Made in Abyss (2017)
[メイドインアビス]
Director: Masayuki Kojima
Studio: Kinema Citrus
Starring: Miyu Tomita, Mariya Ise, Shiori Izawa
Episodes: 13
Synopsis:
With the help of a mysterious robot boy who saved her, a young explorer dares to venture into the depths of the Abyss to reunite with her mother.
Impressions:
I'd heard good things about this series, but I waffled over giving it a shot because the cutesy character designs seemed like a bad combination for what I had heard to be the rather dark content of the story. However, around the time the second season came out, I was still seeing people sing its praises, so I decided to dive in. I will admit that there's definitely a bit of uncanniness with the childlike innocence offset with the grim nature of the Abyss. I would say that anyone underestimating the series' maturity because of the character design would be mistaken, just as I would warn someone thinking it'd be just fine for kids will definitely want to give it a watchthrough first.
Now, when it comes to the details, I have to say that this series is exceptional in pretty much every aspect. The character work is first-rate, the worldbuilding fascinating, and the balance of wide-eyed wonder, terror and tragedy sublime. The lead duo of Riko and Reg are particularly strong, playing well off each other as a complementary pair. Secondary and even incidental characters are well-crafted enough to leave an impression, to the point where you might be surprised how little screentime some of them have given how distinct they are, but this all ties into how well-crafted and lived-in the world feels.
As this series is the complete package, you can be sure that Kinema Citrus delivers striking visuals with consistently excellent animation. As noted before, it is a bit unsettling to see the seemingly kid-oriented character designs paired up with the horrors of the Abyss. I have to wonder if that was a deliberate intention on the part of the original source material or just something that happened to work out that way. Anyway, this is an exceedingly good experience, bearing in mind the caveats I've mentioned, and well worth a place in your collection.
Rating:
Own It