Made in Abyss

Synopsis

The Abyss is an immense, unexplored vertical chasm located at the center of the city of Orth, on an isolated island. This chasm harbors unique ecosystems, relics of a vanished civilization and dangerous creatures. Explorers who descend into the Abyss, called Cave Raiders, are ranked by grades identified by the color of their whistles. However, the Abyss imposes a curse: the deeper one descends, the more devastating the effects of ascending become on the body, ranging from nausea to loss of humanity or death.

Riko, daughter of the White Whistle Lyza and an orphan raised on the surface, discovers a humanoid robot she names Reg in the upper layers of the Abyss. When a message from her mother seems to invite her downward, Riko and Reg undertake the descent despite the mortal dangers. Along the way, they meet Nanachi, a being transformed into a half-human half-animal creature by the experiments of the cruel Lord of Dawn, Bondrewd. The latter conducts experiments on children to study the Abyss's curse, embodying the darkest face of scientific curiosity.

Themes

Made in Abyss explores the paradox of human curiosity: the thirst for discovery that pushes one to exceed limits even at the cost of unimaginable suffering. The Abyss functions as a metaphor for the unknown and forbidden knowledge, and the curse of ascent symbolizes the impossibility of returning unscathed from a transformative experience. The work also examines the ethics of scientific research through Bondrewd, who sacrifices children in the name of progress. The contrast between the adorable aesthetic of the characters and the extreme violence they endure creates a deliberate unease that challenges viewer expectations.

Production

Akihito Tsukushi's manga has been serialized in Takeshobo's Web Comic Gamma since 2012, with frequent breaks between chapters. The anime adaptation by Kinema Citrus, directed by Masayuki Kojima, aired in 2017 (13 episodes for the first season). The film Dawn of the Deep Soul (2020) adapted the Bondrewd arc, and the second season The Golden City of the Scorching Sun (2022) explored the sixth layer. Kevin Penkin composed the soundtrack, alternating between soft ethereal melodies and epic oppressive compositions that reinforce the work's tonal contrast.

Cultural Impact

Made in Abyss was praised for its rich and original world-building and its ability to subvert expectations tied to its seemingly childlike aesthetic. The manga won a Web Manga General Election in 2017. The work sparked debates about the representation of violence and child suffering in fiction. Kevin Penkin's soundtrack was independently hailed as one of the finest compositions for animation. The work contributed to a revival of the dark adventure genre in anime and manga.