Back to krowzHS's Profile krowzHS's Profile

TL;DR:

"Made in Abyss" is truly a breath of fresh air! Thanks to its masterful first 3 episodes, it instantly drags the viewer into its fascinating world.
It does countless things right, especially in the sound department... But be aware that as of now, a season 2 has not been announced and the anime's last scene leaves you hanging on a massive cliffhanger, where the story is about to kick in to high gear, leaving much to be desired. Then again, if you ignore that very last scene, it has a very impressive ending making it worthy as a stand alone.
This anime is not ... perfect but when it shines, it shines bright! Give it a shot, and you won't be disappointed!


Intro:

When people of great talent and passion are brought together, they can bring to life something so very special, something so full of heart that it will deeply resonate within the viewer and create an experience like no other.
Do not be fooled by its looks, "Made in Abyss" is not what you think it is. In fact, I'd say it's quite the opposite. So lets get into it without spoiling anything, shall we?

1.Story

"Made in Abyss" probably has some of the best introduction episodes I've seen. The exposition is slowly fed to the viewer over the course of 2 episodes while also bringing to life a beautiful world and introducing us to the people who live in that world.

I have to mention that I greatly appreciate how the anime respects the viewer's intelligent and doesn't spell everything out for us, creating a dynamic that furthers our engagement to the story as a whole. I also feel like it is more gratifying to figure things out by oneself.

In the first episode, we already get a sens of how dangerous the Abyss is, which creates a great contrast with its magnificent landscapes contained within it. We also get introduced to some characters from the orphanage, our main character Riko, as well as a mysterious robot child named Reg who she will save.

In that one episode, we got a sens of who the characters are, what situation they're in, what the world around them consists of and we can start guessing on what the goal of the story is going to be.
In the second episode we get a lot more information about the structure of the Abyss, the hierarchy between adventurers who explore it and Riko's backstory, which explains her motivation.

The story isn't anything too original, it's more about how it's told that makes it so interesting. The world building is quite deep, each layer of the Abyss has it's own mechanics and the creatures found withing all have their own abilities.

By subverting our expectations, the story keeps our interest in check. This is in part due to the amazing innocent character designs!



2. Art/Animation

I'd like to address something that truly fascinates me, the characters designs. Now, I know this is probably the main reason why people wrote off "Made in Abyss" since it definitely does look like a childish anime if you just look at the Poster. But that is actually what makes it special! Those "chibi" designs are what allow the more serious themes to have that much more Impact.

Think about it this way if you will, what would people remember most? The generic character designs that you see in every anime? or the original, unorthodox "chibi" designs?

But, that's not the only reason I think the character designs are so great. There's also quite a bit of significance behind why they looks the way they do. The fact that all the adults have a different design than the children allows for a bigger immersion into the world at hand. It draws a clear line between the two groups, separated by their difference in maturity. It reminds us that , yes, they are just kids, so yes, they will be stubborn at times and act irrationally at other times. It adds a great sens of reality to the setting which most other anime do not have.

Moving on to the background art! One of the series' strongest asset. When I first laid my eyes upon the mesmerizing backgrounds, I could not believe what I was looking at. The backgrounds are of such high caliber, that they could even rival the likes of Ghibli. This is what truly brings the world to life! Those beautiful landscapes drag you straight into the world the characters live in and bring out the mysterious and magnificent side of the Abyss.

Shall we talk about animation? Now this is at the same time a strength and weakness of the series. On one hand, during the first 3 episodes, the fluid and energetic animation is superb! The extra effort put into animating movement during otherwise still conversations, adds quite a lot to the scenes. It's especially important for a character like Riko who has very expressive mannerisms, to make her really come to life.

But then we move onto the middle section of the anime, were the animation feels a bit lacking compared to the quality established from those 3 episodes. It definitely lacks the energy it once had and there are more scenes with very little to no movement at all. Then starting at episode 10, the animation picks up a bit but never returns to its former glory.

There is one redeeming factor to the art and animation and that is: The creatures of the Abyss!
Indeed, some of the creatures of the abyss are quite Enticing. They don't feel like they fit in the established world and as a result give off an unsettling vibe . All of this thanks to Kou Yoshinari and his distinct style. By using Bold linework and motion blur, he allows such creatures to stand out from the environment they are in and gives them an extra layer of depth by giving them unnatural movements. These monsters are one of the greatest strengths of the show.

