Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Middle school student Mirai Onozawa is dissatisfied with her family circumstances and, in a moment of frustration, wishes to tear everything apart. Unfortunately, these destructive thoughts seem to come true in the form of a magnitude 8.0 earthquake just a few moments later.

When summer vacation begins, Mirai reluctantly takes her younger brother Yuuki to Odaiba, where a robot exhibition that he wanted to go to is being held. However, while they are in the exhibition center, the fury of a major earthquake shakes the Kanto region; helpless, both kids witness the devastating power of this natural disaster as it brings the city to its knees.

In its aftermath, they stumble upon Mari Kusakabe, a motorcyclist and single mother who decides to help the young siblings. Aiming to return to their homes and reunite with their families, the group sets off on a long and hard journey through the decimated city.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

Winner of the Excellence Award on the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival.

Edit

Related Anime

Summary:

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Recap

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Onozawa, Yuuki

Main

Kobayashi, Yumiko
Japanese

Kusakabe, Mari

Main

Kaida, Yuuko
Japanese

Onozawa, Mirai

Main

Hanamura, Satomi
Japanese

Furuichi, Masashi

Supporting

Aono, Takeshi
Japanese

Nonomiya, Kento

Supporting

Hamazoe, Shinya
Japanese

Onozawa, Masami

Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko
Japanese

Kusakabe, Ryuuta

Supporting

Hatano, Wataru
Japanese

Yuka

Supporting

Toyosaki, Aki
Japanese

Megu

Supporting

Takahira, Narumi
Japanese

Risa

Supporting

Endou, Aya
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Tachibana, Masaki

Director, Storyboard

Tanaka, Kazuya

Sound Director

Nomura, Kazuya

Episode Director, Storyboard, Layout

Tokudo, Daisuke

Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Edit

Opening Theme

"Kimi no Uta(キミノウタ)" by abingdon boys school

Edit

Ending Theme

"M/elody" by Shion Tsuji

More reviews

Reviews

Sep 25, 2009

SamFury

Recommended

========
Constructive Criticism would be appreciated through either PM or Comments
========

She's Breaking Bit by Bit

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is something special. A human story told through naked eyes, this show did something that a lot of anime hasn't done for me lately, spark an emotional connection. It gently nudged me through the tale of a young girl named Mirai, her little brother Yuuki and a motorcycling delivery woman name Mari, as the world around them shattered into pieces.

Tokyo is crumbling; foundations are upheaved, buildings are leveled, and bridges are twisted till the tensions snap, as a magnitude 8.0 earthquake roars. Fires break out like crimson rashes, ... burning away homes all over the Kanto region. From the wake of the chaos, people stumble and endure, somehow crawling back home.

Mirai and Yuuki are tremendously endearing. Mirai is terribly pessimistic, always believing that fate has a bone to pick with her. She snaps at her brother for being her antithesis, a hopeless optimist at heart who believes that everything has to turn out alright. The older lead, Mari, serves as a nice foil to the pair, level headed and calm; she serves as a guide and guardian to the children. It's easy to appreciate how each character grew over the course of the tale; Mirai gaining a drop of her sibling's positivity, Yuuki gaining a touch of his sister's pragmatism and Mari learning she's not so invulnerable, as they hobble over the fractured roadways and splintering scenery.

The plot focuses on the trio as they trudge their way back to their families. The urgency is palpable as snapshots of destruction litter each episode from radio snippets to television clips. The three are twisted by stress and struggle to best figure out a way to deal with death and disaster. Even Mari, grounded and collected, stumbles from this tightrope. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is fueled by emotion and the most fundamental instinct any human has: to survive. It starts off slow, but it builds like a powerful crescendo into an unforgettable ending.

Production

The art and animation are inconsistent. I love how most of the character models were plain, unadorned figurines on the broken canvas of Tokyo. It lets the viewer focus on the detailed scenery; the cracks veining through the pavement, uprooted trees, shattered windows, twisted steel, and burning buildings. The artists captured the ruination and didn't seem to want ornate models taking away from it. On a more technical aspect, the CGI that is sprinkled throughout is done well, opting for a distinct cell-shaded look. It was irksome to find the animation to be uneven and, at some points, even choppy. It's a shame, considering how much effort and thought was put into the art direction.

The music is nothing amazing, but it works with the show. The score moves with the ebb and flow of the small group's journey, cascading gently with the moments of calm before beginning to tumble with scenes of tragedy. I didn't quite enjoy the OP by the Abingdon School Boy, the upbeat tempo being too much of a contrast to the carefully paced tale. The voice acting is commendable for weaving the powerful tale. Mirai's faltering voice, echoing loneliness, pulled at my heartstrings, while Yuuki's voice brought a smile to my face.

Watchability and Enjoyment

The story slowly burns itself, never exactly rushing within the small frame of eleven episodes. I took Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 in tiny doses, an episode here and there. Nothing really pushed me to watch the next episode until I reached the last quarter. Things really pick up in the last three episodes, as the journey winds to an end, for a strong conclusion. It was only then that I felt satisfied with my investment in the series and appreciated the first eight episodes.

Closing Thoughts

It's the realism that shook me. Every episode began with a disclaimer stating that the series was based on seas of research and simulations. Sure, the science is well and good; but it was really about the 'human' realism, overcoming the hopelessness. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is a great anime, worth a watch by anyone who appreciates a good story.

Open

Sep 18, 2009

Wasabi

Recommended

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is a breath of fresh air amidst all the crazy ridiculous shows filled with giant mecha, deadly monsters, hot chicks, and moe guitar plucking girls. It takes a seemingly normal life of a bratty teenager and literally shakes up her world as she confronts the very face of humanity.

