To those who found the second episode a bit too mild and unspectacular: watch A Spirit of the Sun. It’s a two-episode OVA about an earthquake that is so powerful that it splits the entire Japanese mainland in half. That’s destruction for you. I however, prefer series as Tokyo Magnitude much, much better. After all, what makes more impact? An atom bomb dropped onto some sort of major city that wipes out millions of people, or a section of a highway that crushes some people who were worrying about their loved ones and tried to get home, dying right before the protagonist’s eyes?
Anyway, this episode showed what I have been suspecting: the real disaster hasn’t even started yet. Mirai and Yuki are miles away from their house, a distance that’s very hard to walk for a bunch of kids, and the two of them are going to have to try and reach it inside a city in which millions of people are trying to do the same.
And then there are the aftershocks, which may not have been able to cause destruction on a large scale, but definitely on a small scale. Take buildings that have been well designed, but caught fire in the big earthquake. Through an extra push of an earthquake of size 5.0, they can still collapse, which is what happened to the bridge in this episode.
There is no doubt in my mind that this is an amazing series. This episode did so well in bringing across Yuki’s fears of being abandoned and separated from Mari, even though she often bitches at her. The blisters on her feet due to her sandals was also a very nice touch. Because the weather is so hot, I doubt that a lot of people there are wearing shoes fit for long walks.
As for the typical Bones endings, I can actually see little that can go wrong there: if the series is just going to be about Mirai and Yuki trying to get home, this will make for a very charming conclusion to the series if the creators end it at their reunion. The only problem I can see is that they might force in a conclusion to Mari’s storyline about her kid.
Rating: *** (Awesome)
Nice blogging, I also find this series really interesting.
“This episode did so well in bringing across Yuki’s fears of being abandoned and separated from Mari, even though she often bitches at her. ”
You mean Mirai’s fears, right? Not exactly a huuuuge and extremely important mistake, but I just thought you should know… Hope I don’t piss you off. Hehe.
I think this series is very quickly turning into my new favourite series.
It’s amazing.
Best summer anime no doubt, I would like to fanboy all over Spice and Wolf 2 but this is too good, this episode again left me shaking, and showed perfectly how selfish/incosiderate people are when in the face of disaster
this show start getting better. love the setting and how “real” it feel
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 scores a 10.0 here 😉
Good episode,and I’m glad they pulled off the aftershocks well.I was really worried for the characters safety in this episode cause the destruction in this one happen so close to the character even though the quakes are in a smaller magnitude.I think Mirai original bitchiness about her parents are just her being tsundere about it ^^
I wonder if they will put in an ending about Mari meeting up with her child. I somehow got the feeling that her kid was dead… Maybe I’m wrong. Who knows? XD
I do wonder if this show will conclude when Mirai and Yuki safely reach their parents at their home, or if they will show how the problems don’t just stop because they’re at home (or even worse, one or both of the parents end up dead).
Lala – I also think that Mari’s kid may have been dead before the incident. I don’t think Mari could be so calm if her kid was alive and could possibly be in danger.
I like this anime because it makes one thing correctly: It gives you a “real” sensation.
And that sensation makes me think what I’d do if I was in the protagonist’s shoes. Hell, I said to myself “Oh god, here comes the wave!” during the boat scene.
I’m getting the feeling that there is a time-space paradox here, and that the stranger lady is an older version of Mirai, who just came back to save her brother.
It would be sweet if mom at home is dead and Mirai an Yuki are taken into the future with the stranger to start a new life.
Hey it could happen : Bones is one of the producers on this one…..I will say it again, “Bones all most allways produce sci-fi s.
But there are many producers listed under andb’s website. So I really don’t know.
This episode was great! I have never watched an episode with so much edge of your seat moments. That wave was so gut wrenching I thought their boat was going to capsize. I also did not like those jerks that keep pushing Mirai, pushing a kid while having traumatic events unfolding in front of her every moment was really mean.
@panaghoy: That’s sadly what really happens in panic situations. There’s people who die being walked over by the scared crowds.
I too am enjoying this series.
I was watching and hoping the story/animators didn’t forget that a large bridge would displace a lot of water.
Interestingly I too was wondering Mari’s child was dead, but the cake in the previous ep threw me off the idea a bit.
Something about it brings back memories of watching “Grave Of Fireflies”(Hotaru no haka).
@Noah I hope not. I like sifi but they had better not make this into one.
(not sure if psgels likes direct links, so If anyone needs a stream google animefreak tv)
So then, if not scifi, then at least half of this series will be about rebuilding in a physical econimic collapse?
What if they did scifi it, and aliens or ancient technology helped man rebuild?
Oh my god! I’m really stupid. This series will be about rebuilding, but in the future, as the series will naturally flow as time progresses. And restructured goverment. So that was the scifi tag….Wow, common scence….I lack