Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied”: Hotel WALL-E [Review]

Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied” begins one of the most unique anime series I’ve watched in recent times. It’s basically a story of a world long after humanity’s end, starring a hotel staffed entirely by robots awaiting guests who will never arrive. As you might imagine, this creates a tragicomedy of a situation that’s already making this show shape up to be one of the best anime series of the season even after this first episode.

Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied”: Details

Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied” is the very first episode of this postapocalyptic sci-fi comedy-drama anime series. Uniquely, this anime is an original series not adapted from any manga. CyberAgent is producing the anime, with CygamesPictures (Manaria Friends, Brave Bang Bravern!, The Summer Hikaru Died) as the animation studio behind it. Crunchyroll is the company licensing it for its global debut, as well as streaming it.

Production Crew

Liao Chengzhi is the director behind Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied”, with Shigeru Murakoshi as the writer, and Kana Shundo as the storyboarder.

As for Apocalypse Hotel as a whole: Kana Shundo is the director behind the anime, with Shigeru Murakoshi as the writer. Manami Kabashima, Ryou Ebina, Atsushi Kimura, Kouichi Sano, and Naofumi Shioya are the producers. Natsuki Yokoyama is the character designer, based on Izumi Takemoto‘s original designs. Yoshiaki Fujisawa is the composer behind the music.

Speaking of that music: the opening theme song for Apocalypse Hotel is “Skirt” by Aiko. Meanwhile, “Capsule” (カプセル) also by Aiko is the ending theme song.

Voice Cast

Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied” features the voices of Saho Shirasu as Yachiyo the Acting Acting Manager and Hiroki Tōchi as Doorman Robot.

The other notable voice role in this episode is Hiroyuki Kinoshita as the unnamed Owner.

When and Where to Watch

Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied” made its airing and streaming (aka. simulcast) debut on April 8, 2025. You can watch this episode only on Crunchyroll. In fact, you can watch this entire anime only on Crunchyroll due to it being an exclusive there.

Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied”: Synopsis

Alas, Apocalypse Hotel has only just begun. In fact, Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied” only made its debut just a day ago as of this writing. Thus, you all will get the official synopsis of this episode from Crunchyroll to give you all a taste of the story without too much spoilers below:

“Yachiyo and her staff are ready to welcome you to the Gingarou Hotel… except there’s nobody left on Earth.”

That’s not all, folks! Because this is the first episode, here’s the official Crunchyroll synopsis of Apocalypse Hotel as a whole below:

“Following the collapse of civilization, one storied hotel stands among the ruins of Tokyo’s Ginza district. Overrun by nature, this lone hotel continues to defy humanity’s collapse. Current guests: zero. Check-ins scheduled today: zero. Yesterday’s website traffic: zero. Enter with caution in this story of survival and mystery in a world where the memory of humanity begins to fade.”

Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied”: The Good

After watching Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied” from start to finish, I can safely say that the story is the best part about it. It’s a strangely riveting story despite how calm it generally is for the vast majority of the episode. The colorful antics of the cute and funny robots clashes very strongly with the overgrown ruins of Tokyo and the general hopelessness of their situation in a way that makes their story extremely engaging.

In fact, it’s that same robot cast who make this anime quite unique among its peers. The only human-like robot is the concierge main character who was explicitly designed to interact with human guests. Every other member of the robot cast bears little to no resemblance to a humanoid structure at all. In many ways, their designs look like they could’ve come right out of WALL-E. In fact, many of the themes present in this episode could’ve come right out of that Pixar masterpiece. Considering that WALL-E is one of my most favorite movies of all time, it’s why I’m rating this episode’s story so highly.

Of course, that story is only enhanced by the quality animation CygamesPictures and their animation team gives this episode.There is a very high quality of animation throughout that’s not quite anime film levels of quality, but it’s close. The sudden animation shifts during the comedic and dramatic moments only emphasizes that quality.

And lastly, the music from Yoshiaki Fujisawa deserves a mention. The 1920’s style of music that the hotel uses as its theme song fits it perfectly. It’s quite fitting too, since the hotel is based off of the Wako store in Ginza, which dates back to 1932. The store has that old-fashioned flair to it that makes the music fit it perfectly.

Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied”: The Bad

Alas, if you’re looking for an action-packed shonen anime, then Apocalypse Hotel Ep. 1 “A True Hotel Is Always Storied” isn’t for you. It’s a far more quiet anime for those looking for an emotional show. If you want bloody action then may I direct you to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kaiju No. 8, DDDD, DAN DA DAN, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II, Zenshu, Blue Box, Solo Leveling, and/or Black Butler? Those anime should have more than enough action to satisfy any action junkie.

What do you all think? Does this premiere of Apocalypse Hotel give you the same WALL-E vibes as it did for me? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

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