Title: Japan Sinks aka Nihon Chinbotsu
Genre: Drama
Director: Higuchi Shinji
Format: Movie, 135 minutes.
Dates: 15 Jul 2006

Synopsis: Scientists estimate that due to tectonic plate movements, the entire Japanese archipelago will sink slowly into the Pacific Ocean in about 40 years. However, matters become much more dire when the archipelago begins sinking almost right away, and the entire nation gets ready for a mass evacuation. Abe Suzuko, a firefighter in Tokyo, and marine geologist Onodera Toshio are two people that bear witness to the rapidly collapsing country around them and the destruction caused by it.

The Highlights
Story: Better than most American disaster films.
Characters: Interesting role reversal that actually works.
Effects: Unbelievably realistic and chilling to the bone.
Ending: Depressingly painful.
If this were an American Film: Think The Day After Tomorrow meets The Guardian

Higuchi Shinji, one of the four original members of GAINAX, is one of the biggest special effects wizards in Japan, and he uses his talents to his full potential in Nihon Chinbotsu. A remake of the 1973 classic of the same name, this film is filled up to the brim with special effects. The premise is simple: Japan is sinking into the Pacific due to tectonic plate movements. The movie doesn’t focus on the science of this so much, but rather, captures the frantic scrambling of the Japanese people during a national crisis.

The main character, Onodera Toshio, is played by Kusanagi Tsuyoshi (of SMAP fame). A quiet, reserved marine geologist, he develops a relationship with Abe Suzuko (Shibasaki Kou), a Tokyo firefighter. An interesting role reversal appears in this film: the man is the quiet, thoughtful one and the woman is the strong, decisive one. This works to the film’s advantage as the characters develop quite realistically.

The film has a dark tone overall. The first lines of text that show up after the opening credits accentuates this fact. The blank, white words state the setting very simply: “The near future — This could be tomorrow.” We then cut to a scene of a raging fire after an earthquake. Scenes such as this invoke thoughts of the devastating Kobe earthquake of 1995.

The main selling point of this movie can be described in two words: “Eye Candy.” And that’s exactly what it is. While there is an above average plot that has you caring about the characters, the audience will be far more engrossed by the Japan that’s being destroyed around them. Especially seeing this in Japan, the winces from the people in the audience were almost tangible. One of the most disturbing scenes in the movie was a view of Kyoto from Kiyomizu Temple with the entire city flooded to the brim. The visual effects are so real in this movie you could almost wonder if it’s actually a documentary. From Nagoya being blackened by ash from the erupting Mt. Fuji, to Tokyo being crushed under a tsunami, to the erupting Fuji itself — this movie is filled to the brim with vivid depictions of disaster.

And with disaster, comes mass panic, which, thankfully, is portrayed quite well. In an ironic juxtaposition with Japan’s strict immigrant laws and its militant past, millions of Japanese refugees are left with nowhere to go after neighboring countries refuse to take them in. Among those stranded are Suzuko’s family, who runs a small restaurant in Shinagawa. You really do start feeling sorry for these people; trudging through ash and fire to find somewhere safe to live after the destruction of Tokyo. This movie invokes feeling quite well, and will leave an emotional impact on much of the audience. The romance between the main characters is subtle; no cheesy mushiness transpires between the two characters. We only see brief flashes of romance, usually in the conversations they have after work. After all, when you’re busy saving lives and preventing a national catastrophe, it’s not realistic to be talking about your relationship all the time.

In the end, whether you hate it or love it, Nihon Chinbotsu is definitely worth it: the beautiful visuals, the compelling story, the realistic characters and an ending that I did not expect (and that left me in tears) combine to make one of the most memorable disaster movies in recent years.

The Rating: 8

Reviewed by: Akira