Made in Abyss, directed by Masayuki Kojima. Written by Keigo Koyanagi, Hideyuki Kurata, and Akihito Tsukushi. Starring Miyu Tomita, Mariya Ise, and Maaya Sakamoto. Kinema Citrus (). 12 episodes of 23 minutes and 1 episode of 46 minutes (approx. 322 minutes). Rated TV-14.
When Made in Abyss appeared in 2017, it was the biggest hit of its season, if not the year. It also quickly became one of the most polarizing titles on social media. I was already praising it before it appeared in English simply because I’d caught glimpses of its creator’s art. Then I started to hear … rumors … that made me squeamish—mostly about the manga being a hairsbreadth from lolicon.
I’ve not had a chance to read the manga, which if I’m not mistaken is still ongoing, but I have finally sat down and watched the thirteen-episode first season of the anime. I can say nothing substantial about its source material (my info is mostly hearsay coupled with some amazing panel art), but I will say that, whatever the manga is like, the anime is really, really impressive. This is one of the best cartoons I’ve ever seen, hands down.
I was into Made in Abyss before it was cool … sort of.
The creator of Made in Abyss is one Akihito Tsukushi. I first learned of his existence when I discovered some stunning fan art he made for Fairy Musketeers, one of my all-time favorite magical girl shows. I thereafter learned that he had created a web serial called Made in Abyss, which was gaining some popularity because of its stunning artwork.
The Abyss.
Not long after that, the anime adaptation was announced, and it was simulcast on the (now defunct) Amazon Strike. Around the same time, Seven Seas Entertainment nabbed the manga for a translation.
During its run, Made in Abyss was about all anime fans were talking about. I watched as the talk in my Twitter timeline slowly evolved from “Made in Abyss is amazing” to “whoa this is dark” to “exactly how perverted is Made in Abyss, anyway?”
Scandalizing Twitter since 2017.
Much as I wanted to, I was unable to watch Made in Abyss during its run, because I was in graduate school and working two part-time jobs, and I simply couldn’t justify the frivolous expense of a streaming service. Now that I’m gainfully employed, however, I’ve been exploring the anime available on Amazon Prime, but I hadn’t yet made it to Made in Abyss because I was working my way through some of the available magical girl shows first.
The heroes of Made in Abyss.
I’ve now seen two episodes of the show and, I must say, it so far is living up to the hype. Although perhaps not quite on the level of the intricate designs from its source material, the background art in this anime is freaking amazingsauce. I almost don’t care about the story because I’m too busy drooling over the artwork.
But the story is really cool, too. The premise is that there is this enormous pit, of unknown depth, full of dangerous monsters as well as powerful relics, and a city with an entire culture based on its exploration has grown up around its rim. The protagonist is one twelve-year-old Riko, an excitable girl who wants to live up to the reputation of her mother, who was one of the Abyss’s great explorers. Living in an orphanage where she is a “Red Whistle,” an apprentice cave-raider, she discovers a robotic boy who possibly came from the Abyss’s deepest and unexplored levels.
Reg, the robot boy.
Exploring the Abyss is not only hazardous in itself, but it comes with a “Curse”: the lower you go, the greater sickness you face when you try to rise again to the surface. Anyone who explores deeply enough cannot leave the Abyss again without dying or losing his humanity.
The characters of Made in Abyss are drawn in a style sometimes called “puni plush,” an exaggerated anime style in which everyone looks like a prepubescent child—like, moreso than usual, I mean. The character designs accent the sense of wonder and adventure, but belie some of the story’s grimmer themes.
She looks so darn huggable.
The look and feel of this show is much like something that would come out of Studio Ghibli. Again, I’m only two episodes into it as I write this, but it is so far one of the best things I’ve ever seen. It’s has that sense that you’re watching something larger than itself, a story that was told around campfires long ago and that will still be told even after this particular version of it has been long forgotten. It feels timeless.
And the art! I sometimes just want to turn off the sound and stare at the pictures.
Shut up, Made in Abyss. I’m not paying you to talk.
This escaped my attention back in January, but the web comic Made in Abyss by Akihito Tsukushi is slated to get a TV anime adaptation, directed by Masayuki Kojima and animated by Kinema Citrus.
And though it escaped my attention at the time, it was only a few days later that Crunchyroll reported news of an impending anime adaptation. I take this as further proof that I really live in a solipsistic universe that bends to my will, and you are all figments of my imagination. Bwa ha ha.
I hope Crunchy’s report is indicative of their plans to fish for the rights to stream a sub. At present, Made in Abyss is not legally available in English, though it was originally produced as a web series and can be read online in Japanese. I for one am quite curious about the series because the story sounds charming and the art is gorgeous.
And Tsukushi-sensei’s characters all look so darn huggable.
Featured Image: Cover art of Made in Abyss Volume 1 by Akihito Tsukushi.
I’m falling in love with the artwork of Akihito Tsukushi, and maybe also with him personally just a little bit. I don’t think I was aware of him or his work until just recently when I stumbled upon it, but I have found at least one place on the internet where he hangs out.
The featured image both here and on this post comes from his four-part comic book series Made in Abyss, which is unfortunately unavailable in English. The artwork is certainly stunning. Information on the series is scanty, but it is apparently about a plucky young girl and a boy robot who explore a giant cave system full of fantastic critters.
I don’t know if the story’s any good, but it sounds promising, and in any case, it’s clear that it would be worth reading simply for the visual feast, akin perhaps to Dinotopia or Neotopia. Who cares what the story is when you can look at that art?
I’ve not had a chance to read the manga, which if I’m not mistaken is still ongoing, but I have finally sat down and watched the thirteen-episode first season of the anime. I can say nothing substantial about its source material (my info is mostly hearsay coupled with some amazing panel art), but I will say that, whatever the manga is like, the anime is really, really impressive. This is one of the best cartoons I’ve ever seen, hands down.
or 
. Who cares what the story is when you can look at that art?