The past two episodes of this series made me think a lot about the nature of criticism. Especially after the previous episode, which I slammed down for having Yuki supposedly collapse for cheap drama, even though it’s not that weird for people to get sick in these situations. I also remember people who weren’t happy with that episode because it included robots. But yeah, then you have things as this: is it still unrealistic and unbelievable when it’s being used in real life?
I think that a lot of people (including myself; I’ve caught myself doing this plenty of times), whenever they are turned off they start looking for reasons why. These seeming logic flaws are then very easy targets for these criticisms. Ignoring the obvious cases in which a plot twist becomes so stupid or unbelievable that it destroys the entire suspension of disbelief, these things often aren’t the real reasons for these declines in quality, and in the case of very realistic shows as Tokyo Magnitude, you can see people who start blaming things that turn out to be perfectly normal.
In the end, the only thing that I can really criticize this series for is that I don’t like the OP. I’m one of those people who is too lazy to skip through OPs (aside from perhaps marathons), but at the same time I’ve never been a big fan of neither j-pop or j-rock, and Abington Boy’s School is no exception to this rule, and the song they used for this series’ OP is getting more and more on my nerves.
I think the thing with this series is that episodes 2-5 were utterly amazing, and the past episodes, instead of building up to a great climax at the end, instead went to go for a much quieter aftermath. It’s not exactly the same as Eden of the East, where it became clear along the way that the creators just took too much on their plate and badly paced the series after its initial episodes. With Tokyo Magnitude, I think it’s obvious that the past few episodes lacked the same emotional impact of the first five episodes. The question however is: does it need to be?
I’m getting more and more convinced that this show indeed doesn’t really need to be. I’ve become so used to anime, which nearly all have the general pattern of a build-up that gets increasingly full of tension, but here we have an entire subversion of this trope. During an earthquake, the biggest emotional shock comes right after it happens, and after that the tension, while it’s still there, fades as more and more people regain their sensibilities. The more I think about it, the more realistic it becomes.
Anyway, about this episode, aside from the total chaos in the hospital it was a very quiet one. Yuki turns out to be fine for now, while Mirai has visibly grown up while Mari becomes more and more worried as to what happened to her children. It’s a role reversal here: the reason Mirai managed to grow wasn’t just because she had to look after Yuki, but also because Mari, who started out as a mother figure, started to show more and more of her weaknesses. And that was the strength of episode six: its purpose wasn’t to insert some random illness, but instead show that Mari instead was just a human being, and at that point Mirai realized that her whining wasn’t going to help at all to solve the situation, especially since you can really see that she wants Mari to be reunited with her daughter.
As for the reason why Mari refused to take the scooter in episode: she might actually be running away. Take a look at this episode: instead of walking fast, like what I would do when I was worried about someone, she often walks way behind Mirai and Yuki. It’s as if she’s scared to find out that her daughter died.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
Edit: I rewatched this episode, based on your comments, and you’re right: they’ve given this episode a completely different meaning, and what I believed was a rather quiet episode has now become incredibly sad instead. I really have to give thumbs up for the creators for having the guts to go this far.
Rating: *** (Awesome)]]>
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 – 08
I think it was implied that Yuuki died. There are lots of hints that Mirai is just in denial.
Watch closely Mari when Mirai speaks about him, or to him. She apologises about something, and does not speak or even look at Yuuki even once. Bag carrying is also good hint.
I agree completely with anonymous. I’m 99% sure Yuuki’s dead. There’s a lot of hints and the general atmosphere has completely changed.
This episode deserves 3 stars as far as I’m concerned. For a moment I thought they were going to pull of “Yuuki’s dead oh no wait he isn’t, everything’s fine” twice, but it turns out he really did die. Easily the best choice IMO. Very touching, very nice.
Just wanted to add something to that: the reason Mari walks so far behind “them” is because she’s giving Mirai some space to come to terms with things. She left a message for their parents that says Yuuki died. And when she’s trying to bring up the subject of Yuuki, Mirai quickly interrupts because she’s in denial.
