Made in Abyss

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"Mixed Feelings" is pretty much always how I feel about Made in Abyss, on one hand it's world-building is incredible, Tsukushi fills the abyss with so many creative creatures, vegetation, foods, and locations, it just makes the manga brim with life that is so much more intriguing than the usual anime fantasy stuff; and this is all supported by his great illustrations that are just detailed enough to flesh out the abyss, but still rough enough that your brain can kinda fill in the gaps (if that makes sense). I guess some people may not like this sort of art, but I really appreciate how ... his style lets the work breathe and really lets your imagination run wild in a way the anime can't quite pull off.

The plot is for sure weaker than the world, I think most fans of the first season of the anime (me included) thought Made in Abyss was going to be a real mastapeaceeee b/c of how much potential it had, which is not to say it's like bad now or anything, but the issues are now a bit more clear. Sometimes the pacing is too fast, especially when it tries to sell friendships/rivalries between characters that appear briefly, and sometimes it feels like the manga is dragging it's feet.

Made in Abyss is gory/grotesque at times, and even though the whole "aaa cute characters but oop it's a little darrrkk" shtick is a bit tired, I think it adds to the story for the most part: the abyss is a dangerous place, and we get to see why. It is a bit extra sometimes but as long as you don't have like any sensitivity to that sorta thing I think you'll be fine.

The weakest element so far has to sadly be the characters. I generally like most of our cast, but it feels like Tsukushi doesn't really know how to write them, at the current point in the story Riko still feels like the exact same character she was when we started, and even though this is a plot-centric story, it just feels like the characters are a little lacking.

Now by far the most off-putting part of this manga is the fact the author is a pedophile. There is no skirting around it, niggas love to pretend it's for character growth or whatever but all that crap is copium and I'm telling you straight up. Luckily it really doesn't impact the manga itself very heavily, sometimes you'll get the smallest scent of fetish, but for the most part you can just enjoy the story; except for in the "bonus" panels or whatever this nigga wants to call them where he taints the book with art I'd love to remove. Always obnoxious when you have to turn owning a manga into a moral battle, I wish Tsukushi would just keep that junk on his twitter. I'd say maybe just read this one online, or if you're sure you won't feel any type of way about it buy a copy (I am a physical book sorta guy I get you.)

All in all it's still mostly enjoyable, and I recommend it if you can ignore the things stated above.

Reading the manga compared to the anime actually made this series feel a lot worse because of the weird things the author kept showing, such as child nudity and bodily fluids. You really start to notice these things and how most of the comic relief is... awkward sexual moments with the kids. Or at least body related things. If you can look past that there's still a lot of things that bugged me about the story itself that no one really mentions. As I read on I noticed it became more focused on shocking the readers without any real reason, for example they'd hit you ... with something messed up and it would always find some way to relate somehow in another messed up way. Just one "shocking" thing after another, always body horror related or leading up to something body horror related. It feels unnecessary a lot of times when the base of this story has a lot of potential. The recent arc (up to chapter 54) feels a lot like filler with the main goal lost and it really serves no purpose other than to give more shock material. Honestly if I wanted to read about body horror I'd just go read something by Junji Ito. It feels like that in the recent chapters sometimes but with kids and crazy emotions mixed in. There are many attempts to get feelings out of you for these kids and the horrible things that happen but a lot of it comes from them being kids and not actual character we care about. It was sad to see those parts yes but its definitely not that deep since it just gets more and more horrific. They hit you with too many emotional scenes and not enough build up to balance.

The art is nice yes, but it's really not enough to justify the rest of this manga. It is unique but it isn't a big factor for me in deciding what makes manga better or worse. Sometimes it was a bit hard to tell what was being drawn but its still very detailed and nice to look at.

I did find it interesting to see what was happening and to learn about the abyss but it definitely drags on a bit later and over time you just kind of expect it to be messed up all the same. 

The main characters are likable in how they have their own passion and love for each other, but I found a lot of problems with Riko especially. The decisions she makes are questionable and she really would be hopeless without the other two. It's like she gets into these difficult situations without knowing the consequences...even though it's pretty clear they are bad. She cannot sit still for even a second before getting into trouble again. Nanachi and Reg are the only characters I dont have much problem with because they do have some depth to them and they make logical decisions. I dont have a problem with the side characters either, its just that none of them are really given more depth. A lot of them are barely shown at all after being introduced (trying not to spoil). 

Overall I dont really get why everyone likes this so much, maybe its the creative ways to twist kids around and make things as gross as possible that hooks everyone. Maybe the emotional rollercoaster that just keeps going but never really hits. I would maybe understand their thoughts if they only read up to around where the anime stopped but that just shows how downhill it goes. It is interesting to go through but Im not really sure if I could say this was an enjoyable read with all these flaws. It does have its moments where you want to find out what happens next and it keeps you going until you realize that nothing really changes with the characters and the story just drags to shock you.

I write this with the biased perspective of a Christian.

