Well now, that was special. It was apparent pretty much from the opening frames, and it never stopped being obvious until the closing credits. Sometimes you get an anime that’s simply “other” – one that stands out so distinctly that it virtually defies categorization. That’s certainly true of Made in Abyss. That’s a long way from saying it can be a compelling watch for thirteen episodes, but for one week at least it was jaw-dropping stuff.
The staff for Made in Abyss is an impressive murderers row of industry heavyweights, starting with director Kojima Masayuki. He has a lot of cinema experience and it shows here. Kinema Citrus has a lot of old Bones staff (the studio is basically an offshoot), but the big names on “Abyss” are animation director/character designer Kise Kazuchika, an old Gainax hand, and art director Masuyama Osamu. It’s Masuyama’s influence that’s most obvious here, because even though I confess I hadn’t noted his presence on the staff list. what really struck me about the look of this premiere is how Ghibli-like it was. And of course, Masuyama-san spent most of his career as an art director for Miyazaki at that iconic studio.
Simply put, the class shows. Made in Abyss is an astoundingly stylish production – and that includes the music by English composer Kevin Penkin. It looks and sounds absolutely fantastic, and the strange world it conjures up is both beautiful and sinister. The Ghibli connection is interesting and gives the series an even more fairy tale look than Tsukushi Akihito’s manga – and that’s important, because one of the most important elements in this series is the contrast between the look and the content. Manga readers will tell you that this is going to be a dark ride, and that gives me pause – because I’m already emotionally invested in the story and the kawaii children at the center of it.
Those children are “Red Whistles” – apprentice diggers who go down into the giant pit called The Abyss to search for ancient artifacts and valuable relics. They’re also orphans, and there’s a bit of Dickens in their plight – clearly the work these prepubescents are sent to do is highly dangerous, and they live under the yoke of a cruel housemistress and a stern foreman, an older boy they call “Leader” (Murata Taishi). While the Red Whistles’ life is hardscrabble, the great city at the edge of the pit. Orth, is storybook beautiful – belying the fact that it’s a place of danger and death.
As with many Ghibli works, there’s a very European feel to Made in Abyss (and as we know, European fairy tales can get very dark). The first two children we meet are the brash Riko (Tomita Miyu), and the mild-mannered Nat (Tamura Mutsumi), on their way into a the pit for a day’s digging. Riko is desperate to be assigned to deeper digs, apparently chasing after her long-lost mother – Nat is more concerned with keeping her out of trouble and staying alive. The pit is full of dangerous Togashi-esque beasts, one of whom wounds Nat and is about to eat him before Riko blows her whistle and saves him. It turns its attention to her, but she’s saved in the nick of time (probably) by a mysterious robot (Ise Mariya). When Riko finds him unconscious, she drags him back to the orphanage with Nat’s help.
There isn’t a tremendous lot of exposition in this premiere, but the beauty of it is that the storytelling is so good that it isn’t necessary. I didn’t take a lot of notes with this episode – mostly I just sat mesmerized, absorbing it. By the end of it I was totally enraptured and quite curious about where the story would go next. There’s something distinctly Hunter X Hunter to Made in Abyss in addition to the Ghibli vibe – the explosion of imagination, the cute and funny children at the heart of darkness, at the center of a story which feels dangerous and unpredictable. This is really why I love anime, series like this – fantastic and dark and beautiful. I don’t know what the next 12 episodes have in store for us, but if the first is any to go by Made in Abyss has a chance to be the season’s surprise standout.
DauntingOverlord
July 7, 2017 at 10:58 pmReally enjoyed this premiere! My family and I noticed the Ghibli feel of it (reminded us a little bit of Laputa honestly!). I’ll be so happy if the rest of the episodes continue being this great. Definitely something to keep up on!
wither
August 4, 2017 at 8:18 pmDeleted, manga spoiler.
Matti
July 8, 2017 at 6:58 amCan’t wax as much lyrical on this as you. All I can say is that it wasn’t terrible. That in itself is an accomplishment looking at all the crap we’ve been getting lately.
Stöt
July 8, 2017 at 8:22 amGotta comment on the music (and BGM): brilliant stuff. I’ve never felt really at home with the style of anime OP’s and ED’s; this was very different. And I think, very very good. The BGM felt part Civ 3 and part Mushishi, but 100% itself.
I’d wax more lyrical superlatives if I could, but my prose is poor and you’ve said it all. If people say it’s gonna get darker, I’m 100% sold.
P.S. I have a sneaky feeling the “cruel” housemistress really isn’t.
michelle
July 8, 2017 at 8:25 amDon’t know whether to ship rikoxregu or rikoxnat. Hopefully the riko and regu relationship will put forth boy/girl kid relationships again in anime. Getting tired of the “only girl” companion thing that studios have bern doing of late especially in regards to moe.
HoTaRu
July 8, 2017 at 10:52 pmThis premiere delivered in a major way. There is just something so wonderful with stories centered around children protagonists. Personally I was reminded of Fantastic Children while watching this. Not because of the subject material itself but because of the underlying darkness to the story as well as a sense of maturity about these children that seems beyond their short years. I was impressed with so much in this first episode from the beautiful songs to the background art partnered with the character designs that, in their simplicity, counterbalanced the sophistication of the story itself so perfectly. The Ghibli-esque look took my breath away from the very first moment and I couldn’t look away. I’m already invested in these charming characters and am so excited to see where this story is going to go from here on out. If the rest of the show is as good as this episode was I’ll definitely be buying this when it gets released from Sentai Filmworks.
Guardian Enzo
July 8, 2017 at 11:14 pmI’m just steeling myself for what’s to come, hoping for the best. I know this is going to be a rough ride at times.
In addition to Ghibli and H x H, another show clearly called to mind is Dennou Coil (which is one of the best series ever with all-child protagonists). And of course, Masuyama also worked as art director on that show.
HoTaRu
July 9, 2017 at 1:07 amDennou Coil is one of those shows I haven’t gotten around to watching yet. It came out before streaming anime was a thing and it didn’t get licensed until just recently, so I missed out. I’d really like to watch it someday though since I always thought it looked good.
I wonder just how dark this series is supposed to get. One thing I really appreciate about anime is that they aren’t afraid to be daring with the storytelling. I’ll try to mentally prepare myself for bad things to come 🙂
Yana
July 9, 2017 at 2:56 pmIn addition to the look and premise, another thing that contributed to the HxH feel for me was, simply, Ise Mariya’s presence. I’m not hearing Killua or anything, but just knowing who the voice belongs to made me slightly giddy.
Greg
July 10, 2017 at 2:06 pmNow this is how you write a great first look post and get people into the show! This really makes me sad that you won’t be the one writing about this for RC, it’d be much better than having Passerby talking about everything but the anime at hand. I’m pumped about this show and will definitely be coming over to read your coverage!
Guardian Enzo
July 10, 2017 at 4:54 pmWell, that’s kind of you – happy to have you here, anyway. I like the fact that we all take different approaches to a show – that’s what makes RC a different kind of place than this one.
wither
August 4, 2017 at 8:06 pmFor the love of all that is holy, do not watch this show with your family or your kids. (deleted, too specific)