Hello steemians! Welcome to 「Should You Watch?」, a bi-daily section in where I review anime so you don't have to look for the good ones.
Today we'll be having a look at Made in Abyss, one of this year's best anime by animation studio Kinema Citus. Let's begin.
MILD SPOILERS AHEAD !
Somewhere in the sea, lies an island with a gargantuan hole which has a 1000 meter diameter. This hole was aptly named The Abyss, and adventurers from all around the world came to explore it, eventually forming the great city of Orth.
The Abyss is a deadly place, and not just for the perilous creatures that inhabit it, but also for the Curse of the Abyss. Everytime someone goes deeper, it becames increasingly hard to go back to the surface alive, for causes ranging from nausea to death or loss of humanity (!).
Because of this, many kids living in Orth become orphans and begin living in one of the many orphanages the city has. That leads us to our young hero, Riko, who wishes to become a White Whistle, the highest rank a explorer could get.
She, along Reg, a robot she found while exploring, must descend into the Abyss to seek the truth behind a letter that's presumably from her mother.
Our young heroes.
The story can get really dark, even really early on, and the impact of the events is magnified by the fact that the protagonists are, in fact, KIDS. I won't go into detail to spoil (much), but this isn't a show for the faint of heart. So don't be decieved by the cutesy character desing, be prepared for some tragedy.
The animation is largely really good, with impactful action scenes and breath-taking landscapes. (Also, there's a certain furry character that looks really soft, props to the animators for achieving that!).
In the music department I can safely say that it's really unique, with tracks using some "tribal" sounds to actual songs with lyrics that reeeeally go along the visuals. (This is especially true in the first episode).
The only thing that I felt odd was the pacing of the story. It can feel somewhat "jumpy" from time to time: for example, in one episode the kids make an absurd amount of progress in descending and in the next they have to stay in one place for extended periods of time.
So, in conclusion: Should You Watch Made In Abyss?
Absolutely YES, this show is just the right length (12 episodes), has memorable characters and an engaging story.
While not being a masterpiece it sure deserves the time, and I will watch season 2 when it comes out.
You can legally watch this on Anime Strike, so go ahead and happy spelunking ;)