Made in Abyss Ep. 1-3 Review: time for an adventure!

As I watched Made in Abyss, the feeling that washed over me was nostalgia…yes, a wave of nostalgia.

There exists a giant hole called the Abyss, where dangerous monsters lurk and ancient relics wait to be discovered. Nobody has ever seen the bottom, and no one who descends too deep makes it back alive. Riko’s mother is a White Whistle, the best of explorers who dive the Abyss. The little girl aspires to be just like her mother, and after a fateful encounter with a mysterious boy Reg who seems to come up from the Abyss’s depths, the two set on a journey.

Made in Abyss has a cast of almost all children, so no matter how dark and gloomy the setting is, there is always a sense of promise and excitement for the unknown. A town on the edge of a giant chasm, monsters roaming the area, and a mysterious new friend… these are the perfect recipe for a children’s book, which is kind of the feeling I got from Made in Abyss.

The first episode introduces us to the children and their lives in the orphanage, and also the basic knowledge of the world. It also features the meeting between Riko, daughter of a great White Whistle who wants to be a diver greater than her mother, and Reg, a robot that seems to come from deep below. The scenery is beautiful, and the story is interesting, wants me to keep watching more.

What bothered me was the fact that Riko stuck a…stick…up Reg’s bum. I get that she’s excited and all but…does she have to…uh…really go that far? Apparently it broke inside too… And the punishment where children are stripped and tied with a rope, then lifted? The principal something woman even has a whip on her! What the heck man, I call that child abuse.

The episode introduces us to the greatest mystery: what is the Abyss? What lies at the bottom? Where did all the relics come from? Riko is as eager as the viewer to find out the answers, and her new robot friend will go with her. Still, even with the whimsical times spent at the orphanage, it is mentioned that if Riko ever goes down into the Abyss, she might not make it back.

The next episode, Reg becomes part of the orphanage. Here, we get to see the daily lives of people living on the edge. It’s the ‘take it easy’ episode where more is told about the Abyss. I like that the anime pans it out instead of shoving all the information in one long monologue.

After getting a message from Lyza, Riko’s mother who’s been in the Abyss for 10 years saying ‘I’ll be waiting at the bottom’, Riko and Reg sets out before daybreak and dives into the Abyss. Nobody knows if she will return to her friends. Nobody knows if Reg will ever get his memories back or if Lyza is still alive at all. But they went anyway. That’s very brave.

Made in Abyss reminds me a lot of those children’s adventures I used to love as a child, and that’s why when watching it I feel nostalgic. There’s a whole world out there to explore and there are dangers to overcome. After all, who doesn’t love a fantasy tale of setting out to see the world?

The reason Made in Abyss is so engrossing is probably the atmosphere. The background art is beautiful and the characters are cute. How they interact is also really fun to watch. There’s the bad boy who’s actually good at heart, the boisterous girl who’s really sensitive inside, the smart friend who has everything together, and the cool-headed but naive robot. I especially love how Riko and Reg interact when they’re with each other.

Even with the fun, adventurous feel to the style, there is a hint that something more dire and complex is hidden beneath all of it.

More to the atmosphere is the music, which is absolutely stunning. The composer is Kevin Penkin, whose other anime works include Norn9 and Under the Dog, he also composed ‘I Race the Dawn’ in the game Deemo. I fell in love with the music from the first time I heard it. They really had the best man doing the job.

Overall, Made in Abyss is really engaging. If they keep the quality up for the rest of the anime, this will easily be the best anime I’ve seen this year.

Yeah, I’m really late in keeping up with the episodes. At least it’s not as bad as Umineko which has been rotting on my Watching list since 2013. Lol…