Yoshimin staff's impression of Apocalypse Hotel

It's already been a month since the spring anime season began. In Japan, we’re currently in the middle of Golden Week, a major holiday period that can last up to two weeks. With the unusually early summer sunshine bearing down, people across the country are heading off on domestic and international trips. As expected, traffic jams are popping up all over Japan during this season.

But fear not — we humans have a brilliant way to enjoy our precious time off without wasting it stuck in traffic. That’s right: anime. By staying home and watching anime, we can completely avoid the heat and the traffic, and instead spend our days in cool, cultural comfort.

By now, most spring anime have aired around four episodes, and we're finally starting to see what makes each show stand out. One that I've really come to enjoy lately is Apocalypse Hotel. Produced by CyberAgent and CygamesPictures, the series is set on an Earth long abandoned by humans, and takes place in a hotel run by robots.

After humanity leaves the planet, these robots continue operating the hotel, awaiting their return. But amazingly, the story isn't the least bit gloomy — it's upbeat, cheerful, and full of charm. Even though there's no sign of the humans ever coming back, guests continue to arrive, keeping the story engaging and far from dull. The robots themselves are full of personality, arguably more human than humans in some ways. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it develops.

🏨 Series Overview

Title: Apocalypse Hotel
Air Date: April 8, 2025 (Tuesday), from 1:34 AM JST
Streaming: Available on Crunchyroll
Animation Studio: CygamesPictures
Original Concept: Hotel Gingarou Management Division
Director: Kana Shundo
Series Composition & Script: Shigeru Murakoshi (Zombie Land Saga, etc.)
Character Design: Izumi Takemoto (Nekome-Waku series, etc.)

🌍 Story Summary
Many years have passed since humanity vanished from Earth. In the heart of Tokyo’s Ginza district stands Hotel Gingarou, where the hotelier robot Yachiyo and her fellow robot staff continue to maintain the hotel, awaiting the day their owner — and all of humanity — returns.

Then, after 100 years, a guest finally arrives — but it’s not a human. It’s an extraterrestrial. Are they here for a stay... or to invade?

Thus begins Yachiyo and the robots’ ultimate display of hospitality.