Originally a sequel to Director Yohei Kameyama's 2022 short 3D anime Milky☆Highway, the 12-episode short anime series Galaxy Express Milky☆Subway aired and streamed in July 2025. It has earned a stellar reputation for the exhilarating synchronization of sound and movement, as well as its realistic dialogue set within a retro-futuristic world.
The franchise's popularity continues to expand, branching out into a manga adaptation and the release of the feature film Galaxy Express Milky☆Subway: Local Service Bound for the Theater (2026).
In this article, we provide a comprehensive summary of Chiharu and Makina, diving deep into their first meeting and the nature of their relationship.
※ This article contains spoilers for the Milky series.
Synopsis
Our story kicks off with three unlikely pairs caught red-handed violating galactic traffic laws: super human Chiharu and cyborg Makina, super humans Akane and Kanata, and cyborgs Kurt and Max.
Police officer Ryoko sentences all six to community service—cleaning the galactic train known as the "Milky☆Subway."
What starts as a straightforward janitorial gig goes completely off the rails (literally) when the train suddenly goes rogue. The crew scrambles to figure out what's happening, only to find themselves caught up in a conspiracy far bigger than dirty train cars.
Chiharu the Super Human & Makina the Cyborg
The Milky series is set in the Barnadia United Star Federation, a planetary system centered around a star located 5.98 light-years from Earth. Since humans successfully cracked space travel in the 1960s, a portion of the population has secretly colonized this region. Here, "Humans," "Super Humans," and "Cyborgs" live side-by-side.
"Super Humans" refers to individuals with pink skin, such as Chiharu, Akane, and Kanata. They have been genetically modified to survive the harsh environments of outer space.
On the other hand, Makina, Kurt, and Max are "Cyborgs"—individuals who have mechanized parts of their bodies. It is common for non-super humans to undergo cybernetic surgery to adapt to space. Because the initial costs and maintenance fees for these procedures are exorbitant, most people from impoverished backgrounds either rely on dangerous, cheap illegal surgeries or enlist in the Star Federation Army, where surgeries and parts are provided for free. Both Kurt and Max did the latter.
Having been a cyborg since childhood, Makina’s appearance changes depending on her "model year." In this setting, as long as the brain and pituitary gland remain intact, a person retains their human ego even if the rest of the body is mechanical; Makina carries these vital organs inside her head.
Chiharu (CV: Momoka Terasawa)
Her full name is Chiharu Kujo, a 23-year-old Super Human. Good-natured but a bit of a space cadet, she has a knack for getting swept up in trouble. She was arrested alongside Makina for speeding, obstructing a public officer, and blowing up a police vehicle. Apparently, this isn't the first time the two of them have been hauled in together.
While her age is listed as 23, this seems to be based on Earth standards; in her self-introduction PV, Chiharu initially claims to be "64 years old" before Makina corrects her, prompting her to restate it as "23."
Makina (CV: Anna Nagase)
Her full name is Makina Kurusu. She is a 23-year-old Cyborg who refers to herself with the slangy pronoun "a-shi" (instead of the normal "watashi"). She is the heiress to the Kurusu Foundation, which operates Titan Industries. Her personality is quite crude and a bit bellicose. She has a "rap sheet" involving 17 prior run-ins with the law and was arrested this time for the same charges as Chiharu. She affectionately calls Chiharu "Chi."
Makina tends to get tunnel vision when it comes to Chiharu, and has even sent people to the hospital for messing with her. She possesses high combat capabilities, including the ability to discharge electricity from her arm equipment to paralyze opponents. She is a quick thinker and a tactical genius. She is also a die-hard fan of the idol Minami Minase and sports a limited-edition sticker on her arm.
Makina’s Parents: Shunichiro & Maria Kurusu
Makina’s father, Shunichiro Kurusu, is 89 years old (Earth age). He is the founder and CEO of Titan Industries. His consciousness and memories have already been transferred from his human body into a PC owned by Titan. Rumor has it that his personality backups occasionally branch off, manifesting as "subspecies" that go rogue.
Her mother, Maria Kurusu, is a staunch appearance-essentialist who fears aging; she keeps her own body submerged in a preservative solution to maintain the physical state of a 23-year-old. She holds discriminatory views toward Super Humans.
Connecting the Dots: The "Titan" Foreshadowing
The Milky☆Subway – A Titan Industries Product
Throughout the series, the sheer volume of information provided by Makina is notable. Deep foreshadowing regarding Titan has been hidden within past conversations and visual cues. The Milky☆Subway train that Chiharu, Makina, and the others are tasked with cleaning was manufactured by Titan Industries. Its official designation is "AM24." Produced in Year 72 of the Earth Calendar, it has been operated by the Chubu Railway ever since.
The train utilizes the "Chronos CP," a general-purpose control panel manufactured by Titan during a specific era. According to Makina, the default defense system is "stupid" and wastes far too much cost on useless features. Specifically, during the design phase, a developer with a love for giant robot anime completed a program that "transforms the entire chassis into a massive robot." Due to personnel cuts at Titan Industries at the time, product inspections were lax, and the program was shipped as-is.
In the final episode, as the group faces off against the police robot army led by Autumn, they execute a plan to override the train's system locks. While Makina falls into an unexpected predicament, she brilliantly resolves the situation by syncing her own backup with the locomotive, bringing the train’s hidden history full circle.