Though, as is obvious to note, all perspectives are biased due to our individuality and experiences in life. That being said, if anyone has similar biases as me, then this review is for you.

Others have written about this in other reviews, but I feel it important to add my voice to theirs because what this manga portrays is absolutely appalling and horrific to anyone who values the lives of not just children, but human beings. Like a frog put in warm water only to be boiled, there isn't as much child pornography (yes, child pornography) ... in the beginning of the story. If you're like me and saw the anime first, then you also may think it won't be so bad because the anime is so beautiful and breathtaking that you hardly think about its depictions of these children which are utterly abused in the manga.

I don't want to go into detail because I don't feel I need to--others have done that I believe for the most part. Honestly, all you need to know about this story is that the writer is very disrespectful and perverted to be drawing and writing these things. To bask in the suffering of children in the ways as depicted in this story is nothing short of a disgrace. It pretends to be something it is not--literally a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Basically, to sum up my harsh and dramatic review, the anime was so interesting that we forgot about the somewhat awkward things that disturbed us, but the manga shows that it truly is an absolute garbage story in my utterly biased and proud of it perspective.

‘Made in Abyss’ is one of the few cases in which I consider that the anime is better than the manga. The visual and musical beauty that this anime has is not reached by the manga (about the music it is understood).

MiA's premise is fantastic, a simple story, a good idea that promises an exciting journey into the depths of the abyss, somewhat reminiscent of a rpg. The problem, as so often happens, is that after a short time it tries to complicate the plot in an absurd way, to make it convoluted, believing that this would give it a greater complexity and depth, but ... it's harder to create something simple but great in every aspect than something big that doesn't excell in anything as this manga does right now.

From chapter 40 to 52 (the last chapter so far) this only goes about drama moments, attempts to create shock with gory scenes, the creation of a mythology full of characters that do not contribute anything at the moment to the story and scenes to show naked children. A pity, it had very good manners, but if 'Made in Abyss' continues like this it will become nothing, just another conventional manga.

I'll rate first each volume independently (without any spoilers at all about the story or characters) and in the end I'll write some conclusion. NO SPOILERS REVIEW.

VOLUME 1 (Chapters 1-8) Score: 7

Wow. Okay, that's some unexpected imaginative stuff. I don't know if it's just me, but I'm used to anything I read being a salad of damn clichés, and this is definitely an exception, and strong at that. It's a kick in the balls of your imagination, to damn wake up and work. It reminds me of the kind of weird fucked up imagination that the Sunless Sea video game builds on, per example; that's ... pretty much the vibe, but way, way less gray and more colorful. Like an LSD trip, in a good way, full of plant and alien nature motives, but with its darker undertones. This first volume doesn't show very much yet, it's clearly a teaser of what's to come, but it's definitely very promising, capital letters. I hope they exploit later what they leave hanging here.

VOLUME 2 (Ch 9-16) Score: 7+

This one was more fast paced. I really enjoyed the slow build up in the first volume, but this one doesn't disappoint anyway. Interesting and extremely imaginative. I wish it was even more fleshed out, I'd eat hundreds of chapters of this. It leaves you hungry for more. Some fighting clichés show up for the first time.

VOLUME 3 (Ch 17-24) Score: 8

Speechless. I really hope the rest of the story stands up to this.
But I wish it would have slowed down. This one has been a rollercoaster, and that's not all good. This part of the story could have been stretched into a couple of volumes.

VOLUME 4 (Ch 25-32) Score: 6

Just like with volumes 2 & 3, I wish this one was less fast paced. This time though, the fast-pacedness is applied to more important parts of the story than just mere exploration. In some pages it's not clear enough what is presently happening vs memories or imaginations, and some times things seem to appear out of nowhere in the very present, and when that happens several times in a row, it dulls down the excitement of important scenes by overdosing you with deus machina that are just too impossible to expect, and that feels a little too artificial. There's a couple of small things that would benefit from some explanation. If the artist put more attention and care in the pacing and avoided rushing things, Made in Abyss would be a masterpiece; there's so much that can be fleshed out from a story and setting that has this much potential.

VOLUME 5 (Ch 33-38) Score: 5+

This author has a problem with pacing and with abusing deus ex machinas. Same problems as in the prior volume; sometimes I don't really understand what's happening, like things were drawn in a rush. They would benefit from coloring for sure (MiA is perfectly built to be turned into anime, but the anime verson has a lot of hits and misses in my opinion). The drawings in genereal are less elaborated overall now, like the backgrounds being skipped too much and the fighting movements just look like a fast moving haze. Some things also just happen too unexpectedly, without any kind of prior hint, so it feels artificial. And the same type of emotional peak is being overexploited, like Made in Abyss only has one emotional trick in its sleeve; the psychopathic abuse of emotional and good intentioned minds that get scarred by a cold demented world, cause they are subject to horrible deeds and decisions that are just too much. Okay, we get it, we wept already the first time, please try different tricks. This is getting lower in quality, although some ideas and the end are still quite masterful, I admit. I just wish the author took the same care as he did in the beginning, and everything was as slow and explained and well drawn as in Volume 1. It seriously feels like the pages where some explanations were given were tore off in this volume.

