Made in Abyss

An anime that builds upon its mythology slowly but surely, creating a world that is both awe-inspiring and unforgiving, drawing upon the basic human desire to "go deeper".

Our two leads, Riko and Reg, are both easily likable and interesting. Riko's almost obsessive attraction and desire to explore the Abyss helps guide the viewer into this world. Her natural child-like wonderment and romanticizing of the horrors can be very relatable or jarring, depending on the viewer. Likewise, Reg's desire to know his origin and purpose humanizes a character that all too often can turn into the generic robot sidekick. They do sometimes fall into typical "kid lead" tropes but not too much they are irritating.

The secondary cast are all interesting, from Ozen to Nanachi. Nanachi is particular adds a third voice to the Abyss, giving a "humanized" element to it. The mystery of the White Whistles has potential to lead to some interesting plot angles (The manga has already gone into more depth on this).

The world of "Made In Abyss" is the major selling point for this series. The Abyss, its mythology, what it has done to the people of this world and what it CAN do to the people of this world is a major reason to watch. The curse alone is genuine nightmare fuel, an almost exaggerated spin on what deep cave diving or spelunking can do to even the most hardy of explorers. We sadly don't get to see too many of the fauna present within The Abyss but those we do see are horrifying, points for me go to the Corpse-Weeper especially.

There are some pacing issues, the first few episodes can feel a bit slow and it takes some time to get to the meat of the series, which is when the kids officially explore The Abyss. If you're not invested by episode 3, this isn't the anime for you as later chapters are even slower at times if we go by the manga.

There is also the unfortunate elephant in the room: The amount of loli/shota designs present. Though the manga is much much worse with this, the anime doesn't hide showing the kids talking about intimate things in typical "cutesy" manners often common within loli or shota media, as well showing both kids half or even fully naked. If you find that type of media uncomfortable, you won't make it past episode 6.

Made In Abyss is not for everyone and your mileage may vary depending on feelings towards certain aspects present within the series. None of the less, it is an enjoyable little series with real potential should it follow the manga in later seasons.