The second season of Made in Abyss.
Directly after the events of Made in Abyss: Fukaki Tamashii no Reimei, the third installment of
Made in Abyss covers the adventures of Reg, Riko, and Nanachi in the Sixth Layer, The Capital
of the Unreturned.
Note: The last episode aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute
long episode.
The kid gloves are off. Although some people still do, we can’t pretend this is the happy go lucky journey down the Abyss that we thought this show was going to be back when Season 1 aired all the way back in 2017. One thing that hasn’t changed since then is my undeniable intrigue I have with this series. The adventuring, the stunning scenery, the immaculate OST, the characters, basically everything resonated with me, and with this season of Made In Abyss, that was no different. Since this show is about children, I can relate it to my own childhood to some extent, so I’ll tell a quick story. I loved the outdoors a lot as a kid, and still do. I enjoyed hiking and camping a lot, just the wilderness in general, though I didn’t know the necessary worldly survival skills like making a fire, or using a compass. One, scorching summer afternoon, I went on a hike with my friends and parents, into quite a large forest. We walked and walked until “Two roads diverged in a wood”. Being my adventurous and fearless self, “I took the one less traveled by”, albeit with a couple people. It was a maze of trees, and a winding road, far different from the other road, that some of the others from my group travelled on. Knowing that forests were home to such creatures like bears, coyotes, and the creepiest of creatures, I still felt like the happiest little kid in the world, prancing down the forest like nobody’s business. The sun set, and we were set to return from where we came from, back home. However, in our inexperience of the outdoors, we got lost, in the night. We wandered and wandered with seemingly no exit from the vast forest. Hearing the creatures around me, I felt for the first time, a sense of fear, that something might attack my unprepared, vulnerable self. In my fear, I tripped on a branch and injured my leg a little bit. Eventually, my group found the exit, and although those gruelling hours of being lost were some of the toughest in my life, I never stopped being excited about the unknown. And that’s because I started to learn, that there will always be ups and downs in life, and whenever you mess up, it’s always a chance to learn new things, new skills, such as how I could not get lost in a forest next time. The characters in Made In Abyss do much of the same thing, they have encountered their fair share of troubles, but it never gets them down, they learn from the troubles, and have undeniable courage to tackle whatever the Abyss throws at them. At its core, Made In Abyss is a tale of a life’s journey, and one’s slow but sure maturity. My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20 STORY: 24/25 This season was a very interesting one to me in that although it’s very self-contained in the Golden City, it tackles the journeys of the past and present, the past being the first adventurers who ventured into the Golden City, the Ganja Squad, and the present being the characters we all know, Riko, Reg, and Nanachi. It further splits into different paths, as each character from the present has their own set of experiences in the Golden City, and each learn vastly different things, and encounter varying things, good and bad. The darkness is instilled in the story from the first moment of the season, and never turns back, yet there are some light moments in the series as well. The Golden City is home to a village, which has their own culture, such as currency, and language, that serves as a very intriguing exploration element that feels as good as the first season, where Riko and Reg explored the wilderness, this time, they explored a city with its own lightness and darkness. For characters from the past and present alike, the Abyss still remains as great metaphor of one’s progression in life. The fact that the sixth layer of the Abyss represents “The Point of No Return”, hammers home the fact that we as humans, only move forward, not back. We can’t go back to being the starry-eyed children we once were, and no matter how hard life gets, we must persevere and find new ways to improve our life and survive. No matter what mistakes we made, we can’t live in the past, because like the Abyss, the real world doesn’t wait for us to get back on our feet and recover. The real world presents us with a barrage of puzzles to solve every single day, so if we get weighed down by our past regrets, we’ll get swallowed up by the curse of the Abyss. ART: 9.6/10 Still very visually appealing with great scenery and I love that they didn’t hold back in the dark moments. The visuals in those moments looked blood-curdling, spine-chilling, and that is what Made In Abyss does so well. MUSIC: 9.7/10 The music by Kevin Penkin instills a great sense of atmosphere, and is very resonant. It’s tempting to listen to it again and again because you can just close your eyes and imagine yourself on an adventure (though maybe don’t imagine what happens in Made In Abyss, or you’ll have trouble sleeping). OP and ED are also very nice, especially the ending by Myth & Roid, which was my favourite this season. CHARACTERS: 19.5/20 The characters continue to be quite the treat to watch. Riko continues to be a character with a ton of heart and a great willingness to persevere no matter how unforgiving the Abyss is. Reg’s backstory is intriguing, and Nanachi has her share of moments, some of which were quite emotional. The characters from the past, the Ganja Squad, had a whole bunch of great characters as well, quite a few that stand out such as Vueko, Irumyuui, Wazukyan, and Belaf. Each have their own struggles, some more than others, and their personalities are quite