Train to the End Ep 2 + 3 Review- Tracks and Mushrooms

Written by Rei Caldombra 4/16/2024 Video version: https://youtu.be/nrs1n3aRIfI

Previous Train to the End Post: Train to the End of the World Ep 1 Review - We’re in for a Wild Ride. — Blog Under a Log

Episode 2 gave us our first episode of travel, and episode 3 gave us our first stop. With these two episodes, I believe we have a solid grasp of what the formula will be, at least for the next few episodes. I’m totally up for a new wacky stop-of-the-week formula that will give us a focus episode on each member of the Gatan Goton Gang (as I will be calling them). Both these episodes also give us events that I think don’t have 100% clear explanations. I think this show is doing a good job of inviting the viewer to use their imagination and theorize.

We have a better grasp of our characters and their dynamics thanks to their squabbling in the train. Akira is the skeptic who seems like she will be the person with the technical and random knowledge, showcased by her knowing Morse code (and she also may be a Freemason. I’m not knowledgeable on Freemason stuff but I did not expect to see it mentioned in an anime that has nothing to do with the US. I looked it up and there is an official lodge in Tokyo, the more you know).

The numbers, Mason! What do they mean?! I like this cute paranoid gremlin, hopefully she isn’t too much of a conspiracy theorist. Be careful what forums you get sucked into Akira.

Nadeshiko is likely providing the book smart type of intelligence while being the more pure one. Reimi seems to have a good head on her shoulders too considering her great points about what they should go back to get in order to be better prepared. Shizuru is headstrong and determined, also showing herself to be capable of being pretty harsh towards the others in episode 2. She may have gone into this unprepared, but she is taking it the most seriously out of everyone. It’s also all the more clear that Reimi and Akira have catfights all the time so this will clearly be a point of conflict later. Nadeshiko is the one to try to stop the fight while Shizuru seems to not care that much. These are just early thoughts though, it’s likely Reimi and Nadeshiko will get focus in the next two episodes. So we will have a better idea about them later. This show is really getting the creative juices flowing so I'm doing lots of theorizing and predicting in this post.

We also got a crazy scientist who may end up being an occasional asset like Zenjirou. His scenes were very funny while also cryptic. Like a lot in this show, it’s hard to know if its just goofiness or if he is spitting facts.

I was surprised that they seriously planned to go back, but I like that they are treating the girls as relatively intelligent and logical despite their individual quirks and age. But what I did expect was that something would prevent them from going back. I think it's up to interpretation whether the rising water level was truly a coincidental natural occurrence or if the world was responding to their desire to turn back. I prefer the latter theory but it could simply be that it was an extreme version of natural water levels rising that was used narratively to stop them from going back. We can only guess right now, but with how severely messed up reality is there could absolutely be some effect people’s thoughts have on the world. This theory works with the idea that distance and space are not consistent anymore, maybe because one’s way of thinking impacts where one can go. This could explain why different areas of Japan have different fantastical quirks, as the collective consciousness of people can differ from area to area. This episode also brought up psychological suggestion, which posits that issues that appear biological may be more in our head than physical. To go further on this point, maybe the key to reaching Ikebukuro is everyone having a strong desire to get there, rather than some of them just going along for the ride. But that’s just a theory… A

Now onto the fungus. The creep factor was very well done. It was not exactly subtle that something sus was going on, but it was not too much in our faces. And in the end, they left a lot up for interpretation, which I greatly enjoy. I really like the activation of the mushrooms being the sauna, which fits with the enclosed, moist space mushrooms thrive in while also being a fitting trap since saunas are very popular and used as a way to relax after activities like traveling. One of the mushroom guys called outsiders stupid for falling for it but I think it’s a solid plan.

Honestly this is an understandable reaction when your living standard is people turning into animals.

What we’ve gotten so far makes me very optimistic that we can expect a good mix of goofy and grim content going forward. If we accept what was told to us directly, this is a town full of people who are effectively suicidal, having so little left to live for that they want their lives cut drastically short.

You can see where they’re coming from with how messed up the world is but this is still genuinely sad when you take it seriously. This can represent the nihilistic and/or pessimistic outlook a lot of people have due to the constant onslaught of negative news about the state of the world. There’s a variety of people here too, not just old or young.

There is room left for interpretation on the mushrooms though. We know from the gang’s reactions to the mushrooms that they have a psychological effect on people. The girls went from being relatively normal to losing most of their drive. I’m thinking that the mushrooms draw out and/or multiply the negative feelings of people. According to the head of the town they are consenting to their situation, and based on what happened with Shizuru they are capable of being pulled out. But if the mushrooms are making their negative feelings worse then can you really say they have proper consent and awareness? I’m thinking there’s also a hive mind aspect to it as well. This is common for mushroom creature concepts and is supported by the people at the end largely acting like a dumb mob and everyone having the same negative reactions. There isn’t any clear reason I could think of as to why the winter melons hurt mushrooms. Maybe it’s a Japanese folklore kind of reference that I don’t know. It could just be a goofy solution, which I would be totally fine with due to how much thought provoking and serious stuff we already got this episode. I like this blended ton of silly and serious, so I’m totally fine with every little plot point not being deep.

One minor potential issue that I want to bring up but will not call a plot hole just yet is how the gang is still able to communicate with Zenjirou through morse code despite the train tracks being torn up last episode.

I will be giving them the benefit of the doubt for multiple reasons. We are very early in the show, this show has given me no reason so far to doubt the writing, and we are in a magical world. If the laws of space don’t work properly anymore like we know to be true then I don’t see why a train line can’t get magically fixed. Maybe they are all bent but still barely to each other? Though I don’t think the sound would travel clearly with how messed up they are. I do want an explanation of this, don’t get me wrong. This would be a very basic continuity mistake to make and it would be dumb if they ignored the tracks being broken just so they can have communicating with Zenjirou be a consistent occurrence. But I’m not going to hold anything against the show until I have proper reason to believe this is a plot hole or a dumb convenience. So I’ll just be keeping it in the back of my mind for now.

To end on one more minor point, I feel the size of the inside of the train is portrayed very well. The visuals have drawn attention to the abundance of space, so hopefully we will get interesting use of that. I really like the idea of their train slowly getting full of nicknacks, food etc that they find on their journey.

I’m absolutely loving this show and am super excited to get more! This is my clear favorite of the new shows this season so far. I hope y’all are enjoying it too! Thanks for reading!