Masaaki Yuasa is, without a doubt, my favorite director in anime. His 2014 adaptation of Ping Pong the Animation is my favorite anime of all time, while Tatami Galaxy sits at a close 2nd. Among his more recent works, Devilman Crybaby was imperfect but ultimately a visual treat, while Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken is my current anime of the year. The man has a visual style unlike any other, and the works he adapts often resonate with something deeply personal, to put it simply, utterly human. So when I heard he was working on another series, also to be released this year, I was ecstatic. That it was based off of a famed novel from the 70’s and would be his last work as President of Science Saru only fueled this fire. I was expecting something incredible, a rival for Eizouken! Sadly, Japan Sinks was nothing of the sort.
Simply put, Japan Sinks was a complete and utter failure, the likes of which I was not prepared for. There are themes to be found, and moments of Masaaki Yuasa’s usual brilliance to be found. But they are few and far between. The tone is jarring and throughout the whole thing I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be laughing, crying or just shocked. Japan Sinks is, in a word or two, jarringly inconsistent, questionably paced and poorly timed in regards to current world events. With all of that said, the ending score should come as now surprise, it was an utter failure. But the question remains as to why, why did it fail, why does it not work? So without further ado, let’s talk details, and strap in because this is going to get wordy. Also fair warning this review will contain spoilers for Japan Sinks.