Tokyo Magnitude 8.0: Complete Collection

A disaster serial, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 claims to be based on scrupulous research into what would happen if a severe earthquake ravaged the city. Aggravated over having to tend to her younger brother, Yuki, on an excursion at the beginning of summer vacation, schoolgirl Mirai tells herself she wouldn't care if the world fell apart—fateful words, it turns out, as a massive temblor hits the megalopolis. Mirai comes to value and appreciate Yuki more as the waifs (who are joined by Mari, a nurturing and unbelievably upbeat young widow) try to reach home on foot, coping with aftershocks and fires and Irwin Allen–esque set pieces such as the collapse of the Tokyo Tower. The way the protagonists repeatedly escape earth-shattering peril is more than a little, er, cartoonish—at least until the series raises paranormal undertones (which, along with a sidebar about Tokyo maintaining an autonomous robot-rescue corps, are the only concessions to fantasy). Compiling all 11 episodes of this 2009 series on a dual-language set, rated TV-14, extras include a 52-minute “digest” version of the story. Recommended. (C. Cassady)