Story:
While Fantasy settings are anything but special these days, most of them tend to be the same thing with a different name patched over it. In terms of originality, Fantasy has suffered greatly in the 10s. Made in Abyss is a breath of fresh air in these Isekai times and therefore was welcomed with open arms by many, including me. But that wouldn’t make much of a difference if the anime wasn’t a good one. It takes a while for the creativity to shine through, but once it does, it becomes a lot of fun. The early parts outside the abyss are not that interesting to watch, but they give us some needed exposition before the journey can begin. The show really only starts once Riko and Reg get into the abyss. The world of the abyss is interesting and partially very creative. Once they reach the fourth layer and meet Nanachi, the story gains a lot more drive and saves itself from becoming boring. I’d say Made in Abyss was a nice diversion, not necessarily the hot new thing, but still well done with potential to be really something later on, should there be another season.
8/10
Art:
The characters are extremely moefied. This has the positive effect of inducing fear for their well-being in the audience, but there is also a downside that might even drive viewers away. You see, Made in Abyss does not fuck around when it comes to bodily harm, it also does not cover up sexuality (not that there’s anything explicit). So, how effective that character design is depends heavily on how much and what you are able and willing to swallow. The world is colorful, yet not too much. It works well in creating a fantasy setting based in reality…if that makes any sense. The creatures of the abyss look like real animals without resembling them for the most part. Made in Abyss is an anime that is fun to look at, with a character design that is highly depending on personal taste.
9/10
Sound:
The soundtrack is of extremely high quality, something you’d maybe hear in a movie for example. Powerful in scenes that need it and restrained when it should be. The opening song is not that extraordinary, but it’s well done and fitting. The ending caters to the cuter side of the show, which it does have, even if it didn’t sound like it up to now. Nice song, has a positive vibe to it, I like it. All voices fit well into their respective stereotypes, the genki girl, the shy boy, the smugdere and so on. None is groundbreaking, but they are all well done.
9/10
Characters:
The two person dynamic, that is established early on, has limited possibilities. Riko and Reg can be cute and funny at times, but dramatically they don’t play off each other well enough to hold up the story. This is dealt with by giving them somebody to interact with most of the time, most notably the eerie Ozen. Only when Nanachi hits the scene do we get a much better balanced ensemble of main characters that can last for a long time before running stale.
Riko is a love her or hate her kind of character. She is very cheerful and optimistic, which in general isn’t so bad, but when descending into the abyss, this becomes a fatal flaw. Thankfully they didn’t let her do as she pleases and she does have to suffer the consequences for her headless behavior, which in turn should cause the audience to empathize (worked for me). Her robot buddy is way less extreme a personality than she is. Reg behaves like any normal boy would (I think) and acts as voice of reason, though he has serious problems to prevail against Riko’s antics. I can’t really put my finger on it, but something about this character seems lacking to me. It’s not that he has no personality, cause he does, but he just seems a little colorless compared to most other characters.
I already mentioned Nanachi multiple times, but that’s not without reason. Before her introduction, made in Abyss was an okay show, original yes, but not amazing. After she(?) was introduced, not only were the character dynamics rearranged for the better, she also brought a nice bag of both comedy and drama with her that made for very entertaining final episodes. Her and Mitty’s backstory was a real tearjerker and made me feel terribly sorry for the both of them. But aside from that, she is just a really fun character.
The rest isn’t explored too deeply, the only one I found memorable was Ozen, because she was so scary. An interesting character in her own right, she provided a glaring example of just how much the abyss can and will influence your mental health. Although she is probably a lesser case if the other White Whistle that is introduced in the final episode is anything to go by.
8/10
Enjoyment:
Made in Abyss is an interesting little adventure story that doesn’t really get really good until the final episodes, but it’s already worth watching before that, if only to get a breath of fresh air and see something original. This is not for the faint of heart, as this anime loves to show its characters suffering and in gruesome detail. But it also has some light-hearted moments and features a very colorful world that wouldn’t be out of place in a Ghibli movie. While I wasn’t overwhelmed, I was still entertained by this show and that is more than I can say for a number of others. Maybe you can get a little more invested than I was, I’d say give it a chance and see for yourself.
8/10
Overall:
8.4/10
