It’s fitting how this show is called “Japan Sinks”, as my expectations for Japan’s animation industry seemed to sink lower and lower with each passing minute that I viewed this train-wreck.
Japan Sinks is undeniably a poor work, but what truly prompted me to fully mull over this cesspool of incompetence and juvenility was how fascinatingly abysmal it truly was. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill Netflix-commissioned anime schlock, this is a show created under the eyes of the renowned Masaaki Yuasa. Science SARU (Masaaki’s own studio), was at the helm here, and while they’ve been fairly hit-or-miss over the past year or so, they also created Devilman:
...
Crybaby back in 2018, a show that shook the earth (pun intended) with its experimental flare and masterful use of controlled chaos. Many -- including myself -- had high hopes for a similar situation in which culture would be completely shocked, hopefully creating a work as impactful and year-defining as that was. Everything has been lining up to its release, I mean, 2020 is the year of endless possibilities for controlled chaos -- just look out your window. A show as dark in tone as Devilman coupled with a more realistic edge released in a year of actual disasters was clearly a recipe for true success. It would be foolish to wonder “what could go wrong?” in a year that continually proves to be the antithesis of that philosophy, but the answer to that sadly lined up with the established pattern of our beloved 2020.
In Japan Sinks, we follow a family throughout a period of seemingly-endless suffering, all triggered by a few gargantuan earthquakes. There’s not much to say about this family, because they’re more so based off of the archetypal roles of a modern family, rather than being real people with genuine motivations and personality traits. This issue is also extended to the numerous friends they meet along the way. Because of this, none of the characters in this character-based show feel real. In a story in which Japan literally sinks, it’s unsurprising that there’s going to be loads of death and destruction, but the way the characters handle all of these incidents proves to be frustratingly alien. Nobody seems to care all that much when a man is blown to bits by a bomb or when a child is brutally crushed by a falling building: they instead tend to grieve for a few minutes, then move on with their comedic-hijinks directly after to lighten the mood. The pace isn’t so rapid and dizzying to send a suffocatingly-bleak message along the lines of: “this is your new reality, people perish like that!, and after that it’s time to move on.” No, far from it. It feels more like the creators were too apprehensive around the idea of fully committing to a despairing atmosphere, so they instead opted for the most extreme version of tonal-whiplash possible. After the first few episodes, we’re clearly shown that these non-characters will be killed off out of nowhere for the sake of creating a dramatic cliffhanger at the end of each episode, so why should the viewer care? They have no unique identities to assume outside of their most basic character descriptors, (Mom. Daughter. E-boy.) and their passings aren’t convincingly grieved over by the rest of the cast, so why should we care?
The characters are already bad enough, but even worse are the situations that they’re thrust into. Japan Sinks has to be one of the only one-cour (actually, even less!) shows I’ve seen in which multiple episodes felt like complete filler. It’s hard to understand what the show was going for in the middle portion in which the cast find themselves entangled in a cult, but these episodes completely eradicated any suspension-of-disbelief I attempted to latch onto at first. The show transforms from what seems to be an intimate family drama to a total cluster of tonally-conflicting concepts, truly making you wonder what the show wanted to say. The fact that the most famous YouTuber in all of Japan decides to ride around with this random family after a chance encounter is inadvertently hilarious in and of itself, but are we truly supposed to take that seriously? How much in this show is supposed to be taken seriously at all? The realistic edge I presumed it would have seemed to be absent following the first few episodes, as fantastical elements such as spiritual mediums who can speak to the dead as well as a travel YouTuber a la Logan Paul having a kind heart began to ruin any sense of thematic consistency it started with.
Visually, it’s a nightmare. It hurts to say that seeing as Yuasa is one of the most visually-inventive directors in the medium, but it’s the sad truth here. The character designs are fairly basic, yet they rarely seemed to stay on-model, and this was increasingly apparent within the middle segment of the show. It’s clear that a large part of it was outsourced to places it shouldn’t have been, but keyframes are constantly missing nonetheless, which leads to scenes that should be able to deliver some kind of impact falling flat and often airing on the side of hilarity. There’s moments where Yuasa clearly did have his influence with his strange use of color and anatomical fluidity, but they’re few and far between. The messy transitions from these visual peaks back down to the horrific rest of the show harshly broke immersion, and had me promptly recall, “oh, I’m watching Pyeon-Gang again,” every single time. The bitter feeling of squandered potential truly stung in those moments.