interesting, ranging from a willingness to do anything to help himself and others survive, to harboring a feeling of guilt that was so great that he couldn’t go on. It’s a very wondrous cast of characters, who each have their backstory told in a very fascinating way, and you feel for every single one of them. There is also no real villain in this story, though I can argue there wasn’t one in Season 1 or the movie. Sure, there are antagonists who oppose the main characters, but they each have their own reasons, whether it is a love for their loved ones, or an appetite for human advancement. There are a lot of morally repugnant themes in this show, but they all have a reason in which to do such unthinkable things, and that’s what makes each and every character special, even if you come to hate them. ENJOYMENT: 14.8/15 Although it’s frustrating that there are so many questions asked, but not enough answers, the show brings about a sort of odd excitement not found in any other show I’ve watched. My immersion was always strong, and every detail in the show is spectacular. Phenomenal. THEMATIC EXECUTION: 19/20 The themes are so well executed because each character is interesting. Another reason is that they never hold back from showing us morally questionable things, whether it is excessive gore, or very grotesque imagery. It really shows us the unforgiving nature of the Abyss, and that is simply amazing. Sure, there are some rather dumb things that happen, such as the toilet humour, but that’s just a minor tonal shift issue for me. OVERALL: 96.6/100 This was an instalment to the Made in Abyss series that felt even better than the first. It’s a great tale of one’s maturity, and it resonated with me a lot. You feel the characters’ fear, you feel their emotions, you cry with them, you smile with them. There is still much to unravel in this adventure, and we probably won’t see another season of Made In Abyss for quite some time, but whenever we get it, I’ll want to be the first in line to witness what comes next in this emotionally damaging journey that I love so much. To everyone who read this to the end, I truly appreciate it.
img(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/992939961810685974/1017090091958669423/Screenshot_2022-09-07_at_17.12.41.png) By mistake or not I watched the whole first season in one sitting without even realizing it, I was just getting eaten by something I never truly explored because I am not a fantasy guy anymore and I do rarely like fantasy anime anymore, as well I am not the biggest fan of gore but for sure I love the mystery and the Abyss is the definition of mystery and also of surprise. After seeing some status of a friend spamming the second season I decided to watch it all and after catching up I was left speechless because this is something truly special, in all of my life I have never seen something such as Made in Abyss and I even struggle to put the right words because I am really speechless.
Here we are, after the first season full of adventures and a movie full of action and tears, we have reached the golden city. The second season of Made in Abyss is truly and without a doubt the greatest media in video form I've ever been able to get my hands on, I couldn't be happier about it. After the events in the movie (Dawn of the deep soul) we are now in the golden city, the place that is supposed to even turn dust to gold. In this arc we will see a lot of Reg's past, get a few infos about Riko's mother (and Bondrewd) and Nanachi will have her time to shine as well. But this arc isn't about them. This arc is about a past they don't even know about, it's about why all the people in the city are the way they are, why the city is the way it is, and when all is and done: we'll go back to adventuring. I could go full fanboy and write some eloquent stuff about how it was about lost, about desires, about regrets, about love, about the tragedies of the past, about the punishment for our sins, about duties and an inevitable fate (and it was) but no speech, no matter how long, could really summarize just how much I loved this season and how meaningful the story is to me, so I'll have to go the easy way and write it so that everyone understands what I mean. This arc was about the princess who won't perish: Faputa. It's about the city of those who did what they had to do to survive and how inexcusable it was to do it. We saw abyss divers who set out to find the city before Riko, Reg and Nanachi, how they ended up and then we saw it all end. It was glorious, accompanied by an awesome opening AND ending, as well as great soundtracks, cool character and enemy designs, followed by an incredible end to all of it. I feel like Made in Abyss started out as just a slightly gore adventure anime and then here it turned into a masterpiece of storytelling, I just can't describe how I feel. Every episode was like a fragment of the whole puzzle but no episode felt like they forced a cliffhanger, even though it made you want the next episode, the episode itself was closed and finished and that in an enjoyable manner. The characters we met (in the present and the backstory) were all either unimportant or interesting as hell, except Maaa maybe and I feel like even Maaa played it's role (of being a cute side-kick for the arc) well. Faputa was just the greatest character throughout the whole season, from the first real encounter to the entire development in the last 2 episodes, she was just a great character and reminded me a little bit of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch (yes, they are very different, no I won't elaborate) and it was just a perfect way to finish the arc because I feel like everything else would've been against everything they've built throughout the season, so yeah. I hope that the next season will be at least half as good, which would still be a 10/10, and that we'll see lots of their adventures in the future, sosu.
