I remember watching Made in Abyss when it first came out in 2017, and, along with the rest of the anime community, I was floored. Everything works together, cogs meshing and moving in harmony to serve this well-oiled machine. But as the years ticked by, I began to lose interest in anime, and by the time 2020 rolled around, the Dawn of the Deep Soul movie had come out, and I didn’t feel like watching the show over again. Then Season 2 was announced, and I started feeling nostalgic. By that point, I was fully back into anime, more than I’d been before. Granted, I still didn’t want to rewatch the whole 13-episode season, but I was certainly willing to watch the recap movies instead. And here we are.
The story itself is still phenomenal, and as far as I’m aware, nothing important gets lost in this shorter edit. Having the audience understand the stakes for the characters and the dangerous nature of the Abyss is so vital, and they do so masterfully even before Riko and Reg descend. You really want to root for them, especially in spite of the reality that they may very well die horrifically. The side characters are so fun and interesting; I love the kids at the orphanage (the unspoken tension between Riko and Nat is well-written), and characters like Ozen and Marulk bring such a history to the world of the show. In fact, all the characters bring a sense of grounded realism to this fantastical world. And these are just some of the people we meet in this first half of the season.
And while the story and characters are well-written, the thread that sews them together is the music. Ah, the music! Kevin Penkin’s score is so lovely, and fits the show like a glove. I find myself listening to the score when I take walks nowadays, or whenever I'm in need of good background music. The score is everything the show needs: When things are peaceful, the music is there to soothe you. When things get intense, the tones shift to accommodate. And when you need to experience the gravitas of the Abyss, Kevin’s got your back.
Taking a step back, I was actually concerned that the pacing would be messed up since it’s just a TV show cut down to movie length. But Journey’s Dawn actually works really well as a movie. The story beats you’d see in a typical movie are basically all there, and they even made a special intro animation just for this movie (which is pretty darn cool of them to do). Ever since I watched the first two Attack on Titan recap movies, pacing has been a real concern in my mind regarding these, but I didn’t have to worry at all. My enjoyment has been reinvigorated, and I’m looking forward to experiencing the rest of season 1 again, as well as everything else the Abyss has to throw at this loveable duo.