I wonder when they’ll make Mirai realise it? Maybe Yuuki will suddenly be gone and Mirai tries to find him until Mari finally makes her realise it again? Or maybe they won’t reveal it until they see her parents and the parents go “I’m so sorry about Yuuki, Mirai”?
when Yuki seemed alive after the death scene, I thought, that it’s an average episode, such a great death scene totally wasted… but then when I realized that he is more likely really dead, I felt very miserable…
I thing maybe Mari’s daugher will play a role in Mirai realizing the truth? Because surely Mirai would want to introduce him to her..?
wow I have not thought in that way. If that’s the case, as toma said, creators have went with the best choice ^^ respectable.
I also think Yuki is dead. because i don’t think the creators would spend half an episode on ‘just’ a dream to create some artificial drama and suspens. I give them more credit after what i saw so far in this show.
the probability that yuki already dead is high.
at the end went the camera start panning out yuki is nowhere in sight.
You said you don’t like the OP. But it’s the opposite for me… The lyrics of abingdon boys school’s song perfectly fits this series and describes the victims’ emotion after a disaster.
Here is the translation:
I am drawn into
The smell of moist asphalt and rain
Always scared and with clenched knees
I watch the low clouds
The days when you were kind to me are almost gone
When this crooked world
Corrects itself
I shall be by your side
Should my wish come true
I’ll give you my all
The only thing i want is your warmth
Never let go of my hand
I also have a creepy feeling that Yuuki indeed died. Seeing what other people have said about it makes a lot more sense to me. 🙁
God, you people are paranoid. Yuuki is alive and kicking. Mirai is getting new information from her brother and Mari (why did they call both girls by almost the same name is beyond me), which would be uncommon if she was dreaming or whatever. And Mari would be quite spooked if Mirai spoke of her dead brother as if she was alive.
I also thought it was a bit cheap to pull the same trick twice, but it works, and it’s a nice and realistic way of making the audience feel the anguish of incertitude that people feel during catastrophes or accidents (will the patient survive or not?).
As for Mari, I agree that as she approaches her own residential area she is losing her calm, because confrontation to reality is more imminent. I was expecting that, but not via the news report, rather by seeing the destruction of the neighborhood. I’m moderately pessimistic about her case, since that would add quite some drama before finishing the anime with the siblings/parents reunion.
This episode was quite good, because the emotions rang true, even if it was a calm episode. What annoyed me in the last one was not that robots themselves are unrealistic, but that the boy’s story was so clumsy. The script writers were in better shape for this episode, although I think they should not have pulled the “Yuuki’s dead” trick twice.
Yeah all the clues were there, so sad T_T
ten bucks says hes dead.
Ill be damned, at first I thought that maybe the real dream sequence was the one after Mirai wakes up, but then started to believe Yuuki is alive and was completely disappointed
But after reading the comments here it makes perfect sense… Mari doesnt talk to Yuuki a single time after that, and when she goes back to the place they were sleeping at, she just says “Mirai?”.. Why not “Mirai? Yuuki?” Because she knows Yuuki is indeed dead
Wow, what an awesome way of making a main character die, they even fooled me
+10 points for this show, I didnt even think they would actually kill off a main character
Ok Yuuki is most definitely dead, there are all the above points but there is also another one you all missed that is unlike every other episode, he never says a word to Mari.
“We’re finished with all the legal work. Here are your documents”. Could it be Yuuki’s death certificate?
And heres another one someone pointed out on MAL, in the last shot where you see Mirai and other people walking around, theres no Yuuki… How is that possible? He was right in front of them ^^
That shot confirms 100% that he is dead and we saw the 2nd half of the episode through Mirai point of view only, which means she snapped and is hallucinating
Yuuki is dead, notice after Mirai gets Yuuki from the soccer game Mari never talks to him or mentioned his name?
Also, Mari takes care of the “legal” paperwork at the hospital? Maybe just basic paperwork but I think it was a death certificate.
Mari’s initial assessment of Yuuki’s vital signs (really had me freaked here, being an ex-medic and all).
To many clues point to his death 🙁
I would be seriously pissed if Yuuki wasn’t dead. I mean all that emotional potential wasted??
Oh well, you made me watch again the wake up scene, and you are indeed right, everything is compatible with the idea that Yuuki has become an imaginary friend.
Now I regret having watched the commentaries, it’s a bit like guessing too early things in “6th sense”, it spoils a bit the fun.
