Galaxy Express Milky☆Subway Starts

Key visual

The TV anime “Galaxy Express Milky☆Subway” is scheduled to air from July 3rd, and it has been revealed that Komatsu Mikako, Kanemoto Hisako, Koichi Makoto, Uchiyama Kouki, and Yamatani Yoshiki will appear. The key visual, official PV, and theme song information have also been released.

The work is a sequel to the 3D short anime “Milky☆Highway,” which Kameyama Yohei, who was a student at a video vocational school at the time, presented as his graduation project in 2022. Chiharu (CV: Terazawa Momoka), an enhanced human who was arrested for violating the Galaxy Road Traffic Act, and Makina (Nagase Anna), a cyborg, are tasked with cleaning the interplanetary train, commonly known as the “Milky☆Subway,” as a community service activity, but the train suddenly goes out of control and the members on board are caught up in a major incident. As with the previous work, Kameyama is responsible for much of the actual production alone, including direction, scriptwriting, character design, modeling, and a series of animation production and sound direction.

Komatsu plays police officer Ryoko, Kanemoto plays Akane, an cyborg like Chiharu, Koichi plays Kanata, an cyborg who pairs up with Akane, Uchiyama plays Kurt, a handsome cyborg, and Yamatani plays Max, a cyborg who pairs up with Kurt.

This PV features a dialogue between Chiharu and Makina, who were caught for speeding in the previous work “Milky Highway,” and police officer Ryoko, and also features Akane, Kanata, Kurt, and Max.

The theme song has been decided to be the classic song “Go Fly to the Galaxy!” by the idol group “Candies.” A part of the song is also included in this PV.

The key visual features Milky☆Subway along with the main characters Chiharu and Makina, with the tagline “Everyone at the bottom of the galaxy, gather! Stop the runaway train!!”

The first episode will air on TOKYO MX from 9:54 pm on July 3rd. It will also be streamed simultaneously on the official YouTube channel, and it has been decided that the dubbed version will be streamed in 10 languages, including English, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Thai, Indonesian, French, Hindi, and Russian.

The full comments from Director Kameyama, Komatsu, Kanemoto, Koichi, and other additional cast members are as follows:

[Yohei Kameyama (original author, director, scriptwriter, character designer, sound director, producer)] This is the song I listened to the most from Candies’ best album (the second is “Yasashii Akuma”), and it was at the core of my style from the time I was making “Milky Highway,” so I’m very grateful that we were able to use it as the theme song this time! In addition, the new characters that Chiharu and Makina encounter for the first time are being played by a stellar cast of voice actors, including Komatsu, Kanemoto, Koichi, Uchiyama, and Yamatani. I think this was a project that required some very distinctive acting, but everyone performed to perfection! You’ll have to watch the film to find out what their voices were like!

[Komatsu Mikako (Ryoko)] I was overwhelmed by everything about Kameyama-san’s worldview, animation, direction, everything. During the dubbing, I had to use my brain to the fullest, but also to relax as much as possible… I struggled because I had to tune into a different antenna than usual, but once I got the hang of it, it was like my sixth sense was stirred. The highlights of this work are, of course, the amazing visuals, I hope you’ll enjoy the characters’ realistic portrayals, who are not around you, and the pleasant tempo of the dialogue.

[Kanemoto Hisako (Akane)] The characters’ expressions are really rich, and each and every one of their eye movements and blinks was very charming and lively! Akane is silent and has an imposing appearance, but she is actually quite laid-back and has a bit of a natural side to her! She also has the qualities of a president who will fight for her friend Kanata! I hope you’ll experience this galactic story that unfolds at a brisk pace with lively characters. I love the nostalgic music and subtitles! Look forward to it!

[Koichi Makoto (role of Kanata)] I watched “Milky Highway” when I was auditioning. I was impressed by the sense of balance between the retro pop melody and color tones and the near-future worldview, the light-hearted music, the detailed movements of Chiharu and the others, and the realistic exchanges of words. I thought the sequel would definitely be an interesting work! I want to play the role! There are even more characters this time, and the story is more powerful! It’s like “Galaxy Express 999” that races through the story at breakneck speed from start to finish. “Milky☆Subway”. After watching it, you’ll definitely want to ride it again. Please do come and ride it.

[Uchiyama Koki (role of Kurt)] I’m very happy to have been able to participate in this challenging project. At the beginning of the dubbing session, we repeated various tests until we, the cast, were able to share the atmosphere that the director wanted to express, and gradually a good vibe was born. The recording proceeded in a very peaceful atmosphere and it was fun. The finished video is of great quality and the story is full of unpredictable developments, so I hope many people will watch it.

[Yamatani Yoshio (role of Max)] I am honored to be able to participate even for a short time in this world where everything is fascinating, from the characters to the music to the worldview. The director’s detailed expressions and humor, the well-paced conversations between the characters, etc. are all attractive in every way, and each episode feels like it goes by in a flash, but I think one of the highlights of this work is that you can discover new things by watching it over and over again. As both a cast member and a fan, I’m looking forward to watching the whole thing.

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A nostalgic journey through space and melody begins

“Galaxy Express Milky☆Subway” blends retro aesthetics with a futuristic setting, paying homage to classic sci-fi anime while introducing a whimsical and music-infused storyline. The casting of popular voice actors like Mikako Komatsu and Hisako Kanemoto adds depth to the characters. Notably, the inclusion of Candies’ timeless hit as the theme song evokes a sense of nostalgia, potentially attracting both anime newcomers and longtime fans of Showa-era pop culture. This anime may serve as a spiritual successor to space travel epics, reimagined for a new generation.