~~~As I've previously said, this is definitely not the professional review you're looking for and most certainly not one worthy of even typing out Made in Abyss, heck, I don't think this can even be considered a review, but then again, with blessings come curses~~~ ~~~img400(https://media.tenor.com/JOWxnMxnwfoAAAAM/made-in-abyss-breakdance.gif)~~~ The best fantasy anime-series mankind has ever seen has finally returned. In my last encounter with Made in Abyss, my balls were completely obliterated by the horrors of Prushka. I am now thankfully unable to pass on the pain to my once future children. However, I have also been completely stripped of the chance to show them this fortune. ~~~ ↓ ꜜ ͎ ✧ ͎ ꜜ ↓ ~~~ ~~~img800(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ee/20/ee/ee20ee3e78a10c632bf2e14b85d9a4a5.jpg)~~~ It's gift after gift after gift. They gave us an [opening](https://youtu.be/o_RG03t7cVE) befitting of Made in Abyss. And I kid you not, the part where it zooms out of the island sent chills down my spine. Mainly because it's so incredible to me. Not only the abyss, but the people too. The way they live their lives and the connections they have. What's standard and what's not. The many cultures and diversity the island and the abyss hold is so vast. Plus the fact that it's way deeper than it looks… scared of the ocean? Great, this is worse! (I want you to know that, at the time of writing this, I have shed a tear because of my inability to adequately word my strong admiration for the world building and that my heart is beating very strongly trying to compress all my thoughts on it). ~~~img(https://i0.wp.com/blog-media-cloud.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/2022/08/Made-in-Abyss-Retsujitsu-no-Ougonkyou-07.mkv_20220818181614_0003.png?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1)~~~ Being completely honest, I couldn't care less about the history of an anime. Normally they stick recaps in random places or dump lore onto us in hopes it'll set the scene !!NEWS FLASH!! it kind of doesn't. Thankfully, MIA's history was so fascinating to wrap my head around. Before this, I couldn't even begin to think about what the past could've been like, and oh my days was it so much more than I expected. I am only left craving for more history given this is just a tiny fraction of what makes the abyss, The Abyss. Of course this was only possible because of the seamless transitions between the past and the present; they constantly fed each other story providing one another with greater meaning, all to come full circle with Faputa. The tension and intensity between Reg and her were really __real__ at times, and taught us a lot about the Abyss itself. Assuming you've watched the previous seasons, movies or read the manga (if you haven't then what are you doing here?) you know how this series continuously bombards us with unusual questions and answers them in the most riveting ways. Like how we now have some clues as to what Reg is thanks to Gaburoon's curiosity, or at the very least a path to follow. But uh… not sure how the story behind Reg being equipped with a fully functional junior is going to do us any good… ~~~img800(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/399/413/de4.gif)~~~ While we're on the subject, I would also like to bring up how we were greeted by Riko taking a dump and then had to witness a similar scene again later in the series. That's one way to make me freeze up in my own household. Wouldn't be the least bit enjoyable to be seen watching a fictional child poo on a large monitor in the dark. On the plus side, I did gain an insight into the toilets I definitely don't want to run into. And that one scene where the shopkeeper (who fashioned prushka) said he did WHAT because it felt sensual? He... CLIMAXED? Not here to shame, but... wow. At least I could easily forget that was ever said, because quite literally 2 seconds later Juroihmoh pulls up with a sword the same size as my genitalia (real). After lightly exploring what will one day become Orth we are met with another completely sane child to protect, Irumyuui! img(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/001/484/061/ea2.png) Tribe thought she was cursed because she couldn't conceive a baby… img23(https://c.tenor.com/IyweQyb3MhIAAAAj/the-rock-sus.gif) who tested that out? img23(https://c.tenor.com/IyweQyb3MhIAAAAj/the-rock-sus.gif) img23(https://c.tenor.com/IyweQyb3MhIAAAAj/the-rock-sus.gif) img23(https://c.tenor.com/IyweQyb3MhIAAAAj/the-rock-sus.gif) ^ Know that the text above was written when I was unfamiliar with the horrors to come. First of all, I am sorry, I thought it was funny at the time. Second of all, what. I am ACTUALLY unable to put my thoughts into feelings when it comes to her. Straight speechless. Just filled with that feeling of despair and unfair treatment. Not sure if it was on purpose, but wow did Akihito Tsukushi manage to SCREAM what trauma can do to a child. So, when looking at from that light, I love it and resonate with it. Unfortunately, there isn't really a positive way to view what happened to her. The problem is that the Cradle of Desire, which grants unconscious desires, wasn't necessarily doing any evil. It undoubtedly granted her wish but she literally had to give a being for a being. As if that wasn't enough anguish, they make her into a literal home where they can thrive happily. An insane amount of anger swelled up inside of me when it happened. God knows how twisted humanity can become. It really handed me false hope, thinking her wish to make everyone well would ever in a million years overpower the one thing that crushed her. Pushing all the negative events aside, I'm glad Faputa was able to end her misery through learning about her own mother. It made me incredibly happy that the child Iruumyui worked so hard to give birth to loved her the same way she loved all her children unconditionally. The connections that were formed and lost in this season were phenomenal, every one of them, enough to bring me to tears. img(https://bacaterus.