Anime Review: Made in Abyss

Release year: 2017

Episode count: 13

I really love dark, twisted anime. I heard that Made in Abyss was disturbing, so I watched it. My verdict? Yes! I loved it.

Synopsis: The Abyss is a mysterious gigantic chasm that contains different layers. The further down you go, the tougher the monsters and the harsher the effects of the Curse. The Curse of the Abyss includes vomiting, hallucinations, internal and external bleeding, loss of humanity, and death.

Riko is a 12-year-old orphan who searches for artifacts on the first layer of the Abyss. She finds Reg, a robot who lost his memories. After Riko receives a letter from her mother that says she is waiting at the bottom of the Abyss, Riko and Reg leave the orphanage and journey into the Abyss. Riko wants to find her mother, while Reg wants to learn more about himself. They have to survive each of the Abyss’s layers.

Art: Just looking at the above photo, you probably wouldn’t think that Made in Abyss is a disturbing anime. It looks like it’s a show for children, but that’s an anime misconception. (I rant about that here.) I think the cute art style makes the dark scenes even more horrifying to watch.

The art is amazing. The art style is cute, but the backgrounds are a whole different level. There’s so much detail!

The tenth episode was disturbing. The thirteenth episode was heart-wrenching. The last few episodes (10-13) were so interesting! The first nine episodes were still entertaining. I didn’t feel like I wasted my time watching those nine episodes because they did world building so well. Each layer of the Abyss has its own monsters, effects of the Curse, landscape, etc.

Music: I was really impressed with the music in Made in Abyss. For a show that only has 13 episodes, the soundtrack is memorable and enchanting.

The bad: The main characters are children, and there are minor scenes that are inappropriate. I thought this was unnecessary. Fortunately, it does not happen often but I have to give it a lower rating because of it.

The anime ends at the end of a story arc, but there will be an upcoming movie that covers the next arc of the manga.

Rating: 8.5/10

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