Made in Abyss

The Abyss—a gaping chasm stretching down into the depths of the earth, filled with mysterious creatures and relics from a time long past. How did it come to be? What lies at the bottom? Countless brave individuals, known as Divers, have sought to solve these mysteries of the Abyss, fearlessly descending into its darkest realms. The best and bravest of the Divers, the White Whistles, are hailed as legends by those who remain on the surface.

Riko, daughter of the missing White Whistle Lyza the Annihilator, aspires to become like her mother and explore the furthest reaches of the Abyss. However, just a novice Red Whistle herself, she is only permitted to roam its most upper layer. Even so, Riko has a chance encounter with a mysterious robot with the appearance of an ordinary young boy. She comes to name him Reg, and he has no recollection of the events preceding his discovery. Certain that the technology to create Reg must come from deep within the Abyss, the two decide to venture forth into the chasm to recover his memories and see the bottom of the great pit with their own eyes. However, they know not of the harsh reality that is the true existence of the Abyss.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Reg Main

Ise, Mariya Japanese

Riko Main

Tomita, Miyu Japanese

Nanachi Supporting

Izawa, Shiori Japanese

Bondrewd Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Ouzen Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Mitty Supporting

Kitamura, Eri Japanese

Lyza Supporting

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Marulk Supporting

Toyosaki, Aki Japanese

Jiruo Supporting

Murata, Taishi Japanese

Kiyui Supporting

Hanawa, Manami Japanese

Yamashita, Shinpei Producer

Ogata, Mitsuhiro Producer

Takenaka, Nobuhiro Producer

Isogai, Noritomo Producer

Reviews

Sep 29, 2017

IzaEpsil

Recommended

Are you looking for a good, fun, light-hearted adventure? This has that.
Are you looking for a wonderful, sci-fi thriller? This has its thrilling moments.
Are you looking for wonderful chemistry between the characters? This presents that.
Do you want an anime with well-animated fight scenes? This gives us that.
Are you looking for an anime that has a wonderful staff backing it up, always checking to make sure they bring out the anime’s fullest potential, based from its manga source, faithfully adapting it? They both have, and do that.

Made in Abyss is an anime that can abide to almost anyone’s taste in anime. I personally believe that Made ... in Abyss is an anime and manga that will ring throughout time as one of the best classics to come out in recent years.

Why? I’ll tell you.

As said before, Made in Abyss has a staff of people running it that always checks to make sure that every episode is doing great, always trying their hardest into their works. A wonderful story, great character chemistry, a harmonious soundtrack, effects, and voice actors, and beautiful, fluid animation. All of that came onto the screen because of such a wonderful staff (except story, for the most part. Credit to the author, Akihito Tsukushi!). Everything about the series was able to grab me and pulled me in like a roped hostage on a train or bank scandal. While that may sound rough, what is truly meant is that, just from the first episode, I could tell that Made in Abyss was going to be great.

In the first episode, it panels off immediately into a beautiful waterfall within the first layer of the Abyss and then into an abundance of flowers, trying to make you feel as if you’re standing right next to the lead in their journey into the abyss. The staff did that to have world build for the viewers, but it was a lot more than that. With the waterfall and pacing through the first episode, the waterfall and what happens after foreshadows what is to come later in the story. EVERYTHING that happens in the first episode is foreshadowing the story within the Abyss. But let me get back to what happens shortly after the waterfall and flower clip. We are introduced to the lighthearted driver of the story and her friend, Riko and Nat. They walk down a path where they see a gondola, foreshadowing that Riko will be going down into the abyss. Then she goes on an excavation to find relics, only to find a dead body in prayer.

And then.. The craziest part of the episode that foreshadows the darkness of the story.
A child, an inch away from death, from being eaten by the monster with the most peculiar characteristics that will have importance in the show. The monster can be compared to that of a Manta Ray, a slug and a snake.

Of course, because Riko is the main character, she cannot just standby and watch it all happen. So, she tries to attract the monster away from the child by blowing her whistle, and she runs away as hard as she can, and she gets hurt. Just when it seems everything is hopeless, A robotic child, or maybe I should say a knight in shining armor, saves Riko with a blast of light, and is found unconscious shortly after. Riko can’t just leave him, being the main character. So, she brings him. That robot’s name is Reg.

Thus, starts the wonderful character chemistry between the characters.

With the first episode, whenever the characters interact with each other, it always brings great joy for how well they work together. It might be that the leads are kids (no, not lolis, they range from ages 10-12, and Kiwi is, like, 4), but because they are kids, it makes me feel as if I, myself, am a kid again. Just watching them do what they do across the screen, pulls my heart even more into the story. It truly feels as though I’m standing next to them during their interactions. Due to the leads being kids, they give off the light-hearted sense of adventure. Living joyously, actively, and having fun. This is just between Nat, Riko, Reg, and Sigy. Don’t even get me started on the interactions with Lyza, Ouzen and Nanachi. Their interactions are some of the biggest reasons why this anime is great, along with the fight scenes. Lyza being the narrator, Ouzen being the badass grandmother, and Nanachi (My favorite!) breaking your average anime tropes. If you want to know how great they are, just watch the anime. After the encounter with Ouzen, the story shows that, not even the main characters have plot armor. The definition of humanity treads onto many uncomfortable grounds for its viewers to display dark desires from within.

Another great attachment to the anime is the sound.

The soundtrack is beautiful. In an instant, from hearing the insert song from the first episode, I pre-ordered the soundtrack. The soundtrack sounds as if it came straight out of a game, and really has an adventurous beat to it. Thank you, Kevin Penkin. However, if I were to compare the soundtrack to the sound effects, the sound effects are some of the best sounds I have heard out of anime, especially when Reg shoots his arms or laser. What I can describe those sound effect as, is organic. With the voice actors, the kids sound like kids, and the old adults sound like old adults. But, when the intensity rises, comedically and dramatically, or narration within the anime, say, the fight scenes and Maaya Sakamoto (Her narration is wonderful to hear), the voice acting is great. It rounds about the sense of adventure, just like everything else the anime provides. With the voice acting, one can tell that there is passion going on behind the scenes.