There’s an awful, awful choice made regarding the voice-acting throughout the entirety of this catastrophe that made this one of the most unintentionally hilarious shows I’ve seen in a long time. In a moment of pure genius during production, someone realized in order to truly immerse the viewer in the cultural-diversity of the cast, (seeing as it follows the aftermath of the 2020 Olympics), characters should shout out miscellaneous phrases in English...usually at the worst possible times. At least this aspect made this train-wreck somewhat entertaining. The son who’s not a fan of Japan and its culture compensates for his disdain by often randomly blurting out Engrish jumbles of words in the middle of horrific moments, like “What the! That is cwazy! No!” anytime anything that could be considered “shocking” occurred. The absolute peak of the show was when he unironically said “live, love, laugh!” like a 50 year old white woman in the midst of what should’ve been a scene of pure emotional catharsis. After that, I was simply waiting for him to screech “bazinga!” after stumbling upon a mutilated corpse. There’s also a stereotypical caricature of an American man who claims to be British despite there being no indication of such being the case, (Well, I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to distancing myself from America in 2020 either, so I don’t necessarily don’t blame him), and he also speaks in this way, but at least it fits his identity? Ok, well that’s actually no excuse, because he cried out “hasta la vista baby!” during what the show wanted to be a dramatic climax, and I think I lost a solid number of brain cells upon hearing that. Really, what am I supposed to feel throughout all of this? All of these choices are constantly at odds with a story that should’ve fully embraced its tragic circumstances.
These are all separate pieces of a puzzle that simply don’t fit together. The vision of the creators is present, but what message does this show actually want to deliver to its audience? During its conclusion, it takes a pseudo-nationalist stance, campaigning for the idea of loving your country no matter what and endlessly supporting them in times of need. Ok. Interesting message (if not somewhat tone-deaf to reality), but where was it for the first eight episodes? Not to mention this message feels shoehorned-in in the most banal, trite way imaginable. The characters are too one-note to get attached to, the timing of both the comedic and disastrous moments are both so poor that they blend in together eventually, and the “inspirational story” backing it all up that should have mitigated a number of these glaring flaws is too flawed in and of itself to take seriously. The fascination that captivated me around this show wasn’t from a source of awe like when pondering Devilman, but instead came from seeing something that had so many things going for it disregard all of that and fail in such a calamitous way. If I, a highly-sensitive crybaby found myself laughing at what should’ve been devilishly disturbing, then you know they messed up on this one. Honestly, the real 2020 disaster was this show's existence itself.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: 日本沈没2020
More titlesInformation
Type:
ONA
Episodes:
10
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jul 9, 2020
Producers:
None found, add some
Licensors:
None found, add some
Studios:
Science SARU
Source:
Novel
Duration:
25 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#76552
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1546
Members:
149,105
Favorites:
421
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 155 / 166
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Your Feelings Categories Jul 9, 2020
It’s fitting how this show is called “Japan Sinks”, as my expectations for Japan’s animation industry seemed to sink lower and lower with each passing minute that I viewed this train-wreck.
Japan Sinks is undeniably a poor work, but what truly prompted me to fully mull over this cesspool of incompetence and juvenility was how fascinatingly abysmal it truly was. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill Netflix-commissioned anime schlock, this is a show created under the eyes of the renowned Masaaki Yuasa. Science SARU (Masaaki’s own studio), was at the helm here, and while they’ve been fairly hit-or-miss over the past year or so, they also created Devilman: ... Jul 9, 2020
Japan Sinks 2020 - An anime about "earthquakes" that start to happen in an uncontrolled way, and can sink Japan, in this dangerous scenario, we accompany a family that so much finds a way to survive in the face of all this chaos.