In any case, this of course changes the interpretation of Mari’s behavior, and it’s a nice shot from the part of the scriptwriters, I was completely fooled.
Suddenly I’m a lot more interested in this series ending!
Hm…i haven’t seen 8 yet but I get the feeling I should skip this episode and wait for 9 to come out to see if there’s more information. If your impressions are right, this sounds like a mindf*ck episode, made doubly tragic by Yuuki’s passing and Mirai losing her grip on reality. Disturbing stuff. -.-; Well, it seems also possible that Yuuki might not be dead exactly but be in some kind of coma or other incapacitating condition that would put Mirai into such denial. I also think it’s odd that Mari and Mirai would leave the hospital so quickly if Yuuki were really dead. They might be in a hurry to find Yuuki’s parents and bring them to Yuuki quickly. The mention of documents also brings to mind the possibility that they have a new quest to find some expertise or materials Yuuki needs that aren’t available at the hospital because of the earthquake. Perhaps they have details of Yuuki’s condition that Mari must now deliver to some isolated specialist somewhere. Hm..I think I’m in denial now haha. Yep..i should wait for 9 or 10 for more info. XD I’m such a wimp…-.-
Not completely impossible, but if you see the episode you’ll probably agree that it’s more likely he’s dead, because there’s a scene where Yuuki dies and it doesn’t feel like a dream scene or potential outcome. Also, they’re not hurrying when they’re leaving and Mari seems pretty damn shocked.
There are many interpretations, but only one is consistent with what happens at the end
#1 – Mari was not interacting with Yuuki at the end (if he was fine, why didn’t she respond to him in any way?)
#2 – They are leaving the hospital (if the bad news was he was in a coma or something, they would remain there)
#3 – They had a scene where Mirai wakes up from a dream twice (No self respecting director would pull the “he died oh wait he didn’t” stunt twice)
And now that this is the case, I don’t know what to think of this series. This is not what I expected at all, and feels like just a “let’s throw in a plot twist” moment.
Here are the final episode titles
9 今日、さよなら – “Today, goodbye”
10 おねえちゃん、あのね – “Sis, you know..” (How Yuuki would address Mirai)
11 – 悠貴へ… – “To Yuuki”
Unfortunately I think this seals Yuuki’s death. Clearly the final episode is centered to some extent around Yuuki, and he may be the largest emotional presence. Which makes complete sense with the idea of the family reuniting and bidding farewell to Yuuki.
*sigh*
I was about to drop this series after the whole robot incident last episode. After the first Death dream i was like ” No way they’re gonna the kid”.
But then after the second death scene, I realised. Damn. Huge points for the guts to kill off the only source of optimism in this show. Will download the next asap!!
Oh my God, at first I was confused. That second death scene felt so real and when they showed Yuuki after she woke up, I was confused. I didn’t think of Mirai hallucinating him.
Another piece of evidence that Yuuki is dead is when Mari has a breakdown at the end and apologises twice to Mirai. She is clearly apologising and crying because of Yuuki’s death. Also, just look at Mari’s face after Mirai says that he looks fine and how she’ll look after him. They spent a lot of time on Mari after Mirai ran off after “yuuki”. She had such a sad expression as she looked down at her boots; the emotion there was so powerful. Awesome episode.
Oh snap. Now that I read all the comments, I watched the show again and I’m sobbing now. Sniff.
Don’t forget the other big clue that Yuuki is dead. All along in the episode the kept showing people that were complaining about not being looked at by the hospital staff. If Yuuki’s condition were so easy to fix that all he needed was some IV fluids, then I doubt that they’d be ready to leave already. There were MANY other people waiting to be seen with real injuries and a simple case of dehydration would have been put on hold for more critical care patients. Basically they’d still be waiting to be looked at. Otherwise the director wouldn’t have had at least 2-3 scenes with complaining patients. The only plausible reason is because Yuuki is in fact dead and they have no reason to stay any longer.
For the record I was completely fooled as well. I let my optimism get the better of me and went along with the whole ‘never-kill-main-characters-or-kids’ concept. Now that all these clues point to him being dead, it just makes this episode absolutely amazing. A++
I was fooled as well, and after the ep I felt that it was a pretty uneventful episode, but I was wondering why Mirai looked so terribly depressed……then I read these comments. It makes the episode so much more powerful….though I’m kinda sad that I didn’t let the show hit me hard with the realization instead.