3. Characters

The characters are all very entertaining, even the side characters that we meet in the beginning all have distinct personalities and are very likable.
The 2 main characters, Riko and Reg, bounce very well off of each other, which keeps their conversations entertaining. Riko is also a great source of comedy, as most of the comedy revolves around her abrupt actions or words. I have to say that the comedic timing is so on point that It would make me cracked a smile or even laugh.

Another strength off the characters, is how relatable they are. As children, they will get into situations or talk about things that are very much in the realm of reality. Which is another aspect that helps keep the immersion strong.

Other than that, the white whistles (the strongest adventurers) are definitely very intriguing and I can't wait to see what kinda of variety they'll bring to the table.

Personally, my one criticism is to Ouzen "the immovable". I found her to be quite bland and pretty boring to watch overall. I feel like she just doesn't fit in the story, every other character is quite energetic and when you bring in someone as lifeless as Ouzen, you really put a wrench in the tone of the series as a whole. I also found her voice to be quite off but that might just be me.

4. Sound

Now this is where "Made in Abyss" shines the brightest, it shows off just how much of a grasp it has on how to properly utilize music in a scene. I was honestly in awe after I heard track after track after track. This OST truly is one of, if not the best I have ever heard in any anime thus far.

The divers repertoire of music made it so that during the whole 13 episodes we would rarely hear the same background music, except for the main themes of course. As a huge fan of that medium, I was really impressed by how deep and complex those musical compositions were and how well they fit each scene they were played in. The use of a variety of orchestral instruments really made the experience that much richer than it would have been.

Let's not forget about another essential tool: sound effects! People usually forget to talk about sound effects, since most of the time, they don't really stand out. But here, I feel like it is necessary to discuss just how well they are utilized. In "Made in Abyss" sound effects are vibrant and always on point. They add an extra layer to a scene, making a moment stand out by accentuating a joke or an action for example. It's just one more aspect that makes the anime so immersive.

5. Verdict

The journey through the Abyss is currently over, and yes, episodes 6 through 8 were a bit too slow for my liking. But overall, it was well worth the time.

Since those introductory episodes were so well crafted, I began caring for the characters from the get go. During the course of the 13 episodes, that affection grew stronger and stronger. So I was definitely put through a variety of different emotions.

It goes to show, that when "Made in Abyss" wants to show off its strengths, it definitely impresses! The background art is truly fascinating and combined with the beautiful music, it raises the show to heights that could only be reached in movies before it.
It pains me to say that I cannot give it a 10/10, simply because it have some light faults. Oh well, fingers crossed for a season 2!

Let me start this off by saying that I really enjoyed the first season of Terra Formars, even with its somewhat lackluster story and mediocre character design. But I'll leave it at that because those weren't the reasons why most people enjoyed Terra Formars. I was also really hyped for the second season, as I expected the same viewing experience that I had with the first.

Moving on to this so called second season : "Terra Formars Revenge" ( although "revenge" is probably what most of the Terra Formars fans want against the producers ).

-First off let's talk about animation... One of the main ... reasons why this season falls short of our expectations :
The animation has changed for the worse. In the first season we had well executed and fluid animation which made the fighting scenes exciting and appealing, without getting boring and repetitive.
In the second season they give us a lackluster, seemingly "lower budget" animation which makes the fighting look unimpressive as it loses the "punch" that it once had in the prequel. This makes the action as boring as it gets. It makes you feel like this might be some kind of bad joke.

-Moving on to the art :
The art style has shifted from a very realistic and dark representation of scenery and characters, to a very bright and colorful art style. This is what takes away most of what the anime was about... The cruel environment and situation have now become more lighthearted as they take a different direction from the foundation that was built in the first season.

-Speaking of lighthearted, let's head to the story/characters :
Probably the only positive thing is that the plot does continue in this second season.
And now back to the negatives : now here is where it starts to get uglier, although the plot remains, the representation of the characters and situations is a disgrace. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you : fan service !!!! You can start guessing how glad I was to see that in a supposedly dark and gory survival anime. Fan service is probably what you'd least expected to find in Terra Formars, even though it only occurs in the first episode it is still disgraceful.
Complementing the lightheartedness, the characters seem to take the situation they are in less seriously as we also have the addition of "comedy bubbles" ( don't really know how to call them ).

To wrap this up, Terra Formars Revenge is an excuse of a second season as it does not in any way bring justice upon the first season or the manga...
Hopefully this will be enough for people to understand how disappointing this sequel is...

Even though it is not unwatchable, I wouldn't recommend "Terra Formars Revenge" to anyone who loved the first season or the manga.