The first thing worth mentioning about "Japan Sinks 2020" is how earthquakes are not the main focus of the anime. The notable presence is in the huge variety of subjects discussed all the time about JAPAN. If you came expecting an anime "about natural disasters" you were probably disappointed, but this is not the anime's fault, it's about the expectation created about the ... Jul 9, 2020
I know all the young little nihilists populating the internet are good about recognizing and rejecting fundamentally anachronistic media, but I think we should just trade in those red pills for some black pills, and instead of merely scoffing at religion, patriotism, and chivalry, we should proceed to disregard all traditional values altogether, because from where a suicidal sociopath like me is sitting, such values do nothing but dilute the theming of creative works with trite morals and utterly squander a story’s ability to build interesting characters divorced from insipid archetypes or deliver unique messages free from the influence of unwritten orthodoxy. Nuances aside, Japan
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Jul 9, 2020
(Might contain minor spoilers)
From the other reviews, it seems as if everyone either loves this and considers this a masterpiece or hates it and considers a piece of trash. Therefore I'm gonna try judging this series as fair as I can. Earthquakes are scary. The Japanese society, culture, and many other aspects of the nation has been affected by Japan throughout the history and creation of Japan. This anime is another disaster earthquake anime in which Japan gets hit by a giant earthquake and many, many people die. At least that's what it seems like it was like until it turned into some crackheads appearing every ... Jul 10, 2020
I cannot believe what I witnessed. I stumbled upon the trailer of this anime on YouTube and thought it looked fantastic. I was really looking forward to it but now I can honestly say this was my biggest disappointment after watching any piece of media in my life. Yes, it was that horrid.
The funny thing is the first two episodes were quite good with great animation and art. Then, it just went south after that to a point where I was just lost for words. The tonal shift was so abrupt and jarring. The quality of animation dipped so badly some scenes looked like it ... Jul 9, 2020 Story 9/10 I think it’s a very special story, it’s about how Japan sinks into the ocean. An ordinary family tries its best to survive as a series of earthquakes destroy the islands of Japan. It shows their struggle while moving up west and how the city continues to tremble and cause more damage. Even with this the family continues to make memories with each other on their way. I think this story is a real eye open to appreciate whats happening in the moment because you never know what the future brings or who you’ll gain and lose in life. Art 6/10 For me the characters styles ... Jul 9, 2020
I had high hopes for this show based off that delightful opening sequence. The first two episodes were an exercise in good story-telling and great character building. It was off to a fantastic start. And then starting from EP3, I'm still not sure what happened, it was just pathetic.
Every single character just decided to become a psychopath with the empathy of a rock. I've never seen a quality drop like this in any show ever. It's just truly upsetting watching this show play out. No superlative I use here will be enough. But you know what? Watch this show. Just watch from EP1 to EP5 to ... Jul 10, 2020
A show that marketed around Yuasa's name that has nothing to do with Yuasa's works and his brilliant direction, let alone writing.
The amount of disdain I ended up having when I finished the last episode kind of forced me to make a review just to share with the world how disappointed I am with studio SARU and Yuasa in general. They could have easily skipped all episodes except the first one and the last two and nothing would have changed. Actually, I probably would have enjoyed this show more. From the mastermind behind PPTA, The Tatami Galaxy, Devilman CRYBABY, and so on and so forth ... Jul 9, 2020
Netflix doesn't joke around.
As the title suggest, the premise spends little to no time for its viewer to position himself on sofa along with his popcorns. Small earthquake strikes and a big one follows and then everywhere is chaos. Its not Tokyo magnitude 8.0 but sure feels like it throughout the mid episodes as they start picking companions along the way. People die and we are given less time to take in those moments. The best thing about this show is its music, Oh that good old soothing music. Sadness and sadness and misery is all we get to see, reminding me of Titanic. I don't know why ... Jul 18, 2020
"You're kidding!" -A main character mere seconds before succumbing to one of the stupidest anime deaths this year, Japan Sinks 2020
Hope, while often necessary, can be a ruinous thing to have in the midst of a disaster. Despite the catastrophically negative reception among friends and the similarly dismal scores the show has, I still had hope that it could be at least entertaining in some regard. Even an Inuyashiki tier “so bad it’s good” title would’ve been enough to be satisfying, if still ultimately bizarre given how this is treated as a Yuasa work...more on that later. Unfortunately, this ONA is just an abject failure ... Jul 9, 2020
Stay away from reviews that told you the director of this masterpiece is a bad director ! They probably don't understand a thing about it !
From the same director of devilman crybaby and keep your hands of eizuken, this is the newest anime (jul 2020) of masaaki and heo ( ping pong, death note and durarara). Nihon chinbotsu is an anime that always keep your heart at your mouth! Every episode makes you waiting for the worst and the best at the same time ! Every speak and action has a meaning and a consequence. All the characters are well built, we care and cheer ... Jul 10, 2020
Okay, so like what the frick?
Imma just dive in real quick, spoilers are ahead, you’re warned. This show gets a 3/10. Story: Please stoooop It’s just one of these stories that jumps from one accidental occurrence to another. Like every step just feels random. Oh, a hidden mine field? Guess someone has to die. Let’s put toxic gas here, haha another one bites the dust. Uh, a city that is for no reason not damaged by sinking Japan? Not anymore, let’s kill all the citizens. But before that let’s party and pretend like Japans just fine. Yeah, another thing, you might realize. Every episode there has to die ... Jul 10, 2020
This is a spoiler-free Review!
