Anime Hajime Review: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Mirai Onozawa’s (voiced by Satomi Hanamura) life is average. If not a tad strained. While her friends talk about their summer plans, Mirai's parents will be busy. It'll be yet another summer in Tokyo.

During her vacation, Mirai, not by choice, accompanies her little brother, Yuki (voiced by Yumiko Kobayashi), to Odaiba. There, she wonders what to do with her life. Whatever it happens to be, she believes it has to be better than now.  Unfortunately, "now" was about to change.

A massive earthquake rocks Tokyo. Registering at a horrifying magnitude 8.0.  For thirty seconds, the ground shacks and heaves. Ravishing everything. Once over, the world’s largest city smolders in ruins.

Miles from family and home, Mirai and Yuki are at a loss of what to do. Fortunately, they befriend Mari Kusakabe (voiced by Yuko Kaida). Together these three travel across the devastation. Minute by minute the reality of what has occurred painfully beings to manifest.

Series Negatives

Out of order, I understand. It has to be. I don't want to dwell on this section. Besides, it's not going to be long anyway.

Mirai

There were a few moments in the beginning that felt rushed and heavy handed. After the quake, the show didn't waste any time establishing the direness of the situation. 

Yuki

For all intents and purposes, this was the end of the world. And two kids were alone and far away from anything familiar. Or comforting. A story would want to illustrate that, I get it. But holy hell, how many shots of families together do you feel is necessary to drive this point home?

Mari

Later on in the series, Mirai, Yuki, and Mari make it to Tokyo Tower. The point of this episode was to build the relationship between Mirai and Yuki. Which was well done. Too bad the show was a little strong in setting up the tower's eventual crash. Granted the image of Tokyo's most iconic symbol falling was strong. There was too much build up though. The actual action didn't feel as spontaneous as it should have been.

Then there was one scene that irked me. It did so because of how well and effective it ended up being. Except it could've gotten handled so much better. Almost to the point of perfection.

Let me set the stage.

The trio reached a shelter and came across a grim sight. A building had been converted into a makeshift mortuary. One filled with a gut-wrenching amount of people in mourning. Later, the three meet an elderly man passing out supplies. The man was shaken, yet he did his best to put on a strong face.

Then, an elderly woman walks up and thanks Mari for taking care of the children. This was a little odd. The woman's gratitude went beyond what you'd expect from your average passerby. As it turned out, this woman was the wife of the old man.

Without warning came another a strong aftershock. The woman looked at Mirai and Yuki with fear in her eyes. Afterward, a volunteer told them the story of the old couple. 

And it was this story, this verbal narration, which needed to be removed. It was completely unnecessary because the visuals told us all we needed to know. They were also a lot more poignant than words ever could've been. I'm not going to say anymore because it was still a very good scene. I don't want to ruin it.

Movies, television, anime, these are all visual mediums. Unlike a book, words are not needed to convey a message.

This moment in the show sticks out. Not only because it almost had it right, but because Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 did understand this concept.

Series Positives

While it doesn’t affect the quality or merits of a story itself, external factors do play a role. Personal experience comes into play. Not to mention, when and where you see a story does play a part in your connection with it.

I've lived my entire life with the idea of a city destroying earthquake not being a work of fiction. But a genuine reality. Your average tremor no longer has a fear factor for me. Yet, when that occasional larger one hits, it’s unnerving and scary. I don’t like imagining what a magnitude 8.0 could do.

To put it in perspective, the 2010 Haitian earthquake was a magnitude 7.0. This resulted in the deaths of more than 160,000 people. Since this show’s release, the world has seen larger earthquakes than depicted here. This includes the 2011 tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan. The result of a quake which registered at a nightmare inducing magnitude 9.0. The epicenter was only 231 miles away from Tokyo.

Plus, it doesn't help that I'm actually living in Tokyo while writing this. Many of the places in this series I know quite well. So yeah this hit a little too close for comfort.

That aside, this was a phenomenal show. Not fun to watch mind you. But great and feel good don’t always go hand in hand.

Relatability

Mirai, Yuki, and Mari weren't special. There was nothing spectacular about them. They had no defining traits that would make them memorable or outstanding. It's for these reasons why they were perfect for this story. They were average people thrown into a horrible situation.

They were relatable.

A disaster is an extraordinary event, but this story never moved too far out of the realm of reality. Sure there were moments when the plot came first. For instance, the three leads had a tendency to be in the worst possible spot for every aftershock.

There may have been a plot. Liberties may have arisen. Yet it was difficult to pinpoint when and where these moments occurred.

In order for a series like this to work, it must be willing to accept that anyone could die. At first, I thought this would be nothing more than background filler.

No, it was front and center.

The Story

Was this an uplifting story?  Nope. Were there happy moments? Yes. Were there sad moments? Do you want me to answer that? Did Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 make me cry? You bet your ass it did.

I will never shy away or not acknowledge when a story is able to do that. This is one of the best compliments I can give. Doing so is undeniable proof that a story got me to care about the world it created.

While making me cry is the most obvious sign of my investment, it’s not the only one. There's another reaction that's as strong. This show triggered it as well. I can’t say what it was because I'd be risking saying too much. But the last time it happened was during Another.

Storytelling

There were two things Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 did well in telling its story.

First, we only saw the earthquake in Odaiba. This left the rest of the city in a mystery state. That lingering unknown helped reinforce the scale of the situation.

Second, the show was a tad frustrating. In a good way. There was an aftershock in almost every episode. Sometimes more than one. They were relentless. So much so that at a point they started to get annoying.

Then I realized something. What would it feel like to make it through such a catastrophic event? Then even after the big one, the ground continues to shake? I imagine it would fray my nerves. You can argue if this was intentional or not on the part of the storytellers, but it added to the realism.

This wasn't an action-packed show. But there was tension. Lots of it in fact. Tension that, on more than occasion, could be described as dread.

Final Thoughts

Warning, this isn't a show that will make you feel good inside. This isn’t something you can watch whenever. It’s heavy. It's heartbreaking. It's difficult to get through. Yet, it's worth your time.

I love this show. I recommend it to anyone who appreciates good and well-told stories.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is a benchmark for all future series that wish to tackle serious subject matters. My God was this something special.

                Google+                          Facebook                           Twitter