A recently released Japanese drama series titled Pending Train is based on Kayashima Naoya traveling to a future with no food, water, or means of communication. Wouldn’t you try to return to the past to make people aware and try to change the future you desire to live in? What if you get the opportunity to go into the future by accident, only to realize it is nothing like you expected?
Naoya struggles to survive in a future with extreme conditions that almost have nothing he used to have in the past. Directed by Kenta Tanaka, the thriller series stars Yamada Yuki playing the role of Kayashima Naoya, a charismatic hairdresser, Akaso Eiji playing the role of Shirahama Yuto, an energetic firefighter, and Kamishiraishi Moka playing the role of Hatano Sae, P.E teacher, in the lead cast.
The series became a fan favorite in no time as the trailer of the series made waves on the Internet since the day it was dropped by the channel. Pending Train carries a plot line similar to storylines of movies like Terminator, Time Cop, etc., where people jump into the past to fix the destroyed future.
The portrayal of panic and the fight to survive till the end gets portrayed brilliantly by the series’ lead cast. It was interesting to witness the cast trying to save the future in the best possible way.
Pending Train Ending Explained
The series starts on a bright sunny morning in 2023 when a set of individuals rush to board Tsukuba Train in Japan. Sae Hatano, a charismatic young woman, captures the viewer’s heart as she rushes to board the said train with butterflies in her stomach at the sight of Yuto Shirahama, her crush. Alongside the lead characters, a set of mosaic characters get introduced to the viewers as they board the train. The name of the characters isn’t revealed in the series start.
Some other characters introduced to the viewers include a middle-aged woman happily connecting with a man interested in dating older women and a young man excitedly playing games on his cell phone while looking forward to a meeting with his friends.
A woman in her twenties with a snobby personality is introduced to the viewers. Suspicious things happen inside the train, including the disappearance of a bottle cap. At the same time, an earthquake alert makes rounds on the cell phone of every individual present on the train.
Soon after the alert goes off on everyone’s phone, the train crashes into something before the passengers lose consciousness. Following an interval of unconsciousness, the passenger wakes up to a reality that is transformed beyond belief.
The strangers start to make acquaintance with each other as the realization dawns on them that if they want to survive, they will have to band together. Meanwhile, a parallel storyline begins in Tokyo in 2023, where the authorities are working towards finding the detached coach.
The authorities realize that the train coach got detached and disappeared mysteriously in thin air with no trace or hint. The viewers then get to know the backstory of every individual present on the train. The three main characters and their profession are revealed to the viewers.
Yuto works at encouraging people to find a solution to their problems, and he is the one behind finding a reliable source of fresh water for people to drink. The reason behind the disappearance of the train gets revealed back in Tokyo by Hasumi, a physics professor.
On the day the train disappeared, a very strong gravitational pull was created due to the earthquake. This triggered a time portal inside the underground tunnel Tsukuba was traveling through. After the passengers begin to explore the barren land, they learn that they have traveled to the future, which is in an apocalypse.
Did The Survivors Return To The Past?
After several experiments, the group of survivors realized that the small meteor fragments similar to the ones in 2023 were responsible for the opening of the time portal after a wild storm at the place led the small fragments to open the portal for a short period.
The survivors taking a clue from this, decides to move back in time when the next portal opens up. So, when the next storm opens up the time portal, the group of survivors manages to charge up the train to the point, it is enough to be brought back to 2026.
The group isn’t able to return in time from where they got transported through the portal. Still, they return to Tokyo, which was a few months before the apparent meteorite responsible for the barren future struck the earth. The survivors happily reunite with their families, but eventually, the survivor decides to band together and warn the authorities about the upcoming apocalypse.
The plant was approximately from 2060, and it was supposed to be grown in the future. Meanwhile, Daichi releases a video detailing their experience from the future. In the end, the group isn’t able to do anything but wait for the scientists’ rocket to do its work of destroying the meteor. The series has an open ending as, at one point, it is shown that the apocalypse did happen. Tanaka, in 2060, finds a letter written by Daichi.
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