Apocalypse Hotel

Episode 9

About a month ago, I predicted that Apocalypse Hotel wouldn't conclude before making me cry. To that I say: mission accomplished.

However, we don't need to dig into the emotional climax right away. This week's stay at the hotel is ambitious and multifaceted, per usual. The very first shot, for example, shows us that the staff built a smaller reception desk for Yachiyo to use at work, which is a great follow up to last week's dive into the topic of disability. They saw her struggle and came together to accommodate her. We also see her navigating the hotel with more ease, and the animators clearly put thought into how she'd get around in her new tank body. This manifests in some very funny details, like the tread marks she leaves behind on a couch, but overall, that level of attention continues to ground the material. Ponko restores her old body in the end, though, and I'm of two minds about it. While there's no single “correct” way of portraying disability, I think it could have been more narratively and thematically interesting for Yachiyo to stay like that. The hotel is constantly evolving, and those accommodations are another way to portray it as a more inclusive space for all people across the galaxy.

Regardless, Yachiyo is still Yachiyo no matter what her bottom half looks like. She's a stickler for the small stuff. She cares about her employees (mostly). She solves problems with her fists. Ponko's formal introduction of her fiancé covers all of these bases, and it's hilarious to watch a vomited-covered Yachiyo shift so quickly from indignance to acceptance. That might be the most human she's ever been. Additionally, Yachiyo is responsible for this episode's pivotal moment, when she insists that Ponko and Ponstin not only commit to their wedding date but combine it with Mujina's funeral. Extrapolating the owner's pearls of hospitality wisdom into the most absurd direction is Yachiyo's bread and butter, after all.

The episode also fleshes out Ponko's background, which eventually enhances the final tearjerking moments. She didn't fit in with her peers when she was young, and her grandma became an important friend in their stead. Zooming out, this is a microcosm of what happened to the entire Procione clan, where the destructive turf war on their home planet forced the family to escape and rely on each other. The grief of losing their home bubbles back up when Mujina dies. It is now definite that they can never return. At the same time, though, this grief clarifies the importance of the Gingarou. Theirs is a place that welcomes all manners of diaspora. That's a powerful statement nowadays.

Mujina's fate, meanwhile, is never ambiguous. When she visits Ponko at work and asks Yachiyo for a private room and a camcorder, it's obvious that she doesn't expect to live long enough to attend the wedding. That she works up the strength to leave one last surprise for everyone speaks to both her feistiness and her love for her granddaughter. And while I tend to take this for granted when watching anime, I should say how nice it is to get an episode centered on cross-generational relationships between multiple women. The bonds between Yachiyo, Ponko, and Mujina make up the heart of this episode. While the wedding may be the focus, Ponstin, the husband-to-be, is basically set dressing. And that works in the narrative's favor. Yachiyo and Ponko are the two most important characters in the show, and the extra time devoted to Mujina pays dividends in the emotional conclusion. It's beyond touching that the final shot shows a tearful Ponko hugging and thanking Yachiyo for everything she's done, while Mujina's spirit joyfully watches over them.

However, we can't forget that this is Apocalypse Hotel. Straightforward catharsis is not on the menu. In what might end up the series' greatest accomplishment, the combination wedding & funeral is beautiful, macabre, funny, sad, and a fitting synthesis of its cosmic themes. The grand absurdities of life and death literally intertwine on the Gingarou's roof, and Apocalypse Hotel sees that as cause for celebration. I love it, and I especially love the commitment to the idea. Propping up Mujina's open casket directly behind the bride and groom is both a ridiculously morbid spectacle and a touching reminder of life's peaks and valleys.

Unsurprisingly, the anime's execution of this insane concept is also top-notch. We see both the setup and the payoff of the ceremony. The editing is on point and enhances the comedic timing, like when it cuts off Fuguri's dirty joke, or when the camera jumps to Bumbuku frothing at the mouth after Yachiyo cuts his mother into thirds. The attendees are chock full of creative alien designs—just pause any crowd scene and take in the variety of fellas and critters. And overall, it looks like a bright and colorful party, full of lights and flowers, which fits the vibe Yachiyo wanted to achieve.

And yes, in the end, this episode made me cry. Mujina's prerecorded messages opened the floodgates, and her song turned on the waterworks. She wishes for Ponko to have a better life than hers while reminding everyone of their home, now lost. Life and death. Past and future. Family and culture. These sentiments come together with a beautiful bittersweetness. Apocalypse Hotel's comedic chops have never been in question, and it has previously managed to blend puns and poignancy with its deft writing and direction. However, this adeptness in a new emotional helps further cement the Gingarou as the place to be this anime season.

Rating:

Apocalypse Hotel is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Tuesdays.

Steve is on This Week in Anime.