Anna Daniels
When you start watching Made in Abyss, you may feel a strange dissonance that you can’t quite articulate. On one hand, this anime is almost obnoxiously cute, centered on an adorable friendship between a little girl named Riko and her friend Reg. On the other hand, something’s clearly lurking beneath the surface. Everything from the melancholy music to the title of the series itself promises a darkness that’s suspiciously absent from the series’ first few episodes.
Our story begins in Orth, a town which sits on the edge of an enormous opening in the ground that leads into the Abyss, a mysterious subterranean realm full of both deadly monsters and valuable relics. Though many have explored the Abyss, it’s never been fully mapped. When Riko discovers evidence that her mother, a famous explorer, may have finally found the bottom of the Abyss, and might also need her help, Riko and Reg decide to venture into the Abyss to rescue her.
Their journey starts off as some thrilling YA adventure fiction, but as they descend deeper, these kids start encountering some proper nightmare fuel. By the end, it becomes a full-on horror story, one that is certainly not appropriate for the whole family. One final side note: our little kid protagonists end up getting naked, for one reason or another, way more often than should be necessary. It’s usually played for comedy or cuteness, but it still might lead to some uncomfortable moments sitting on the couch next to your parents.
Written by: Looper