Nihon Chinbotsu 2020 is not an anime about a disaster, it's a disaster anime! Let's start with the FAQ Is this show similar to -Tokyo Magnitude 8.0?- - Yes, they both have earthquakes here and there, and obviously some tragedies occur here and there, but that's basically all the similarities there. In terms of quality, Nihon Chinbotsu 2020 is simply - Awful - and if you haven't seen both of them, I'd recommend watching -Tokyo Magnitude 8.0?- over this abomination - 100 times out of 100. 1)Art - 1/10 From the get-go you realize that the art isn't the strongest point of ... Jul 9, 2020
I've been following this series since the release of its Netflix reveal trailer hoping to find fulfillment that Tokyo Magnitude left. However, in all aspects this series still managed to fall terribly short of what I would consider a shred of hope compared to any of the series I'v e seen. In short, Tokyo Sinks 2020 is an poorly structured, lack of common sense based story with unnecessary character bloodshed.
The members of the Mutou family deaths are used to add shock factor when the story runs dry of action or intense internal conflict. All the characters lack general cognitive problem solving capabilities and judge ... Jul 13, 2020
(WARNING: spoilers about characters' deaths and some more minor spoilers)
I watched all 10 episodes yesterday and was really, really surprised to find out that Japan Sinks is hated by nearly everyone here. Not gonna say anything about the animation, I never cared about it, but this is my second Yuasa's work (after Eizouken ni Te wo Dasu na) and I really liked the style. This roughness and imperfection are what makes it good. Pros: - A lot of people are writing about unrealistic characters and their reactions. I can't agree with that at all. It's really common to be seemingly in high spirits after a death of ... Jul 12, 2020
Japan Sinks 2020 has a lot of hype behind it. It’s an adaptation of a seminal disaster novel from 1973, updated to modern day by Masaaki Yuasa and his studio Science Saru. This is the same team that struck lightning by similarly updating the classic Devilman manga into the now-just-as-classic Devilman Crybaby, and Japan Sinks 2020 very much feels like it wants to recapture that magic. Here, again, is a ten-episode Netflix Original anime series with moments of intense violence and sex. Here, again, is a modernization of an old classic that diversifies the cast with all different skin types and nationalities, making extensive use
...
Jul 14, 2020
You won't get bored with this anime, but the arguments, the lack of emotions in some crucial points of the story, the unreal behavior of the people makes you think "Why am I watching this?"
The characters are really bad constructed, and as I said before, they do not react as a human being when for example dies someone close to them. It is really painful to watch that moments. I liked the art, not my style, but it's good to get out of the routine sometimes. The sound is normal, nothing amazing. And at least the story is crap, I didn't like it at all. Jul 10, 2020
Japan S(t)inks is probably one of the confusing animes I've watched in the recent years.
Contains spoilers. Story (1): The story first shows promise on the first episode, then quickly goes down the drain. Many parts of the story are quickly thrown in just to thrown out (people falling from the sky). The anime tries to add many themes (culture, family, earthquakes); however, with only 10 episodes there was no way to expand on these themes so it all becomes a convoluted story. Murphy's law was also in play in this anime. Characters quickly introduced would be just as quickly killed off. Art (5): Sometimes the animation becomes ... Jul 12, 2020
I really don't know how to describe this without including the words "What the hell was that?"
(Spoilers in this review) Japan Sinks: 2020 had a standard premise, which if built upon right could make a solid story. Disaster hits, individuals deal with losing loved ones. And this is what happened, for maybe the first two or 3 episodes. To begin, the story of this show was all over the place. It jumped from the city, to the countryside, to some sort of cult camp, to the coast, in the ocean for a while, and then they are saved. I can understand the choices of ... Jul 12, 2020
Minor spoilers ahead, but let's be honest, you won't care to read this review if you are actually planning on watching this show. TL;DR further down.
Short rant: So! Japan sinks 2020 wasn't short of a dreadful mess of a story that was awfully put together, where even in the first episode I was already quite sure how the rest of the anime would play out. (But I somehow still managed to finish the show, which I will give them a bonus point for(JK not really) From a weird cut in the first 10 minutes of the episode to not explaining anything about that what could have ... |