First Glance: Made in Abyss

Animation production: Kinema Citrus

Episodes: 13

Release: July, 2017 (Fri)

OP Theme: "Deep in Abyss" by Riko (CV:Miyu Tomita) and Regu (CV: Mariya Ise)

End Theme: "Tabi no Hidarite, Saihate no Migite (Journey of the Left Hand, Farthest from the Right Hand)" by Riko (Miyu Tomita) and Nanachi (Shiori Izawa)

Adaptation: Manga series by Akihito Tsukushi

http://miabyss.com/

Having zero-knowledge about this series, I had no idea what to expect from this series.  I thought that this was a children’s anime series when I saw that the main characters are little kids. But oh boy, it took me by surprise. I had no idea that it would be so different and beautiful to look at.

The story. There is a town called Orth which sits on the edge of a giant crater with a very VERY deep hole at the center called the Abyss. Riko, a young girl who is a Cave Raider, lives among other orphan children who are training to become Cave Raiders, to explore the depth of the Abyss. The Abyss is still a mystery and no one really knows how it was formed. But while exploring, they’ve found ancient relics, strange creatures are living down there, and a half human-robot boy. Riko names him Regu, who doesn’t remember who he is or where he is. Riko believes that he came from the bottom of the Abyss. It’s unknown how deep the pit really is and what other things are lurking down below. 

Thoughts. What got my attention immediately is the beautiful environment. This feels like a movie production quality. The backgrounds have depth and the Abyss world much bigger and grand. Which I think that this is appropriate because the story has a sense of exploration, adventure, and it makes you want to see more of their world. It reminded me of playing adventure/fantasy themed games, like The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild (Which I’m currently addicted too). The environments are set up in large-scale and it makes me want to just explore, find collectables, fight monsters, and learn about the mythology.  Anyway, you get the picture, it’s incredible to look at.

 The only good looking guy in this village.

It starts out all cute and innocence, but I heard that this story will get dark. Like, how dark? Attack on Titan dark? There’s just something odd about this: It seems that all the kids in orphanage lost their parents due to exploring the huge pit. What happened to them? Why are they making the kids become Cave Raiders and do they have a choice to choose their own careers?  I don’t know enough information about how their society works. Whatever it is, I’m even more excited to see what the dark side of the Abyss really is. 

Why is there a torture room inside a children’s orphanage? 

 

The first episode got my attention and it got me really curious as to what lies at the bottom of the Abyss. I think this might be the most anticipated anime for this summer. I wonder if this anime will be the next big thing after Attack on Titan.