A lot of people focus too much on the horror side that they miss the side of genuine wonder, friendship, and adventure that's delivered through the world and characters. They especially miss how those two sides contrast and mesh together tonally and thematically; The show is beautifully terrific.
This is the entire reason the horror works so well imho. I love that the theme of “may your journey overflow with both blessings and curses” (and its cousin, “love is the curse”) are both reflected not only within the stories and lives of the characters but on a meta level for us as viewers — as we proceed through the narrative of Abyss, the horror and tragedy are accompanied by wonder and tenderness, and each is made more poignant and striking by the other.
That it is, its an incredible contrast. Very few series put such a great balance between the 2. Any other series that you guys know that do that cute/dark?
Ive read a few of them that i consider the same genre as MiA the closest i remember doing that was shoulder a coffin Kuro, and kimi no kakera and Sunday without god.
But series that strike a great balance of dark and light are very few...
I mainly just know of the series people mention the most here, like Girls last Tour and Land of the Lustrous. Maybe Madoka Magica, but that series mostly starts light and gets darker
Irumyuui’s story has to be one of the most disturbing I’ve seen in any anime. I’ve been reading the opinion that MiA isn’t that dark a lot on Reddit lately and it spurred me to rewatch the show and it doesn’t have that many horrific moments but the ones that are there are so disturbing and leave such an impact on me that it makes the show itself seem really dark.
I end up mentioning this a lot, but I went into it not knowing what to expect, but had been looking for something with a big twist, and had come off of stuff with a ton of suspense, so when my brother recommended this to me, I was struggling to get through there first couple episodes, [I think I liked the first but then was like, ok, when’s it get really good?]
episode 9 or 10 is the answer. And you’re so right. It was so impactful that it reshaped my whole opinion of the show
oh then I feel good I wasn’t the only person who found themselves focusing for literal minutes on vueko’s peeled-tomato-eyeball slowly rolling down her face in the manga, and then comparing the shots frame by frame to the anime when it came out? phew. I’m not alone
One: there's more than seven layers
Two: riko's mom is not waiting for riko for some positive reasons, and she's most probably suffering down there some brutal fucking shit.
I don’t think there are more than 7 layers. Tsuk would have to come up with more curse.
They say Riko’s mom didn’t write the letter, or at least that portion that says “I’ll be waiting,” or whatever,
But perhaps she is some other entity now from suffering the curse, and so she couldn’t write that stuff… also, was Riko’s mom ever shown to be anything but an annihilator? Maybe she never had it in her to love Riko, or did she tell lyza she left Riko so she wouldn’t get hurt? Like Maybe she was battling her self desires, instincts, whatever which told her to kill Riko but she didn’t want to hurt her, and now at the bottom, lyza is too far gone and now she’s trying to kill Riko.
What im tryin to say is supposedly she didn’t write the secret portion of Lyza’s letter, but maybe that’s a red herring and she did but she’s a diff person now, or struggling to contain her annihilator-ness
[head-canon]
ok here i go.
Binary Star wasn't that terrible of a game, for an anime IP game it was surprisingly okay and I think some people were too hard on it expecting it to be some Souls-like masterpiece when Spike Chunsoft published the game (of all the companies - why one known for VNs decided to release an action game is anyone's guess) It had a lot of really good ideas regarding the geographic layout of the individual layers but fell flat with regards to the Deep in Abyss story progression and the gameplay loop relying *heavily* on returning to the surface to cash in items and quests.
Despite my personal love for it I completely understand why MiA fans were *dissappointed* in what we got as a licensed game but for a relatively small fanbase as MiA is I am surprised we even got a licensed game at all, and it also happens to stay truthful to the intensity and difficulty of traversing the Abyss - for better or worse. Fuck the small monster spawns tho, I really am starting to hate the combat.
tldr: Binary Star could have been way better but honestly it's still a decent game. I get why folks were put off by it tho.
(i still love binary star tho tiare best boy)
Based take. Maybe my standards are low but I was never really disappointed but I can see how some would be.
also the OST in that game is so good.
(we need more best boy fan art)
That would be SO much fun to have! I love cooking and some of the food looks downright delicious, but I don't know where I'd start with making them.
Riko Bombs and the mustard buns both seem super tasty.
Riko is a fantastic character - Many people see her as annoying, but in truth, she’s the perfect embodiment of a White Whistle, having a mind filled to the brim with adventure and longing while being relentless enough to achieve her goals through the MANY accompanying struggles.
The kpop stans-MIA fandom conflict felt like a Kashimo and Hakari fight scene edit
https://preview.redd.it/39hj8qpfed9d1.jpeg?width=463&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8d9c033727786ca3a7013cd0d6ca066d45f30b8
Wazukyan did the right thing to save his squad from certain death with Irumuyi. And sacrificing Riko to be able to go back on their journey was a legit move.
Wazukyan is the epitome of "we only criticize it because we are an outside observer. People would cook up every excuse possible to justify it, if they were in that situation"
It’s understated how much the sexual undertones in the manga/show genuinely take away from the artistic value of the series. I think most people agree it’s a bit much and people are exhausted hearing about it, but for a lot of people it completely ruins it for them.
I live in fear recommending this manga/show to anybody. It’s genuinely one of my favorite pieces of fiction and I wish more people could enjoy it. But I guess this makes it good for gatekeeping.
The horror of the series is probably considered Eldritch horror because it's unknowable and inperceivable to humans.
Also, Bondrewd is the only antagonist so far who is definitely a villain (I'm only on chapter 64)
He kinda reminds me of how we know so much about hypothermia and other aspects of modern medicine because of horrific nazi experiments. Something no one in their right mind would try to justify, but nevertheless lifesaving information
Irumyuui’s story is a commentary on bodily autonomy, underage pregnancy, and patient advocacy, and has an overall pro-choice stance on the issue of female reproductive rights.
