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There's 70% chance for an earthquake with magnitude 7.0 to happen in Tokyo in the next 30 years. Hinted by the title, Tokyo Mangitude 8.0 tries to show us what would happen if the quake is with magnitude 8.0. Last year Japan suffered 9.0 earthquake which wasn't in Tokyo but managed to shake the whole world.
Despite the settings and the title the best part of this series isn't the quake that occurs at the end of the first episode. Actually if I wrote review about Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 after finishing episode 7 it would cover the relatively slow pace of the story and the lightweight mood of the anime. Nevertheless, I would feel liable to point that Bones really managed to show realistic public reaction to the quake, which was similar to the real events of last year. I would to say a positive word about the strange characters and the funny robots.
Fortunately Bones never let me down and they are showing such a dynamics in the last 3-4 episodes, that changes the whole series. Don't worry, you won't see crazy rescue robots, or huge tsunami. You'll see only something, that I don't want to spoil for your, because it's real pleasure. I'll just say that I was so close to cry at the end.
Thanks to the art during the whole series I had some Eden of the East flashbacks, mostly because both animes have really strong story and strange, almost ugly, drawing which strengthens the story. The main difference between the two is in the background which is on extremely high level in Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. The details you see in the collapsing buildings, Tokyo set on fire or the collapsing Tokyo Tower are amazing. As the expense of this is the character design which is stunningly strange. Strange proportions and sometimes impossible positions of the characters are present almost always, but after episode or two it stops bothering you.
I'm big fan of abington bys school since the first Darker Than Black, so I'll let the opening, performed by them, without comment. However, the ending is something to prise. Performed by Shion Tsuji, the track M/elody brings positivism and freshness and I'll be glad to play this song, even if it's little too gooey. The background music is doing it's job without standing out with something special while the seyuus leave only positive feelings. The biggest shock for me was Kobayashi Yumiko who gives voice to Yuki and to one of my favourite characters - Black Star of Soul Eater.
The combination of strong story, off-beat art and perfect directing and voicing makes Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 really good anime, that touches you in a way only Japanese art is capable. Gently, unobtrusive and compelling. The three words that actually describe the impression left by it.