VOLUME 6 (Ch 38.1-42.2) Score: 6+

My only criticism this time is how fast the characters seemed to just cheer up after all the traumatic experiences and losses from the last chapter in just a few hours as if nothing had happened. That hurts the immersion. Bad, bad. Otherwise, we're back to a good slow pace; time for strengthening the story and deepening the lore. Back to more detailed drawing. I'm loving it again. I hope the author finally quits all the caffeine and stops making it all so rushed. Doesn't he put out one of these per year anyway?

VOLUME 7 (Ch 43-47) Score: 5+

Weird, unexpected; the display of originality comes full force again, with its disturbing quirks bordering the obscene. Downsides; convenient plot twists that feel odd and deus ex machinas are again all over the place, but some parts were quite enjoyable anyway, and in the end it leaves you intrigued. The author seems focused on letting you know his vast array of fetishes, though. He could have made it less evident, it feels a little awkward. Also, the mixture of "cuteness" and disturbing cruelty and obscenity is sometimes just too extreme, it feels forced and ridiculous, hard to take seriously past a certainn point; what is the author trying exactly, constantly forcing this kind of mix? It gets old. Apart from all that, some new characters seem way more shallow and less developed than others. They can just open up and get attached in just a couple of hours of chatting. Although I'm still enjoying this, it's not getting back to the quality of the first volumes.

VOLUME 8 (Ch 48-51.1) Score: 6

Once you accept its quirks, you also gotta admit that this manga is really something else. The author has a problem with pacing and arranging things and keeping them believable and immersive 100%, but his great strength is the crazy imagination that he spills over the whole work. This one was really unexpected. I could go again with the same old complaints (here we have, again, the cruel and demented exploitation of innocence... it does get old), but the fact that you never know where things can go to -or come from- is really out of the ordinary.

VOLUME 9 (Ch 52-55) Score: 5+

A totally new and different emotional element is introduced, and it works really well. But others are repeated yet again. I'm in love with some of the characters, while others still feel very poorly made to me. Some have zero emotional reaction when finding themselves face to face with their nemesis after years of torment; others have an epic and heartbreaking reaction. Serious hits and misses in character depth. I really loved this new bunch of answers and scenes of the past, though.

VOLUME 10 (Ch 56-60) Score: 5+

Instant solutions that come out of nowhere, random plot twists... Things are forced to even out to make sense in ways that are actually quite hollow (no pun intended) and arbitrary, "shallow deep" moral meanings behind the mechanics of things... which sometimes manage to click anyway. Things just happen too fast, before they can really leave much of an impact. I've been getting for a while already the impression that this is like a work for a young audience... while being very obviously for adults. It feels amateurish and self indulgent sometimes, basically. There doesn't seem to be much care invested the final result as a whole; about how things are put together. The author seems only focused on the impact of each scene in itself. I can't deny I'm hooked on the story, the intrigue of what's to come, on how awesome some of the characters are, and the crazy weird beauty of it all. I'll surely keep on until it's finished.

VOLUME 11 (Ch 61-63) Score: 5

Uhm... okay. No answers at all, just new questions about things you don't even know anything about, so it's not even intriguing. I'm also disappointed by instant happy solutions, again, that really have no reason to be; the build up for drama is just laid to waste. A new chunk of bland characters are introduced, that look like you already seen them before, either here or anywhere else. This volume has its charming bits, but in sum it goes absolutely nowhere. It didn't bore me, but in the end I barely even liked it overall. If MiA doesn't make a big comback from this steady delve into medriocrity, I guess the final balance of its pros and cons will depend heavily on how good the ending will be, and to which degree it will make up for the increasinly bland writing.

CONCLUSION:

Waiting for more chapters until I make up my mind.

On some level, I enjoyed Made In Abyss. The Lovecraftian horror of the Abyss is sublimely beautiful and yet horrific in its indifference to humanity. Yet, is there a reason for the constant sexualisation of children?

With some logical speculation, I can reason that the vulnerable bodies of a child juxtaposes with the horrors of the Abyss create further tension in the narrative. Perhaps it is also there for the author to make some kind of commentary on innocence and corruption. Maybe it's there to emphasise the coming-of-age aspect of the narrative (children taking charge, becoming independent by going down the Abyss and all that ... jazz), intending for the sexual circumstances of the characters to suggest the discovery of sexuality and the characters slowly growing up (so it's not intended for the reader's gratification).

But in my humble opinion, at I've read till it's almost impossible to justify the author's use of the premature body as some kind of thematic imagery.

Beyond a certain point, the sexualisation of children in the manga goes into much, much more explicit territory for almost no good justification. It's too casual, too frequent, and they usually appear so thoughtlessly. E.g. random focus on a child's boner, piss things, Reg getting ?raped?/kinky sex? (was that part even essential to the story and character relationship?) This all makes it seem that the exposure of children's bodies is, for the most part, supposed to have some kind of sexual connotation.