The way that Mirai’s perspective changes in the previous episode culminating in a resolution to be a better daughter and to engage Yuuki’s plans, and then the overcompensation toward Yuuki after she awakens from her ‘dream,’ and finally the firm insistence that she would look after her brother when Mari begins to talk about him fit a pattern. The epiphany that Mirai had in the previous episode creates closure between the siblings and establishes a common dream that will be tragically realized in the end of the show by the surviving family members in Yuuki’s memory. The exaggerated mothering after Mirai awakens reflects her guilt, and her insistence that she will watch over Yuuki and the way that she tries to downplay what has happened and focus on Mari’s problems establish her denial. The events push the conflict from between the characters to Mirai with herself, and the resolution of that conflict will come when Mari finally forces Mirai to acknowledge that Yuuki is gone. I imagine that will result in angry denial, perhaps with Mirai exploiting something she learns about Mari’s situation to strike out at her, followed by some kind of acceptance and an apology.
You can look at all of the bits of evidence that support the idea that Yuuki didn’t make it, but I think even the mile-high view fits the cookie cutter.
I was surprised by this turn of events. I expected Mari’s family to have been dead all along, because her behavior after the earthquake didn’t look much like something someone with a young child whose welfare is unknown would engage in. I always expected a bittersweet ending, but I thought it would be kept at a distance like most of the tragedy in the show.
i was completely fooled by this episode. now that i think about it, i wasn’t really paying attention when the news talked about sangenjaya and i just assumed mari was depressed about that the whole time.
Went ahead and saw 8 anyway. Didn’t want to be mulling over this all week til the next episode. Yea..pretty sure Yuki is dead. Damn. They should change the op and ed now. It’s just too upbeat, especially the ed. I got the impression that this would be a story with a happy ending in the midst of tragedy – with the three bearing witness rather than being direct victims of it. On a side note, it’s weird that the newscast excerpt at the end specifically mentions someone’s daughter going missing. It seemed like the newscaster was talking about Mari, which felt so unreal.
I knew right away that Yuuki had really died, and that the second “dream” was in fact reality. It’s what makes this show that much more real – in the event of a real earthquake of this size, this is the kind of thing that would happen. Life doesn’t always have happy endings waiting for us, sometimes those nightmares come true.
For example, when I was 11 years old and it was suspected by my doctor that I had cancer, mine and my parents’ initial thought was that it was, and it would be horrible – it’s natural to feel afraid like that and expect the worst. And we were right, it was cancer, and it was horrible. Things don’t always end okay.
This show is amazing, but I am so sad now!
I don’t know that it makes it quite real. The amount of casualties is fairly small for the population, so there is an overwhelmingly high chance, technically speaking, that the main chars should be alright, particularly since they escaped unscathed from the original tremors.
I thought the whole escaping Tokyo Tower debris was a misstep with forced drama back when it happened. If I had known it would lead to this, it would have been even worse.
What bugs me the most is the hallucination at the end. That is simple anime exaggeration, and doesn’t happen in real life. Which is okay, since it’s an anime, but I dunno, at the beginning I thought that this anime was aiming for something different.
@ meow:
The ED song actually reminds me of the OP song of Natsu no Sora, another anime that pulled off tragedy fairly realistic and hit me *really* hard.
@tealovertoma
I didn’t see the end of natsu no sora cos I wasn’t able to find episode 10. Last I saw was something about the elder teacher doing something to Sora in a room and the boyfriend catching sight of it and going depressed. I’ll go look it up somewhere. Usually Someday’s Dreamers stories are quite heartwarming stories though.
@Larien – I hope everything is okay with u and wish you the best.
#33 @Theowne
Well, I’m not really sure if it’s really an hallucination, but rather the way of expression in anime of the denial that often happens when someone close to you dies. Teens are prone to a strong denial phase, and in the context of an earthquake, where you have the pressing need to mind of your survival and of those around you, denial will be even stronger.
