Japan Sinks or Nippon Chinbotsu (Submerged Japan) is a novel by writer Sakyo Komatsu , which was published in 1973 by Kobunsha and took nine years to complete.
Japan Sinks: 2020 is an ONA (released directly on the internet) licensed by Netflix and animated by the studio Science Saru (The Tatami Galaxy, Eizouken! ) directed by Pyeon-Gang Ho and master Masaaki Yuasa ( Devilman Crybaby ).
The anime premiered on July 9, 2020 and has 10 episodes.
This text contains SPOILERS!
Synopsis
Shortly after the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, a major earthquake hits Japan. In the midst of the chaos, brothers Ayumu and Gou Mutou begin to escape the city with their family. The sinking Japanese archipelagos, however, relentlessly pursue the family. Immersed in extreme conditions, of life and death, and the choice to meet and separate - faced with the terrible reality, the Mutou brothers believe in the future and find the strength to survive with their utmost effort.
Unsympathetic empathy
The characters in Japan Sinks are complex, but so complex that not even the screenwriter understood them, which is why we see scenes with absurd changes in the characters' emotional state, like when Ayumu's father, Koichiro, dies, and the family is devastated for a few minutes and then forget about the tragedy.
This lack of empathy for death at times took away the reality of the characters, if a close relative dies, even more so in a terrible way as in Koichiro's example, the grief would be immense, not to mention all the traumatic scenes that the group witnesses.
Despite everything, this expressed grief is somewhat understandable, after all, in a stressful situation such as a natural disaster, the main concern is to survive.
Being an adaptation, these “cuts” were predictable.
All of the main characters work well in the story, almost all of them having a well-developed arc. The group starts out very well equipped with physical strength, but little by little it loses its members and this doesn't seem to have any effect.
Highlighting the character Nanami Miura, who lived simply to complete her arc, giving emotional strength to Ayumu and fighting the perverted driver, after which she dies and is IMMEDIATELY replaced by Kite.
Kite (cosplayer of Ryo from Devilman Crybaby) is an excellent character, he arrived directing the story like a Deus Ex Machina , being previously developed as a famous YouTuber, he even raised some mysteries at the end, showing a girl extremely similar to him (who could be only a relative), leaving doubt as to whether it was him in the past, raising the possibility that Kite was a trans man; and how did he survive in the balloon?!
Ayumu, Go and Mari Mutou
Ayumu starts the story with the problem mentioned before, the damn lack of empathy, she sees her entire team being torn apart in a room, leaves there very upset and then… overcomes it!
The cut on her leg was the only pain she decided to feel, she ignored the rest, and despite feeling the cut, she did absolutely NOTHING to treat it, even though she had several chances to do so.
Go, company of hugs and punches with his sister Ayumu, a gamer who dreams of one day participating in the Olympics through e-Sports, but… besides being shot with an arrow, would history have changed a lot if Go didn't exist?
Mari, Ayumu and Go's mother, one of the most beloved characters, being from the first to the last scene a person who put others before herself, even counting on a revelation at the end, but unfortunately a painful death for her children. (But like all deaths, they overcome.)
Haruo Koga, Sadboy with motives
As incredible as it may seem, Haruo was one of the characters who best demonstrated sadness in the anime, burdened by his departure from the racing team and the death of his mother, his behavior completely matches the story.
After witnessing the horrors of the disaster, he ends up going a little “crazy” as the story goes on, but that makes perfect sense, he was in mourning, but when he realized what he had and what he lost while eating curry in Shen City, he woke up. for life.
Ultimately, his death was one of the most emotional, with him remembering his golden moments on the track team.
Kunio Hikita, or RAMBO
Kunio Hikita, or RAMBOThe bitter old man addicted to morphine, who even in the Japanese apocalypse, found a drug supplier, killed security guards with a bow and arrow after doing a 360º with an electric market cart, was arrested, was released (by Kite) and still carried out his wish before dying (go to Shen City and talk to the medium Mother).
Daniel, thank you!
Daniel was an unexpected character, typically in end-of-the-world/disaster plots like TWD, everyone is a potential enemy, and when Daniel appears, the safety manual explodes and the Mutou group decides to help a bizarre guy on the road.
However, to the shock of fatalists, Daniel, the street artist without a country was genuinely good!
Interesting points in history
Shen City was one of the most tense parts, after all placing your family among a suspicious cult in the semi-apocalypse is never a good idea.
But like Daniel, Shen City took the cliché and ran with it , it wasn't the perfect community, but it was close, with a real medium and people working together for each other.
Having real problems only when nature (and an elderly person) decided to interfere.
The vessel that only allowed Japanese people, at the perfect time to be jingoistic, loving Japan in the wrong way at the end of the world, refusing and picking on Mari, who was Filipina and Go who was only half Japanese.
Just like medicine, the vessel seemed to be a part that would leave a bad taste in the mouth, but in the end it did good, not every opportunity should be accepted.
KITE , already mentioned here, the one who made the wheels of history move, highlighting an entire plan to help save Japan and three natives, even though he seemed to be selfish, he (theoretically) sacrificed himself for the greater good.
In the hot springs, in one of the few calm parts of the anime, the Japanese people are discussed in an unpretentious and creative way, where the characters share their polarized views.
Animation
The animation of this anime is certainly the biggest reason for its drop, just like Devilman Crybaby from the Science Saru , the animation is different, but it is not accidental, this is one of the studio's animation styles.
Although the anime holds up well, certain scenes like the balloon in the last episode and sometimes when the characters' skin looks like crumpled paper, leave a strange feeling, taking away from the immersion.
Final considerations
Japan Sinks: 2020 is a great anime, it definitely counted on the production effort to reach the final product – and this value, along with the flaws, must be recognized. In addition to presenting an emotional story, the anime praised and criticized the country that so many love, showing its defects and qualities, because Japan is the land of the rising sun, because the Japanese are so faithful to their country and customs. Imbued with tragedy and hope, Japan Sinks, despite being flawed, deserves to be seen.
“The sun may set, but it will always rise again.”
All images used in this article are the property of Netflix .
