Made in Abyss

(Because this is my first review I literally went and binge watched a bunch of anime reviewers to try and sound professional. My life is so sad it's not even funny.)

Sooooo... Made In Abyss. I goddamn LOVE this show. I want to make something clear right now - this is not a show for everyone. It's rated R17 for a reason, because there are some legitimately disturbing and downright gory scenes. But it's not a mindless, just-there- to-be-edgy gore, it's the kind of gore that is used to build on the atmosphere and illustrate the shows themes in a clearer light. So if you can stomach it, then this show is definitely worth a watch.

Story - 9/10 The basic premise of this show is that there is a huge pit called the Abyss, full of dangerous monsters and ancient relics. No one knows what is at the bottom, but adventurers called cave raiders go down into the abyss with hopes of finding out the secrets and origin of this mysterious structure. Our main character, Riko, is a small girl who's mother used to be a White Whistle, the highest rank of cave raider you can be. One day Riko is out cave raiding on the upper layers when she meets a amnesiac robot called Reg. After receiving a letter from her mother telling her to come to the bottom of the Abyss, she and Reg go on an adventure to try and find out the truth. While it's at first seems reasonably cliché, the story becomes more and more intricate as it goes on and gets very dark and mature. Despite all this dark tension, there is a certain sense of wonder and hope throughout the whole show that stops it from becoming a Tokyo Ghoul-esque pit of depression. (Nothing against TG but you gotta admit they lay it on a bit thick.)

Characters - 8/10 Since the show is only 13 episodes and has an incomplete ending, there hasn't been crazy amounts of character development yet. The characters all have unique personalities and are beginning to mature, but they're really only starting their "character arcs." But the reason I'm rating this category so high is because of how well the characters play off each other. Riko is the confident, obsessive, albeit sometimes cocky adventurer (although the cockiness is never overdone to the point of annoyance). Reg, while being quite powerful, is extremely nervous and has a tendency to follow everyone else's plans, which leads to some great moments when he's stuck on his own. Then we have Nanachi, a character we meet around episode 10, who is the more sceptical and knowledgeable one. These three different personalities bounce off each other and use each other to improve or change themselves.

Sound - 9.5/10 The soundtrack is perfect for this show. All the different OSTs serve as excellent accompaniments to whatever scene they're allocated, and lots of the music has a sense of wonder and mystery which is this shows strongpoint. However, while there are some stand out tracks, a lot of the OSTs don't really stand out on their own, and really only work in the context of the show. But since were only reviewing said show, I'm still going to give it a 9.5.

Art - 10/10 So, the character designs for some of the younger characters is a bit subjective. Some people like it and others wish it was more mature, to reflect on the show. I personally think it adds to the misleading nature but that's just me. Not counting those, all of the older characters look absolutely awesome, and the art for the environments and backgrounds... There are no words to describe it. It is honestly spectacular. The visuals for the fight scenes are also well animated, and there's never a point where it feels the quality has gone down. Which is impressive considering the relatively low budget the creators had to work with.

Overall - 9/10 As you probably got by how I was gushing over it like a fangirl, but I really like this show. On terms of pure enjoyment this was probably a 10 but I had to factor in the actual writing of the show as well. As I mentioned before, the story is incomplete, and the manga is currently on hiatus until 2018 so it might be a little while for season 2. (The anime covered 26 chapters and the manga only has 42). Also, the show could do without some of the sexual references, but too be fair they're few and far between, with the worst of it being in episode 2. The show is also held back by the lack of character development so far but this was still a crap ton of in to watch. There is still a few months of the year left but this is definitely the best show so far - not including sequels *cough* HeroAca S2 *cough. If your OK with seeing the odd scene of a small innocent child in immeasurable pain then your good to go.

An absolutely fantastic anime with solid world-building, likable characters, and a gorgeous art style. The first episode immediately pulls you into the show and introduces you to the cast of characters and the beautiful world, and from there on it hooks the viewer with its fantastic lore and world-building, something which many shows are unable to do effectively. I'm telling you, go watch this anime right now; it's a unique gem that you absolutely will not regret watching.

PROS: + Absolutely fantastic art style and music + Great lore building + Characters are all likable and have interesting backstories + Manages to be both cute and serious

CONS: - Some minor pacing issues in the beginning but nothing serious

OVERALL: 10/10

I am a 30 year old stoner dude, who usually watches action movies and so forth, but this was truly addictive, and gripped me from start. I don't usually comment like this, but this show deserves it. The story is a rollercoaster of emotions. And the music, OMG, what an amazing job they did on producing one of the most beautiful soundtracks I've heard on a show, just awed at how the music matches the atmosphere in every scene. WOW! I highly recommend this gem!

Throw in some Etrian Odyssey and you get a rough idea of what Made in Abyss might be.

But those may be a bit obscure as references so what does all that mean? This isn't a Studio Ghibli work, but it has a real organic, curvilinear art style that could be described as a child like look that really fits the characters who are all very young. If you know Ghibli art, you know how detail oriented it is, and how it's style really lends itself to fantasy based environments.

There isn't a more mature environment that the one presented in Dark Souls - it's all about brutal enemies in dark surroundings with no mercy given to those who participate. And this is where Made in Abyss really separates itself from the look, and truly becomes a mature story of life, love and survival. There is a quest, and one of the main characters is especially well suited to travel and survive in the brutal realm revealed as this anime unfolds.

Lastly would be Etrian Odyssey, which is another video game where you build a team and descend into a subterranean realm, each level down more challenging (and mysterious) than the level above. This is exactly like the realm in Made in Abyss - though in typical (manga) anime fashion, the abyss is far more complex than that presented in Etrian Odyssey. It has a life blood of its own, effects those in its grasp, and even can make literal changes in the characters to descend too far, or spent too much time in the harsh/unpredictable realm.

The two main characters are interesting and become more interesting as the story progresses. One character is augmented, has very obvious mysterious qualities, but the other main character may have a more bizarre background still! And added to this she appears completely normal.

But nothing is ordinary here. It's like some far distant lost civilization that lives on the edge of a great trove of artifacts. The explores descend the abyss for relics, but also out of wonder lust, and desire to understand and exploit its power.

I love this anime. The environment is complicated, but revealed in ways that serves the story and characters. The characters aren't just likable - their lovable, and to see them suffer hurts in ways that is difficult to explain. It is worth noting that this season has a lot of build up, complete with excellent foreshadowing. The season really picks up in the last 5 episodes, the last one being double length. I completely approve of the design. The build up establishes so many important story element and characters, all needed to really give the final third of the season such emotional intensity.

Even incomplete (the Manga is still being written... but there is enough content for 12 more episodes!) Made in Abyss is astonishing. It taps into so many things I love: exploration, science fantasy, a quest, a mysterious and dangerous environment with beautiful characters who support each other.

Made in Abyss is high art - 10/10

Still we're well into 2018 and no anime came close to Made in Abyss.

Emotional, brutal and beautiful. Don't believe the 1/10 reviews out there, it's being praised everywhere for a reason.