Made in Abyss

Title:Made in Abyss
メイドインアビス
Overall:Buy
Keywords: , , , ,
Notables: ISE Mariya
TOMITA Miyu
The city of Orth has sprung up on the outskirts of the Abyss, a giant, crater-like hole in the ground which contains valuable artifacts of some long forgotten civilization. Riko is an orphan who works as a 'Cave Raider', someone who descends into the Abyss each day to search for artifacts. One day, while being chased by an ugly creature, she encounters a strange boy, Reg. Reg has a number of high-tech artificial implants on his body--he just can't remember where he got them.

13 episodes. See film sequel, Made in Abyss: Fukaki Tamashii no Reimei, and second TV season, Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou..
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Buy 9 8 7 9 9 9 Ggultra2764 [series:3388#1552]
Made in Abyss is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a giant hole known as the Abyss has its own ecosystem full of dangers and relics ventured through by Cave Raiders. An orphaned girl named Riko lives at an orphanage within a town near the Abyss where she typically ventures into the Abyss' upper layers, until she encounters a mysterious robot boy named Reg and comes upon some written evidence suggesting her mother may still be alive deep within the Abyss. Seeking to find her mother, Riko ventures deep into the Abyss with Reg to try finding her mother's whereabouts.

At a glance, Made in Abyss may seem like an innocuous anime between its simple-looking animation style and focus on the idealistic and innocent Riko as she commits to adventures within the Abyss and deciding to journey deep into it with Reg to seek her mother's whereabouts. Other elements of the series at a glance like its opening and closing sequences, as well as early episodes, would also have you think this would be some sort of innocuous series. But once Riko and Reg journey into the Abyss, those perceptions quickly go out the window. For all the beauty found in the Abyss, Made in Abyss isn't afraid to explore the dangers of venturing deep into it as Riko and Reg encounter worst dangers from the wildlife and "curse" of the Abyss as they venture deeper into it. The series is at times brutally realistic and graphic in depicting the harm that Riko and Reg risk and contend with with as they venture into the deeper layers of the Abyss. The fact these are children undergoing such a risky and realistic adventure may make things uneasy for younger and sensitive audiences, thus I wouldn't recommend either of those audiences see this series.

Beyond its deceptively innocent appearance though, Made in Abyss does offer up a strong foundation of world building and character exploration focusing on the Cave Raider society and the world of the Abyss. The Cave Raider society in the series is depicted as one where the nearby town's residents are naturally drawn to the Abyss and venture into it to seek out relics, serving as a vital source of income for the town and being a tradition for its populace. Due to the effects of the Abyss, some of the Cave Raiders have unique conditions that make them sensitive to being outside its confines lest they stay within or near it. The Cave Raiders have rankings dependent on their accomplishments within the Abyss in the form of whistles that they each wear. Higher-ranked raiders are capable of venturing into the deeper layers of the Abyss, knowing of the risks that the wildlife and "curse" would burden them with.

The series also has its fair share of character exploration as it has a number of mysteries that Riko and Reg become more entangled in as they venture deeper into the Abyss. Characters explored within the series are shown to have been affected physically and/or mentally in some form from their travels within the Abyss, each having varying views of their adventures that they impart upon Riko and Reg. The show's mysteries have some elements explored or foreshadowed to which include details on Riko's mother, Reg's lost memories, and the motives of Bondrewd. However, these mysteries are not fully resolved as the series does end inconclusively with an upcoming conflict hinted to in the show's final episode, which will likely be further explored within the upcoming third film adaptation of the series.

Overall, Made in Abyss offers a strong mix of adventure, drama, and mystery in exploring Riko and Reg's adventure through the layers of the Abyss, while finding themselves unknowingly being caught up in a number of mysteries connected to their travels or the Abyss itself. If you have the stomach to handle its rather brutal exploration of venturing into the Abyss and the peril that Reg and Riko often get into during their adventures, I would strongly recommend checking this series out.

Last updated Sunday, September 29 2019. Created Sunday, September 29 2019.
Unevaluated Stretch [series:3388#628]
(Eight episodes watched):

Here's a show which is clearly unusual and has a number of good things going for it. The character designs and artwork are distinctive, and who doesn't like orphans who are obliged to do a dangerous job? Yet somehow I couldn't become all that engaged with the story. Perhaps neither of the twin mysteries of what created the Abyss and who Reg is seemed like questions that I absolutely needed an answer to. When Riko uncovers a skeleton wearing familiar looking clothes, I wondered if maybe this is all taking place in the distant future and what she is excavating is what's left of our culture (but none of the other artifacts seemed like anything I'd ever seen before). It's unclear after just one episode if solving these mysteries will be a priority or not for this show. Perhaps the goofy tone to the show made me feel that finding solutions was unlikely. So I guess I can only watch some more and get a better idea of what's going on here.

I am torn between the definite good aspects of this show, which urge me to continue watching, and the feeling that something is missing, which urges me to quit. For some reason, again, the origins of both the Abyss and Reg don't seem like questions that I must have answers to. The Abyss is such an incredible thing (an upside-down forest?) that I doubt if any effort to explain it or make it fit into our notions of what is and isn't possible ever will be made. And the same for Reg. So, the only question that is left is whether the fortunes of these orphans will ever improve, and that doesn't engage me all that much since the situation that they are in now isn't all that terrible. The jokes are okay but not uproariously funny. So, what am I to watch for?

I almost skipped episode three but watched anyhow. I wish Riko's longing for her mother and sense of hope that maybe she is still alive somewhere within the Abyss had been made more clear and obvious. I have little idea of what will happen as she sets out with Reg on a search. Maybe I will compromise by downloading all of the episodes of Made in Abyss and saving them to watch at a later date.

I guess my problem with this show was expecting it to comply with the laws of physics. My assumption was that various sites located deeper and deeper inside a sort of extinct volcano crater would become increasingly dark as sunlight becomes less plentiful. But this story doesn't seem to worry about things like that. Where do wide open skies come from when you are deep inside such a geographical feature? It might have made more sense if the abyss was entered by stepping through some sort of inter-dimensional gateway than by rappelling down into a crater. There was a mention in episode four of some sort of 'force fields' at work, but little explanation. I was having a hard time suspending disbelief when what I was getting was so different from what one would expect. Maybe when writing a light novel or a manga, you don't have to illustrate all that much, so you can skirt the issue--but an anime must show far more.

It seems obvious to me that Reg is in fact an android--a human with mechanical implants--rather than an out-and-out robot, but Riko insists on referring to him as one of the latter. The thought occurred to me that I had almost forgotten about the mystery of his origins, because the show hadn't made much mention of it since the topic was first brought up in the first episode or two. The main topic now seems to be whether Riko's mother is still alive somewhere within the Abyss. I don't really feel all that intrigued, perhaps because the show hasn't maintained a firm focus on what the primary question(s) that will be answered is(are). The strange landscapes and plants and animals of the Abyss are sort of interesting, however, and the characters are likeable.

Something seems to be missing: the search for Riko's mother doesn't feel nearly as important as the chemistry between her and Reg. It almost feels like an excuse for the two of them to go on a quest together. The quest almost feels like a dream, with the characters stumbling between thoroughly unlikely events that make little sense. I have little idea where this is going, and I wish I did. Characters like Ozen seem rather disturbed, although it's unclear why such characters are needed. The Abyss is a bizarre, disorienting place but I don't sense much of a purpose to all the weirdness. The story about Riko and Reg's origins confuses me. Yet I don't want to quit, since it is original. I wish this show would either be very good or very bad, rather than walk the line between the two.

Last updated Saturday, September 23 2017. Created Friday, July 28 2017.

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