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/review-made-in-abyss_Episode-5-6_.webp) The least I can say to Belaf is, thank you. Thank you for going insane. Thank you for being there. Thank you for making me think you would be the worst. Just, thank you. But also, sorry. Sorry, your morals were forced to be broken. Sorry, it was addictive. Sorry, your attempt at retribution didn't succeed. Sorry. He was forced to do something that went against his beliefs, even though his body accepted it. Simply left to writhe in his self loathe, crystallized by Irumyuui. I hope he truly got the punishment he sought for. ~~img800(https://c.tenor.com/j9C7pyd9iVEAAAAC/mitty-made-in-abyss.gif)~~ There's not a lot to complain about, but there are still some faults. Now, this may strike some controversy, but I in particular did not enjoy the whole Nanachi being reunited with Mitty. I felt it failed to do its job, failed to antagonise the audience. What MIA succeeded to do this entire season, feed the story with the present and the past, it failed to do with the two. Yes, Nanachi got to reunite with the one she loves most, and that's awesome. However, it made the previous goodbye, the past, the tension all feel meaningless. ~~img800(https://lostinanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Made-in-Abyss-Retsujitsu-no-Ougonkyou-02-11.jpg)~~ I personally believe, and I know for a fact that many agree with me, the music for this season was insane. It did the scenes just, sometimes even ringing out the best in them. [Belaf's Lullaby](https://youtu.be/QdmZEG-6gj8) hit me hard. It was haunting yet calming, reflecting Faputa's feelings at that moment quite clearly. Not sure what the composer puts into his music, but oh boy is it addicting. It is certain that Kevin Penkin is unquestionably our HAKU; I hope he continues to compose for a long time. Let this be the start to his lengthy and fruitful career. ~~~⁀✮₊⋆.˚⟡~~~ ~~~Made in Abyss has always managed to give the naive me false optimism just to trample all over it. I will never hate or grow accustomed to that sensation. So, while I am disappointed that I won't be able to pass it on, I'm glad I was here. The stories evoked more emotion than ever before, and this was a fantastic follow-up to an incredible masterpiece.~~~ ~~~★★★★★~~~ ~~~Thank you for reading this far, or skipping (don't worry I understand). Looking forward to seeing each other in the future.~~~ ~~~SANbureMU, sosu!~~~ ~~~(9th September 22)~~~ ~~~img(https://media.tenor.com/FBjJTyS789wAAAAi/noob-roblox.gif)~~~
It's best to begin with prefacing that Made in Abyss is must watch TV. It is unlike any other anime series you will come across, and the studio producing it [___Kinema Cirtrus___] has put so much effort/passion into it. When you watch a shonen, no matter which one it is, they all give off a similar feel. However Made in Abyss doesnt feel like it can be thrown under one single category or genre. # __Leading up to S2: Golden City of the Scorching Sun__ The first season of Made in Abyss has a pretty dull start. Everything that happens above ground in the mining town looking back was fairly unmemorable. This is where one of the biggest problems, and one that still plagues the show in S2, is started. The character of Riko. She is simply not a very good nor interesting character for being the MC. Regardless, when they finally descent into the abyss the show truly takes a jump in quality. And when the climax of the season comes around when they meet Nanachi, it is some of the most emotional scenes in any anime. The movie continues this heightened quality, with the introduction of characters even better than the two main ones, as well as keeping up the emotional pulling at heart strings. # __With a Second Season came a massive drop off in Quality Writing__ A lot of the technical properties of Made in Abyss were just as strong in the second season when you disregard the plot. The animation was at its peak, and the setting creating for the story was captivating with its color palette. The music doesn't even need to be brought up, because its obviously peak. But these things can not alone carry a show. Made in Abyss S2 doesn't do anything drastically egregious. It doesn't pull an AoT ending or a Fairy Tail friendship card, however it does make many many small mistakes that brings it down. # __The Problems with Season 2 of Made in Abyss__ 1. Too many details of the story are simply not explained well, or at all. I think anytime you watch a show and after have to go and search what a term is, or what a characters purpose was is a major knock on the narrative aspect of a show. The Village is plagued with this problem. Ideas are brought up (cradle of desire, how all these people reached the village, etc) without actually explaining them. The biggest proponent of this flaw is one of the second characters, Wazukyan. He is a mysterious man with some sort of plan hes been trying to enact behind-the-scenes, however it is never clearly explained. Is it that he wants to ascend past humans? Is it he wants to continue exploring the abyss? We dont know. Because his character is only ever given extremely vague sub-hints. Even in his dying moments, nothing is explained. At times it looks like hes helping the Village, and at times it looks like hes pulling strings to get what he wants. 