So I don’t think she is totally unaware of Yuuki’s death, but rather that she’s strongly blocking this fact from her consciousness. In this booklet there are some examples of behaviors that come close to that.
Actually, strong denial of death can result in pretty bizarre situations.
Anyways, psgel’s will have some hard time not to spoil things for the folks who were fooled, when he comments the next episodes.
Haha psgel’s comments lately in the threads that I follow are almost an episode summary so it doesn’t make a difference. XD I’m actually kinda grateful. I’m usually pretty sensitive to this sort of thing…especially something that blindsides me. Watching Mirai now is only going to be more painful. There were hints from the previous episodes but I honestly didn’t think they’d go this far so I’m glad the shock got softened by the stuff I read here.
About Mirai’s hallucinations, I think it makes alot of sense for Mirai’s mind to create this fantasy to soften the blow she’s taken – considering all the shocks she’s been taking since the whole earthquake started. I wonder if she might even blame herself for the earthquake; she’s the one who wished for the world to break in the first place. The last thing she would want would be to lose her kid brother to it. A part of the reason that the usually self-centered Mirai losing all sense of self preservation to save him might be her sense of responsibility for their predicament. And in the end, she fails. To face that head on, plus adding in her exhaustion, her worries about her parents, while still reeling from the end of her world, right down to her school…it’s either this or to sit in a corner in mental lockdown.
I thought it was a nice touch how every time Mirai sees Mari’s worried face, she mistakes it for Mari worrying about her daughter and tries to cheer her up, when in fact it’s Mari worrying about Mirai’s confused state.
For me, stories like this and Natsu no Sora (yep, found some summaries of the ending) are great to watch once but I think I’d never touch it again afterwards. It’s just too sad.
Sorry Psgels for posting “that” comment, I wasn’t really sure until I read all the comments here….to the topic, I think anyone can conclude that Yuki DID die…
I thought this episode was quite good. And I actually kinda like the OP.
I totally missed that Yuuki would have died. I can’t believe before I see the next episode. It would be such a surprise. Now I am a little confused. By the way, I also think the opening is a great one.
Yuuki is in fact dead. I knwo this for sure because when Mari did not find Mirai in her blanket, she called only for Mirai and not Yuuki. If you look at the past episodes, then you will find Mari calling for both. Why would Mari only call for Mirai? Its because she knows Yuuki is not able to be found. And the Mari’s tears were the biggest hint. Mirai is talking about how worried Mari must be about her daughter and tries to comfort her, when Mari hears those words and knows that she is being comforted after such a loss, its painful. Its hard to see a person in denial…
This anime is on its way to becoming an instant classic
@AlexS 36
I realize that traumatic grief can result in denial, but I don’t think that extended multisensory hallucinations occur except in the most mentally unstable of people. Here it is just anime exaggeration.
And of course, as I said, anime is anime, and doesn’t have to be like real life. In fact, I’d even say this is a pretty good way of showing Mirai’s state of denial, and is quite sad. But I just got this notion that this series was trying to be a bit more realistic with its handling of being a “disaster flick” and so seeing it go into cliche territory is a bit disheartening, for me at least.
@ Theowne
The reason why I felt that Yuuki might be dead while watching that episode and for the whole time, desperately wishing that Mari and Yuuki would have some exchange at least so to show that Yuuki isn’t dead is because of a movie I watched earlier this year. It’s called The Uninvited. I’m sorry if I spoiled this movie for anyone, but the case inside this is very similar to Mirai is behaving now, because the main character has been interacting with her dead sister so well that everyone was fooled. So I don’t think it’s just an anime exaggeration. I think it’s in every way possible for such things to happen, especially with Mirai and what she has been going through since the earthquake.
It was my gut feeling that pushed me to pick up this show and I’m so loving every single episode of it–yes, even the robots one which I don’t get what’s the hate about. lol. I hope this show gets more love!
And goodness, I agree with the person who said that the OP and especially the ED because they really fooled me that this will all end happily. :/
Okay, it may not be strictly anime exaggeration, but it is still exaggeration and unrealistic. Bringing up a comparison with a movie you watched is not really a good counter…..=P….Even with just a minimal dabbing in psychology, I know that extended multisensory hallucinations like what Mirai is apparently having is utter nonsense and does not happen to real life except for people who are, excuse the term, nutcases with complex history with mental issues. Grief, particularly sibling grief, manifests in many complex ways but this is just exaggerated.
