Made in Abyss Movie 3: Fukaki Tamashii no Reimei

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

I really wish to give new Made in Abyss entry better score and until the end it was solid 8/10. Good watch with a few minor issues - pacing is too fast, Riko and Reg are still the least interesting characters in their own series, severe lack of worldbuilding in comparison with TV series, annoying fanservice. But Bondrewd is amazing, easily one of the best modern antagonists, Nanachi and her complicated relationships with him is highlight of the movie, visuals and music are great.
Well, last 15 minutes and certain character almost ruined my enjoyment. Beware of spoilers and grammar.

I wasn’t in fond of Prushka, although I felt very pressured to feel sorry for her. She didn’t do anything important through the whole movie and when it tried to give her some bits of characterization with a flashback it came awkward at best. Her arc feels like a lazy attempt to recreate the same feeling as Mitty’s story, but from my perspective, even though the scene itself is emotional and dramatic, it has no meaning considering Prushka's lack of screentime prior to it. There's no understood chemistry between Prushka and Riko, no reason to become emotionally attached to their "friendship" which was build offsreen. In many ways Made in Abyss tells us that their bond matters, but that's never justified in anything shown in the movie. Prushka barely interacts with Riko in any meaningful way, usually in flashbacks, but even then it's not enough for her character to develop such a deep attachment in inredibly short period. So, when certain twist happened, it just fell apart.

I can't help, but I feel like Riko didn’t deserve White Whistle. Everything comes on silver plate in her story and I don't feel anything, but frustration about her reaching status of legendary delver. We haven't seen her actually working to earn it (and reveal about origin of Bondrewd's White Wistle makes it even more shallow in comparison) because she was carried by luck and overpowered companions from start to finish. I can't say that that she is completely useless, but she is nowhere as great as Made in Abyss tries to present her. Riko is just “sunshine child” that everyone protects and allows her to take credit for their hard work. Inspirational characters can be interesting, but they still have to be relatable on some level and their bravery and optimism has to feel earned, but Riko fails to serve as a source of inspiration because the real world is never so overwhelmingly convenient. Made in Abyss tries to be a story about the depths of human desire for unknown, because curiosity can take a twisted form, and dealing with this theme when main character is kid is fantastic opportunity to show how Abyss messes with minds of explorers. But Riko is never in danger of becoming the monster like other White Whistles, everything is always solved by others and she doesn’t need to sacrifice her morals or anything to continue adventure. She plays the role of the goody two-shoes and the story's logic contorts to her aspiration of never getting her hands dirty or push Riko to evolve from her naive idealism. If a sacrifice has to be committed, it will be done by someone else, if Riko makes a risky choice, she never has to deal with the consequences.

This time Made in Abyss certainly disappointed me. The movie is like opposite of the first season - it starts bleak and hopeless, but once Reg went full on marysue against Bondrewd and Riko shot him with a sniper accuracy (as if her arm wasn't break into pieces not so long ago), it started to feel like a boring shounen with a forced tear jerker. It has a good premise, but hindered by bland characters with no chemistry and the unearned progression, as its plot points felt incredibly contrived and reliant on external factors like Reg's almighty combat mode rather than anything the characters made.
Right now it seems no different from any seasonal popcorn anime where everything can be solved with the power of (poorly written) friendship or sudden power ups. I want dark fantasy adventure story about the Abyss, not a crybait melodrama with the same reused twist about suffering lolis.

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I don't know what to say other than this is the best piece of media I have ever seen, and I don't think anything will ever be able to top it. I'm not even going to go into that much detail because whoever is reading this just needs to go watch this movie immediately.

This movie follows our challengers, Riko, Reg, and Nanachi as they challenge Bondrewd and the 5th layer of the abyss. Bondrewd, being the monster that he is, obviously won't make that easy on them, and as such we have this movie.
In terms of the Made in Abyss arcs, this is absolutely the peak of the story thus far. All of the events that happen over the course of the journey through Idofront are so perfectly executed, I can't help but wonder how Tsukushi does it.

Anyways, the main things I like to talk about here are the soundtrack, and Bondrewd himself. The soundtrack, first of all, is perfect. I genuinely can not think of a single issue with the soundtrack, every song is incredible and perfectly fits with the tone of whatever scene it is used in, Kevin Penkin is quite possibly the best composer on earth. From The Rumble of Scientific Triumph to Riko's Motherfucking Cooking, every song in this movie is perfect.

Final thing I want to talk about is Bondrewd, so spoilers if you haven't seen the movie yet.

I genuinely can not think of a better and more interesting antagonist. In all of anime. Or even all of media itself. Even when he lays dying on the ground after losing the final fight, all he wishes for is for our group to successfully continue on their journey, no ill will, no revenge swearing, just a simple wish for their journey to be filled with curses and blessings. After all the horrible things that he had done, even Nanachi, arguably the one most affected by this horrible monster, came to a sort of mutual understanding with him, because that's just the type of person he is. He doesn't do anything out of malice, he merely just wants to know all the mysteries that the abyss has to offer, and will go to disgusting lengths to do so.