2. Pacing. I hate that this term is constantly brought up when criticizing anime, but sometimes the pacing of a show is noticeable bad. I dont think anyone would deny the first 3-4 episodes are incredibly slow. Slow =/= bad, but at some point the pacing just kicks it into overdrive. Wayyyy too much happens in the story once Reg goes to see Faputa for 2nd time. But then in the hour long special final episode, the pace slows down considerably. This back and forth is annoying 3. Similarly to the Nanachi story at the end of the first season, this season is focused around a new character named Faputa. You can honestly draw a lot of similarities between the two story lines, in their depressing tones. Faputa however unlike Nanachi, is not a likeable character. She is self-centered, selfish, and absolutely refuses to listen. The writers try to make fans attracted to her by making her all sweet and cuddly to Reg and giving her a high-pitched VA, but it doesnt work. When the climax of the show comes, as Faputa is finally given the chance to avenge her mother.... it just leaves fans scratching their heads. What is she even doing this for??? Because a small percentage of the current villagers ate her mothers offspring hundreds of years ago? Most of the current villagers came from after all of that happened and killing them is just needless genocide. This idea that they were evil for doing this is absolutely ridiculous writing. The offspring Iruyuumi was creating never had the chance to live. They were born to die. Instead of just letting the dead bodies pile up, they took action to survive. Faputa was given the most screentime out of any character this season, so for her to be so unlikeable and as a viewer feel so detached from her is a massive miss. 4. On the contrary, Vueko's character was done beautifully. The way they did intertwine the backstory of the Ganja with the current events going on was great creative storyboarding. Made in Abyss loves introducing characters to just show off super depressing backstories, and then just killing them off. And Vueko was no exception. Having Vueko die from forgetting about the curse of the abyss and losing her humanity from a logical standpoint makes sense, but it just feels like such an important character deserved to have a more symbolic ending. 5. Introducing Mitty again was pointless. In fact it almost seemed like they only brought her back (as a sort of illusion) just to make it so Nanachi wasnt on screen for most of the scenes unfolding. Nanachi is by far and away the fan favorite character, so giving her less screentime than Moogie the green octopus-like Hollow is questionable. 6. Killing Maaa off offscreen was such a dumb unnecessary moment. Im sure some fans even question if shes even dead, which is a sign of unclear writing. I actually think Riko's character really improved in this season, which is one of the few things that this season actually excelled at. Her ability to connect with people has always been her strength, but she finally showed actual combat strength this season with her plan in the Luring as well as her new white whistle. A 73/100 is not a bad score. The show is enjoyable, and more or less good. But the countless small mistakes the show makes is otherwise disappointing for such a great show from the 2010s. tl:dr - the second season of made in abyss is one in which you really need to turn your brain off and not try to reason through it. if not, you will instead find yourself every episode thinking to yourself "this makes no sense" or "what even was the point?" enjoyable show, but certainly with 12 episodes could have been fleshed out better.
This is an absolute roller coaster of a season... It'll leave you with many thought provoking ideas and definitely will gross you out as this is the goriest installment of the series. Initially I had a difficult time rating this season as I couldn't really pinpoint where I stood- it's differences to Dawn of the Dark and season 1 are very off putting. It's more or less good entertainment wise but there are some issues with the coherency and story. Anyways, I'll break down my thoughts into the categories; OST, animation, characters, and plot/story. DISCLAIMER: This review will be made under the assumption that you've watched the previous season and dawn of the dark- so be aware of that. -OST The music for this show... god it's incredible. In fact I don't think you can get much better than this! It's angelic yet off putting, beautiful with a lingering darkness, it encompasses everything this show is about perfectly. -Animation This one is tricky... general animation is extremely fluent and pleasant to look at, the landscapes are absolutely gorgeous as always, but the cgi is SO. BAD. It's clunky, it's out of place, and it really messes with the overall beauty of the abyss. I found intense scenes to be somewhat ruined due to this. -Characters This is probably the only category that was actually dealt with better than the previous renditions of the Made in Abyss series. Minus Nanachi, our main cast has been very cut and dry up to this point: Reg is the indecisive kind