Now to reiterate, I don’t have a problem with anime going over the line, but let’s not say it’s realistic.
http://rednights.net/typenights/tokyo-magnitude-8-0-episode-8-speculation/
Excellent run-down of the hints that reveal Yuuki’s death.
I also think Yuki is dead. I didn’t want to admit it, but yeah, I think it’s true. I started crying when I found out. I suppose that’s what the paperwork was for, and it explains why Mari was looking like that.
Good grief, these creators have guts. A lot of guts. I’m really upset about it right now…
@ Theowne
You misunderstand. I’m not saying that she’s having a multisensory hallucination. I don’t think she’s having a hallucinations at all. I just think that she’s blocking Yuuki’s death, which is very different.
The anime is clearly showing things from the subjective point of view of Mirai (already with the first death scene), and is just continuing to do it. Yuuki is represented because Mirai does not want to acknowledge his death, but it does not mean that she’s hallucinating him.
And it’s not the first time this anime takes subjective points of view (Mari’s nightmare is another one). It’s ok with me, since people’s point of view on reality are also part of the experience of an event, since they condition real world behaviors.
YUUKI IS DEAD! HE’S NO LONGER HERE…
BUT… ON MY BACK AND IN MY HEART, HE LIVES ON AS A PART OF ME!
i think Yuuki died…i don’t know why i just feel it …i am very confused right now. he was not carrying his bag. he was not beside Mirai when she woke up, his bag was there. Mari kinda hinted that he died when she said “about Yuuki…i would tell your parents…” or something like that. Mari is not holding any of their hands. I AM VERY CONFUSED
LOL! Right now he is equal to Schroedinger’s cat.
I was fooled as well, but now that I know he is dead they would better use this well in next episodes. Because to me it felt more like: hey let’s kill the kid because we don’t have enough story to make 11 episodes. He was perfectly well and then he dies like that, quite a bit cheesy to me.
Only that the uncertainty that he’s dead is definitely lower than the uncertainty that he’s alive… If I understand the uncertainty principle correctly, that is.
NEVER FORGET!
Dead or Alive!?!
A real spoiler please!
SPOILER:
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7149/spoilern.jpg
@56
FFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
09 was a nice episode and confirmed it. “Crush syndrome” is what they’re calling it.
Why is it that everyone around me thinks that Yuuki is dead? I don’t think this show would pull off a Kanon-like ending. This show’s supposed to be realistic without any spiritual elements or supernatural elements at all. Besides, if this show really had the guts to kill off Yuuki, they would either be saving it for the final episode or show something where Mirai asks about Yuuki but Mari either refuses to answer to say that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
@Firechick
It’s a real psychological disorder where a person cannot cope with stress, stemming from a great loss. The person imagines that what he/she has lost to be there. It’s all mirai’s imagination/hallucination. Nothing supernatural involved.
@tealovertoma
Yeap, Yuuki died from Crush Syndrome. They should have sent him to a doctor even though it looked like he emerged from the building collapse scratchless.
if… if yuuki died from ‘crush syndrome’ as others says, does that mean he was sick since the time he was trapped in the shopping centre?
Poor yuuki… why’d he have to die… ;__;
Well I see people saying that Yuuki died from crush syndrome. That is not the case, Yuuki died from cerebral bleeding after the conccusion he got when the Tokyo tower collapsed and he was hit in the head while saving his sister.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/concussion/page3_em.htm
if you look at the symptoms you will see that Yuuki had most of them, delayed loss of conciousness, vomiting, loss of memory ect… Just wanted to make that clear.
Edit: as opposed to crush syndrome that has the following symptoms:
Compression in excess of 60 minutes
Involvement of a large muscle mass
Absent pulse and capillary refill return to distal limb
Pale, clammy, cool skin
Weak, rapid pulse
Usually absence of pain in affected region
Onset of shock
Well after rewatching the 2nd episode again, it didnt look to me that Yuuki was crushed at all since that girl was protecting him when the shelf fell over them.
Yuuki also doesn’t like to tell people if hes ill or tired