Made in Abyss

The Abyss—a gaping chasm stretching down into the depths of the earth, filled with mysterious creatures and relics from a time long past. How did it come to be? What lies at the bottom? Countless brave individuals, known as Divers, have sought to solve these mysteries of the Abyss, fearlessly descending into its darkest realms. The best and bravest of the Divers, the White Whistles, are hailed as legends by those who remain on the surface.

Riko, daughter of the missing White Whistle Lyza the Annihilator, aspires to become like her mother and explore the furthest reaches of the Abyss. However, just a novice Red Whistle herself, she is only permitted to roam its most upper layer. Even so, Riko has a chance encounter with a mysterious robot with the appearance of an ordinary young boy. She comes to name him Reg, and he has no recollection of the events preceding his discovery. Certain that the technology to create Reg must come from deep within the Abyss, the two decide to venture forth into the chasm to recover his memories and see the bottom of the great pit with their own eyes. However, they know not of the harsh reality that is the true existence of the Abyss.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Reg Main

Ise, Mariya Japanese

Riko Main

Tomita, Miyu Japanese

Nanachi Supporting

Izawa, Shiori Japanese

Bondrewd Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Ouzen Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Mitty Supporting

Kitamura, Eri Japanese

Lyza Supporting

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Marulk Supporting

Toyosaki, Aki Japanese

Jiruo Supporting

Murata, Taishi Japanese

Kiyui Supporting

Hanawa, Manami Japanese

Yamashita, Shinpei Producer

Ogata, Mitsuhiro Producer

Isogai, Noritomo Producer

Takenaka, Nobuhiro Producer

Reviews

Aug 12, 2026

ThunderCloud280

Recommended

If you are reading this review, I'm going to take a bet that this is not the first time you have heard about Made in Abyss. You probably already heard from somewhere else that this is a show that seems cute on the surface but is actually way darker and more graphic than you'd expect. While this is an accurate take, do not assume that it is only that way to elicit shock from a viewer. Made in Abyss does not stoop so low to be solely concerned with shock value over everything else. This show is far more compelling and in-depth than that.

The mystique ... of the Abyss is quite profound, and it leaves a lot of questions to be answered. What exactly is the Abyss? How did it get here anyway? What lies within the depths of the Abyss? What is the deal with that unrelenting curse? The Abyss seems like something you would only hear out of mythical stories, except come to true. In this world, it has even gotten to the point where some feel that the Abyss has replaced the idea of God himself. Even with all of the dangers that arise from the Abyss, it makes sense why so many people in the show are so fascinated with it that they want to venture within it. Some people just can't handle it to go on without knowing the truth about something so extraordinary.

Made in Abyss follows Riko and Reg: two children who enter the Abyss to discover themselves and find the answers of what they are looking for. Riko is the optimistic daughter of a legendary Abyss adventurer who goes by Lyza the Annihilator. Reg is a robot boy who mysteriously appears on the top layer of the Abyss and does not have any memories of what he is or how he got there. Riko and Reg become very close with one another and have their own reasons for venturing the Abyss. Riko wants to follow in the footsteps of and meet up with her mother whom she has no memories of, while Reg wants to discover what he actually is.

This show does a fantastic job in allowing the viewer to gradually connect with the characters, which is the real key in what makes its darker moments so impactful. The thrilling story, creative setting, and immaculate soundtrack all combine to create a show that is hugely immersive. This makes it so that as the journey continues, the looming dread of something bad happening in the future becomes greater. Even when you are fully expecting something bad to happen, the darker moments still hit like a truck despite the diminishment of shock value. This is all where the true magic of Made in Abyss lies.

However, not everything about the show is perfect. There are moments where sexual situations are used as comic relief, which at times can be a little bit uncomfortable to watch. They never come off as moments designed for fan service, but they can break built up tension and immersion, even if it is just for a few moments.

Viewers who enjoy dark themes and watch this show with the expectation for it to give off that energy throughout the entire show may also be slightly disappointed during the earlier portions of the series. This isn't necessarily a flaw, but it is something to point out as the show tends to get darker as it goes on instead of it being consistent throughout the entire season.

Made in Abyss is a phenomenal show and is a strong recommendation for anyone who can handle dark themes and emotional storytelling. But don't just take my word for it, try the show for yourself to get attached to the world along with the characters and then watch to see how it will tear you down emotionally.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 24, 2026

mrkib

Mixed Feelings

This show is really good, but its unnecessary sexualization of children can drag down the experience.

Pros
The overall atmosphere is incredible. It's a very unique experience, mostly due to its world-building. There are so many moving parts surrounding this world that it becomes impossible to really know what's going to happen next. I personally think the world-building is some of the best, reminds me of HXH. The art direction is phenomenal as well. The scenery, in particular, doesn't look like they are just copying the same template over and over for every scene. You can tell they put a lot of work into making every episode ... look amazing. The monsters also look out of that world; they look like they don't even belong in this show, given how weirdly they are drawn compared to everything else. And the music is heavenly.
Cons
There is only one problem with this show: There are way too many scenes that add no value to this show and come off as predatory on the writer's part. Especially the "romance" between Reg and Riko. It would have been fine if they had just kept it non-physical, but it becomes a problem when they put too much emphasis on these physical interactions beyond childish curiosity. The biggest infraction was when they were together in the water, and Riko noticed Reg got a hard-on. That was really bad in itself, but it could be excused, since it was just an observation from Riko, a child. But then someone interrupts them and says,
"Why are you embarrassed? You already kissed her 😏."
Now it feels more sexual and creepy. There's also the pee fetish. The first time someone peed on the bed was normal, but then, in another episode, someone was sniffing the piss. There are too many cases of kids being put in sexual situations that it cannot be just written off as kids being kids. The writer has a fetish and is getting a little too passionate while writing this.

Cons (maybe):
For some people, Riko can come off as very annoying. Throughout this season, she's practically dead weight for Reg. But at the end of the day, Riko is a 12-year-old girl. What do you expect from a middle schooler? She's going to be annoying.

tl:dr
Overall, this show has a lot of love put into it... maybe a little too much. The world-building and atmosphere are unreal, but certain moments feel like the author is inserting his own fetishes. Definitely still worth watching, just make sure to skip the hot spring scene in episode 13 if you aren't a freak.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Sep 3, 2026

chumchummaru

Not Recommended

The biggest minus of this whole story are the child characters, that's the only thing that bothered me, being so adult the whole plot would have been more bearable and I would have enjoyed it more. Well, the author likes children, but in the opposite sense and in the course of the plot, he makes it clear from hanging naked in the draft, through occasional nudity to child abuse in the later part of the plot, which they try to cover up in the anime, but in the manga it's like a slap in the face. That's why I can't enjoy it fully and get ... excited about the wonder of the abyss. Otherwise, ep. 9 is filler. After reading 3 volumes of the manga, what to eat +- the first season, I'm not interested in the rest. Those whiny characters and drama are exactly what interests me the least. The drawing/animation is good and the OP, ED didn't impress me, but like everywhere else, they don't mean anything to me here either, when the plot and characters themselves didn't interest me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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