one and Riko is the overly-positive confident adventurer. But we really get to see some interesting developments in Reg's character. Though Riko is yet to have changed much. The introduction of the adorable yet frightening Faputa helps answer a few ongoing questions of the series and provides some of the best fight sequences by far. But the real gold mine is Vuelo. In just 12 episodes you watch Vuelo’s horrifyingly dark life play out through flashbacks- which is the best part of the entire season (this is personally what kept me watching despite having very negative feelings in the beginning). Her story will absolutely rip your heart out. -Plot/story This is where things get iffy- In comparison to the previous installments this season is vastly different. A lot of the time is spent with the characters individually rather than in a group which brings up an issue: Riko’s character is extremely lacking without support from others. Her main dynamic is her encyclopedic knowledge on the abyss, extreme vulnerability, and a confidently optimistic attitude- making her a great sidekick to Reg (“new” to the abyss and indecisive) and Nanachi (someone who’s lacked optimism in her life for a long time). Without them her character falls very short and lots of her individual scenes are extremely boring. To add on, this season relies too much on the trope of revealing things at the end. The beginning is extremely hard to follow leading to a frustrating experience while watching. And although it’s wonderful to have twists and foreshadowing that leads to an impactful ending, banking on that completely makes for a confusing watch. Though, as expected, the world building was phenomenal. The civilization within the city was EXTREMELY unique and unlike anything you'll ever see. In conclusion, Made in Abyss season 2 is extremely different from the previous instalments of the series yet it's 100% worth the watch. The OST and characters are done phenomenally with few exceptions and the raging curiosity of the story behind the city will push you through the boring bits. It's themes of humanity, morality, and value in life will guarantee at least one existential crisis. It’s definitely the darkest and goriest by far and will leave you shocked and/or in tears. Rankings: Personal enjoyment - 6/10 Objective quality - 7/10 Memorability - 10/10
- Histoire : 9/10 Toujours aussi beau et éprouvant dans ce que ça raconte et montre, c'est pour ça qu'on aime Made in Abyss. Par contre, comme dans la saison 1 les premiers épisodes servent principalement d'introduction et d'exposition ce qui est nécessaire mais pourrait être mieux fait afin d'être davantage passionnant, même si pour le coup on tient déjà quelque chose de mieux que ce qui avait été fait pour la saison 1 (moyenne des premiers épisodes : 7/10 -> 8/10). Et finalement, malheureusement même les meilleures épisodes (le climax de l'histoires premiers explorateurs, paradoxalement ceux dont les passages sont les plus traumatisants) n'atteignent pas le niveau du 3ème film, qui en quelque sorte une saison entière avec que des épisodes ayant 10/10. Cette saison, à l'instar de la saison 1, ne peut donc pas prétendre à un 9,5 même si je suis vraiment conquise par l'univers de Made in Abyss. - Problématiques et exécution : 9/10 L'œuvre continue à nous questionner sur les notions d'ambitions, d'objectifs (principalement la curiosité que suscitent l'inconnue et l'envie d'explorer pour assouvir cette soif) et ce que l'on ait amené à faire pour les atteindre que cela soit avec des remords ou non. Dans cette nouvelle saison c'est principalement abordé à travers les personnages des premiers explorateurs et Faputa qui viennent très bien compléter ce que les précédents personnages avaient apporté sur le récit : Les premiers explorateurs qui avaient une grande soif d'aventure et de savoir avec Wazukyan qui n'hésite pas à commettre les pires actes pour avancer sans se sentir mal par rapport à cela même si on notera que c'était souvent des actions qui étaient malheureusement nécessaires pour la survie de tous (pas non plus obligatoires mais ça le différencie quand même de Bondold qui outrepassait la morale uniquement pour continuer à découvrir et apprendre de nouvelles choses) puis Vueko et quelques autres anciens explorateurs qui eux essayent de vivre avec leurs remords, Vueko étant celle qui y arrive le moins au premier abord ce qui se comprend vu les circonstances. Mais tous les explorateurs sont des personnages qui ont finalement choisis de devenir sédentaire, dont la flamme d'exploration s'est éteinte ce qui fait encore, à l'instar d'Ozen et Bondold, des personnages qui se différencient de Rico et Legu car eux ont encore à apprendre et à découvrir sur eux-mêmes (Legu) et sur l'abysse (Rico). En parallèle, Faputa va quand à elle commencer à avoir cette soif d'aventure en arrivant à se détacher de son désir de vengeance, à voir si elle rejoindra vraiment nos héros ou non. Après pour le moment l'œuvre n'aborde pas tant de nouveaux questionnements que ça ce qui est à la fois un défaut, puisque cela pourrait commencer à devenir redondant, et une qualité car elle continue à correctement approfondir ceux qu'elles traitent. - Personnages : 9/10 Les nouveaux personnages introduits sont vraiment très intéressants, la partie précédente le souligne assez bien d'ailleurs. Ils sont très attachants et ont des bonnes interactions avec notre groupe principal. Par contre ce qui est justement à déplorer dans cette saison c'est l'écriture des personnages