The intention of sexualising minors is further emphasised by the bonus images of the manga. With the characters now disjointed from the narrative, and thus without connection to the themes of the story, they are still drawn sexually. There are some images in these bonus parts of the manga where the characters are in exceedingly compromising positions. I don't know about you, but that's pretty convincing to me.

At this point, I find it extremely difficult to justify reading this. While there is certainly literary merit in the manga, the pedophilic imagery is too much for me to continue reading. This is a shame as, despite some pacing issues, the current arc (that had just ended) featured some interesting world-building and character development that I would've liked to see through. But I have to draw the line somewhere...

To a certain extent, Made In Abyss' unique aesthetic was created through the juxtaposition between cutesy loli/shota characters and the horrifically indifferent and sublime Abyss. This is something not unique to this particular work. Madoka Magica was similar in its aesthetic of cutesy school girls fighting against somewhat Lovecraftian and horrific enemies, yet it never really did need to overly sexualise or expose its characters to increase tension or horror. The story worked without it. It would work too in Made in Abyss, but sadly it's there.

My first thought as the story progressed was this:

"I didn't sign up for this."

Don't be fooled by it's light and youthful art and its very young characters. Don't.


I honestly thought when I picked up this manga it'll be like Pokemon, Digimon or something that shows a bunch of kids going on an adventure of a lifetime. You know, like a kid friendly show.

But I was wrong. So, so wrong.

This is anything BUT a kid friendly show. This manga is very, very dark with fantasy and psychological elements mixed in. It has strong gore too and, in my opinion, I'd go far ... and say that the characters, especially the main protagonists, are created just to suffer.

Heck, I'd say that Re:Zero, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica would look like cute, little kittens against this manga.

You have no idea how much the first 42 chapters broke my heart. I cried. I mentally screamed. I even almost threw my phone in frustration. Almost. I hate how such young children are forced to go through things that even adults can have a hard time dealing with. Like, are you freaking kidding me? They're just children! They're too young.

But even with my complaints, there's no denying the fact that it shows reality; which is really ironic since this is set in a fantasy world.

It's real that kids suffer even at such a young age.

And aside from that, I can't jump on the ship in this one. The couple in this manga is very obvious. It's already glaring at me.

I'm a shipper. I live for the shipping. But not this time. I just can't bear to ship two kids. I mean like, they're freaking kids. I don't care if they're 12 or 13, they still look like 8 year olds to me. And I find the idea of shipping them to be disturbing.

Now, I know what you're thinking. What about Sakura and Syaoran from Card Captor Sakura? They're kids too but many people ship them. So what's the matter with the ship in this one?

My dear friend, here's the problem. Sakura and Syaoran depicts the innocent side of puppy love. The one that gives you good memories. The one wherein if you recall your first love, it'll bring a smile on your face. It doesn't have too much drama and just light. It's positive.

On the other hand, the ship in this one is not. Yes, the two of them are perfect for each other. They handle what the other can't and together, they're really strong. But the fact that they look like they're 8 year olds and this manga has too much sexual innuendoes for me to truly appreciate it, I just can't.

I honestly found myself thinking "I wish they were teenagers or older" A LOT while reading this. I kept on seeing a lot of lolis since they're kids (not a fan of too many lolis) and reading about the sexual innuendoes on, let me remind you again, KIDS is really awkward for me.

I don't have anything against kids and sexual innuendoes. It's just not my cup of tea. So is the concept of making kids suffer a lot.

I'm sure at this point you're wondering, why did I give it a 9 if this review is just full of complaints?

That's because this is a masterpiece despite all of my rants beforehand.

The art is misleading but beautiful. The concepts, the plot, the characters -- everything is almost perfect. I love the idea of The Abyss and more. So much thought has been put into the story that after finishing a chapter, you're filled with a lot of questions.

And in hopes of answering those said thoughts, you can't help but immediately read the next one and ta-da! More questions. And before I knew it, I reached the latest chapter (as of the day this review was written) which was chapter 42. And I had more questions than before.

It's mysterious. It's captivating. You get dragged into this world whether you like it or not.

This is that kind of story.

So at the end of the day, despite my complaints and awkwardness, I'll still continue reading this and watch the anime. I'm emotionally and psychologically invested on the characters and I sure hope they'll have a really happy ending. They deserve it.

If you're a fan of dark fantasy and children suffering and sexual innuendoes (on KIDS) is fine with you, then go and pick this one up. You'll be in a really wild and psychologically scarring ride.

P.S.: And in case you're wondering if there's nudity involved, yes there is.

