Jan 31, 2023
This is an absolute roller coaster of a season... It'll leave you with many thought provoking ideas and definitely will gross you out as this is the goriest installment of the series. Initially I had a difficult time rating this season as I couldn't really pinpoint where I stood- it's differences to Dawn of the Dark and season 1 are very off putting. It's more or less good entertainment wise but there are some issues with the coherency and story. Anyways, I'll break down my thoughts into the categories; OST, animation, characters, and plot/story.
DISCLAIMER: This review will be made under the assumption that you've
...
watched the previous season and dawn of the dark- so be aware of that.
-OST
The music for this show... god it's incredible. In fact I don't think you can get much better than this! It's angelic yet off putting, beautiful with a lingering darkness, it encompasses everything this show is about perfectly.
-Animation
This one is tricky... general animation is extremely fluent and pleasant to look at, the landscapes are absolutely gorgeous as always, but the cgi is SO. BAD. It's clunky, it's out of place, and it really messes with the overall beauty of the abyss. I found intense scenes to be somewhat ruined due to this.
-Characters
This is probably the only category that was actually dealt with better than the previous renditions of the Made in Abyss series. Minus Nanachi, our main cast has been very cut and dry up to this point: Reg is the indecisive kind one and Riko is the overly-positive confident adventurer. But we really get to see some interesting developments in Reg's character. Though Riko is yet to have changed much. The introduction of the adorable yet frightening Faputa helps answer a few ongoing questions of the series and provides some of the best fight sequences by far. But the real gold mine is Vuelo. In just 12 episodes you watch Vuelo’s horrifyingly dark life play out through flashbacks- which is the best part of the entire season (this is personally what kept me watching despite having very negative feelings in the beginning). Her story will absolutely rip your heart out.
-Plot/story
This is where things get iffy- In comparison to the previous installments this season is vastly different. A lot of the time is spent with the characters individually rather than in a group which brings up an issue: Riko’s character is extremely lacking without support from others. Her main dynamic is her encyclopedic knowledge on the abyss, extreme vulnerability, and a confidently optimistic attitude- making her a great sidekick to Reg (“new” to the abyss and indecisive) and Nanachi (someone who’s lacked optimism in her life for a long time). Without them her character falls very short and lots of her individual scenes are extremely boring. To add on, this season relies too much on the trope of revealing things at the end. The beginning is extremely hard to follow leading to a frustrating experience while watching. And although it’s wonderful to have twists and foreshadowing that leads to an impactful ending, banking on that completely makes for a confusing watch. Though, as expected, the world building was phenomenal. The civilization within the city was EXTREMELY unique and unlike anything you'll ever see.
In conclusion, Made in Abyss season 2 is extremely different from the previous instalments of the series yet it's 100% worth the watch. The OST and characters are done phenomenally with few exceptions and the raging curiosity of the story behind the city will push you through the boring bits. It's themes of humanity, morality, and value in life will guarantee at least one existential crisis. It’s definitely the darkest and goriest by far and will leave you shocked and/or in tears.
Rankings:
Personal enjoyment - 6/10
Objective quality - 7/10
Memorability - 10/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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