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Made In Abyss
Journey to the Unknown
Series in a Sentence
Spurred on by a letter coming from the depths of the Abyss, Riko, the daughter of a legendary Cave Raider, and Reg, a mysterious robot found in the abyss, embark on a journey into the unknown.
What I liked
Perhaps the best part of Made In Abyss, to me, was the sense of adventure and how it blended with the natural stratification of the environment. By this I mean that, when coupled with the very basic idea of going on an adventure, the sheer difference in environments gave this sense of progression similar to the best of the classic JRPG’s. From a lively and rustic city to a very vertical forest and a misty, water-filled land, every major story event was marked by a change in location and this gave a very checkpoint-esque feel to the show in a good way. I would be doing this review dirty if I didn’t mention the music’s part in this. The soundtrack is beautifully varied, catchy, and just as much of the environment as any animation is. Another part of what makes this setting and style work, though, is the way that the characters and animation feel. Admittedly, the chibi vibes of the main cast kept me away from the show initially but the designs actually serve a purpose and this is seen when you compare designs to the more traditional adult characters: These main characters are kids and are simply being portrayed as such. Even personalities are accurately child-like, with Riko serving as the go-getter and Reg acting as the more timid follower. This round and cute art style further aides in emphasizing some of the more brutal moments of the series, of which there are many. While the show’s aesthetic is more childish, it is not devoid of risk: characters suffer various wounds, gruesome backstories are explored, and the creatures of the abyss are actual monsters. In fact, this show has one of the most brutal scenes I’ve seen in any recent anime. As a whole then, the aesthetic of the show, from differing environments and different characters, coupled with the natural and old school feel behind the story progression creates a unique and at times pleasantly jarring experience.
What I Didn’t Like
I get that the characters are written to be as child-like as possible, thus leaving them devoid of sexual intentions, but the few scenes of nudity and mentions of body parts left me scratching my head as to their necessity. These scenes are not frequent and in a series about kids they are there to portray curiosity and a lack of self-awareness but in a series that I hold in such high regards they, at times, felt like they didn’t need to be there. Another thing that I took slight issue with was how certain plot points were rushed through. I get that the series was a shorter one but some training arcs or chase scenes did not have the payoff I expected, did not last as long as I expected, or felt like they had no meaning. Again, this is nitpicking and for many a break from conventional storytelling is fine, but at times the set up for an event did not match the amount of attention it got.
Overall Feelings
Made In Abyss evoked this sense of wonder in me that many fantasy anime as of late have failed to do. By setting up a videogame-like goal, setting, and progression system, the plot had a classic feel to it in terms of progression but this allowed me to focus on things like character development, story elements, environments, and music. Make no mistake, though, as the knowledge that Riko and Reg are simply going down what is essentially a JRPG inspired dungeon is deceptive: there are so many characters to meet, environments to see, monsters to tackle, and treasures to find. Each episode had me clamoring for the next and for the most part each episode delivered. For the season that the show came out, it was the anime of the season and for the year that it came out it was up there for anime of the year. Watch this show, you won’t regret it (especially with a sequel confirmed to be out on the horizon). Sometimes you just need to experience the world through the eyes of a child.