Story: 9/10
Art: 10/10
Character: 10/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall: 9/10

Lets start with the art on this one. The art is confusing and looks like rough sketches with marker shading, especially in the beginning chapters. A lot of pages feel like partial rough sketches with unfinished parts. Want to see what the abyss looks like? Nope, you’ll get very little clear shots of it(if any). Most of the time, the abyss will be undetailed/foggy/unclear/rough sketch like. No majestic scenery a la Berserk or Kingdom here. Also, the facial expressions on some characters are really unimaginative/1 dimensional. The art does get better in the latter chapters, still confusing and unclear but better.
Now the story. Its like ... a story for kids, complete with overly simplified plots, Generic 1 dimensional lifeless villains and cutesy wootsy stuff all over. Looking for complex plot or characters? You in the wrong place buddy. The twist in this story, is that it brings out MATURE content every once in a while, making a nice contrast with the cutesy wootsy stuff (some of it is just PERVERTED tough). The exciting, mysterious, imagination provoking abyss is what really carries this story. As a double edge sword though, the abyss also gives the author too much freedom so sometimes important events seem meaningless.
If you like cutesy wootsy stuff and 7 year olds save the world type stories but want one with a mature content twist, then you are probably going to like this one. NOT so much as mature, just MATURE CONTENT.

These books make me angry.

I absolutely love the story and world of Made in Abyss. It's a masterpiece of worldbuilding that every other anime and manga should take inspiration from. The art is beautiful, and really brings that world and the things in it to life. The characters are solid, along with the writing. With all that being said, I'm giving the Made in Abyss manga a 6/10 for now.

The first review I ever posted on here was a review of the Made in Abyss anime, and I gave it a 9/10 (which I now think is a bit too high, with how major this ... flaw is). The reason I didn't give it a 10 is the same reason I'm giving this manga such a relatively low score. The reason being; this is basically softcore loli porn with a fantasy setting. I almost regret buying the series at this point.

I thought it was bad in the show, but it is about 10x worse in the manga. The scenes that were censored in the show, are not in the manga. You see a lot, and there is not a single time where it is ever necessary. Why do I need to see scenes of Reg getting a boner from seeing Riko's boobs, or from rubbing Nanachi? Why do I need to see detailed drawings of naked children suspended from ropes several times throughout the series? Why does the author, every time a new child character is introduced, need to put a full nude spread of that character at the end of the book? What do these add to the story or characters? Why is it necessary?

I'm all for separating the art from the artist to a certain extent, but that's very difficult to do when his 'feelings' (for lack of a better word for this) are so heavily implemented into his work. I won't make any accusations. I don't know the guy personally, and I don't know a whole lot about him, but all the signs are there. The manga is very uncomfortable to sit through at some points, much more so than the show was.

It really is such a disappointment. It's such a rich, vibrant world that he built up, and it really is going to waste. I still plan on finishing the manga, but it is a tough read.

Overall score after chapter 32: 6/10

I've now read up to the end of volume 10, which is the most recent volume released in english. These books are absolutely phenomenal. They just keep getting better. The themes are becoming much more clear, along with the characters' motivations. I mean it when I say that this series is perfect aside from the author's depravities that he inputs into his work.

And, as surprising as it sounds, there have been significantly less of those depraved moments in the more recent volumes. I can't even remember a single one over the last 2 books.

Due to that, the score is going up to a 7.

Although chapters up to 62 have been released, I have chosen to stop here for one reason: The village arc (everything in the 6th Layer) is absolutely terrible.

Prior to the 6th layer arc, I would have given this manga a 9/10. Although it had a few issues and things that could have been improved, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

However, this new arc is almost unbearable to read, seemingly forgetting what made everything before this point so great.

Even in the earlier parts of the story (particularly the Orth arc), in my opinion, Made in Abyss never did as well when there were too many ... characters to focus on. It has always been primarily an adventure story, which functions best when there are only a few main characters who are consistently exploring new areas and concepts of the abyss.

The village arc, however, does the exact opposite of this, introducing many new and barely-developed characters all at once. The flashback (Ganju?) arc is even worse in this regard, introducing an entire cast of new characters, to which the audience simply doesn’t have enough attachment to care about.

As for the existing main characters - the author chose the laziest way to temporarily write Nanachi out of the plot, Riko gets into an extremely contrived situation that requires her to cut her hair because the author got tired of drawing her pigtails, and Reg is just kinda there.

In addition to all of this, the whole 6th layer’s arc so far seems like it’s secondary to the plot, merely a string of filler that’s adding nothing to the story.

To put it simply, Made in Abyss has lost its way. I don’t intend to continue reading the manga until this new arc has been wrapped up. Though, based on the fact that it’s already been going for a solid two years, I doubt that will be any time soon.

Talking about masterpieces is a very hard thing to do. However, I believe that the manga very realistically covers every base for me personally there by making it a 10.

If you want to watch a lil something on the manga you can check out my review from the MAL profile.

Now for the review:

Story - 10
Just to get this out of the way some arcs can be confusing if you are reading the chapters where they are coming out. But if you binge the whole mange in a few days you will see that the story is actually very tight and consistent. With that ... out of the way... damn I am too much of a sucker for all of the quirky story beats and stylistic moments. HOWEVER I have to say while they are there and they are fun the manga DOES NOT rely on them to carry the story. Which is presented and crafted with originality and passion... and it's all very nicely executed. What else can you really need?

