the world seems to be getting just a little more stable thanks to the efforts of Yoka and her friends. The girls begin their return journey, one of reconciliation and stronger friendships.

Summary:

A lot happens in this episode, but it all ties up nicely in the same carefree way the show has handled most of its conflicts so far. For all of the horrifying implications of the 7G world, nothing ever really brought down the mood for too long or distracted from the madcap nature of the story. This show was an excuse for wacky adventures in ridiculous circumstances, never taking itself more seriously than it needed to.

We’ll be sure to dive deeper into our thoughts on this show and discuss how well it pulls off its craziness in our Rolling Review podcast later on. Until then, I’ll just say that I had a fun time riding the rails with these crazy kids!

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