_ _ _

I've rewritten this review due to my previous constant labelling of Japan Sinks as one of Yuasa's works. I understand that he isn't the chief director, and that mentioning Yuasa so much may have come across as a misunderstanding. I've changed it so that I don't bring him up so much, and I acknowledge Pyeon-gang Ho as the main director instead.

Spoilers ahead. TL;DR + flaws at the bottom.

While this isn't the finest work that Masaaki Yuasa's been involved in (whether as a main director or not), the unpredictability and cliffhangers didn't stop me from binging it all in one day or, as some people described it, 'a dumpster fire that you just can't stop watching'.

I sometimes watch anime while multitasking, but there was something about the show that kept my eyes glued to the screen. I literally put down the dishes I was washing to watch it properly. The transition between events is almost seamless, and it feels like we're on that same continuous journey that the characters are on as well. The soundtrack is incredible; the same impeccable quality we can expect from Kensuke Ushio. It's unpredictable (in its surreal ways) and there's some stuff that catches you off guard. The cult arc, on the other hand, is a very mixed bag.

We all knew that certain things would happen in the end, but the unpredictability makes it all the more exciting. Though I feel the characters move on from recent despairs a bit too quickly, it also sends the message that we shouldn't let trauma and grief stop us from living our lives. Sounds a bit cheesy, but that's probably the message they're trying to send.

However, I must commend the running scene for making me so on-edge. My heart was beating so fast and I was sweating so much that I felt like I would faint from the anxiety. If one good moment came out of Japan Sinks, it was this high-octane, heart-racing beauty of a scene.

So, to round it all up, this coming-of-age story isn't the best thing to come out of Science SARU's anime labs. However, it gets some brownie points for its beautiful landscapes, surreal sound design and the odd 10-out-of-10 moments. Your opinions could go anyway with this; you might even be uncertain about them. I liked it, but I wish I could've liked it more.

_ _ _

Let's talk about some of the flaws

1. The animation It's nice to see an artstyle reminiscent of Yuasa's past has made it into this one and, interestingly enough, we get to see it in a disaster-style show.

I must say, Japan Sinks 2020 isn't really suited for its animation. While the first few episodes get off to a great start, I slowly started to find the it clunky and too simplistic. Because of that, the characters can't be as facially expressive or, at the very least, they look unnatural and half-baked. For its kind, I wouldn't say the animation style wasn't the best in this particular piece.

2. The cult arc Probably one of the most peculiar arcs I've ever seen in anime. I see many people saying that it was totally unnecessary and that it had no place in the show or, rather, that it made the show worse. I do agree with this to some extent.

We'll never know if the comedic timing in this arc was meant to be or not. In fact, we'll never know if it was made to be laughed at. It gave us way more questions than answers, and I'm sure you feel the same if you've seen it. I honestly don't know either: I was in too much shock at first to comprehend it.

Japan Sinks was certainly big shoes for Pyeon-gang Ho to fill in, but a disaster story is a bit too ambitious of a debut project for her to direct execute strongly. Hopefully, lessons are learned and we'll get to see more positive reviews in her future works.