Art - 9
This gives off heavy journal vibes and again am all for that. Still, there are plenty of pages that feel very conventionally attractive and plenty that is beautiful in their own right. But I understand that the style may not be your thing and that's why this is a 9. That and there are a few pages when this can get a little confusing.

Characters - 8
While I do love most of them and they are a very very central point of the whole manga... they can feel a little too stupid sometimes. That is simply because a big percentage of them are children and while they have some unique perspectives and sometimes instruct opinions overall they can be a little too simple at times. That all is complicated since all of the grown-up humans are filled with ideas and beliefs and unique philosophies for life... let's just say that sometimes they can be a little too much. That's why it's great having the main characters be children since they really bring some needed hope and positivity.

Enjoyment - 10
It's just my thing and on top of that, it's created in an original and neat way... I mean come on.

Overall - 10
Is the MAL review section a good or even a decent way to discuss a masterpiece? Nope.

Should you go right now and read Made In Abyss? Yep.

Something about Made in Abyss wasn't right. It was hard to quantify what exactly it was while I was speedreading, but on rereads, it randomly hit me: there are a bunch of weird panels that squick me out. By that, I mean, there are a bunch of full frontal nudity panels of pre-pubescent children coupled with some sort of off-color jokes... The story is great, but that weird gross feeling those panels instilled made it so that I had to stop reading because it made me sort of sick. I don't know if the anime has censored them - I hope so. But for me, ... the manga is a no-go. Those panels ruined an otherwise enjoyable series for me.

Before writing about the story the first thing that really stood out to me was the weird (not in a bad way) pacing. The first volume was mainly a slow introduction to our main characters - done so very nicely. After that the pace picked up by a lot from Volume 2-5 before slowing down significantly again. Personally I enjoyed the very fast and the very slow a lot!

Now - the story is simple, our protagonist wants to find her mom at the bottom of the abyss which is a hole that has the effect that a human cannot go up again without being ... affected by a certain curse (depending on how deep they are which they sepparate in "layers"). The Curse especially is something that the author greatly utilizes. It's part of superb world building - including the dangers of the abyss which create lots of tention all the time. But it also makes up for really brutal stories for some of the many characters we meet - showing us the horror of the abyss more and building them up. Plus them being kids gives the manga a very unnerving atmosphere where they have to gain knowledge on their own with little help and limited ressources, additionally creating a akward dynamic between the innocent dream of the protag and the harsh reality of the situation they found themselfs in. All in all the adventures that our main cast goes trough is pretty exciting with all the layers giving them new problems which they have to overcome!

ok again as a precursor (again). The thing I love the most about the below mentioned characters are their relationship with the abyss. They are all of course unique in their own ways so lets talk about them!

Riko: My favorite character! She starts out as a pretty naive and lively character and while those qualities remain, she adepts to her new life slowly and makes subtle but meaningful changes troughout the series. What makes her character special tho is her being clearly the weakest and most vulnurable person of the cast meaning that she has to use other methods to survive (which is exactly what she does)

Reg: Besides the mystery, Regs mechanics are the thing that define him. He is a protective and strong boy who has to be careful to control his (limited) power the right way which always creates interesting/tense situations where the cast has to overcome themselfs. But he himself is not a dumb character who knows his abilities and fights smart

Nanachi: She is like equivalent of the meme where the funny classmate is super depressed on the inside. Nanachi often feels like the guiding light for the others, as she has the most experience in the abyss. She always tries to stay cool but her character arc revolves around her trying to let go of the past

Art: Lets adress the elefant in the room... The very much underage characters are often depicted in very disturbing and sexual situation. BUT (pls don't kill me) if I had to find a reasoning besides the hornyness of the author I would probably say that many of the explicit jokes as an example are made to bring over the authenticity of them being children which sounds dumb but we all know the anime with the all powerful 180IQ 12 year old... With the torture scenes I would say that they are useful for additional shock value (which is not a bad thing as it makes us respect the abyss more) as well as showing how children in the abyss can still be exploited grossly

OTHERWISE

the designs of all the characters are great and immediately recognisable and especially the beasts of the abyss are ultra terrifying with cool mechanics. The strength of the author for sure lies on human characters tho with the environment being kind of a weak point in the beginning (It got way better later on for sure)

This is one of the best Mangas I have ever read. Period. The plot is incredible. It's seeing is extremely well thought out and is amazing on its own. Characters are amazing as well. When you first read this, you get the sense it's for young children. I know when I first watched the anime, I felt that. But once you're into the book you get a real sense that children isn't the target audience. There are some very complex theories put into this book something a child may not completely grasp. The entire story is great, and it's one of the few stories that ... has the anime do it justice. In my top 3 best Mangas.

This manga is, by far, the best I have ever read out of many. An amazing manga, a great show. The anime, however, is not what I am going to cover in this review. TL;DR at bottom if you wish to skip any possible spoilers.

