TOKYO MAGNITUDE 8.0
Some time ago, I came across an anime of intrigue. It was one of those anime I ended up watching from beginning to end in one day. It was one of those times where you could watch an anime on Youtube, you know, before copyright strikes, well, given a chance, I came across it there, and like a kid in a candy store, I watched it.
It's been many years since then, but for this review, I went to watch it again for a refresh to see if it was as good as I remembered. And to tell you how it was, I bring the following review, let's start!
This anime presents a situation based on theoretical studies of what would happen if an earthquake of 8 degrees shook the city of Tokyo (something that would become a reality in the middle of the transmission of the anime).
A scale eight earthquake shook the city of Tokyo unexpectedly. As a result, the Tokyo Tower, the Rainbow Bridge, and other landmarks were destroyed. Our story focuses on siblings Mirai and Yuuki, who were visiting a robot exhibition in Odaiba for their summer vacation.
Accompanied by a kind girl named Mari, they must survive and reach their respective homes safe and sound. Along their arduous journey, they will see the terrible consequences that have befallen the entire city of Tokyo and even learn to see certain things in their lives that they must change.
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 shows us realism in a raw and overwhelming way to the situation in an earthquake of such destruction. In itself, the anime tells us the human drama that occurs when day-to-day life is broken because of a tragedy. It attempts to draw above all a social and human sketch after the scourge of a natural disaster.
The action is not the basis of this anime, but it is undoubtedly cruel and cold when it is present. How the characters have to cope and, above all, try to survive these things is very explicit and adds a sense of despair when the events happen. Something that, one second, looks good, and the next second it even feels like a different place, leaving the bitter taste of death, sadness, and anguish almost palpable.
I admit that I got a little lost at one point. There came a moment among so much drama that I didn't know if some scenes were Mirai's dreams/delusions or reality, and when they revealed the hidden card of the plot, I didn't fully realize what they were telling me.
I stayed like analyzing and was like, aha...wait but...hold on... at what point? How? It seemed like everything was going well, but no, all comes crashing down (literally). The feelings of fear and insecurity that this series transmits go beyond the screen.
We can talk about few characters since the story revolves around only three of them plus their families that do not have much participation in the anime. On the one hand, we have the siblings Mirai and Yuuki Onozawa that I can say with certainty are some of the most realistic siblings you will see in the anime (no exaggeration).
Their relationship is very human. Yuuki, the fearful brother who tries to be strong not to worry his sister; however, he still depends on her for the hard and scary moments. While Mirai is the apathetic sister who feels she's too old to be with Yuuki. Still, she knows how to take responsibility as the older sister to protect Yuuki physically and mentally in desperate moments.
I think my favorite character is Mirai, who constantly keeps saying she is no longer a child, but inside she is a child who has to grow up and mature at a hurried pace given the situation. The one who appeared the most strong and resilient in the face of the situation was the most emotionally affected (and oh boy, was she). I particularly like this kind of character for their development and evolution as the series progresses.
Mari, the third protagonist, is a motorcyclist who helps Yuki and Mirai get to their parents after the earthquake. Mari has a young daughter named Hina, who stayed at home with her mother. Mari is very worried when she hears that there was a fire in her town. But despite her background, I was a little bit indifferent to this character. I can't deny that she is very humble and helpful to the siblings and anyone who needs it, being someone to look up to, but it feels in several parts that she's just there for the siblings to have an adult around.
Its animation is of a realistic style combined with some CGI which is not used for more than just adding crowds, as usual. I must say that there is not much stuff that stands out technically. But how they make the movements flow combined with the destruction by the earthquake and its aftermath makes everything more credible. Making it easier for us to get into the series atmosphere without feeling anything is forced. I have little to say about the character designs because I realized that the designs were not my favorite aspect when I watched the series again. Still, it's not something that affects the series.
Without fear of being wrong, I can say that Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is a great anime, very dynamic despite having an approach more focused on the characters than on the action. With only 11 episodes, it managed to capture considerable realism. And to add to that, it has a fantastic script and a very consistent pace. And with such a short duration, it's ideal for watching it all in one or two days.
Of course, it is an anime that has a few things to fix, but in itself is very good and never strayed from its goal. As a lover of drama series, it still stands as one of my favorites and one that I recommend giving a chance.
