Made In Abyss Review

So I just watched Made In Abyss. Can something be simultaneously majestic and horrifying?
I don't watch a lot of anime. Typically something has to grab my attention through positive word of mouth, an exceptional art style, or a particularly intriguing premise. Made In Abyss is one of those rare examples of a show that has all three.
The heart of the show is exploration. There's an seemingly bottomless abyss and the narrative thrust is following the two lead characters as they explore the abyss. One of the most difficult things for a traditional fantasy show to do is establish a world that the audience wants to get absorbed in. This show does that by tapping into the audience's sense of mystery and wonder. The show quickly sets up the mystery of the abyss and then brings the audience along as they explore it.
The first thing that struck me as I watched the show was the art. The character designs are these cute chibi designs where the head and eyes are really big and expressive. I'm not typically a fan of those sort of character designs, but I think it worked for what this show was trying to achieve. Where the art really excelled was in the backgrounds and environments. Every layer of the abyss is unique and beautifully realized. The details are really lush and beautiful even in the scarier environments. Made In Abyss is one of those shows where I want to pause, take a screenshot, and make that screenshot my phone wallpaper.
Of course that sense of wonder and awe is exponentialy amplified by the incredible soundtrack. In a bizarre move for an anime, The Made In Abyss soundtrack was composed by Australian composer Kevin Penkin. Most of the time when I'm watching a show the score is simply servicable. It serves it's purpose, but is immediately forgotten after it fades. That's not the case with this soundtrack. Immediately after hearing Hanezeve Caradhina for the first time I just wanted to hear it again and let it envelope me in its magical goodness.
Stepping into potential spoiler territory here. I'm not a huge fan chibi characters, but putting those characters into really dark and dangerous situations is really effective. As the lead characters make their way into the abyss the dangers of the abyss get scarier and scarier. This show is very effective at establishing real stakes and there is something really tense about putting children in peril.
Overall I give Made In Abyss my wholehearted reccomendation. On the surface Made In Abyss appears to be a fairly traditional fantasy anime however like the titular abyss this show hides so much more. In an anime landscape flooded with shows where a protagonist from the real world gets sucked into jrpg inspired fantasy world, it's great to see a real fantasy show with its own original and engrossing take on the genre. I give Made In Abyss 53 out of 61 whistles.