Based on what I have seen, no reader has ever regretted reading it. It is a story of 2 children descending into the Abyss, more or less for reasons of their own, but share a common goal - to learn as much about this Abyss as they can, learn of how they came to be, and find their origins. For ... Riko, this is through finding her mother, who is supposedly at the bottom of this hole. For Reg, I am not sure. He hopes to regain some memories, and learn more about himself by descending.

It was the art that first had me hooked. Akihito Tsukushi is an amazing artist, and this manga is probably the best example of it.

Story: 10

Made in Abyss has so much to offer in the story. Throughout the orphanage, down to the Golden City, I have never been bored by this story. The easier times, more stressful times, and emotional times all kept me hooked. I love each and every page, none being wasted for filler. It is not only the descent of Reg, Riko, and Nanachi that is a reason for the story receiving a 10. The amount of lore and small details that can be learned is amazing. Relics, stories of delvers, and the layers add another layer of storytelling that I haven't seen in too many manga. The relics, other delvers, and the characters seen throughout all add depth.

Art: 9

The art. Also one of, if not the best art I have seen. Every single panel is a joy to look at, and some panels I have spent 5 or more minutes looking at. The landscaping is beautiful, and the amount of landscape panels makes reading this even more worth it. The character design is also very good, and I like how it somewhat strays from normal drawing. The art does lose a single mark, though. The reason I took a mark of is because some panels are a bit hard to understand what is really going on, mostly with landscape panels. After looking at the panel for a few extra seconds, I can see the layout, and why it was designed the way that it is, but some are a bit messy. The art alone is enough reason to read this.

Character: 8

Some of the character growth is hard to see, but the characters do improve after descending and meeting new characters. I mostly see this is Reg, how he grows from the Orphanage to Nanachi. During the time he spends with Nanachi, he seems to learn more of the Abyss. I think Reg is growing more than Riko, at least by what I see. The characters are done very well. A good example of this is Ozen. It is hard to describe why. She almost has this aura around her. I am very excited to see how more characters might get introduced, and how current ones will change.

Enjoyment: 10

As I said in the story section, this manga never failed to excite me. Every page wanted me to see, more and more, what happens next. Even during the hardest of times, the stress I felt pulled me in. I feel like in any action/adventure anime or manga, if I don't feel stressed, I'm not getting any enjoyment. This rule doesn't apply to slice of life, of course.

Overall: 9.7

I love this manga. Not much more I can say than that. Something about the feeling of the Abyss makes it all that more amazing. This manga is filled with emotion, expressed very well by the art and characters. It is beautiful, both in story and art. I would recommend this to anyone, whether they have read manga before, or haven't even considered it. It is a great read, great watch, and should be on everybody's list.

TL;DR: 9.7

The story and the art are amazing. It will rarely, if ever, make you bored. It is worth every minute you spend reading, and I would recommend if you haven't read it, to do so. It is the manga that has never left my memory, and I doubt it will. Some scenes do have to do with children suffering and gore, so beware.

Author's note*

This is my first review ever. I think this is a good manga to leave my first review on, and I tried my best. I may not be the best writer, but I tried to get my feelings of this manga across as well as possible!

If I could make any improvements, I will be sure to make them in my next review, whatever manga or anime that may be. I may also edit this review later on, after more chapters get released.

Spoiler free:
A story about 2 "kids" filled with suspense, adventure, drama and friendship, that knows no limits or censorship, it does feels like youre being sumerged into the abyss of unknown.
A challenge on what an action manga is about, original concept, original protagonists, original story, original "antagonist", original plot. This manga for the first time in 10 years gave me hope in the future of anime as a whole. The main theme is mistery and MISTERY is served in great fashion.
A bit of criticism: 2 kids as protagonists was a questionable decision for credibility, but it doesnt really matter in the end, also there ... is some edgy moments, but overall it can be forgiven, and its completely justified to make the plot advance and bring importance into specific characters.
I honestly cant recomend this manga enough, read it, you wont regret it.

Without spoiling to my best ability I will try and explain my overall feeling on this manga, and for sure it's a definite must read.. Unless you're not here for a very graphic story that tugs on the very meaning of catharsis. Otherwise if you were looking for something similar to Madoka Magica if even stronger then this is for you.

I found this series out from a post on a social media of all things from a friend back in 2017, stating they had a positive experience with the show. Their post included the opening sequence of 'Underground River' from the anime and well quite ... literally I was sold.

The music by Kevin Penkin just like Tsukushi Akihito's work on backdrops work together to create something that feels almost like a legendary work of art. Art clashes between beautifully stunning to cute quite a lot which compliments it quite a bit and provides relief after an emotional quest. Further into the story I feel like the art improves a lot. I personally recommend listening to the anime's OST while reading for a great experience.

After watching the anime and experiencing the emotional roller coaster which makes you feel genuinely sorry and sympathetic for the cast. I decided to hop straight into the manga, given my curiosity at the end was killing me to know what was next. To only experience so much more than the anime ever offered bar the music of course.

