Name: Made in Abyss is an interesting show that starts slow but leaves you hooked by the end.
Item: Made in Abyss
Rating: 77
Author: happiestbee

Waifra

Made in Abyss is an interesting show that starts slow but leaves you hooked by the end. · Waifora

#Made in Abyss

Made in Abyss is known for its unique and adorable art style, that perfectly fitting soundtrack, and the deceptively sweet story. This show is more or less the embodiment of "looks can be deceiving" as the story becomes progressively darker and disturbing throughout the series. There are many strong points to this show, but there are undoubtedly some aspects that I thought were not done super well. I will try and lay down my thoughts in as objective of a review that I can (I will also try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible).
#Story

The premise of Made in Abyss is a refreshing and unique idea that finally feels like something different in the pool of generic isekai and romcoms that currently dominate the medium. Some shows are able to pull off predictable plot lines just by over exaggerating important events and presenting them in a way that still appeals to the viewer. However, more often than not, watching the same show over and over just with slightly different characters and abilities leaves me with an unsatisfied feeling at the end. So, right off the bat I had if not high hopes, at least a bit of interest in this show for the new story.

Background (not spoiler, just a lot of useless stuff):

Spoiler, click to view

Made in Abyss takes place on Earth, but in my opinion, it can be considered a pseudo-isekai. The main difference between their Earth and ours is the existence of a large pit or trench known as the abyss. In this abyss, humanity discovered relics, which are different objects left behind by a civilization of the past. Interestingly enough, the technology left behind by this ancient civilization actually proves extremely useful for the humans living in the present time, so these relics have significant monetary value. Now, people from all over the world scramble to raid the abyss and collect these relics in hopes of making it big. The abyss is split into several layers, each with distinctive characteristics, such as an inverted forest. The real danger of the abyss comes in the numerous dangerous beasts that roam each layer and the "Curse of the Abyss". This curse is one that affects anyone who tries to climb out of the abyss, and the effects become increasingly worse the further down one goes. The effects start from extreme nausea and discomfort and intensify all the way to losing your humanity itself.

The story starts extremely slowly due to the immense amount of world-building and character introductions that take place. To me, the first several episodes of this show spent a bit too long explaining the world and presenting the characters. The show took "show and not tell" a bit too far with the characters, and just had us follow the characters as they go through the action of their mundane daily lives. Basically, the beginning is incredibly slow and boring. However, as the story progresses we are shown why this show is considered dark. The main cast's time in the abyss starts out as a pleasant descent, but things start to go wrong very quickly. This was interesting to see and had me hooked, but it felt as if there was no real movement in the plotline, and the characters were just going through the motions. You could argue that going through each layer is movement in the story, and while that is true, it just felt as if they were clearing a stage in a simple game, and just moving on. There was no impact on each layer, and there were only small amounts of story embedded in each "stage". It wasn't until the end of the show that I really felt personally invested in the show and their journey in the abyss. The final episode really made sitting through the slow start worth it for me. They did an exceptional job of introducing some new ideas about the abyss, and how their journey would progress. I was finally rooting for the characters and not just watching them. So, the story starts off slow and slightly nonexistent and ends with me wanting more.

#Art

If you have ever seen any clips or screenshots of this show, you should know that the art style in this show is something you won't find anywhere else. The characters' large heads, minuscule necks, and overall round features give off the feeling of those RPG games where the characters' splash art is excessive and intimidating, but their in game appearance is just cute and adorable. Aside from the characters Made in Abyss is also accompanied by superb background visuals as well. I didn't think I would enjoy the art style, especially for a more serious and intense show, but for some reason, the art that seems like it should belong in a sol just fits perfectly in this life-threatening expedition. The cute art style also makes it all the more impactful when things eventually go awry.

#Sound

One aspect of Made in Abyss that I had repeatedly heard about was the soundtrack and sound design of the show. After watching the show, I can say with confidence that this part of the show definitely lives up to the hype and my own personal expectations. Each scene just seemed to have the perfect music to go along with it, and this is one of the few shows where I actually listened to the music outside of watching just because of how perfect it is. Made in Abyss without the music would be the same as watching Jaws on mute. The experience is only complete with the soundtrack, and this show is a perfect example of how much music can enhance the viewing experience. Listening to the soundtrack just completely immersed me into their world, and all the pain, happiness, and despair that the characters felt was just as heavy to me. In episode 1 when Hanezeve Caradhina with the beautiful landscape along with it, the chills and pressure I felt let me know that I was heading into an amazing series. To be perfectly honest, the music carried the show throughout the first half of the show and kept me from dropping the show during the beginning.

#Characters

This was one of the shows where I loved almost every character besides the main character. Riko, for the most part, felt completely one-dimensional. She didn't have any personality trait that made her really stand out, and she also didn't feel like she was the focus of the show. Overall, Riko felt very plain and uninspiring, unlike the way many other main characters are. While I am glad she is not another "never give up, I started from the bottom and now I'm here" type of protagonist, she lacks the drive and presence that draws us to other main characters. Especially surrounded by amazing supporting characters, some with overbearing personalities, it felt as if Riko wasn't being complemented by the other characters like a protagonist should be, and instead was being drowned out. This is not to say that I don't like Riko's personality as a type of character, I just think she would do better in a supporting role rather than a main.

The supporting characters in this show were the main highlight to me. Reg perfectly fulfilled his role as a friend and guardian to Riko and his own story had me more intrigued than the over-arcing quest. The series perfectly portrayed his role in the story as well as his inner conflicts and how they might come up as the plot progresses. Besides Reg, every other support character also had their own important role which they each played to perfection. As new characters were introduced, I tried fitting them to common tropes and stereotypical character archetypes, but many of them were concepts that I had never seen before. It has been a long time since I was surprised and interested in a character because I could not tell what they were thinking or what their personality was like right from when they were introduced. This created a new feeling of really getting to know the characters, instead of having a preexisting familiarity with the tropes. Finally, I can't talk about the characters without mentioning Nanachi. Without getting into any spoilers, what really set this show above the rest for me was the last few episodes, and especially the last episode. It felt as if the last episode alone deserved all the hype that this show has gathered, just because of Nanachi's character.

#Personal Enjoyment

Personally, the first half of the show was a big letdown that was more than made up for in the ending. When I first started, I thought that this show was just going to be something that I would sit through, because I don't really like dropping things once I start them. However, by the end of the series, I was craving more and was genuinely interested in what was going to happen next in their journey. While I can't say that this series blew my mind or is something revolutionary, it is definitely far above average and deserves a try.

#Overall

So, do I recommend this show? Definitely yes. Although my rating for this show isn't super high, it is mostly due to having to sit through many episodes of basically nothing until finally getting to what made this show memorable to me. While I am sure that this show is not for everyone, I can see why I was recommended it so many times, and why it has the high rating that it does. Although I have been flaming the worldbuilding and slow start for this entire review, I can't say for certain that the show would do as well without it. Maybe the extensive worldbuilding is just something that is unfortunately necessary for the ending to be as good as it is. So, my final rating is a 7.7/10, which puts this show at well above average. Do check this show out if you're looking for something more unconventional that will leave wondering what just happened well after the last end credits are played. Thank you for reading!