Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru

let's be honest if you have a short attention span and you only like generic anime this probably isnt for you, but if you're the type to watch anime to live an experience, to feel like youre traveling somewhere else or to simply discover a new world, this is definitely an anime for you. This is an emotional ride about friendship but also about life. Its a simple, dreamy anime where things are simply happening and you need to just stay along for the ride instead of nit picking every detail.

Story- 10/10
Its fun, you just need to listen to it and not think ... too much. seriously dont, that anime is only fun if you're just listening to it, especially with someone else.

Characters- 9/10
they're not really special or different, but once you get to the end of the movie you still feel like you miss them for some reason. because even if you dont have multiple episodes to get attached they still leave a lasting impact on you.

Art- 10/10
interestingly enough in the manga the artstyle was quite different because the characters were actually not anthropomorphic cats. but im so glad they decided to change that for the anime because it really makes in all better. it definitely adds to the "dreamy" and "weird" feel that this anime has and i think changing the characters for cats was a really smart choice.

soundtrack- 10/10
The music in the anime actually makes the atmosphere a lot more tense and scary than it should. it adds a lot of suspense and its honestly what makes the anime even better. what couldve been a simply dreamy anime had a lot more substance all because of the soundtrack. its beautiful, sounds good and really shows the difference between a simple ride and a more suspensful moment.

overall im glad i got to watch this anime, its amazing and i recommend it to literally anyone who's reading this right now! good luck!

“Night on the Galactic Railroad” is what happens when You have a hell of a trip after a bunch of drugs You took to deal with a really, Really tough day.

One night a boy named Giovanni finds himself on a very unique train. He doesn’t really have any recollection of getting a ticket. On the train he finds his (probably only) friend - Campanella. Together they travel through the galaxy on the way to the edge of the universe. During the ride they meet a bunch of people who have different takes on life and witness a lot of things that would make You question ... Your sanity on a normal day, and develop their relationship further.
The longer the ride goes the more it is obvious that Giovanni is a bit special. Something that is shown by a unique ticket he possesses. A ticket so unique that even a passenger who seems to have a lot of experience with the galactic train, never saw it before.
I know this description is a bit dry but I really want to avoid spoilers.

When it comes to Giovanni and Campanella themselves there isn’t much to say. They are pretty much just proxies for the viewers. The only things that we know is that Giovanni doesn’t have many friends, is bullied because of his father and takes care of his mother. Campanella on the other hand is Giovanni's only friend, is stoic and cares about Giovanni. For a story such as this it is a bit on the low info side and it is to the detriment of the drama. But given the story is aimed at children I guess I can live with it.

While not as mindfucking as “Angel's Egg” and being pretty heavy handed with its metaphors it is still a very atmospheric movie with a pretty universal message. Both Giovanni and Campanella, despite travelling on the same train don’t witness all the same things and there is a good reason for that that is revealed towards the end but You can easily figure it out sooner.

The movie has a lot of scenes that are there just to build the drama and a lot of them are longer than they need to be. I can’t really get mad about that, a lot of movies from the 80s have scenes like that so it’s obviously a product of the times. That said, I do understand why some people think the movie is slow. Up until the halfway point the movie takes its time and builds the universe of the train. The thing that bugged me for a long time is that there are no clear rules to the train. We see things that could be interpreted as memories, hopes and even just the daily grind. It does get a little clearer towards the end but You never get the full picture.

I really don’t want to spoil anything and talking about the plot would be mostly spoilers so…
Despite being old with dated animation (the music is still wonderful) it’s a very solid movie. Being from 1985 I understand that not everyone would be willing or able to sit through it but I encourage You to do just that. You might be surprised by what You’ll find.

Night on the Galactic Railroad is one of those movies that tries really hard to be deep and meaningful. If you like these sorts of movies, you’ll probably be able to find enjoyment in this one. It’s not entirely on the same level of weird, abstract/surreal as something like 2001 A Space Odyssey, but it’s approaching it.

The characters are dreadful. They don’t react to anything that happens around them, even when insane things are occurring. It’s hard to talk about the characters because they do not do very much throughout the movie. Mostly we see shots of them looking at things and being ... bored. I would say we’re shown their reactions, but as I already mentioned, the characters do not react to anything and have blank, bored looks plastered on their faces.

Did I mention this movie is incredibly dull? Nothing even vaguely interesting happens until around 30-40 minutes in. And a lot of the things that occur before then are just shots of Giovanni walking. There is a lot of reused footage in this movie which contributes to the boredom. I would mention the story, but like I already said there isn’t one because not having a coherent plot makes the film “deep and introspective.” I wouldn’t complain about this so much, but this movie is just not visually entertaining at all. I find it frustrating that we’re shown random things with no buildup and somehow we’re supposed to find this emotional? It just feels like a lazy way of making the story seem “cerebral.”

I liked the soundtrack, though a lot of the music feels misplaced. The animation and art are terrible for something made in the 1980s.