Japan Sinks: 2020 - Listening Activity

 

I first watched Japanese anime as a high school student. After I left for college, I did not watch any Japanese anime at all. So, this is the first time that I have watched it in a while. I really like the show "Japan Sinks: 2020". In the plot, a major earthquake devastates Japan in the Summer of 2020. Consequently, over the course of the series Japan slowly sinks into the ocean. Amid this catastrophe a Japanese family struggles to find each other, stay together, avoid danger and survive. They meet fellow survivors as they make their way to safety.

While the apocalyptic storyline is tense and scary. The anime series is ultimately about hope and humanity's capacity to overcome adversity. Some key characters die, and others suffer tragedies.  But in the end, the movie celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and the irrepressible fortitude of the Japanese people.

I was able to recognize important words and phrases. For example, the 10-year-old son of the family (Gu Mutoh) talked about playing video games and often commented on the things and activities he liked and disliked. I also learned about different phrases and terms that are used to address older people because Gu Mutoh frequently had conversations with a 79-year-old supermarket owner Kunio Hikita.