Recap of and thoughts on Infinity Train Book 4 and the series as a whole · 7:27am Apr 18th, 2021
As many fans speculated, Book 4 - Duet takes place in the past, specifically in the mid to late 1980s. While I'm excited when HBO Max announced a new season, I lowered my expectations since it focuses on a new set of characters. Usually, there's a guest character in the 7th episode of a season and the next will focus on that certain character. For Book 4, it's a totally different story and timeline.
Ryan has a strong passion for music while Min-Gi is hesitant to pursue it due to his job at a diner, his acceptance at a university, and different expectations from his parents. Due to them being at odds with each other, they got in the namesake train and the numbers on their hands are both 202. There were several moments of toxicity between them and their numbers kept on fluctuating as the episodes went along.
Kez, the sentient concierge bell, is their companion. She comes off as friendly, but a lot of denizens are after her because of her nonchalance to the problems she created to them. She kept asking why they're mad at her and saying she didn't do anything wrong, until Ryan gave her a reality check, saying her actions can hurt those around her.
At the end, Min-Gi's number went down to zero after playing music with Ryan, realizing that music is his passion. He overcame his self-doubt when he admitted he hated finance and his job. As the denizens come after Kez in the castle, Kez said sorry to them. The denizens apologized to each other. Ryan and Min-Gi apologized to each other. Ryan's number went down to zero when he said he was rushing himself.
They went back to the real world and finally played as a band called Chicken Choice Judy at an open mic club in New York, wrapping Book 4 and the series, for now.
I relate to Min-Gi the most because of his self-doubts and uncertainty of wanting to pursue music full-time. I completed a college course in diplomacy and international relations but my true passion is calligraphy and lettering. It helped me gain a good following on Instagram, but I haven't earned any income from it because of impostor syndrome, a psychological phenomenon in which an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".
Many people experience impostor syndrome and Min-Gi's experiences accurately represent the struggles Asians face in trying to make it in the Western music industry. I commend the team in putting so much details and effort in Asian representation. It is absolutely important to have their stories heard.
From dealing with parents' divorce (Book 1) and finding one's own identity (Book 2) to abandoning a false way of life (Book 3) and overcoming the fear of the future (Book 4), Infinity Train is one of the animated series that paved the way for compelling storylines with mature and real-life themes that young adults can connect with. Sadly, its potential was short-lived when Cartoon Network cancelled it for being "too mature", leaving a lot of unanswered questions as a result. It's a tremendous shame that corporations like CN are stuck with the "animation is for kids" ideology.
During a Reddit AMA, Owen Dennis revealed that a full script was written for Book 5, which was planned to be a movie, and the central themes of each remaining Book are the following keywords:
Book 5 - Grief
Book 6 - Guilt
Book 7 - Revenge
Book 8 - Acceptance
Dennis further revealed that one of the seasons would've focused on a passenger who didn't want to leave the train and Book 8 would've touched on Alzheimer's disease, loosely inspired by an autobiography that his grandpa wrote whilst slowly succumbing to it.
Upon finding out these intriguing information, it makes me want to see more of it. If HBO Max is available all around the globe, then everyone would pay their subscriptions to watch a lot of shows, including Infinity Train, giving it the recognition and attention it truly deserves. I'm hoping that the series would continue until Book 8, even if it means waiting for several years to make it happen. If it is revived by Adult Swim, that would be great.
#RenewInfinityTrain
Did you watch The Roundtable video on talking about the cancellation of the show for being “Too Mature” or did you just look up all this information.
Also I’m sad it’s canceled, it was a really good show and the maturity was what made it the best because a lot of people can relate what the characters are going through.
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I watched the video this morning.
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I also rely on other channels such as Cartoon Universe, Nerdwire, Toon Ruins, and Vailskibum94 for cartoon-related news, theories, and analyses.