Makoto's review of Made in Abyss

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Made in Abyss takes you by the hand, tells you it's going to be OK, that everything will work out in the end. Then it proceeds to hurt you. Badly. This adaptation of the Seinen manga by Tsukushi Akihito hits all the right spots. It has action in the right dose, but always with the purpose of advancing the story. The violence and gore are there not as a tool to serve some specific human perverse bloodlust, but to set the reality of the Abyss. It puts children in sexual situations, but the goal is always to make you uncomfortable. Riko and Reg face the apparent endless pit which no one can go back from, but they manage to keep their spirits up. That, along with the more childish art, makes it a lot less heavier and bearable. As an adventure show, the exploration aspect is immaculate. The author gives the characters enough information and skills to find their way, but they have to discover the rest themselves. Every layer, the human preoccupations with food,shelter and clean water are never neglected. The new effects, the creatures, the explorers, everything is intriguing and it never feels tired or repetitive. Kinema Citrus brings the Abyss alive. With very few flaws here and there, the animation is pretty fluid, the backgrounds astonishing. Characters were copied and pasted from the source, but that's because they were already pretty good on the web manga. Yamada Haru is the sound dude from the successful movie Kimi no na wa, and he hits the spot here as well. Dramas need a good sound design more than most other genres, because they rely heavily on it to guide the viewers' emotions. Kevin Penkin's score is great. Roar of the Abyss and Days In The Sun are two very easy examples of how a good OST can elevate a show to its peak. This show is worth checking for the sound and art alone. Ise Mariya and Tomita Miyu do a good job as Riko and Reg. Izawa Shiori is credited in the first TV season as a supporting actress, but I would say Nanachi plays an integral role even in the first season. And her acting is on par with the rest of the crew. There are very few characters, and dialogue is limited, as a more visual approach is used. Most of the dialogue is either Riko talking to herself, or to Reg. Mostly they are talking more for the benefit of the viewer than the characters themselves. Those aspects do not take away from the enjoyment of the show in any way, but I thought it would be interesting to take note. The director, Kojima Masayuki, has under his belt the acclaimed 2000 show Monster, but also the not-so acclaimed show Black Bullet. It appears what he could not do properly with Black Bullet, which is a show where children are tortured to death, he could do with Made in Abyss. In fact, you could say Made in Abyss is the successful merge of his other two most well known works. The impact and horror of Monster, but now with cute kids. No complaints about the directing aspect. As detriments, one could cite a slow start, which can be an issue for the less patient viewer, as well as the cutesy art style in a show made for an adult audience. Of course, watching kids go through violent perils is also not for everyone. Some could also take offense to some sexual remarks. They are never made as fanservice, but still, some might find it disturbing. Made in Abyss might be one of the best things coming out of Japan in the last 10 years. It is something I would recommend to any friend, regardless of familiarity with the medium or not. It has almost no flaws.