Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Title card depicting Tokyo Tower in ruins
東京マグニチュード8.0
(Tōkyō Magunichūdo 8.0)
Genre Drama, Disaster, Tragedy
Anime television series
Directed by Masaki Tachibana
Produced by Noriko Ozaki
Yuichiro Matsuka
Written by Natsuko Takahashi
Music by Kow Otani
Studio Bones
Kinema Citrus
Licensed by
Network FNS (Fuji TV (Noitamina))
English network
Original run July 9, 2009 – September 17, 2009
Episodes 11

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (Japanese: 東京マグニチュード8.0 Hepburn: Tōkyō Magunichūdo 8.0) is a Japanese anime television series that premiered on Fuji TV's noitamina timeslot on July 9, 2009, where it ended its original run on September 17. Directed by Masaki Tachibana and written by Natsuko Takahashi, it is an original series co-produced by Bones and Kinema Citrus. The 11-episode series centres on two young siblings, Mirai and Yūki, and single mother Mari who the two meet in the aftermath of a major earthquake hitting the Japanese capital, placed in the near future (2012).[1][2] It won the Excellence Prize in the Animation category at Japan's Media Arts Festival in 2009. It was announced that the series has been licensed for a release in North America by Maiden Japan released on April 2013.[3]

Plot

After a massive earthquake in Tokyo 25 km under the sea at a magnitude of 8.0, two young siblings Mirai and Yūki, who were visiting a robot exhibition in Odaiba 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 Sangenjaya. Together, the three brave the ruined city and try their best to make it home safely.

Characters

Development and production

The series was first announced at the 2009 Tokyo Anime Fair, denoting that it would replace Eden of the East in Fuji TV's noitamina well-rated anime timeblock and would be co-produced by Bones and Kinema Citrus.[1][2] The series' setting is based upon the prediction that there is 70% or higher chance of an earthquake measuring 7.0 magnitude on the Richter scale hitting Tokyo in the next 30 years, with the series illustrating the consequences of an 8.0 scale earthquake affecting the city.[1][2] Bones stated that it would try to realistically depict the after-effects of such a situation and that it would collect and tabulate research on previous earthquakes and interview individuals who were affected by them.[1][2]

The series features the efforts of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Japan Coast Guard, Tokyo Fire Department and Tokyo Disaster Medical Assistance Team in assisting recovery efforts after the initial earthquake and its recurring aftershocks. FNN newscaster Christel Takigawa also features as a guest, reporting on the earthquake and assuming the role of a "navigator" during the series.[4]

Media

The series uses two pieces of theme music. "Your Song" (キミノウタ Kimi no Uta) by abingdon boys school is used for the opening theme, while "M/elody" by Shion Tsuji is used for the ending. This series was broadcast only in Italy on Italian television channel Rai 4 on August 22, 2011 and ended September 5, 2011 for a time ranging from 10.45am and 11.00am.