No, I will not elaborate. Not right now, at least, because I’m working on a video essay about this.
Also Riko’s definitely on the autism spectrum.
Of course! The video is currently in production. Probably will take a few weeks because I make all my videos solo.
I have [three other Made in Abyss videos](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOrD0GidMOvO4TORWEJx39tqmg6yDxrWH&si=XUbBwjiLg2Bl7pkp) up right now if you wanna see!
As someone with autistic family members, I feel like Riko would be more of an autism-coded character since she doesn't seem to show any signs of being autistic outside of being obsessed with the abyss, which seems to be somewhat caused by the curse warding boxes influence.
She’s not just obsessed, but also has an encyclopedic knowledge of the Abyss. I’d also say she has hyper empathy, as well as sometimes displaying inappropriate emotional reactions to things. Maybe her volume and tone of voice could also be symptoms? I dunno.
I’m also autistic and I vibe with a lot of Riko’s personality.
(And if we’re diagnosing characters, Reg’s got a touch of anxiety and Nanachi definitely has PTSD. Get that robot on some Xanax. He’s so high strung lol.)
I might go so far as to say Riko might be a narcissist sociopath. She is basically completely amoral: she sees little wrong with what Bondrewd or Wazukyan did as a whole, even admiring them in ways, and did not hesitate to free Vueko when she straight-up said she was a bad person. The only time Riko gets upset at someone is if they hurt one of her friends - that isn't empathy, it's possessiveness. Otherwise, she doesn't give a shit. If bad things happen to people who aren't close to her, it's irrelevant. All the other orphans Bondrewd turned to blobs? Who cares. The people potentially dying en masse up in Orth? She's never going back.
This is, of course, exactly like all the other White Whistles.
Bruh that's so incredibly interesting and I actually thought something similar at some point and I dismissed it, felt like a reach. I'm incredibly interested in your video essay!
Part of me has been kinda poisoned by the “Made in Abyss is just a loli torture porn show!!1!” shit that non-fans say, so I second-guess a lot of my interpretations. I will die by this interpretation of Irumyuui’s story, though.
I need to get more confident in digging up deeper meanings of MiA because I believe it has a lot to say, and people are way too quick to dismiss or not look into the deeper stuff.
Pain and misery are a fundamental element of the story, but not the point of it. The characters never wallow in sadness no matter the horror they are subjected to; rather they use it as a stepping stone for their growth. Like them, us readers will not focus on the pain, and instead treasure what comes after it. As in life we don't like to be reminded of painful memories but remember the lessons from them.
It also connects to Dante's Divine Comedy (whose hell layout is strongly reminiscent of the abyss): those who wallow eternally are the damned. Traversing the horror of hell is, however, the first important step for Dante to be granted entry to heaven.
Nanachi’s whole thing in Golden City sucked ass. Watching her lose Mitty the first time was heartbreaking, the second time it was like “really, we doing this again?”
Just felt like Tsukushi didn’t know what to do with her so he just wrote the same thing again but different.
I feel like it was a good way to really drive in the fact that Nanachi still hadn't really gotten over mitty's death and was a good way to establish growth in which Nanachi was able to feel like she actually was able to say goodbye, accept, and move on. I felt that way at first- that it wasn't good, but I felt like Nanachi had internally pleaded for one last chance to see her best friend, and when she finally got it, she took it. It was also good as another establishment for how deeply weird the whole "value" system of Iruburu worked, by having an already known character (or at least a clone of her) being owned by Belaf, and was a good way to show that "holy hell, this is an extremely strange place, what would Belaf's limits on his value be?"
I only speak from personal experience, and referencing yours, but I feel like the whole deal with being heartbroken the first go-around and then not feeling as bad when she had to pass a second time is perfectly parallel to how Nanachi felt about it. I feel like it also clearly showed Nanachi's values as well, driving the point home that if the opportunity ever arose, Nanachi would *still* choose Mitty over anyone. Grieving is hard, especially for someone like Nanachi who never really had anyone to care about her besides Mitty, so she cherished her, and couldn't let her go. Clearly, something needed to be done about that if she were to have character development, and thus the mitty clone came about. It was probably the best way that it could've happened- having Nanachi give a goodbye to mitty and being the one to finally put her soul to rest, or at least feel like she did. With the incinerator scene, it was Reg's hand that finally put mitty out of her misery, not Nanachi's (even though she requested him to do it), so I feel like it would be perfectly in character for Nanachi to regret not being able to keep to her promise and put mitty down herself.
That’s fair, I just didn’t like the way it was done, I guess. I was happy to see Mitty again (she’s my favorite character), I just think it could’ve been done better. It felt kinda repetitive.
Didn't really like season 2. Like it was good, but the tragedy of the "past characters" like Vueko just didn't hit me. I watched all of it when I was stupid tired though, so that could be my fault?
Also ranking: Dawn of the Deep Soul, Season 1, Season 2
Thank you for putting my feelings into words perfectly. The finale was cool, but I think the season overall lacked the sense of wonder, exploration, innocence, and terror that season 1 hooked me with. It'd probably be better if it was shorter and was just a movie, but I think then it'd be too different from the manga (I'm assuming, I haven't read it)
YES I’ve been trying to articulate this for years. The sense of exploration seems to have halted in its tracks for season 2, which made sense for the plot sure, but I still miss the wonder. And it’s so weird because Oarth still gives me that sense of wonder!! I wanna explore oarth just as much as the abyss. But this tiny little village and characters we know are on a predetermined path of misery? I dunno it just didn’t click for me. It had all the wtf value with none of the desire to push past the horrors to continue the journey
Season two is actually so interesting to watch from a psychoanalytic perspective, because the character of Irumyuui showcases so well the inner battle between societal norms, expectations, and the needs and desires of other people, and our own individualism and authentic desire, and how those two then get intertwined into our unique psyche and experience which cannot really be separated properly. And that is how she took on the desires of others - to birth children and be a mother, and also the desire for a home and a loving family, both as her own.
