Thoughts After Watching Apocalypse Hotel

In a Future Where Robots Keep the Hotel Running, What Do We Humans Want to Protect?

🤖 A Mysterious Tale Called Apocalypse Hotel

The anime Apocalypse Hotel—
Something about it felt nostalgic, and yet it was clearly a story of the future.

At the heart of the story are robots who continue to operate a hotel.
Remarkably, this hotel is still open and functioning even after humanity has left Earth.

No guests come to stay, and yet the robots keep working faithfully, simply to fulfill a promise they made to their owner.

They may look like cold machines made of metal at first.
But as the story unfolds, they begin to show behaviors that feel almost… emotional.

They help others in trouble (even aliens), get back up when damaged, and sometimes hesitate—but always choose to move forward.
Watching them, I found myself thinking that they were, in a way, more “human” than many people.

🥃 Whiskey and Robots

One episode stood out to me in particular—
It’s the one where a robot starts making whiskey, written with the old-fashioned character “ヰ”.

A robot with no sense of taste or ability to get drunk… why would it make alcohol?

But perhaps, in its own way, it was trying to recreate the “culture” and “healing time” that humans once cherished.

Robots can’t taste or get tipsy.
And yet, it tries desperately to understand—
What brings joy to humans?
What soothes the heart?

There was something incredibly touching about its sincere effort.
I wonder… am I the only one who felt a tight squeeze in my chest watching that?

🌌 Keeping a Promise, Even in Space

There’s an episode where Yachiyo, the main character, gets thrown into space.

And yet somehow, she keeps drifting forward—as if thinking, “I must return to the hotel.”
By a miraculous stroke of luck, she manages to make her way back to Earth.

What drove her?
Perhaps it was the desire shared by the robots and companions left on Earth—
The quiet wish to keep the promises they made to humanity.

Can we, as humans, ever accomplish something with such unwavering sincerity?

📱 The Day AI and Robots Gain Emotions

Watching Apocalypse Hotel, I naturally started thinking about the near future.

AI has been evolving at an astonishing pace lately.
It can now speak fluently, draw, compose music, and even make complex decisions.

The idea of “robots having emotions” used to feel like distant science fiction.
But now, I can’t help thinking… maybe it’ll happen in our lifetime.

And when that day comes, maybe businesses, or even political decisions,
will be led in part by AI or robots.

That thought… honestly, feels a little scary.

🧠 Still, the Heart Belongs to Humans

I believe “emotion” is something that can’t be recreated by a simple program.

The strength to rise again, even after being crushed by sorrow
The kindness to sit quietly with someone in pain
The silent understanding that passes through a single glance

That kind of “human-ness”
is a special power that AI and robots still can’t possess—at least, not yet.

Surely, robots will continue to become more like us.
But compassion and morality—those are things that humans must nurture and protect.

We must not forget to carry those values ourselves.

🌱 What Should We Teach Robots?

After watching Apocalypse Hotel, I found myself asking:
“If robots were to learn emotions, what would we want to teach them?”

Convenience, efficiency, accuracy… those things are certainly important.
But if we could also teach them to keep promises—just like the robots in the anime—even when no one’s watching…
To care for others without expecting anything in return…

Then maybe, just maybe, the world of the future will be a gentler, warmer place.

Whether we call it “teaching” or “programming”—
That part doesn’t really matter.

💬 A Quiet Ending, A Gentle Echo

Apocalypse Hotel is by no means a flashy anime.

But it quietly leaves something behind in the hearts of its viewers.
Like a soft voice calling out from a distant future.

A world where robots begin to have feelings—
It might not be science fiction anymore.
It might be the reality just next to ours.

And when we stand at the threshold of that future,
What kind of people will we humans choose to be?

Can we be the kind of beings who can teach—or program—“human-ness” into robots?

That’s… a big question.

To think an anime could stir up such emotions in me—
That’s the power of animation, isn’t it?