principaux avec Nanachi qui subit une sorte de reboot de son développement de la fin de la saison 1 (je ne vois pas vraiment l'intérêt de la faire encore une fois se détacher de Mitty) ainsi que Legu et Rico qui ne changent pas d'un poil. Certes les personnages de l'arc sont excellents (d'où le 9/10) mais, en parallèle de leurs histoires, les protagonistes auraient dû quand même évoluer à travers les moments passés avec eux. - Rythme : 9/10 Des premiers épisodes toujours vraiment en dessous du reste, même si moins que pour la saison 1, le milieu de la saison qui atteint des sommets pour se conclure avec des épisodes de très bonnes factures. Ce n'est pas parfait mais ça reste mieux géré que mieux que la saison 1 ce qui est un bon point. - DA : 9,5/10 Kinema Citrus (Barakamon, Tate no Yuusha, etc.) continue à nous offrir des visuels magnifiques. - Animation : 9/10 Pas de moments fulgurants, mais l'action reste toujours très propre et fluide. C'est tout ce qu'on attend d'une bonne animation. - CD&Seiyuu : 10/10 Les nouveaux personnages ravissent mes rétines que cela soit quand ils sont humains que quand ils deviennent des ombres, même si ce sont leur apparence les plus récentes qui offrent la plus grande variété de visuels. Et le mangaka (+ Kazuchika Kise) a réussi à nous pondre une autre dinguerie digne de Nanachi avec le personnage de Faputa, autrement dit une furry trop mignonne, en plus d'être très badass et flippante par moments contrairement à Nanachi ce qui est un plus, avec une seiyuu qui vient souligner à merveille sa personnalité. Et ici pas n'importe laquelle, car c'est Misaki Kuno aka ma seiyuu préféré et la reine des voix très aiguës et mignonnes...vive Faputa et vive Misaki Kuno (Frederica de Eighty Six, Hawk de Seven Deadly Sins, etc.) ! Mentions honorables : Vueko, Belaf (dans sa seconde forme) et Wazukyan - OST : 7,5/10 À part la bonne réutilisation de "Hanezeve Caradhina", je n'ai pas vu de nouvelles musiques sortir du lot. Kevin Penkin (Tower of God, Tate no Yuusha, etc.) nous a habitués à mieux mais le fond sonore sert quand même toujours bien le récit. - OP&ED : 10/10 L'opening reste en dessous du premier mais la musique est excellente qui donne envie de partir à l'aventure (parfait donc pour un animé centré sur ce thème) et le clip sert bien à introduire l'histoire de la saison 2 en nous montrant les personnages que nous allons découvrir. Il n'y a d'ailleurs pas vraiment de gros teasing sur les évènements qui vont se dérouler (à part le fait que Rico ait une nouvelle coupe et que Legu va avoir un combat), ici ce qu'on va se demander c'est qui sont les personnages que l'on voit à l'écran. L'ending, que je préfère à l'opening notamment car il est chanté par mon groupe préféré (MYTH&ROID), propose quand à lui des visuels cryptiques et symboliques qui prennent leurs sens qu'au fur et à mesure qu'on avance dans le déroulement du récit, et la musique qui est assez triste et sinistre est là pour montrer le côté sombre et émouvant de Made in Abyss. Un bon combo qui offre une bonne vitrine de l'animé. - Attentes satisfaites ? : 8,5/10 Ça n'atteint pas le niveau du troisième film (et en soi je m'en doutais) tout en étant meilleure que la saison 1, c'est déjà un très bon exploit.
Before we begin: - > ***This review contains spoilers where marked.*** Most paragraphs contain a spoiler-free bit and a spoiler-filled bit. - > #####`I heavily disliked the movie that came before this season, it was unreasonably inappropriate and diminished my love for a lot of the main cast.` #**Made in Abyss, Season 2** Being the second season of Made in Abyss, it would seem like it would naturally be the successor to Made in Abyss -- but with the first season imposing such high expectations: is it unwise to expect anything greater than a failure? #**Uwa!! So Temperate** While the first season had established a world already, I do wish there was far more world-building here. There's history and whatnot shown, but I really do wish they at least explored the current layer quite a bit more. Alongside this, I do think the creatures shown were fairly underwhelming; there's really only one cool one while the others are just downright dinosaur knockoffs. Overall I found the world presented within this season was very boring & unspectacular. ~! Now, if you've watched the season you could argue, "but this one focuses on the village, not the layer," and you'd be very valid in saying that! The issue for me though is that the village isn't built enough! >:( I hardly know anything about the village as it is in the current timeframe, I know how it started but besides for that I have no idea: how large it is, how the economy *really* works (where on Earth does value come from), and how do the hollows work in the village?? How did they get their forms? It's definitely different from the Abyss' curse somehow, but how?! I also don't know why it didn't affect Vueko or Riko, I doubt people stopped turning into hollows after the first group... I can make rough guesses at these things, but I wish I didn't have to when it comes to something so important :( !