'Japan Sinks 2020' Ending Explained: After a terrible disaster, the Mutō siblings find a ray of hope

The aptly titled Episode 10 'Resurrection' has its fair share of tragedy but it closes the show with happiness and satisfaction.
(Netflix)
(Netflix)

Spoilers for 'Japan Sinks 2020' Season 1 Episode 10 'Resurrection'

'Japan Sinks 2020' may be a series about a terrible disaster but this new Netflix anime concludes its story with a message of hope and rejuvenation. The aptly titled Episode 10 'Resurrection' has its fair share of tragedy but it closes the show with happiness and satisfaction.

In the episode, KITE (Kensho Ono), Gō Mutō (Tomo Muranaka) and Ayumu Mutō (Reina Ueda) discover data that reveals that the Japanese islands will rise from the waves over the course of a hundred years. They then seek the first of these rising landmasses and find KITE's balloon, which he uses to help them connect to the internet and get a rescue helicopter sent to save the siblings and Onodera. 

After their rescue, the kids are taken to a hospital where Ayumu is informed that her leg has become infected and will have to be amputated. Later, she finds a video that KITE had scheduled for her birthday and breaks down seeing the message from all her loved ones, most of whom she has already lost.

The show then jumps eight years forward to show how Japan has now rebuilt itself into an ultramodern nation, using the still rising land as the basis for a network of artificial islands. We find out that Gō has become an Olympic swimmer and a gaming legend, maintaining dual Estonian and Japanese citizenship. KITE appears to have become paralyzed by his attempts to make sure the Mutō siblings are rescued but he still continues to run his channel with a dedicated team working under him. The world has come together to preserve Japan's territory and wait for the day the nation will truly be revived.

As for Ayumu, she has also completed her dream. Though she has to use a prosthetic, she continues to be an athlete and the show ends with a message that's a love letter to the people she's lost, the ones who helped her survive and her homeland that refuses to give up despite the tragedies it has faced.

It's unlikely that there will be a Season 2 for this show and that's just as well. Because in its 10 episodes 'Japan Sinks 2020' has created a lasting story that is perfect in every aspect.

'Japan Sinks 2020' is currently available for streaming on Netflix. 

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