Episode list

# Title Original air date
1 "Odaiba Sinks"
"Odaiba, Shizumu" (お台場、沈む) 		July 9, 2009
Mirai Onozawa and her younger brother Yūki are visiting a robot exposition at Odaiba, Tokyo, when a massive earthquake strikes the city. 
2 "The World is Broken"
"Kowareru, Sekai" (壊れる、世界) 		July 16, 2009
After the earthquake Mirai looks desperately for Yūki inside a collapsing building along with Mari Kusakabe, a female motorcycle courier who offered to help her. 
3 "Burning Bridge"
"Moeru, Hashi" (燃える、橋) 		July 23, 2009
Mirai, Yūki and Mari decide to reach their homes together, but just after starting their journey, they find that there are far more dangers in the collapsing city than they imagined. 
4 "The Promise Between the Three"
"Sannin no, Yakusoku" (三人の、約束) 		July 30, 2009
Having finally left Odaiba, the trio finds a place to gather supplies and prepare themselves for their long walk, but after having a discussion, Mirai and Yūki stray away from Mari and end up in serious trouble. 
5 "The School is Wailing"
"Dōkoku no, Manabiya" (慟哭の、学び舎) 		August 6, 2009
The group takes shelter at her school's premises during the night, but their stay there becomes far from peaceful as they are constantly plagued by aftershocks and depressed by the sight of those who lost their relatives to the earthquake. 
6 "Choice to Abandon"
"Misuteru, Sentaku" (見捨てる、選択) 		August 13, 2009
The group reaches Mari's workplace, where she loses consciousness because of anemia. During that time the kids are suddenly frightened by Aya, a colleague of Mari, who noisily enters the building carrying a baseball bat. 
7 "Summer's Dusk"
"Natsu no Yūgure" (夏の夕暮れ) 		August 20, 2009
Rescue robots fill the scene, fascinating Yūki and leading him to meet a new friend, who shares his interest and is the same age as Mirai. However the journey so far seems to have taken its toll on Yūki. 
8 "Pure White Morning"
"Masshiro na Asa" (まっしろな朝) 		August 27, 2009
Yūki collapses suddenly and is taken to the hospital, where Mirai agonizes over her brother's death. 
9 "Farewell, Today"
"Kyō, Sayonara" (今日、さよなら) 		September 3, 2009
Mari finally reaches her home to find it was destroyed. Mirai and Yūki learn that residents are being cared for at a nearby elementary school. There, they find two unknown bodies that Mari believes are her mother and daughter, and mourns their deaths. However, Yūki believes they are still alive and with his sister, helps finds Mari's daughter at another school. After reuniting with her daughter, Mari finds her mother at a local hospital. Mirai and Yūki leave to continue their search for their parents. Mirai leaves Mari a note to thank her for all she did for them, stating that she hopes they will meet again. Confused and surprised, Mari says "Yūki and I?" 
10 "Mirai, You Know..."
"Onee-chan, ano ne..." (おねえちゃん、あのね) 		September 10, 2009
While on a truck going towards their hometown, Yūki tries to talk to Mirai about his death, but she tells him to quit talking nonsense as it would make her furious, very worried and very upset within shame of sadness if he died. In their home town, Mirai runs into a friend some school who tells her that her parents are staying at one of the school shelters, and that her father was hospitalized from an injury. Yūki runs off when Mirai runs into his best friend Itsuki. Itsuki takes her to her parents, but finds that her mom has gone back to the house to get clothes for her father. Outside, they see the marronier Yūki and Itsuki had planted before the earthquake. Itsuki and Mirai return to his house to get a journal he wanted to give Yūki, while Yūki continues to avoid being seen by Itsuki. Half the house collapses while they are there. At the end of the episode, Yūki finally is able to tell Mirai that he died at the hospital earlier. 
11 "Dear Yūki..."
"Yūki e..." (悠貴へ…) 		September 17, 2009
Mirai and Yūki return home where Mirai is reunited with her parents and Yūki's spirit leaves. One month later, Tokyo is continuing to recover from the earthquake. Mari visits Mirai who returns her cell phone and Yūki's backpack. Mirai finds an email from Yūki that he sent before his death from Mari's phone saying that he hoped he could get a phone too so they could talk even when they were apart. Mirai gives her mother the present Yūki had purchased for her for the birthday. While watering the tree Yūki planted, Mirai resolves to move on with her life, knowing that Yūki will always be in her heart. 

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "東京マグニチュード８.０』2009年7月より"ノイタミナ"他にて放送！". Saishin Anime Jōhō. 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Anime to Air in Japan in July". Anime News Network. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  3. ↑ "Crunchyroll - Maiden Japan Licenses "Tokyo Magnitude 8.0"". Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  4. ↑ 滝川クリステル ：アニメに登場　大地震を「まっすぐ」伝える　フジ「東京マグニチュード８．０」, MANTAN WEB, June 18, 2009
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