One more thing to talk about that the anime provides is the animation.

I have not seen many anime with such fluid flowing animation besides those of Ghibli films. Speaking of which, the background animator of Made in Abyss comes from the Ghibli films! Will that motivate you to watch and finish Made in Abyss? ...No? Okay, then I’ll provide more than that to motivate you. Time frame 19:57 to 20:10 in the first episode. That should be enough to talk about the animation, because animation like that is all the anime will provide, making eye candy for the viewer. From the grainy wood, to the cavities on rock walls, and the sun coming over the horizon are wonderful details added by the animators.

Overall/TL;DR | Enjoyment: 10/10.

Made in Abyss is quite original in handling the fantasy setting, and I have to say that I’m glad something like Made in Abyss was able to come by. How the author was able to build a culture around an enormous crater is quite plausible. Made in Abyss provides variety and satisfaction, and it even provides the knowledge of the author, such as medical assistance and ecological terminology. Made in Abyss is an anime I can universally recommend. A great story that compels the viewer to finish from the start, active and lively characters that can be described even more as such through their interactions, the wonderful music from the soundtrack, sound effects, voice actors, and the Ghibli-comparable animation. I utterly, truly, from the bottom of the abyss within my heart, recommend this anime to anyone who seeks a great story. Made in Abyss provides just that.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sincerely, a great fan.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Sep 5, 2019

Sorinne

Mixed Feelings

I think this series is incredibly overlooked and very overhyped at the same time.
Sounds weird, right?
Made in Abyss is prime example of poorly executed great idea. This show had everything to become a modern classic, but wasted it on bland characters, poorly paced dull story and blatant fetishism.

Worldbuilding
Made in Abyss sets up one the most interesting fictional world to explore, but barely does anything with said world. Since episode 1 you'll be showered by paragraphs of exposition and ramblings about great adventures, but the Abyss itself is very shallow. It does look pretty, all thanks to amazing background art, but it's empty as desert. 3-4 ... species of monsters per layer, no foreign delvers, no artifacts to collect, nothing of what you can expect by looking at its map and listening narrator's voice.
I still think Made in Abyss is worthy to watch for the world alone if you are tired from generic fantasy/isekai setting, but actual Abyss is one big missed opportunity in terms of worldbuilding. Monster designs, landscapes, idea of the curse field are great, yet plain and tiresome story doesn't allow them to shine.

Story
It's linear and aimless. The most interesting part of the story are flashbacks and it speaks a lot. Somewhere in the middle of Ozen's arc I questioned myself: "why do we even follow Reg and Riko, when Lyza's past seems 10x times more interesting than her daughter's speedrun?"
The shock value and horror may have worked if there would really be consequences. Despite building up the dangers of the Abyss nothing of lasting consequence actually happens. For every time main characters are getting into troubles there is always Deus Ex Machina to save them.

Characters
I don't have prejudice against children as main characters, I think that immature protagonists can be incredible opportunity for a writers to show how the horrors of the Abyss can warp unprepared young minds. Alas, for an author of Made in Abyss it was an opportunity to show how 12yo girl pees herself almost every episode.

I was expecting the characters to be more developed than what is the standard fare for shounens, but Riko and Reg totally fit into what every main character of shounen series are, despite Made in Abyss being seinen. The worst part is that they don't grow because of their hardships, they just stay as naive as in the beginning so the viewer would feel bad for watching suffering of cute, innocent kids.

Side characters are slightly better, but they don't have enough screentime or proper arcs e.g. Ozen, who was intriguing, but actually exists for exposition only.
Nanachi's part amused me at some point by how writers tried to brush away the fact that cute bunny tortured almost as many people as its creator. I was seriously disappointed that potentially interesting morally grey character turned into a token furry loli at the end.

Drama
I've heard million times how this series is sad and depressing. It's not, if you wouldn't allow to fool yourself by simple tricks. Made in Abyss essentially skips all needed development of emotional connection between viewer and characters and makes you feel bad for them because they are small children. It uses every possible tearjerking trope in a span of one episode from cancer like desease to loss of pet and sweet tragic girl, who fell for some loser. For me, it's jumped the shark.

Art&Music
Background art is incredible, music carried half of the overall enjoyment. I liked monster designs and White Whistles. Architecture of Orth was also great.

tl;dr: Made in Abyss has an interesting setting and the production values are excellent. But it seriously fails with the main characters and with the laughably forced melodrama.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Aug 9, 2021

Arlamp01

Not Recommended

I felt uncomfortable throughout the series. It was too weird to focus on the underlying mystery.
I couldn't help but think about what kind of weird tastes the author of this series had.
Because punishing kids by hanging them naked in BDSM is shady enough to make me raise an eyebrow throughout the show.
I mean ... what was the need to use children as protagonists? They appear naked, dismembered or doing strange things. And it is not that I care about the tastes, fetishes or mental illnesses that a person may have, but it seems to me that if your intention is to tell a good story, ... you should put your eccentricities aside for a matter of being professional.

And it's not that I was bothered by any of that, it's that I just can't find a positive justification for doing it.
The real reason is the following, the series has to use shock in order to impress the viewer. It has to show innocent and happy children bleeding and being tortured to look dark and serious. And doing that indicates mediocre writing. The series did not have to use strange and annoying children to tell this story, I can not take it seriously and even less including the uncomfortable things that I already mentioned.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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