Writer’s Spotlight: Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Today, I’ll take a look at the new BONES anime, “Tokyo Magnitude 8.0″ at the behest of PhantomAR, a loyal reader and friend.

This series has only 11 episodes, and while being short demonstrates very well what would happen if a similar situation was to occur, and what could be expected. Also, the opening theme is done by Abingdon Boys School, one of my favorite theme bands for anime which was a major plus for me.

The series is set in Tokyo after an earthquake measuring a magnitude 8.0 on the Richter scale shakes the city’s foundations and landscape, resulting in the Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge and other noted landmarks falling apart while the city crumbles around them.

Amidst the chaos, siblings Mirai and Yuuki, who were visiting a robot exhibition in Odaiba (an artificial island in tokyo bay) at the beginning of their summer vacation, struggle to reach their parents in their house in Setagaya assisted by a female motorcycle courier named Mari, who is striving to reach her own daughter and mother in Sanjengaya, another district in Tokyo.

As the earthquake destroyed a lot of the traversable land, they have to find their way back through the remains of damaged Tokyo to their homes. Along the way, they meet similar people suffering from under the same conditions of the earthquake.

This anime is off the beaten path, it’s not all action and loud explosions or bright lights, but it’s dazzling in its own respect and deserves my rating of 4.25/5. While it could have been a bit longer, or went through more of Tokyo, the pace at which they went was very understandable, and the situations they faced were very human and very well done. This is something I can sympathize with personally, because this actually could happen in real life.

Happy Watching!

Shimus Darkraven, Resident Nerd and News Writer