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The world of Made in Abyss is constructed with so much imagination by it's staff that it has some of the finest world building I've ever seen. Two kids enter an Abyss that leads deep into the unknown. With every layer, there are beautiful landscapes that change, becoming more surreal and sinister as the journey continues. Every layer is like a different world that feels very alive to the viewers because of how well they get presented and fleshed out. In the shadows lie intelligent and frightening creatures that become more dangerous the lower one goes. In the small town above it all, one child is an enigma that was found unconscious. He wants to know what he is and where he came from because he can't remember. The other is a miracle child trying to find out what happened to her mother, who supposedly awaits at the bottom of it all. As a result, they run away together after becoming close by coincidence to find out their truths.

The rules of the Abyss are another horrifying aspect. It takes only the strongest to get to the bottom because of how harsh the conditions are; conditions that can make you lose your humanity from how deep they go. The unknown leads to so much wonder in this series that leaves amazement with every episode, as the Abyss unfolds and shows what feels like unlimited amounts of beauty and horrors that hide within.

This is a series that will grab you by your heart and crush you twice over after you think it's done with it, to make sure of it. The meaningful and well written stories of these characters and the brutality of their pasts ripped my emotions to shreds over and over again.

Reg and Rino's relationship is something that gets built upon so much and so well that it becomes very special. Their purest of bonds one can't help but hope for the best for them, as they do their best to try and protect each other. It invokes a protective feeling for this bond from the viewers. As a result, the tension and stakes in this anime feel almost unbearable. They aren't really sure what they are getting themselves into, and as the terrifying monsters get closer, it even makes me start to panic. There are times where it can become hard to watch because this series can be terrifying to the point where one might even feel like looking away. Even when it's not trying to show a sad event, seeing the beauty behind certain scenes and how beautifully they are executed with it's majestic music playing in the background made me cry a few times and feel like a man standing and crying in applause at a theater during the climax of a classical piece. As the two stand over the first layer of the Abyss with the wind and fog going around them, I can't help but feel anticipation to see what kind of world waits. Made in Abyss captivates and doesn't let you go until the end.

Oddly enough, one of the most terrifying parts of this series is something that in a way doesn't feel it would be. That is a tall man in all black and a mask. Though brief, he seems to represent the darker side of curiosity. He brings up the topic of scientific progress. It seems that for him, atrocious experiments of inhumane execution are "wonderful" if they can lead to "progress," just as what happens in the real world that the average person usually turns a blind eye to. All in the quest for knowledge; "necessary" sacrifices. Despite his polite manners, soothing voice, and his deceiving ideology to "help" people, he is a monster.

Sometimes an anime feels like it went by in seconds. It doesn't happen often to me, though it did feel like Made in Abyss went by too fast. Still, controversy came around because there are a lot of over the top sexual jokes. Even at some times, the earlier monsters are drawn so odd they either look out of place or choppy. Despite that, everything else comes together nicely. The urge to finally watch this, and the movie which is next, came partly because I was encouraged to, and because season 2 is right around the corner. Take the time to enjoy one of best in underworld exploration.