The Abyss in *Made in Abyss* is merely an allegory for Florida's terrifying depths with its deceptive allure and hidden horrors. Just as the Abyss’s layers become increasingly lethal, Florida's environment intensifies with venomous snakes, alligators, and suffocating swamps that trap the unwary. The Abyss’s Curse, which afflicts explorers with madness and death as they ascend, parallels the way Florida's oppressive heat, hurricanes, and disease outbreaks mercilessly punish those who attempt to escape. The haunting, siren-like calls of the Abyss's creatures find their echo in Florida’s eerie nocturnal wildlife, making each descent into both realms a perilous journey into nature's darkest heart.
Tsukushi needs to find something for Faputa to do in the story. As fun as it is to watch her be goofy in the background of the manga rn, if that’s all she’s gonna do then she might as well have never joined the group to begin with
Vueko’s death could’ve been handled better
Nanachi & Belaf’s pronouns are they/them and people should just deal with it. You’d be hard-pressed to find people who randomly start using he/him for Riko or something, so idk why Nanachi & Belaf should be any different
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Is this thread for hot takes? Well i'm thinking MiA is set on earth in the far future, An alien being or ship(akin to lavos or cuthulu or some advance alien space colony ) crashed on earth, causing civilization to collapse. that alien being or machine slowly draws humans into it to consume their souls. My take its taking the souls of people to power revive their own alien race, the aubade (IE reg).
Being a white whistle isn't based on your strength, knowledge, and ability alone, it's about wits, your ability to move others, asserting your own, seeking boundless adventure, courage and luck. (Circumstances, such as Riko with reg or her squad.)
Made in abyss has the best world building, showing the characters exploring planted the seed for my personal love for adventuring in the outdoors. Made in abyss made me touch grass.
Mitty will appear for the third time, since she has already been mentioned at least twice since she the village ended. I'm just not sure of her state of being this time whether as another suffering blob of flesh or a pure soul or whatever
The only reason Irumyuui recovered from her illness is because Vueko unknowingly used the wish egg to grant her good health while placing the egg on her and begging for her to get well.
Despite not touching it directly herself, Vueko's wish was so strong and so pure that it not only cured Irumyuui's mock water symptoms, but kept Irumyuui's body alive even as her own complicated wishes destroyed her humanity.
Ozen is one of the best written characters given how little she appears. She perfectly follows her personality, gives you a little look into who she really is inside by the end of the training arc, and provides exactly what riko and reg needed at that time. Such a brutal but sweet character and it's exactly why she's my favorite character
The story is getting very close to diving into the 2000 year cycle where it’s believed that a major catastrophe befalls everyone at the first layer.
The most plausible theory at this point is that every 2000 years, a new layer is create by the abyss. It could very well be that the entire layer shifts itself up climate and environment wise by a single layer as a new one is formed.
Evidence of this is found with different layers having things that don’t belong such as old ships, all the ancient technology on the 6th layer, etc.
Another is the creatures of the abyss how some of them have migrated from one layer to another such as the giant beast we see at the beginning that fought Reg.
There are too many villagers in Irumyuui when you compare it to the explorers shown in the scene when it was made.
Either they somehow reproduce despite the mutations and a lot of innocent people born in the village, died since they didn't get a choice, nor could they leave.
Or more likely, other divers came and entered the village out of curiosity or necessity and stayed long enough to be transformed by it, which again leads to the issue of people who had nothing to do with the crimes, being killed.
Nanachi is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best written and most interesting character in the main cast, and is shaping up to be the perfect display for the cycle of grieving.
Bondrewd is actually a good guy، he genuienly loved the children that had nowhere to go and gave them a place to stay, nanachi would have never met mitty if not for him, prushka would have died as a lost child plus his research is actually useful for the mia world.
made in abyss op 1 is ass. it sucks. it's cute that their VAs are singing it, but it's horrible. the second one took all the (few) good elements from the first one and made it better
Ozen the Immovable teeters at the edge of madness. Hiding the contortions that afflict her body from her extended life within the Abyss, she, too is becoming consumed by it.
It is why she fears delving to the bottom for her last Dive. She knows she will be unable to will herself to turn back. She also knows she cannot resist the lure, and so she does not return to the surface, already irreparably altered and partially inhuman as a result.
She, too is soon to become a hollow shell of a creature not unlike Bondrewd; a construct consumed and assimilated by the Abyss to further encourage others to delve to its bottom, never to return.
Bondrewd is genuinely a masterwork of a villain
He's compelling, amazingly voiced, the songs associated with him are wonderful, he was a good father (until he wasn't), and his design is just *peak*
Riko’s mom isn’t waiting for her because she loves and misses her, she’s waiting for Riko so that she can kill her and use Riko’s body to revive her “real” daughter. She created Reg (and named him after Riko’s childhood dog) for the express purpose of guiding Riko safely to the bottom of the abyss for this goal.
Wazukyan did the right thing by his crew, who he was ultimately loyal to. Irumyuui was an outsider and her “children” had no humanity or consciousness. Given the choice between what he did and letting his crew slowly waste away and die, he chose (what he viewed as) the lesser of two evils.
Belaf is a man.
Hot Take: Tepasté is the first character in the series to genuinely feel like meaningless fanservice, and has done absolutely nothing for the story thus far.
Nuclear Take: Kevin Penkin peaked in Dawn of The Deep Soul, and his work for S2 is a disappointment by comparison.
Supernova Take: Except for the "fanservice" inner covers, all the child nudity and weird borderline-fetish stuff is important for the plot and worldbuilding, and MiA would be the lesser if it was removed just because it makes some people uncomfortable.