~ #**Oh! One True Love** The season faces a common, boring trope of "the light in the darkness", junk like: "even in the darkness... you can find something bright" or whatever. It appears very early in the season, but for some odd reason it just keeps getting repeated over and over again!? Not only have I seen this kind of junk several times in other shows, but I feel like it hardly deserves as much focus as it gets here. It's a shame, really; the character who keeps doing those monologues is actually fairly interesting, but I feel like they ultimately get thrown away just to suit that story. ~! By "that story" I mean the story of Vueko and Irumyuui's bond. It's definitely important to her character, but I feel like it becomes *all* of what she is. She's greatly entrenched in her longing for punishment, but again: it's *all* of who she is!! Hardly any character development is done past being a tragic bestie, being shy, and being horrifically abused when they were younger. They're a tragic fellow, but nothing is done for them past that. :( !~ #**Death For Glamour** Some may strangely enjoy it, but I found the sheer amount of goriness to be unnecessary and totally inappropriate. Sure, there are gruesome moments somewhat requiring it, but I feel like they glorify death way too much -- either that or they simply use gore too much. In truth, my main joy with the first season of Made in Abyss is that it's *fun*. I didn't exactly think the writing was stellar but at the end of the day it was still fun for the majority of it, and that means it's good enough entertainment for me. The issue I deal with is that the gore is neither used well in a story-telling perspective nor is it visually appealing. Now, you may say, "toughen up, just because your expectations were diverted doesn't mean it can't be good," and I absolutely agree with that! I just think that if it's something that drags down the show so much, the visual should at least have a rightful place in the story. For me, I don't believe a lot of the goriness shown at all deserved its place at the end of the day. #**ASGORE** I don't like the antagonist :( ~! While it's true that I don't like Faputa as a character themself (too weird for me), what I specifically mean is how the antagonist is treated. She ultimately kills every villager and in the process threatened the life of the entire main cast, yet is redeemed at the end and is invited to join the group?? Even the last of the villagers forgive her for some reason?? She had a duty, but in the process caused so much unnecessary damage... she's treated as a monster as she kills everyone but after she gets those damn memories now she's just such a nice soul who *has* to do this, despite her wishes or whatever. I think just really the real nail in the coffin for me is Reg inviting her to join the escapade -- on several occasions she has proven herself to be an untrustworthy and ill-put fool *beyond* her duty, why would you invite them?!!! But hey, that's just me :< !~ #**Finale** Ultimately I've found this second season of Made in Abyss to be a sham. While I'm grateful that it was like a buffet of the studio's abilities to show me why I shouldn't pursue the series any further, I'll most likely still be curious about how good the final ending will be.
Made In Abyss me cambió la vida. Una serie de la que estoy orgulloso de haber visto ignorando todos los prejuicios que tiene sobre la misma. Y esta me lo ha recompensado con tantos momentos inolvidables que no caben en mis manos. Pues todo lo que ha construido, es su valor. Es una historia única en la que te muestra la crueldad del inframundo, de lo peor que la humanidad puede cometer solamente por sus anhelos. Y aun así, te muestra como ningún otro, la belleza de la vida, del viaje, de los amigos, del sol y la vida. Lo que siento con Made In Abyss es algo sumamente cercano. Cada personaje cumple sus deseos más profundos en un lugar que pretende destrozarlos por completo. Pero nosotros, simplemente, seguimos buscando la Ciudad Dorada que la brújula nos prometió. El escritor, pese a los problemas personales. Ha sabido plasmar una idea. Que justamente el viaje sea desde la vista de unos niños jovenes e inocentes frente a la maldad es una puesta en escena macabra pero bella ¿Pues que hay más puro que un niño con un deseo de descubrimiento? Soy Riko, quien quiere avanzar en la vida y descubrir todo potencial. Soy Reg, que quiere encontrarse a si mismo y su identidad. Soy Nanachi, que llevo la promesa de amar y proteger. Soy Prushka, que protejo cada amigo que tengo. Soy Faputa, que pese al rencor supe amar. Soy Ozen, quien desea ver a los demás progresar y anhelo el espíritu de los demás que a mi me falta. Soy Bondrewd quien cumple cada una de sus promesas. Soy Belaf quien ve la belleza en cada ser humano. Soy Wazukyan, quien busca su lugar en el mundo. Y junto con una banda sonora de ensueño. Creada por un genio llamado Kevin Penkin. Esta nos transporta directo a la belleza oculta en la cara de la maldad. VOH, Old Stories, Gravity, Hanezeve Caradhina, Transcendance and Hanazeve o Tomorrow son piezas que forman parte de mi. Cada tema expresa un amor incondicional por la aventura, el descubrimiento, la belleza y la crueldad pura del abismo. La voz de Takeshi Saito es tan angelical como dolorosa Si yo amo Made In Abyss es porque me ha enseñado que todo lo que nos pasa o nos puede pasar conlleva a una razón más allá. Nos construye como personas. Nos da valor y valores. Y ojalá, espero encontrar la Ciudad Dorada algún día. Pues es el lugar al que pertenezco. Made In Abyss podrá no ser perfecta para todo el mundo. Pero es la serie que me hizo ver más allá, que me sacó de la rutina. Que me hace escribir cada palabra con anhelo y deseo. Que logra que su estética y ambientación se impregne en mis ojos y me maravilla a cada vez que la miro. Y soy incapaz de ponerle una nota inferior, porque sería injusto conmigo mismo.