Nakatomi Youka is a girl in a big city who is just going about her own business, when she’s suddenly plucked from the street to witness the start of 7G. Youka can’t get herself to be as excited about this new technology as the speaker of the event might want her to be. But to get out of this situation as soon as possible, she decides to just play along. Little does she know, this silly event is about to unleash the apocalypse. After the starting up of 7G, the rules of the world change completely. Every man and woman over twenty-one automatically turns into a random animal. After a two-year time skip, we now follow the lives of four girls. At first we see them just going about their day, but after discovering some information about their lost friend Youka, they’re set on finding her. Will they find her before they turn into animals forever?

The title of the anime initially made me think it would be similar to A Place Further than the Universe. I haven’t seen that series, but I’m fairly certain that this comparison can only lead to disappointment. While this anime seems to have some elements on paper that sound like an inoffensive setup for cozy entertainment, the weak direction can’t make good use of them. For instance, the art and color scheme is pleasing to the eyes, but the characters feel kind of soulless. Maybe the biggest reason for this is the pacing. Every line of dialogue is immediately followed by the next, not allowing any pause in between, which gives off an inauthentic feel. Another problem is that too much happens in this episode. In that sense, this first episode feels a bit like Delusional Monthly Magazine’s first episode from last season. These anime share the same childishness as well, particularly in the voice acting here. So despite the interesting title, I don’t recommend this anime. Viewers interested in this genre are probably better off with other more engaging series.

Train to the End of the World is streaming on Crunchyroll.