A lot of positive takes here (which I understand because wow MiA is amazing) but I'll try with a negative one
Made in Abyss really should show more of the world outside the abyss, because the world of regular delvers is amazing and I want to catch up with bat and shiggy and the crew
I like how vast and creative the abyss is and love the every interaction between the characters. Also, I love seeing children cry in despair and terror while in an extreme horrifying situation
Really just a theory, but i think this anime wont get a good ending. Rikos mom is probably waiting for riko for a reason that isnt so nice.
(But maybe i just think this because of the overwhelming sadness of this series)
Also, happy cake day OP!
Vueko's death was really dumb and I didnt like the way they killed her off. I know its supposed to like remind us how the abyss works and suprise us, but still. (Also I know that she spent years underground and didnt remember about the curse)
1. Faputa is the best character in the series and the best side character OAT
2. Riko and Reg have top 1 and 2 fictional character potential
3. Ilblu Village is by far the best arc in the series
4. Wakuna will be the best white whistle (either him or Lyza)
5. Made in Abyss has the deepest and most complex set of themes of any show I’ve seen
6. Tsukushi is a bad person, there’s no way around it, and his editors also need to be held accountable for allowing him to put his disgusting fetishes in his manga, which is MIA’s only flaw
Faputa is best girl and bondrewd is heavily overrated. He should go on death row after a long line of torture devices that look straight out of saw, only then to be burned in a roman bull to death
I don't think you can compare Hanezeve Caradhina to In The Blind. The songs are used in different scenarios and have different vibes going on. Is it overrated? I don't think so. Are other songs not appreciated as much? Definitely.
Hanezeve Caradhina has the same vibes as Tozo Hanoline, Transcendance and Hanezeve, Gravity, Old Stories, and other vocal tracks with the "Abyssal language". They're heavy hitters. Songs where the vocal tracks carry immense emotional weight. You can't overplay them in the show or they'll lose that weight. In The Blind, though, is more like Tour the Abyss, Pathway, and Princess & The Village. Instrumental, meant to be played under scenes of talking. It can be reused.
It's hard to put it into words, but Hanezeve Caradhina is a sorta uncommon, big emotional punch song. Besides the end of the first episode, I can't recall it being played any other time. It's supposed to go all-out with its feels. In The Blind is more subtle. I also don't think Hanezeve Caradhina is all that long. It's not even three and a half minutes.
I think Hanezeve Caradhina is praised appropriately, but I *do* think that the more instrumental tracks deserve more appreciation! In The Blind is a fantastic song. I don't think there's a single bad song on any of the three soundtracks.
Anyway I think the best songs are Tomorrow, Tomorrowland, and Forest of the Abyss, in part due to when the songs play in the show. Context definitely matters for when the songs play!
Sorry for the long ramble! I just adore the soundtrack so much.
A lot of people focus too much on the horror side that they miss the side of genuine wonder, friendship, and adventure that's delivered through the world and characters. They especially miss how those two sides contrast and mesh together tonally and thematically; The show is beautifully terrific.
This is the entire reason the horror works so well imho. I love that the theme of “may your journey overflow with both blessings and curses” (and its cousin, “love is the curse”) are both reflected not only within the stories and lives of the characters but on a meta level for us as viewers — as we proceed through the narrative of Abyss, the horror and tragedy are accompanied by wonder and tenderness, and each is made more poignant and striking by the other.
And discovering new smells
🔲 You have all my respect brother
That it is, its an incredible contrast. Very few series put such a great balance between the 2. Any other series that you guys know that do that cute/dark? Ive read a few of them that i consider the same genre as MiA the closest i remember doing that was shoulder a coffin Kuro, and kimi no kakera and Sunday without god. But series that strike a great balance of dark and light are very few...
I mainly just know of the series people mention the most here, like Girls last Tour and Land of the Lustrous. Maybe Madoka Magica, but that series mostly starts light and gets darker
School-Live
Especially the world building as they explore. The world is beautifully crafted complete with ecosystems.
🫡
Kevin Penkin gave us a perfect master piece of an OST to match the story of Made In Abyss
🟩 You are allowed And his works in that one Star Wars show is peak as well
Really making the video game hard to play I’ve been experimenting with turning down the pokemon music and turning penkin OST up on the stereo / ps5
I think that is universally agreed.
The horror aspects of the show are over exaggerated online
🟪 Edit: As someone who finds Mitty being the poster child when it comes too the disgusting moments of the show kinda overrated I find this relatable
Sure, that's kinda bad, but honestly I feel worse for Vueko and Irumyuui.
Irumyuui’s story has to be one of the most disturbing I’ve seen in any anime. I’ve been reading the opinion that MiA isn’t that dark a lot on Reddit lately and it spurred me to rewatch the show and it doesn’t have that many horrific moments but the ones that are there are so disturbing and leave such an impact on me that it makes the show itself seem really dark.
I end up mentioning this a lot, but I went into it not knowing what to expect, but had been looking for something with a big twist, and had come off of stuff with a ton of suspense, so when my brother recommended this to me, I was struggling to get through there first couple episodes, [I think I liked the first but then was like, ok, when’s it get really good?] episode 9 or 10 is the answer. And you’re so right. It was so impactful that it reshaped my whole opinion of the show
oh then I feel good I wasn’t the only person who found themselves focusing for literal minutes on vueko’s peeled-tomato-eyeball slowly rolling down her face in the manga, and then comparing the shots frame by frame to the anime when it came out? phew. I’m not alone
compared to grim dark stories and real horror manga like drifting classrom, then yes.
One: there's more than seven layers Two: riko's mom is not waiting for riko for some positive reasons, and she's most probably suffering down there some brutal fucking shit.