Story [9]: Mirai is one of those bratty teenagers who is entering that stage of life where they just simply hate everything and anything. Being dragged to a robot exhibition by her younger brother Yuuki, in Odaiba, a catastrophic earthquake hits Tokyo and the city falls into chaos. The story follows Mirai's journey home ... as she is accompanied by her brother and their guardian, Mari. It slowly paces itself through 11 episodes as Mirai and co. meet new people, and face the reality of such a life altering event. The pacing does seem slow at times, and there were certain events that could've been handled better, but it comes to a strong end as she reaches her destination.

Art [7]: The animation is definitely not the strong point of this show. The character models were mediocre at best, and there were parts where it was just simply full of QUALITY. The backgrounds however, were designed quite well plus a mixture of CGI models interacting in the background gives it life. The OP and ED were done well consisting of montages of a ruined Tokyo. For a show that's not focused around sexy looking chicks or big bad explosions, the artwork by BONES is acceptable.

Sound [8]: There wasn't a lot of memorable music in the show but it does the job. The BGM is calm and serene as it is sharp and chaotic, and fits most of the scenes well. It's not like you really need some jarring suspenseful action music when you see buildings falling into pieces and such.

The voices fit the characters well. Mirai sounds like how a teenager should sound. Yuuki and Mari's voice job was done well too. They should like their own age, unlike some other characters in other shows where 16 year old girls would have deep silent voices, etc.

The OP, done by abingdon boys school, doesn't exactly get you pumped up and excited, but rather brings a sense of melancholic urgency. The ED fits in where it should be. An ending theme of everyday life as Mirai and co. look forward towards their destination.

Character [9]: There wasn't a huge cast nor was it centered on many characters. The show reveals how humanity can react in such a crisis. There will always be the rash unreasonable people but there will always be the shining lights of hope who will assist you when you need it most.

Mirai got the brunt of all the development that was there in the show. She started off as a bratty teenager who rejects everything around her, like a prepubescent teenager should be, and slowly changes through the show as she faces the harsh reality that she's in. Yuuki is pretty much the catalyst in all of her development as he's the basic opposite of Mirai's initial personality. Yuuki was your typical happy kid. As the show progresses, we see a more mature face to his chippy exterior as he traverses through the desolate Tokyo city. Mari was their faithful guardian as she led them through the ruined city, in search of her own family. Mari started out as the cool, responsible, and protective character but as she finds out the whereabouts of her family, it is revealed that she is human just like everyone else.

Enjoyment/Overall [9/8]: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is not filled with giant beam shooting mecha. It doesn't have scantily clad magical girls. It has no moe school girl clubs nor giant tentacled monsters. It is a slice of a possible life that faces Tokyo in the modern day. The show may have its setbacks, but it is a show that reveals what realities we take for granted. It takes the everyday lives of regular people and turns their world upside down in the aftermath of an event that can happen to us all.

Open

Oct 11, 2015

Vigrazzi

Not Recommended

This anime is really bad.

I watched this anime and suffered through it's entire 11 episodes.

First of all I think some explaining is needed. I live in Chile, and I experienced three earthquakes of over 8.0 in the last 5 years. I have a niece 12 years old now, and in 2010 she was frozen solid with the 8.8 earthquake, she didn't move unless told to do so. This anime LIES about how people react to earthquakes.

Story: 3

This show follows a couple of brothers and their amazing adventure in an all-too-shaky japan. How they UNREALISTICALLY live through all the aftershocks and find out that friendship ...

Open

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Explore: life, death, the world

by RokkanShojo

50 Entries · 178 Restacks

Tokyo series in order

by Mushroomen

10 Entries · 6 Restacks

Cry Your Heart Out in Heartbreak (Part 2)

by BlackRose_1210

50 Entries · 28 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

View All

More news

Recent News

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 and Tegami Bachi Reverse Licensed

According to Anime News Network, Maiden Japan has licensed Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. The series will be released on April 2 in dual audio blu-ray and DVD through their di...read more

Jan 3, 2013 4:58 PM by Florete | Discuss (20 comments)

Collaboration Poster of Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 With Japanese Army

According to the official blog, they made a tie-up poster of Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). Picture of the poster It will be used ...read more

Jul 29, 2009 3:38 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (37 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) kashim - Sep 17, 2009	497 replies	by yveltalkyogre »» Aug 8, 4:07 AM
Poll: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) UnknownFact - Sep 4, 2009	130 replies	by Comander-07 »» Apr 6, 8:16 AM
Poll: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Pokedude97 - Jul 30, 2009	133 replies	by Comander-07 »» Apr 5, 8:38 AM
Poll: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Wasabi - Jul 9, 2009	252 replies	by Comander-07 »» Apr 4, 3:36 PM
Question about Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Pocketasces - Jan 10, 2012	11 replies	by os172 »» Mar 8, 11:59 AM

Recent Featured Articles

Top 15 Best Survival Anime of All Time

When our protagonists in these Survival Anime are thrust into extreme - often life-or-death situations - we get to see desperate fights for survival and morals being put to the test. Any fan of the survival genre needs to check this list out!

by Rhiannone-10

994,548 views

Collection

Anime You Wouldn't Believe Are Based on True Stories

Anime is an escape from reality, but sometimes a bit of the real world seeps into anime series. Some anime draw on real world events, people, and even science -- in ways you might not expect.

by Littoface

62,056 views

Collection

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

External Links

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Onozawa, Yuuki

Kusakabe, Mari

Onozawa, Mirai

Furuichi, Masashi

Nonomiya, Kento

Onozawa, Masami

Kusakabe, Ryuuta

Yuka

Megu

Risa

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

External Links

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-