Apocalypse Hotel came more or less our of nowhere to establish itself as one of the season’s core staples. This episode was certainly the most conventional so far, and as such less of a revelation than the first three. Is that a problem? Not necessarily. I mean, it was still excellent, which is a sign this series can do conventional well too. Of course this can be an issue with shows that are really out there – they do tend to get more conventional as they progress. Sometimes they lose some of their charm when it happens, sometimes they don’t.
We join the new Ginzaburou gang at dinner, where the tanuki clan are getting the same meal they get every time. Which Fuguri, being a toddler (so, like 40?) finally calls out. Bumbuko still remembers YachiYO’s freakout and wants no part of this, but his wife takes the passive aggressive approach. And Mujina brings the grandma energy, scolding Fuguri to think of all the starving tanuki children out there. But Yachiyo is nothing if not sensitive to bad PR, and – no doubt with interstellar Tripadvisor in mind – realizes that serving the same food over and over is bad for a hotel’s reputation. But lack of ingredients is obviously a major problem.
So, it’s field trip time. Yachiyo declares that staff are only allowed off-premises in pairs for safety reasons, which sounds sensible but also seemingly in conflict with the hot springs expeditions. She resolves to take Ponko, who’s only too eager – she reveals herself to be a real trooper this episode. This is a very educational trip for the audience, to be sure. Yachiyo gives Ponko a walkie-talkie, which the girl immediately uses to try and reach her grandpa Danzaburou (unsuccessfully of course). She also notes that the desertification of Tokyo has advanced further than she realized.
Bigger things are afoot (and underfoot), literally. The pair meet up with a camel, who expresses its displeasure in the manner of its kind. Environment Checker Robot’s sensors are picking up something weird, but he can’t find the reason. Ponko and Yachiyo head to the strip of forest in the distance for some fishing, which goes rather well even if a pair of otters pilfer some of the catch. Chekov’s alien gift makes another appearance (my current theory is that it will be what eliminates the virus and restores the planet to human habitability). There’s no snacking while on the clock, but Yachiyo did pack a lunch for the tanuki, and all seems very idyllic until the shit hits the fan.
Ponko describes the monster they see as a Nudel Merissa Scolopendra, declaring it a creature known for destroying planets’ environments. Scolopendra is the genus of giant centipedes (like Japan’s dreaded mukade), though in practice this is something like a Dune sandworm. ECR’s death beam bounces right off its carapace (“Shit!”), and eventually the trio flee to a skyscraper with Ponko having wigged out and reverted to tanuki form. How it came to Earth isn’t clear, but ECR tells the others that if they don’t take it out now, it will likely run roughshod over the Earth’d ecosystem. So stand and fight is the only option.
At this point it’s just a clusterfrick, with Yachiyo running low on juice (“I can’t believe I’m plugging in on a first date’”), the Nudel rampaging, and a construction crane being repurposed as a fishing rod. Things taken an almost Alien turn as Ponko becomes the bait (Yachiyo cautions her to be careful, as injuries caused by extraterrestrials are not eligible for workman’s comp), but eventually Yachiyo comes to the rescue (apparently having brought a spare battery) and the Nudel is subdued and turned into dinner (for the next 200 weeks, one imagines).
I don’t know that Apocalypse Hotel is the sort of show where one wants to get too deep into the reeds with critical analysis. I mean, are there more Nudels out there? Where did they come from? TBH I won’t be too bothered if there are a few plot holes and missing bits of exposition, as this is very much a strap in and enjoy the ride sort of anime. Between the gorgeous art design, relentless energy and imagination, and Miki Shinichirou’s specularly funny bi-lingual performance, there’s plenty here to keep me happy as a Nudel in sand.
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