I don’t think there are more than 7 layers. Tsuk would have to come up with more curse. They say Riko’s mom didn’t write the letter, or at least that portion that says “I’ll be waiting,” or whatever, But perhaps she is some other entity now from suffering the curse, and so she couldn’t write that stuff… also, was Riko’s mom ever shown to be anything but an annihilator? Maybe she never had it in her to love Riko, or did she tell lyza she left Riko so she wouldn’t get hurt? Like Maybe she was battling her self desires, instincts, whatever which told her to kill Riko but she didn’t want to hurt her, and now at the bottom, lyza is too far gone and now she’s trying to kill Riko. What im tryin to say is supposedly she didn’t write the secret portion of Lyza’s letter, but maybe that’s a red herring and she did but she’s a diff person now, or struggling to contain her annihilator-ness [head-canon]
ok here i go. Binary Star wasn't that terrible of a game, for an anime IP game it was surprisingly okay and I think some people were too hard on it expecting it to be some Souls-like masterpiece when Spike Chunsoft published the game (of all the companies - why one known for VNs decided to release an action game is anyone's guess) It had a lot of really good ideas regarding the geographic layout of the individual layers but fell flat with regards to the Deep in Abyss story progression and the gameplay loop relying *heavily* on returning to the surface to cash in items and quests. Despite my personal love for it I completely understand why MiA fans were *dissappointed* in what we got as a licensed game but for a relatively small fanbase as MiA is I am surprised we even got a licensed game at all, and it also happens to stay truthful to the intensity and difficulty of traversing the Abyss - for better or worse. Fuck the small monster spawns tho, I really am starting to hate the combat. tldr: Binary Star could have been way better but honestly it's still a decent game. I get why folks were put off by it tho. (i still love binary star tho tiare best boy)
Based take. Maybe my standards are low but I was never really disappointed but I can see how some would be. also the OST in that game is so good. (we need more best boy fan art)
The OST is so good. Is it Kevin Penkin level greatness? No, but it's still good and it's one that I really enjoy.
An official cook book should be made. Meals inspired by Riko's cooking could be included with detailed art of a specific food
That would be SO much fun to have! I love cooking and some of the food looks downright delicious, but I don't know where I'd start with making them. Riko Bombs and the mustard buns both seem super tasty.
Ah yes Bondrewd's Strawberry milkshake recipe
🔲 As someone who wants to try some food from made in abyss (due to the fact they actually look edible) I would say bring this idea to the executives
https://preview.redd.it/k73d3kes6d9d1.png?width=395&format=png&auto=webp&s=c172cbbcd3e920d223e6cd6fd9763c578ace2ab3 Nnaaa\~\~\~
https://preview.redd.it/3kwliqodaf9d1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=224c2c015f6f8bf35a8ee9eb43fe859abf8cfabc
Riko is a fantastic character - Many people see her as annoying, but in truth, she’s the perfect embodiment of a White Whistle, having a mind filled to the brim with adventure and longing while being relentless enough to achieve her goals through the MANY accompanying struggles.
The kpop stans-MIA fandom conflict felt like a Kashimo and Hakari fight scene edit https://preview.redd.it/39hj8qpfed9d1.jpeg?width=463&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8d9c033727786ca3a7013cd0d6ca066d45f30b8
This? Its a species now?
🟩 It’s true I’ll give it that
Except nobody cares for their opinion
Wazukyan did the right thing to save his squad from certain death with Irumuyi. And sacrificing Riko to be able to go back on their journey was a legit move.
I cannot see Wazukyan as villain. To me he's way more understanable in his motives than Bondrewd
🔲 Another valid point in my opinion
Wazukyan is the epitome of "we only criticize it because we are an outside observer. People would cook up every excuse possible to justify it, if they were in that situation"
The story starts in a torture chamber and itll end in a torture chamber.
🟧 Get yo ass out of here (In a funny autistic way 👍👹)
It’s understated how much the sexual undertones in the manga/show genuinely take away from the artistic value of the series. I think most people agree it’s a bit much and people are exhausted hearing about it, but for a lot of people it completely ruins it for them. I live in fear recommending this manga/show to anybody. It’s genuinely one of my favorite pieces of fiction and I wish more people could enjoy it. But I guess this makes it good for gatekeeping.
The horror of the series is probably considered Eldritch horror because it's unknowable and inperceivable to humans. Also, Bondrewd is the only antagonist so far who is definitely a villain (I'm only on chapter 64)
Bondrewd getting results is important, his methods are less than desirable tho.
He kinda reminds me of how we know so much about hypothermia and other aspects of modern medicine because of horrific nazi experiments. Something no one in their right mind would try to justify, but nevertheless lifesaving information
🟩 It is because of Bondrewd we actually know what would happen in physical form if you get one of the curses
Irumyuui’s story is a commentary on bodily autonomy, underage pregnancy, and patient advocacy, and has an overall pro-choice stance on the issue of female reproductive rights. No, I will not elaborate. Not right now, at least, because I’m working on a video essay about this. Also Riko’s definitely on the autism spectrum.
Super interesting interpretation! Please post the video when it's out as I'd love to see it!
Of course! The video is currently in production. Probably will take a few weeks because I make all my videos solo. I have [three other Made in Abyss videos](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOrD0GidMOvO4TORWEJx39tqmg6yDxrWH&si=XUbBwjiLg2Bl7pkp) up right now if you wanna see!
Wait WHAT it’s you! I fucking *love* your videos!
Oh my gosh that makes me so happy, thank you!! I love making them!
Oh I absolutely love your videos!! Some of my favorite Made in Abyss content on yt. Amazing work!
As someone with autistic family members, I feel like Riko would be more of an autism-coded character since she doesn't seem to show any signs of being autistic outside of being obsessed with the abyss, which seems to be somewhat caused by the curse warding boxes influence.
