Summary:
Mirai Onosawa is a middle school freshman girl who, despite having such a name, neither has consideration for her future nor feels the love from her family that is experiencing some issues stemming from the lack of quality time together. One day, she reluctantly takes her little brother to a robot convention held at the reclaimed Odaiba Island. An unprecedented powerful earthquake shook Tokyo, razing famous structures and killing hundreds of thousands of people. The story then follows how Mirai and her brother find their way back home with the help of a delivery woman named Mari.
I have a strong belief that whichever direction an anime series wants to head towards, it eventually must know what genre it wants to be. A series may transit from a specific genre to another too as long as it is done right. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is the latest series by BONES and though it looks like a disaster/documentary drama right from the onset, but it is actually more of a slice-of-life series that revolves around three people and how they react to a disaster that is plausible based on “tremendous amount of research and verification”. The deceptive impression is not necessarily a bad thing per se, but whichever genre it wants to be, it must eventually establish a distinctive genre identity so that it does not straddle genres in a vain attempt to be riveting and down-to-earth. TM8.0 unfortunately is not as riveting as a disaster drama should be, nor has it done well in delivering the emotions during poignant moments that slice-of-life dramas should do.
As mentioned above, the setting and circumstances of TM8.0 are based on actual extensive research and verification of what may happen in Tokyo within 30 years. The purpose of instilling this into the story is, as how the disclaimer at the beginning of each episode puts it, to create a sense of realism of a catastrophe in an otherwise fictional story. Ironically, the sense of peril and hopelessness that Mother Nature throws at the lead trio from every corner is underwhelming for a disaster drama and partially, this may be due to how each suspenseful moment is predictably assured by the constant of sense of “close calls”. Furthermore, the emotional impact is left much to be desired due to some uninspiring dialogue and shallow characterisation. Plus, it does not help that the last few episodes seems to be a last-minute attempt at both giving the plot a twist and making up for lost opportunities with the emotional delivery.
The characters are not all bad, though. Although each character has issues of being one-dimensional, this may be offset by the good chemistry between the trio. There is good contrast that comes into play, an instance being the close relationship established between Mari and Mirai despite the former’s maturity, optimism and selflessness and the latter’s immaturity, pessimism and selfishness. Even better, the utilisation of contrast can also be seen at how the impassiveness and desperation of the mass victims towards the trio results in them becoming closer to each other emotionally. All of these instances are also illustrated in view of beautiful background renditions and accurate depictions of actual Tokyo landmarks to create to some extent a realistic and credible setting. It does however, disappoint to know that if more effort is given to the lazy character designs, it would create a better visual cohesion and subsequently a more pleasurable viewing experience.
For a series that is produced by BONES, I would not say that this series is entirely dissatisfying. TM8.0 does start off with a bang and it continues to give some good drama from the start, but the failure to do so all the way to the end is something I thought TM8.0 should have avoided. Straddling genres is a bad strategy, and it is worse if a series does not even do well in any of the genres.
TM8.0 eventually ends up being one of those series that starts off with a lot of promises but fails to take advantage of the chances it has to become a great series. It is a shame, because I am one of those people who was expecting this series to be one of the best of the season.
Active member of the Anime Academy.
Anime/live-action reviewer of The Nihon Review.
Favours anime produced by Madhouse or Production IG.
Dislikes anime produced by GONZO.
Indifferent towards popularity or age of an anime series. 
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I still think that TM8 was one of, if not the best series of the year, and here’s why:
I thought that it portrayed the all around feel and appearance of a disaster perfectly. It honestly felt as if I was there. From the mass amounts of walking people to the aid given by rescue crews and others to people dying and families crying. I feel like Bones did a great job with this anime.
I actually got choked up at the end, and that’s hard to do to me.
I haven’t watched the bulk of the anime this season has to offer yet, but even on its own merit, I find this series to be disappointing. It’s not a disappointment right from the onset, but it disappointed me halfway through the series. I don’t feel the suspense, tension, sense of despair or desperation that I should for a story that centers around such a catastrophe, nor do I feel a sense of emotional connection or deep characterisation for a series that also centers around human emotions. That’s why I feel that the anime is straddling genres when it would have benefited from focusing on only one.
There are some good character dynamics between the trio but that’s sadly the good thing about the series ends here. As for the emotions illustrated in the series, I feel that they’re forced and unnatural. Seeing many people dying doesn’t do enough to make me sad because if done distastefully, it can be a cheap way of scoring sympathy points. The only episode that moved me is episode 5.
It’s a disappointment by BONES to me because it has done way better with its previous works.
I disagree with your review…
TM8.0 had done well from start to finish and ended realistically, just like an disaster with the last few episode showing very good directorship.
It happened with a bang just like you said but it soon starts to turn into a struggle for survival, with the climax over and the mess left behind. TM8.0 is almost like that, where the process of the cleaning the mess is the important part. The emotions portrayed in this process is very well done.
I personally am touched at how Mirai grown up from the stubborn girl to an understanding, independent and optimistic girl before throwing her back into the depths of darkness.
The many minor characters along the way also showed that the Japanese people are united and forward looking, rather then dwelling in the past… You might not remember the names of the minor characters, but for me atleast, they have left to me a deep impression, examples like the Robo-Otaku, the Elder couple, the kind army driver or even that cute Office Temp.
There are also ugly people but luckily they are not really featured.
If it can leave us with such a deep impression and the hope of not a bleak future in-case something bad happened…. Human spirit will conquer all!
But Like the show pointed out, what has happen is now gone… We must live for the future. Let look forward to the next season of animes!
Wooh! looks like i wrote alot… .. … sorry…
I don’t know if the qualities of the characters in the show is restricted to Japanese people, but it’s a matter of course that they are two types of people in the event of any crisis – those who look forward and those who look backwards. It’s fair enough that TM8.0 explores these two groups of people, but apart from the elderly couple, they’re not explored enough. They seem to be there just to accomodate and complement the main trio in the plot development.
I actually wished the series explored more on the ugliness of the people because not only it enhances the dynamics of the trio’s interaction, it has a lot of potential to showcase how people may react differently in times of desperation and despair e.g. why would people start behaving selfish and yet not making them necessarily evil, or how a kind act of selflessness may backlash to a person.
On a side note, I wouldn’t give credit to the series simply because it explores the human spirit. The human spirit is just the motif of the series and how the motif is put under the spotlight at various angles is more important to me (Now and Then, Here and There is a wonderful example to illustrate this explanation).
Oh, and I welcome feedback regarding my review, so please don’t apologise. I appreciate you explaining why you disagree with my review, so a big thanks to you from AC.