This series is from the viewpoint of the older sister, Mirai, and at first is filled with pre-teen whining and trying to deal with her family, which she sees as annoying and uncool. Her mom is trying to deal with working a full-time job, her dad is just as busy, and her brother is too “uncool” for her. But she gets stuck taking her brother to a show that he’s been dying to see- and disaster strikes.

When you get to that point, you start to see that her obnoxious behavior is just normal teenage behavior, and she really does care and worry about her brother and her family. She tries to keep a brave face for Yuuki and Mari as they deal with many perils, from having no food or water, to dealing with the effects of aftershocks and obvious dangers of being in an earthquake.

That’s one area where the series shines- the creators did an obviously thorough job of researching what happens during and after earthquakes. Nothing about the circumstances seem out of place or exaggerated.

The other is in the characters- Mirai goes from unsympathetic whiny teen to one who’s worried about her family but trying to stay strong for her brother. Mari is a mother who worries about her own family as her home is endangered by fire, but still willing to take care of two kids who are on their own, and takes care of them in their time of need. The amount of sacrifice she shows is amazing, even though you can tell how agitated she is about the plight of her own daughter and mother. And Yuuki is a sweet boy who obviously adores his sister, and comes to be closer to her as they make their way home.

This is a great, moving series.

Violence/Gore: During one episode, you do see am arm or a leg sticking out from the rubble. No blood. When they take refuge at a school, they find people mourning the dead in the gym. Bodies are covered with sheets, and there's no blood. A character also dies offscreen from illness.

Theological Themes: There is incense burned at the heads of the bodies of the dead. Yuuki's brother may or may not have "come back" to protect and guide his sister to safety.