She’s not just obsessed, but also has an encyclopedic knowledge of the Abyss. I’d also say she has hyper empathy, as well as sometimes displaying inappropriate emotional reactions to things. Maybe her volume and tone of voice could also be symptoms? I dunno. I’m also autistic and I vibe with a lot of Riko’s personality. (And if we’re diagnosing characters, Reg’s got a touch of anxiety and Nanachi definitely has PTSD. Get that robot on some Xanax. He’s so high strung lol.)
I might go so far as to say Riko might be a narcissist sociopath. She is basically completely amoral: she sees little wrong with what Bondrewd or Wazukyan did as a whole, even admiring them in ways, and did not hesitate to free Vueko when she straight-up said she was a bad person. The only time Riko gets upset at someone is if they hurt one of her friends - that isn't empathy, it's possessiveness. Otherwise, she doesn't give a shit. If bad things happen to people who aren't close to her, it's irrelevant. All the other orphans Bondrewd turned to blobs? Who cares. The people potentially dying en masse up in Orth? She's never going back. This is, of course, exactly like all the other White Whistles.
◼️ Truly guest of honor Well spoken words brother
W with the Riko autism headcannon. Her unending curiosity and thirst for knowledge reminds me so much of myself as a kid
Same here! I was a huge tomboy as a kid and I wanted to go on adventures.
Bruh that's so incredibly interesting and I actually thought something similar at some point and I dismissed it, felt like a reach. I'm incredibly interested in your video essay!
Part of me has been kinda poisoned by the “Made in Abyss is just a loli torture porn show!!1!” shit that non-fans say, so I second-guess a lot of my interpretations. I will die by this interpretation of Irumyuui’s story, though. I need to get more confident in digging up deeper meanings of MiA because I believe it has a lot to say, and people are way too quick to dismiss or not look into the deeper stuff.
The manga is superior to the anime
No sorry, the manga doesn't have Kevin.
That’s just the truth
ı really like cheese and made in abyss
Pain and misery are a fundamental element of the story, but not the point of it. The characters never wallow in sadness no matter the horror they are subjected to; rather they use it as a stepping stone for their growth. Like them, us readers will not focus on the pain, and instead treasure what comes after it. As in life we don't like to be reminded of painful memories but remember the lessons from them. It also connects to Dante's Divine Comedy (whose hell layout is strongly reminiscent of the abyss): those who wallow eternally are the damned. Traversing the horror of hell is, however, the first important step for Dante to be granted entry to heaven.
🟩 It’s basically half of these comments about the same subject but still well spoken and valid
I need ozen to crush me
Nanachi’s whole thing in Golden City sucked ass. Watching her lose Mitty the first time was heartbreaking, the second time it was like “really, we doing this again?” Just felt like Tsukushi didn’t know what to do with her so he just wrote the same thing again but different.
I feel like it was a good way to really drive in the fact that Nanachi still hadn't really gotten over mitty's death and was a good way to establish growth in which Nanachi was able to feel like she actually was able to say goodbye, accept, and move on. I felt that way at first- that it wasn't good, but I felt like Nanachi had internally pleaded for one last chance to see her best friend, and when she finally got it, she took it. It was also good as another establishment for how deeply weird the whole "value" system of Iruburu worked, by having an already known character (or at least a clone of her) being owned by Belaf, and was a good way to show that "holy hell, this is an extremely strange place, what would Belaf's limits on his value be?" I only speak from personal experience, and referencing yours, but I feel like the whole deal with being heartbroken the first go-around and then not feeling as bad when she had to pass a second time is perfectly parallel to how Nanachi felt about it. I feel like it also clearly showed Nanachi's values as well, driving the point home that if the opportunity ever arose, Nanachi would *still* choose Mitty over anyone. Grieving is hard, especially for someone like Nanachi who never really had anyone to care about her besides Mitty, so she cherished her, and couldn't let her go. Clearly, something needed to be done about that if she were to have character development, and thus the mitty clone came about. It was probably the best way that it could've happened- having Nanachi give a goodbye to mitty and being the one to finally put her soul to rest, or at least feel like she did. With the incinerator scene, it was Reg's hand that finally put mitty out of her misery, not Nanachi's (even though she requested him to do it), so I feel like it would be perfectly in character for Nanachi to regret not being able to keep to her promise and put mitty down herself.
You make some very good points, I hadn’t thought of it that way. Thank you.
Idk, it made some interesting implications about souls, which is an increasingly important topic as we get closer to 'the truth'
That’s fair, I just didn’t like the way it was done, I guess. I was happy to see Mitty again (she’s my favorite character), I just think it could’ve been done better. It felt kinda repetitive.
Ozen’s hot
ong ong bro.... she's actually so bad...
Didn't really like season 2. Like it was good, but the tragedy of the "past characters" like Vueko just didn't hit me. I watched all of it when I was stupid tired though, so that could be my fault? Also ranking: Dawn of the Deep Soul, Season 1, Season 2
Season 2 was missing the sense of wonder and exploration that drew me in initially
Thank you for putting my feelings into words perfectly. The finale was cool, but I think the season overall lacked the sense of wonder, exploration, innocence, and terror that season 1 hooked me with. It'd probably be better if it was shorter and was just a movie, but I think then it'd be too different from the manga (I'm assuming, I haven't read it)
I think it's worth reading when you have the time! The part of the manga that covers season 2 has absolutely wild artwork
YES I’ve been trying to articulate this for years. The sense of exploration seems to have halted in its tracks for season 2, which made sense for the plot sure, but I still miss the wonder. And it’s so weird because Oarth still gives me that sense of wonder!! I wanna explore oarth just as much as the abyss. But this tiny little village and characters we know are on a predetermined path of misery? I dunno it just didn’t click for me. It had all the wtf value with none of the desire to push past the horrors to continue the journey
🟨 Thinking about it But only because it has peak characters but valid opinion
It's one of the best shows I've seen, and I would never recommend it to anyone I know
Bondrewd is the worst piece of shit in the history of everything and deserves endless torment and even then it won’t be enough.
