The premiere of Tasokare Hotel at Anime Frontier on Friday night proved to be an exceptional way to close the first day of the convention. Whether by design or happy coincidence, the timing was perfect for introducing the anime to a captivated audience. Based on the popular mobile game of the same name, the series opens with a dramatic and mysterious scenario: a girl’s apparent death, only to find herself transported to a strange, desolate desert-like landscape, where the only visible structure is a hotel.
This hotel, the Tasokare Hotel, is revealed to be a liminal space where individuals find themselves when unsure of their own existence—caught between life and death, often following near-death experiences. Upon entering, guests are assigned rooms that materialize based on their memories, gradually helping them recall their identities and the events leading up to their arrival. The central question becomes whether they will return to the world of the living, at the cost of forgetting the hotel, or move on to the afterlife.
The story follows Neko Tsukahara, a protagonist-turned-maid at the hotel. Tsukahara awakens in the hotel with fragmented memories, which she has yet to piece together. In the meantime, she decides to join the hotel staff, hoping to uncover more about her past.
The premise of Tasokare Hotel bears striking similarities to Death Parade, particularly in its exploration of life, death, and memory. Both series involve characters navigating a space where the boundaries between life and death are blurred. While the structure of Tasokare Hotel mirrors Death Parade in its episodic format—each episode focusing on a new guest’s story—there appears to be no direct connection between the two, whether through shared staff or a unified universe.
Despite the similarities, Tasokare Hotel stands on its own with a few unique elements. The most striking feature so far is its sense of mystery and character development. The third episode, in particular, delivered a compelling cliffhanger, deepening the intrigue and leaving viewers eager to learn more. The world-building and strong character writing are proving to be the anime’s biggest strengths, which promise to make it a must-watch in the coming weeks.
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