This past July, Yohei Kameyama released a sequel to his animation student short, Milky Highway. He and his team partnered with Doraemon’s animation studio, Shin-ei, to produce Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express. The series tells the story of six delinquents trapped on the haunted subway train, AM24, while conducting community service. Unfortunately, one has met their demise.
What Led to the Cast’s Arrest?
Throughout Milky Subway, the viewer must piece together the events that happened before the AM24 took them and the other four delinquents hostage. Everyone has been arrested in pairs for a crime they committed either by accident or on purpose. Episodes 3, 6, and 10 placed captions on those who were taken into custody before the other.
The first pair are superhumans, Akane Daidoji and Kanata Iwao, who were arrested for speeding and assaulting an officer. Next are the cyborgs, Kurt Cramer and Max MacCallister. They were caught smuggling an outlawed sugar substance. Finally, there’s the mixed duo, Chuhiro Kujo and Makina Kurasane. They are charged with speeding, a police pursuit, and destroying a patrol drone.
Their arrest confirmed the events of Milky Highway. The 2022 short had the friend duo on a night drive towards a neighboring planet. Makina sped past the limit when she and Chiharu sang along to a Minami song on the radio. According to Officer Ryoko Kanzaki, Makina has been arrested 17 times. Two of her arrests were with Chiharu to defend against her romance troubles.
Interrogating For Makina’s Cause of Death
Milky Subway starts with a police interrogation. Ryoko asked Chiharu about what led to Makina’s death. She has a moment of silence while looking at her head and arm on the table. The audience learns about the AM24’s haunting in Episode 2, “False Departure.” From a bathroom conversation, Max tells Kurt:
“So, this train was about to be cleaned? You heard that weird urban legend about it? They say there was another group of inmates cleaning up the train. Well, they all started killing each other. All sorts of crazy stuff started happening. So, they say the train is cursed or something like that.”
This is also supported by the blood stain Akane found in Carriage 5. Soon, the AM24 went on autopilot after Chiharu awakened the AI train assistant, O.T.A.M. In Episode 3, “Chiharu and Makina,” Makina immediately came up with a solution to stop the train using three activated keys. The problem is that the third key is missing, so the cyborg girl insists on a search in Carriage 1, the Driver’s Cab.
Akane, Kanata, Max, and Kurt joined their venture as they pursue the dangers ahead. From the felon stunner bot, HAIJO-KUN, to the strange power malfunction in the restrooms, they kept each other alive. Ryoko managed to contact the delinquents by video phone, only to be cut short by interference. For the sake of new viewers, I will keep the person pulling the strings a secret.
Episodes Are Short Yet Enticing
One of Milky Subway’s flaws is the episode length. Each one has a length of 3 minutes and 31 seconds. The pacing can be odd, but it doesn’t take away from the show’s mystery. The inmates kept my attention with their antics and buddy dynamics.
The cutest scene happens in Episode 4, “Eat, Fight, Repeat.” After Makina paralyzed Kanata with her stun gun, Akane immediately engaged in a fight with her. They then stop when they identify that they were wearing Minami merch. These are early signs that the long-jacket superhuman isn’t really a criminal. Her height and appearance make her look threatening. The cyborg girl immediately repaired the liquid udon vending machine as a truce.
Milky Subway’s humor is timed very well and doesn’t overstay its welcome. There are a couple of moments I can describe its use to break the tension from the AM24’s haunting. Episode 9, “Delusion and Panic,” has two problems that almost killed Chiharu. Chiharu’s head gets caught between the ladies’ restroom doors after a power shortage. Meanwhile, Kanata, Max, and Kurt are trapped in the men’s.
Akane’s protective instincts suddenly kick in when she is unable to hear the short superhuman. Her panicking goes into full force as the show transitions to Episode 10, “Akane and Kanata.” Thanks to Kanata’s engineering skills, he redirected the power to open both restroom doors. His partner did regain her temper when she saw the boys’ position straight out of a yaoi panel. Max and Kurt reassured her that they toppled over each other because Kurt’s shoulder battery had worn out.
Surprisingly, Milky Subway has a few action scenes. Like the humor, it’s only used when needed. Episodes 6, “Kurt and Max,” used action to tell the cyborgs’ backstory. HAIJO-KUN refused to move aside from the Passenger Carrier since it detected the cast as “felons.” Mikane requested their services so they could reach the Driver’s Cab. The duo says they want 80 yen. She pays half and promises the rest once HAIJO-KUN is deactivated.
At their arrest, Ryoko questioned why two former servicemen turned to a life of crime. They answered that no one ever thanked them for their work. Kurt played defensively by using a soda advert poster as a shield against the stun rods. From the back, Max uses his hacking device until it reaches 100%. Their efforts put HAIJO-KUN out of commission. Aside from the money, Chiharu thanked the cyborgs for helping Makina, which motivated them to assist everyone in escaping the AM24.
Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express Is Ending Soon
The retro-futuristic CGI mini-series will be coming to a close soon. Right now, Milky Subway has 10 episodes available on the anime’s official YouTube channel. Don’t be afraid of the 101 videos set in their playlist, for this was meant to separate the available languages the show is spoken in.
YouTube has simplified the need for multiple language videos in the player’s settings. You change the language and subtitle settings from English to Thai. I have only heard the official Japanese and English dubs, but the animation is slightly out of sync for the English version. For new updates, check out Kameyama’s dedicated website for the series.