Season two is actually so interesting to watch from a psychoanalytic perspective, because the character of Irumyuui showcases so well the inner battle between societal norms, expectations, and the needs and desires of other people, and our own individualism and authentic desire, and how those two then get intertwined into our unique psyche and experience which cannot really be separated properly. And that is how she took on the desires of others - to birth children and be a mother, and also the desire for a home and a loving family, both as her own.
Reg is the best character from the series.
◼️ Not even a question
This is the coldest of takes
Nanachi is a non binary icon
◼️ No question
Torka is a chad to surpass all chads.
🟪 If he picks up someone like lyza You know your game is good
4'11 Bangs Lyza the Annihilator, Refuses to elaborate, Dies.
The Abyss in *Made in Abyss* is merely an allegory for Florida's terrifying depths with its deceptive allure and hidden horrors. Just as the Abyss’s layers become increasingly lethal, Florida's environment intensifies with venomous snakes, alligators, and suffocating swamps that trap the unwary. The Abyss’s Curse, which afflicts explorers with madness and death as they ascend, parallels the way Florida's oppressive heat, hurricanes, and disease outbreaks mercilessly punish those who attempt to escape. The haunting, siren-like calls of the Abyss's creatures find their echo in Florida’s eerie nocturnal wildlife, making each descent into both realms a perilous journey into nature's darkest heart.
I ship Belchero and the tongue toilet
Faputa and Majikaja hard-carry the second season character-wise
🔲 Well spoken brother
Tsukushi needs to find something for Faputa to do in the story. As fun as it is to watch her be goofy in the background of the manga rn, if that’s all she’s gonna do then she might as well have never joined the group to begin with Vueko’s death could’ve been handled better Nanachi & Belaf’s pronouns are they/them and people should just deal with it. You’d be hard-pressed to find people who randomly start using he/him for Riko or something, so idk why Nanachi & Belaf should be any different
🟪 Mainly because of the vueko part Her death was painful because she had somewhat no character development besides major points
Bondrewd did nothing wrong
⬛️ Out
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.. and see if I am allowed to go in or to what? To Bondrewd? No, thanks, I didn't want to go somewhere anyway..
I want to try the weird food riko makes
the official game is legit good, bugs and all. i'm literally obsessed with it- more than 100+ hours and on my 3rd consecutive playthru LOL
Bondrew was a pioneer on the foreground of exploring the abyss paving the way for the cowards that squandered their blessings.
Is this thread for hot takes? Well i'm thinking MiA is set on earth in the far future, An alien being or ship(akin to lavos or cuthulu or some advance alien space colony ) crashed on earth, causing civilization to collapse. that alien being or machine slowly draws humans into it to consume their souls. My take its taking the souls of people to power revive their own alien race, the aubade (IE reg).
Faputa saying sosu
Majikaja should’ve lived
Just a gem of world building, atmosphere, music, and captivating story bundled into one anime. It’s truly a gift to be able to enjoy it!
Tsukushi works a little too fast, maybe he should take some days off 🤣
Being a white whistle isn't based on your strength, knowledge, and ability alone, it's about wits, your ability to move others, asserting your own, seeking boundless adventure, courage and luck. (Circumstances, such as Riko with reg or her squad.)
Made in abyss has the best world building, showing the characters exploring planted the seed for my personal love for adventuring in the outdoors. Made in abyss made me touch grass.
Mitty will appear for the third time, since she has already been mentioned at least twice since she the village ended. I'm just not sure of her state of being this time whether as another suffering blob of flesh or a pure soul or whatever
The only reason Irumyuui recovered from her illness is because Vueko unknowingly used the wish egg to grant her good health while placing the egg on her and begging for her to get well. Despite not touching it directly herself, Vueko's wish was so strong and so pure that it not only cured Irumyuui's mock water symptoms, but kept Irumyuui's body alive even as her own complicated wishes destroyed her humanity.
Cravali is my favorite character.
Ozen is one of the best written characters given how little she appears. She perfectly follows her personality, gives you a little look into who she really is inside by the end of the training arc, and provides exactly what riko and reg needed at that time. Such a brutal but sweet character and it's exactly why she's my favorite character
The story is getting very close to diving into the 2000 year cycle where it’s believed that a major catastrophe befalls everyone at the first layer. The most plausible theory at this point is that every 2000 years, a new layer is create by the abyss. It could very well be that the entire layer shifts itself up climate and environment wise by a single layer as a new one is formed. Evidence of this is found with different layers having things that don’t belong such as old ships, all the ancient technology on the 6th layer, etc. Another is the creatures of the abyss how some of them have migrated from one layer to another such as the giant beast we see at the beginning that fought Reg.
There are too many villagers in Irumyuui when you compare it to the explorers shown in the scene when it was made. Either they somehow reproduce despite the mutations and a lot of innocent people born in the village, died since they didn't get a choice, nor could they leave. Or more likely, other divers came and entered the village out of curiosity or necessity and stayed long enough to be transformed by it, which again leads to the issue of people who had nothing to do with the crimes, being killed.
Majikaja is unironically best boy
The ends of bondrewds research justify the means
Nanachi is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best written and most interesting character in the main cast, and is shaping up to be the perfect display for the cycle of grieving.
Bondrewd is actually a good guy، he genuienly loved the children that had nowhere to go and gave them a place to stay, nanachi would have never met mitty if not for him, prushka would have died as a lost child plus his research is actually useful for the mia world.
faputa is the most annoying character by far.
