Okay, I'll be honest: the only reason I was even remotely interested in watching this was because KENN voiced Roppongi. That and I have a weakness for pretty boys, and those character designs are pretty indeed. Plus, the idea just sounded so absurd (anthropomorphized train stations that ride trains?? How does that even work??) that I was curious as to how they managed it.
As it ...
Okay, I'll be honest: the only reason I was even remotely interested in watching this was because KENN voiced Roppongi. That and I have a weakness for pretty boys, and those character designs are pretty indeed. Plus, the idea just sounded so absurd (anthropomorphized train stations that ride trains?? How does that even work??) that I was curious as to how they managed it.
As it turns out, the reason it works, and why the show was surprisingly entertaining for me, was the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously. The creators of Miracle Train are aware that the idea of train stations being a bunch of really cute guys that help women with their problems is quite absurd, and so they don't bother disagreeing with that. If anything, they poke fun at themselves ("Why were we given human forms anyway?") and Tokugawa, the token cute-but-snarky dog, breaks the fourth wall constantly.
The premise admittedly doesn't sound very entertaining, and to be honest, the help-troubled-female-passenger episodes can get pretty repetitive. However, there IS sort of an underlying plot, which is strongly hinted at midway through the series, and then finally resolved at the end. Really, the last two episodes make the not-so-exciting episodes worth it, especially as they don't treat each episode as a standalone, but do make references to events that happened in previous ones. The progression of the show actually allows for some character development (mostly Roppongi), but more importantly, really allows the viewers to see the bond between all of the stations. Their interactions are really the best part of the series, and range from absurd and silly (dressing up and doing historical Japanese re-enactments) to borderline homosexual (Shinjuku: "Don't worry Shiodome, I'll stay with you." *holds hands*) and just good old-fashioned bromance.
Despite its appearances as a reverse-harem series, it actually doesn't feel like much of one, probably because the woman is always changing in each episode. It's more of a comedy with really good looking guys, and while it's not always side-splittingly hilarious, there were quite a few moments that I just burst out laughing at because the guys' antics were so over-the-top. It can be a little corny sometimes, but come on, they're trying to help women solve their problems. There's bound to be some sort of life-lesson message at the end of each episode, and some of them are actually quite heart-warming. (Like the little girl whose father passed away.)
Animation-wise, there's actually not all that much animating going on. Many of the backgrounds are just stills, and the characters don't really move around all that much. However, each of the stations were definitely well-designed and match their personalities. Plus, I love whoever designed their wardrobe; they all look like they stepped out of a host club or something. Also, the amount of detail and attention paid to making sure that the animated landmarks and places actually match their real-life counterpart is impressive. The train is CG animated as it runs through the underground tunnels, although personally I think it didn't really need that gimmick.
One of the quirkier parts of this show is the random "Train Trivia" facts that pop up whenever one of the stations is explaining and introducing their station. Some people found it weird and forced, but personally, I liked the info and it gave me a more realistic connection to these places and the fact that they really exist. Plus, it's educational, and useful should you ever go on vacation to these places!
Overall, I was really pleasantly surprised by Miracle Train, and ended up loving it. Yea, it's kinda shallow and probably won't appeal to guys, but it's light-hearted feel and willingness to be silly make it fun to watch. That and a bunch of cute, kind and helpful guys never hurt.
Read more