Final thoughts, as for final thoughts, I really don't have anything else to say. The movie is perfect, everything about it is perfect, the staff put their heart and soul into this and what came out was the peak of all media. Thank you Kinema Citrus, thank you Kevin Penkin, thank you Akihito Tsukushi, thank you all for the incredible experience that you have given to us. From the bottom of my heart, i love you all for your work, keep putting in the groundbreaking effort to bring this story to life.

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This movie and the arc it adapted is the pinnacle and the very top of all media for me. Nothing will be able to top it, to say this movie is perfection is a massive understatement.

The movie picks up right after the end of the first season and covers everything in the 5th layer expanding on what the finale of the previous season built up to and does it beautifully. I was initially worried when Kinema shifted from a traditional season to movie format but boy did it deliver while only cutting out very few things from the manga original story while adding in another scene for some additional context.

Getting into the main elements of this movie, animation and the soundtrack are of course an absolute masterpiece to watch and listen to. The characters really managed to capture everything I love about seeing them dive down deeper into this hellhole and the story still instills that sense of wonder and imagination while answering questions but raising even more about whats really down there at the bottom and why the curse does so much to the human mind and body. It really is a true joy how this movie makes all my theories of whats down there explode into so much more.

[Animation]
The animators really captured every moment with the highest quality possible to match or even beat most Ghibli movies, especially the fights which are some of the most beautiful parts of the movie. Absolutely flawless! (10/10)

[OST]
Kevin Penkin already had an amazing soundtrack with season 1 and came back around and delivered the greatest soundtrack I’ve ever heard beating out the likes of Nier Automata and AoT. This man really is the greatest composer and I can’t wait for the MiA OST 3! (10/10)

[Story and Characters]
Reg and Riko, its hard to believe how the Abyss has made them grow so quickly and how different they are since leaving Orth. Over the course of one season and a movie they still have that innocent child-like personality they did in the beginning but throughout this movie it shows how much they’ve matured since departing. Reg, between being apart of and witnessing horrific events and then forcing himself to do things that he absolutely hates in order to protect the two he cherishes most. Riko getting to show how intelligent she is with Prushka, figuring out secrets that even Nanachi didn’t know, and expressing what she really wants to do with her group and what she will do once at the bottom it really is emotionally touching to see. Nanachi, we finally get to know the additional backstory she hinted at the end of season one and what she did after becoming a Hollow during that time at Idofront and it is one of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever seen and also one of few moments in any manga to make me cry. These three are truly some of the best characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing grow throughout a series and it only makes sense to have an equally rivaled antagonist. Bondrewd, where do I even begin? This is my all time favorite antagonist and what really captures the greatness of this arc. The first time all these characters meet is enough to let you know whats going to happen and the things he does after match that intensity. Bondrewd is so obsessed with attaining what is called the Blessing and will do whatever it takes to obtain it. But he never harpers any negative emotion or ill will in doing these things, if anything he really loves all of these characters especially his daughter Prushka and it is shown at the end with Prushka’s backstory and his new aspiration of hope that all of them reach the bottom as he loses what he spent years trying to obtain. Truly a character that won’t ever be topped. (10/10)

Final Thoughts and Score: This is the easiest 10/10 I could ever give, it truly is a sequel and series that has no rival and to give it a 10 feels unfair for how much this movie raised the bar across everything I could analyze, it deserves some extra credit. I may end up raising some of your expectations to high and affect how you go into watching it, but I can’t help it, this movie is absolute perfection in my eyes and I never see anime literally build this much depth to where the characters, the world, and I as a viewer are so intertwined together throughout the series that it invokes this much raw emotion and investment to where I listen to the OST everyday and refine my theories as to what will happen going forward and how it will end. As well as where Tsukushi draws his inspiration from his story to see if I can guess anything from what he references. This will be a series I will remember fondly and revisit throughout the rest of my life and I’m truly thankful that its getting the recognition it truly deserves.

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If you're a big fan of Made in Abyss, you should watch this movie.

Very deep storytelling, brave characters, solid bonds. Especially family love. Do you have important people? Of course, I also have them. When I saw tremble someone, I'll help him or her. Even if that's an unfulfilled wish, I never give up. This movie makes me think so. Not to mention, the main theme is similar to that. Bondrewd is not your typical villain at all. He has original thoughts and love for his cherished people. Nanachi, Riko, and Reg are justice side but Bondrewd is on semi anti-hero side. He is evil but I don't hate him. I rather like him. Every character has quite an energy. The new character, Prushka is so adorable girl. She has an adventurous spirit as same as Riko...in some ways. Her past is cruel. But she has a strong heart. I loved the point. That's why I love Made in Abyss characters so much.

You can expect other elements. Visuals and music are stunning more than TV series. The fighting scenes and background are so beautiful. Voice acting is also excellent. Nanachi's voice is always reassuring me.

Destiny isn't a restart. Destiny is a new step. The same goes for challenging something. This series is a symbol of that. Survival of the fittest is unrelated. Everything depends on themselves and you.

The dawn of them is still ahead.

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