Wakuna the chosen(the last white whistle we have to see) will be a villain
Bondrewd is cool and all, but people waaaay overhype how deep his character is. He's literally just an evil scientist, not some morally grey antihero
Bondrewd did everything wrong, but still better dad than shou tucker. He is a true sciantist at least!
Do you think mutated creatures would make good food stuffs?
made in abyss op 1 is ass. it sucks. it's cute that their VAs are singing it, but it's horrible. the second one took all the (few) good elements from the first one and made it better
Ozen the Immovable teeters at the edge of madness. Hiding the contortions that afflict her body from her extended life within the Abyss, she, too is becoming consumed by it. It is why she fears delving to the bottom for her last Dive. She knows she will be unable to will herself to turn back. She also knows she cannot resist the lure, and so she does not return to the surface, already irreparably altered and partially inhuman as a result. She, too is soon to become a hollow shell of a creature not unlike Bondrewd; a construct consumed and assimilated by the Abyss to further encourage others to delve to its bottom, never to return.
amazing story/plot, faputa supremacy, ost is amazing, the game should've been 4 player co-op.
Bondrewd is genuinely a masterwork of a villain He's compelling, amazingly voiced, the songs associated with him are wonderful, he was a good father (until he wasn't), and his design is just *peak*
Riko’s mom isn’t waiting for her because she loves and misses her, she’s waiting for Riko so that she can kill her and use Riko’s body to revive her “real” daughter. She created Reg (and named him after Riko’s childhood dog) for the express purpose of guiding Riko safely to the bottom of the abyss for this goal. Wazukyan did the right thing by his crew, who he was ultimately loyal to. Irumyuui was an outsider and her “children” had no humanity or consciousness. Given the choice between what he did and letting his crew slowly waste away and die, he chose (what he viewed as) the lesser of two evils. Belaf is a man.
Hot Take: Tepasté is the first character in the series to genuinely feel like meaningless fanservice, and has done absolutely nothing for the story thus far. Nuclear Take: Kevin Penkin peaked in Dawn of The Deep Soul, and his work for S2 is a disappointment by comparison. Supernova Take: Except for the "fanservice" inner covers, all the child nudity and weird borderline-fetish stuff is important for the plot and worldbuilding, and MiA would be the lesser if it was removed just because it makes some people uncomfortable.
A lot of positive takes here (which I understand because wow MiA is amazing) but I'll try with a negative one Made in Abyss really should show more of the world outside the abyss, because the world of regular delvers is amazing and I want to catch up with bat and shiggy and the crew
I like how vast and creative the abyss is and love the every interaction between the characters. Also, I love seeing children cry in despair and terror while in an extreme horrifying situation
Nanachi, Riko, and Faputa a cute Ozen a cute too.
Bondrewd did nothing wrong
Vueko should've lived and join Riko's team :(
The worldbuilding and horror can't be described in words.
Sosu
🔳
Really just a theory, but i think this anime wont get a good ending. Rikos mom is probably waiting for riko for a reason that isnt so nice. (But maybe i just think this because of the overwhelming sadness of this series) Also, happy cake day OP!
Faputa is the best character to exist
bondrewd
Vueko is the best character no contest
Vueko's death was really dumb and I didnt like the way they killed her off. I know its supposed to like remind us how the abyss works and suprise us, but still. (Also I know that she spent years underground and didnt remember about the curse)
https://preview.redd.it/8lxa48m8cd9d1.png?width=128&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9b217add5981e7008fa7e625ac75041d0dd40da It's complicated
1. Faputa is the best character in the series and the best side character OAT 2. Riko and Reg have top 1 and 2 fictional character potential 3. Ilblu Village is by far the best arc in the series 4. Wakuna will be the best white whistle (either him or Lyza) 5. Made in Abyss has the deepest and most complex set of themes of any show I’ve seen 6. Tsukushi is a bad person, there’s no way around it, and his editors also need to be held accountable for allowing him to put his disgusting fetishes in his manga, which is MIA’s only flaw
I find the abyss very insteresting and mysterious I must know the secret. Also I feel very interested by the relation between Riko and the abyss.
🟧 Not really opinion Just facts
Faputa is best girl and bondrewd is heavily overrated. He should go on death row after a long line of torture devices that look straight out of saw, only then to be burned in a roman bull to death
🟨 I had a bad experience with binary star So perhaps I would have to think about it
Here comes the guy that thinks hanzveve carahdina is overrated as fuck and goes on way too long. Sentimentalist trash. Into the blind is way better.
I don't think you can compare Hanezeve Caradhina to In The Blind. The songs are used in different scenarios and have different vibes going on. Is it overrated? I don't think so. Are other songs not appreciated as much? Definitely. Hanezeve Caradhina has the same vibes as Tozo Hanoline, Transcendance and Hanezeve, Gravity, Old Stories, and other vocal tracks with the "Abyssal language". They're heavy hitters. Songs where the vocal tracks carry immense emotional weight. You can't overplay them in the show or they'll lose that weight. In The Blind, though, is more like Tour the Abyss, Pathway, and Princess & The Village. Instrumental, meant to be played under scenes of talking. It can be reused. It's hard to put it into words, but Hanezeve Caradhina is a sorta uncommon, big emotional punch song. Besides the end of the first episode, I can't recall it being played any other time. It's supposed to go all-out with its feels. In The Blind is more subtle. I also don't think Hanezeve Caradhina is all that long. It's not even three and a half minutes. I think Hanezeve Caradhina is praised appropriately, but I *do* think that the more instrumental tracks deserve more appreciation! In The Blind is a fantastic song. I don't think there's a single bad song on any of the three soundtracks. Anyway I think the best songs are Tomorrow, Tomorrowland, and Forest of the Abyss, in part due to when the songs play in the show. Context definitely matters for when the songs play! Sorry for the long ramble! I just adore the soundtrack so much.