While to some the pacing can seem too fast for some to build any amount of connection to the characters, however I believe it's warranted. To me the story is about the abyss, well that more than the characters but don't get me wrong. You're in for an amazing story with characters that have morals (or lack there of) and motives and personalities that seemingly contradict why they are why they are.

A main reason to what pulled me into this series is the mystery. I love not really being told so much as it builds up the questions every slight time something is kind of brought up.

Story: 10
Art: 10
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10

Overall I recommend this 100%. Maybe not to someone that is new to manga and anime but absolutely if you're looking for something to get emotionally invested into.

I should say this first and foremost: beyond chapter 30, this is no longer for the faint of heart. The writer is hellbent on making you as uncomfortable as possible when reading and by god does he do a brilliant job at it, and not in a "uhh i shouldn't be reading this" uncomfortable.

Story: 10
Due to the excellent worldbuilding and the fact that the author has hammered home that basically anything is possible in the Abyss, nothing feels forced or deus-ex-machina. The driving force for the main cast is easy to understand and easy to root for, and the obstacles they face along the way ... genuinely do feel like walls instead of speedbumps (that is a major issue I find with other stories, it never feels like what the protag is facing acts as a genuine threat). Combine this with mini-arcs that hit an uncomfortable nerve (most notably the arc from ~ch40-current), the world around them feels truly hostile and serves as the obstacle.
These uncomfortable arcs feel well integrated into the story, and the author does not include them for shock value or to make the story "edgy" and "gritty". It serves to show the harsh reality of life in the Abyss, and it does so excellently.

Art: 8
I don't have much to say about the art. It's consistent, it looks nice, and it does its job well. It doesn't come anywhere near Murata's level or anything, but I can't think of any faults in it either.

Characters: 9
This would have been a 10 if Riko and Reg were not children; I find that adults have more complex reasons and reasoning that allows for more meaningful interactions between each other and the environment. As it stands however, children being the main cast (apart from Nanachi) felt like the right choice, since it highlights the divide between their competence and the harshness of the Abyss. Them being children also helps so that we instead of see the world through youthful optimism and clarity, and opposed to the cynical professionalism an adult would have had to adopt (i.e., Ozen).
The author perfectly captures the innocence of youth without making either Riko or Reg feel too naive. When it comes down to it, they can both grit their teeth and soldier on, even if they lack technical experience. I would really like to touch on Riko's character, especially how she treats Reg, but that would go into spoiler territory; I would have also liked to touch on Nanachi, but you future readers will have to see that for yourself.

Enjoyment: 10
The characters' fleshed out personalities and clear drives are a breath of fresh air compared to many stories I've seen recently. The worldbuilding is elaborate without piling on too much exposition or unnecessary detail, and the way it poses as a threat to the characters feels very real, in that it is neither forced nor laughable.

Overall: 9.5, though I will have to round it down to 9.
Just go read it.

Honestly, I really can't see many flaws in this manga. When I think of Made in Abyss, I think of something original, and so well-done that it currently stands as my favorite anime and one of my favorite manga. Why not my favorite manga? Well... if you've taken a look at some of the panels in the manga, you'll notice some... questionable moments? Look, I understand that it's part of the manga and all like they don't have the same standards, but it really doesn't have to go that far. Even putting really disturbing stuff on the endings of the chapters. If I had to ... say anything else about this series is that it's a fucking roller coaster. It speeds up probably around right after Bondrewd arc where they're in the hotel, and it just speeds up so quickly you have no idea what the hell is happening. Thankfully, everything makes sense in the end, but it's just really confusing to keep track of what's going on. Characters are wonderful, the art is breathtaking, a really interesting story and amazing world-building, and really enjoyable. Not much more to say. I prefer not to associate the manga with the author as much as I can, but I can't when it's shoved in my face in the actual manga itself.

English & French Review :

English review :

Made in abyss is a manga by Akihito Tsukushi which tells us about the adventure of Riko, a young girl on a quest in the abyss to find her mother; she is accompanied by an amnesic robot who comes from the abyss.


Made in abyss really gave me a blow I did not expect at all that, the manga has no limits and does not give any possibility of survival to the characters, they can die at any time. In addition, there is a gap between the children and the world around them which is very violent and very dark.

I ... highly recommend this manga it is really excellent and of high quality and it is incredibly beautiful

French review :

Made in abyss est un manga d'Akihito Tsukushi qui nous raconte l'aventure de Riko, une jeune fille en quête dans les abysses pour retrouver sa mère ; elle est accompagnée d'un robot amnésique venu des abysses.


Made in abyss m'a vraiment donné un coup que je ne m'attendais pas du tout à ça, le manga n'a pas de limites et ne donne aucune possibilité de survie aux personnages, ils peuvent mourir à tout moment. De plus, il y a un décalage entre les enfants et le monde qui les entoure qui est très violent et très sombre.

Je recommande vivement ce manga il est vraiment excellent et de grande qualité et il est incroyablement beau


TontonKee Review