The Connection Between Makina and Titan
Another major revelation is the fact that Makina is the heiress to the Kurusu Foundation, the family that runs Titan Industries. Her exhaustive knowledge of Titan products likely stems from this background. During the interrogation, Ryoko hints that Makina comes from a "very prestigious background," and Kurt and Max are seen gossiping in the men’s restroom that Makina "isn't from a normal family."
Traces of Titan’s presence are scattered throughout the story from the very beginning. If you look closely at the posters inside the train, you’ll realize they are all Titan-related advertisements.
Makina’s physical frame is intentionally an older Titan model, yet it appears to be a high-performance unit unavailable to the public, equipped with an advanced emotion-simulation program. However, because she uses an outdated filter, her performance drops and she begins to emit smoke when it gets clogged with dust. When this is pointed out, she gets bashful, snapping, "Chiharu, you’re being too loud!" It seems Chiharu is always the one cleaning her filters, often nagging her to replace them since she’s been using the same ones for two years.
Interestingly, it appears her systems have an automatic filter for content deemed "adult." In a scene involving a misunderstanding where Kurt, Max, and Kanata were entangled after losing their balance, Makina’s face monitor automatically switched to an "R18" warning display.
The Relationship Between Chiharu & Makina
A History of Shared Arrests
The story kicks off when Chiharu, looking for something to do over the weekend, asks Makina to take her out for a drive. Makina obliges and takes the wheel, but when the idol Minami-chan’s hit song "Tokimeki★Meteor Strike" comes on, she gets carried away and floors it. In a frantic attempt to shake off the pursuing police robots, the duo ends up charged with speeding, obstructing a public officer, and blowing up a police vehicle.
As part of their "Sentence Calculation Program," Chiharu and Makina are assigned to clean the seventh carriage and the caboose of the train. However, while fooling around in the rear car, the train accidentally starts up. To stop the runaway locomotive, the two must head for the lead car to find the necessary control key.
The two are brutally honest with each other, often leading to bickering; during Ryoko’s interrogation, they even tried to pin the blame on one another. It was also revealed that this wasn't their first run-in with the law. Ryoko pointed out that Makina—who can’t leave the good-natured Chiharu alone and tends to solve problems with immediate violence—has a habit of looking down on others.
In their 5th year of middle school, Makina once punched Chiharu’s ex-boyfriend, Ken-kun, in the jaw, knocking him unconscious. Makina claims he stood Chiharu up for six hours at a meetup, but Chiharu defends him, insisting he just had a cold.
Additionally, Makina once sent five upperclassmen to the hospital for hitting on Chiharu. Makina maintains it was self-defense, claiming it wasn't just "hitting on her" but that Chiharu was in genuine danger. Given Ryoko’s comment that those five had "trash-tier" rap sheets, Makina’s protective streak—and her plea for Chiharu to be more careful seems justified.
Dealing with the "Mean Girls"
Back in their 5th year of middle school, Erika, Aoi, and Yuri were the "alpha girls" of the class. They despised the blunt Makina, but because they were physically terrified of her, they targeted Chiharu—the only person Makina was close to—with harassment instead. Unable to stand by, Makina threatened the trio so severely that they never bothered them again. While their relationship with the girls remained poor, Makina did once beat a boy to a pulp for laying a hand on Erika.
Chiharu’s Sincerity and Makina’s Choice
Chiharu and Makina have been inseparable since their student days. In middle school, Makina got intrigued in Chiharu because she was the only one brave enough to talk to her despite her isolation. As they grew closer, Makina finally opened her heart.
Similarly, Kurt and Max—who had closed themselves off after being treated like mere tools without gratitude—found themselves shaken by Chiharu’s blunt honesty. Chiharu’s pure "thank you" provided them with a sense of salvation, acting as the catalyst for them to finally bond with the rest of the group.
In the story’s climax, a twist reveals that because Makina is the heiress of the Kurusu family, she is offered special treatment by the mastermind. She is forced to choose: stay on the train with her comrades or abandon them to escape. Without a second thought, Makina launches a resolute attack against the mastermind. Watching her take a stand, the other members are filled with admiration, and they finally unite as one to face the enemy.
Chiharu is voiced by Momoka Terasawa
Chiharu is portrayed by voice actress Momoka Terasawa. Born on September 18 in Chiba Prefecture, she has voiced characters in many popular series, including Kaho Hariya in "Sound! Euphonium 3 "and Chika Komari in "Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!".
Makina is voiced by Anna Nagase
Makina is portrayed by voice actress Anna Nagase. Born on March 31 in Tokyo, she is well-known for her roles in major hits, such as Ushio Kofune in "Summer Time Rendering" and Riko Amanai in "Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory / Premature Death".
"Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express"
STORY
Chiharu, an enhanced human, and Makina, a cyborg, are arrested for violating Galactic Traffic Laws.
Along with other quirky duos arrested at the same time—enhanced humans Akane and Kanata, and cyborgs Cart and Max—they're all assigned a task by police officer Ryoko: community service cleaning the interplanetary train known as the "Milky☆Subway."
What should have been a simple assignment takes a turn when the Milky☆Subway suddenly goes out of control!
Chaos ensues inside the train. Ryoko, together with her colleague Asami, attempts various solutions, but eventually the group finds themselves caught up in a major incident...!
CAST
Chiharu: Momoka Terasawa
Makina: Anna Nagase
Ryoko: Mikako Komatsu
Akane: Hisako Kanemoto
Kanata: Makoto Koichi
Kurt: Koki Uchiyama
Max: Yoshitaka Yamaya
Official Site
Official X Account
©Yohei Kameyama/Titan Industries
© Animate Times
*Some parts of this text have been translated using machine translation
