Made in Abyss
Made in Abyss is a Japanese manga series by Akihito Tsukushi and published by Takeshobo. It has been serialized online in Takeshobo's digital publication Web Comic Gamma since 2012 and has been collected into eight tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation by Kinema Citrus aired its first season from July 7 to September 29, 2017. A sequel film premiered in Japan on January 17, 2020. It was scheduled to be released in U.S. on April 11, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The story follows an orphaned young girl, Riko, who finds and befriends a humanoid robot Reg and descends with it into the titular "Abyss", that leads deep into the Earth, in hopes of finding her mother.
Plot
An orphaned girl named Riko lives in the Belchero Orphanage in the town of Orth. The town surrounds a strange, giant hole going deep into the Earth, which is commonly called the Abyss. The Abyss harbors artifacts and remnants of a civilization long gone, and is therefore the popular hunting spot for so-called Cave Raiders, who undertake arduous and dangerous descents into the mist-filled pit to recover whatever relics they can find. Returning from the Abyss can be dangerous as "the Curse of the Abyss," a mysterious and potentially fatal malady, manifests upon ascension. The deeper one goes, the more acute the effects of the curse; few who have descended into the lower regions have returned to tell of their experiences. Some legendary Cave Raiders earn the title of White Whistle, one of them being Riko's mother, Lyza.Riko's longing in life is to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a White Whistle. One day she discovers a robot resembling a human boy in the Abyss and names him Reg. Riko and her friends sneak Reg into Belchero and quickly welcome him into their close-knit group. Some time later, a balloon reaches the surface from the depths of the Abyss containing pages of discoveries made by Lyza, as well as a message for Riko stating she is waiting at the bottom of the Abyss. Riko, determined to find her mother, bids farewell to her friends and departs to the Abyss with Reg as her companion.
Characters
Main characters
;Riko;Reg
;Nanachi
;Mitty
Belchero Orphanage
;Director;Jiruo Leader
;Nat
;Shiggy
;Kiyui
Cave Raiders
;Habolg;Ozen
;Marulk
;Lyza
;Bondrewd
Idofront
;Prushka;Meinya
Sages of Ganja
;Wazukyan;Belafu
;Vueloeluko
Media
Manga
Akihito Tsukushi began serializing the manga on Takeshobo's Web Comic Gamma website in 2012. Since then, the series has been compiled into eight tankōbon volumes. Seven Seas Entertainment announced during their panel at Anime Expo 2017 that they had licensed the manga.A manga anthology, titled, was released on July 29, 2017. On December 13, 2019, Seven Seas announced they had licensed the book with plans to release it in September 2020.
English adaptation
The translator of the anime for Sentai Filmworks, Jake Jung, also adapted the manga for Seven Seas. Regarding his involvement in the English version of both media, he stated, "Made in Abyss is chock-full of terminology, so I hope fans of both media are able to enjoy a seamless experience." In addition, he has confirmed his intention to use gender-neutral pronouns for both Nanachi and Marulk.Volume list
Chapters not yet in ''tankōbon'' format
The following chapters have been published on the Web Comic Gamma website, but have not yet been collected into a tankōbon volume:Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced in December 2016. The 13-episode series aired from July 7 to September 29, 2017 on AT-X, Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, TVQ, Saga TV, and BS11., and covers content from volumes 1 through 3. The final episode was a 1-hour long special. The series was directed by Masayuki Kojima and written by Hideyuki Kurata, with animation by Kinema Citrus and character designs by Kazuchika Kise. Australian artist Kevin Penkin composed the soundtrack for the anime. Miyu Tomita and Mariya Ise performed both the opening theme "Deep in Abyss" and the ending theme "Tabi no Hidarite, Saihate no Migite", the latter in collaboration with Shiori Izawa.Two compilation films, titled Made in Abyss: Tabidachi no Yoake and Made in Abyss: Hōrō Suru Tasogare, were released on January 4, 2019 and January 18, 2019, respectively. A sequel was announced at an event in November 2017.
Following the release of the first compilation films, the sequel was revealed to be a film titled Gekijōban Made in Abyss: Fukaki Tamashii no Reimei. The film premiered in Japan on January 17, 2020. The film had been set to premiere in the United States at Anime Boston on April 11, 2020 before that convention's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular theater showings in the U.S. had been planned for April 13 and 15. The end credits of the Dawn of the Deep Soul film stated, "To be continued."
Following the release of Dawn of the Deep Soul, a new sequel has been announced. The initial announcement did not reveal whether the sequel will be a TV anime series or a new film.
Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series, and streamed it on Amazon's Anime Strike service in the U.S. and on Hidive outside of the U.S. Sentai has since released it on home video with an English dub. MVM Films has acquired the series for distribution in the UK and Ireland, and Madman Entertainment has acquired the series for distribution in Australia and New Zealand. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the two compilation films, and screened the first film at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles on March 15, 2019, with a subtitled theatrical release on March 20, 2019, and an English-dubbed theatrical release on March 25, 2019, in collaboration with Fathom Events. During its panel at Anime Expo on July 5, 2019, Sentai Filmworks announced that they had acquired the license for Dawn of the Deep Soul. Sentai Filmworks planned to screen the film in North America, the United Kingdom, and Ireland with English subtitles on April 13, 2020 subtitled, and with the English dub on April 15, 2020, however, the screenings were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Episode list
Films
Reception
The manga was nominated for the 11th Manga Taishō awards and received a total of 40 points, coming in at eighth place. Made in Abyss has been met with positive reviews and widely considered to be one of the best anime series of 2017. Nick Creamer of Anime News Network praised the anime for being adventure-focused, as well as its efficiency in establishing its premise. Creamer also praises it for its artwork and music that highlights the beauty and terror of the Abyss. Julian Malerman of THEM Anime Reviews praises the show for being a well-executed emotional drama saying "The manner in which the show approaches this conclusion is often brutal and alienating, but the final answer is simple and pure. It sings."The series was awarded Anime of the Year and Best Score at Crunchyroll's 2017 Anime Awards.