Milky Subway is an overlooked sci-fi anime coming to Netflix on June 1

Netflix’s newly released summer anime slate has something for every anime enthusiast. You can choose to explore titles like My Dress-Up Darling, Shangri-La Frontier, or Assassination Classroom before their respective second seasons arrive on the platform. Conversely, you can look forward to the unconventionally brilliant Akane-Banashi, which doesn’t rely on spectacle to make a mark. That said, are you in the mood for a light and breezy space adventure with impressive animation? Look no further than Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express, Yōhei Kameyama’s animated short series whose theatrical cut will be available on Netflix on June 1.

Milky Subway is technically a sequel to 2022’s Milky Highway, a four-minute ONA (original net animation) that Kameyama wrote, directed, and self-produced. That said, foreknowledge of Milky Highway isn’t required to enjoy Milky Subway and its eccentricities, as it hooks audiences with its hyperreal dialogue and evocative aesthetics from the get-go.

The story opens with genetically enhanced “superhuman” Chiharu Kujo being interrogated by authorities after she and her cyborg friend Makina Kurusu break several space laws. Their charges include “speeding, obstruction of police justice, and blowing up a patrol car,” which is why they’re sentenced to community service. Their job is to scrub the insides of the titular Milky Subway train over the course of a week.

Although we’re clued in to the fact that something goes terribly wrong down the line, Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express plays out like a high-energy buddy comedy in space. Other criminals aboard the train — including cyborg best friends Kurt and Max, and gangsters Akane and Kanata — also join in on the chaos once the train activates an unintended trajectory towards deep space. As everybody scrambles to race against time to avert this crisis, Milky Subway leans hard into its awkward, naturalistic dialogue, which feels like an improv session with overlapping conversations. This messy authenticity distinguishes itself from the polished nature of most space anime — even ones that sport ludicrous humor like Space Dandy (2014).

Kameyama captures the charm of a retro-futuristic aesthetic with low-budget 3DCG animation that embraces an expressive style oozing personality. The movie’s one-location setting demands inspired visual storytelling, which Milky Subway fulfills through a vibrant, lived-in world. This is quite impressive for an indie solo project that garnered modest popularity on YouTube, but Kameyama’s ONA and sequel still remain overlooked by mainstream standards. There’s a lot to love here apart from the quirky humor, with Chiharu and Makina’s “sunshine x grumpy” dynamic serving as the beating heart of a story that lovingly evokes Space Patrol Luluco (2016) and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express morphs into an intense action-adventure after its initial episodes, wherein it takes cues from old-school space anime like Starzinger and Cyborg 009 while operating within a lighthearted framework. This is a must-watch for those who adore riotous sci-fi escapades with little-to-no lofty ambitions attached, as the joy lies in the beautiful and unpredictable nature of the ride.

Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express will be available to stream on Netflix on June 1.