Made in Abyss was not the show I was expecting it to be. It is a story of a young girl who wants to become a cave diver, someone who delves into a mysterious place called the Abyss. I'll need to briefly explain this, as the Abyss and the effects it has are pretty crucial to understand the show.
A town has built up around the Abyss, and Cave Divers delve into it to uncover artifacts. There is something called the Curse of the Abyss, basically, if you try to ascend after going down, your body feels a variety of negative effects. Early levels it's something as small as Dizziness or some light nausea. Later levels you can start to hallucinate, and at a certain depth of the abyss, the effects can become fatal to anyone too weak to handle it.
Riko, the main character, is a twelve-year-old girl training to become a Cave Diver and stumbles across a robot who has lost his memories. Together, they decide to delve into the Abyss on their own, despite not having the qualifications to do so. Riko believes that her mother, presumed dead, is alive and waiting for her at the very bottom of the Abyss. Reg, the robot boy, wants to uncover his memories and believes for a few reasons returning to the bottom of the Abyss will recover them.
At first, it sounds like this is going to be a somewhat light-hearted adventure with a good dose of danger thrown into the mix. But the longer the show goes on the darker things tend too, as you start to realize just how extreme the effects of the Abyss can be. Even by the second or third layer, it becomes evident that Riko's body cannot handle an ascent. It starts to feel like they may never get the chance to return home.
Then you meet Ozen, a White Whistle. Those who have white whistles are the highest rank of Cave Diver and are given no limit to how far they are allowed to descend into the Abyss. While you are given an idea of what they are like, it is very clear after meeting her that the Abyss has had a strange effect on their mind. While it still feels like they are talking to someone, Ozen feels distinctly inhuman, and the things she has done to her body to keep alive in the Abyss are nothing short of extreme.
It's really not until the last three episodes, however, that the magnitude of the situation seriously begins to set in. I won't get into details to avoid spoilers, but you realize how even ascending a short distance can have disastrous effects on the body, I am talking just several feet, and the things one has to do to survive even on the fourth layer. The mental fortitude, the physical endurance, and everything else that is required of a person to survive something like this is surreal, and we are seeing essentially two children in the midst of it, with no way of being able to go back.
In the best way possible, Made in Abyss becomes very hard to watch. Having to watch characters we've come to like go through this, seeing them learn to deal with it, and seeing the resolve they have to move forward is amazing to watch unfold.
All of this is helped along by some of the best visual design I have seen in an anime for some time. The environments are varied and fascinating, the details in the animation, and especially some of the monster designs, are just incredible. A show about exploring the unknown of the world needs to throw things at you that you simply aren't used to seeing and excite the imagination, and Made in Abyss does that consistently through the entire seasons run.
So long as you are not entirely turned off by the idea of, essentially, watching small children go through traumatic experiences, definitely give Made in Abyss a watch. There is a slew of fascinating characters, spectacular visuals, and a story that leaves an impact and makes you care about everyone involved. I eagerly await a date for season 2.