Made in Abyss
An anime television series adaptation by Kinema Citrus aired from July to September 2017. A sequel film premiered in Japan in January 2020. A second season is set to premiere in July 2022. A live-action film began early development in 2021, with Kevin McMullin hired to direct and an action role-playing game developed by Spike Chunsoft will be released on consoles and PC in 2022. Plot. An orphaned girl named Riko lives in the Belchero Orphanage in the town of Orth. The town surrounds a strange, giant hole descending deep into the earth, which is  known as the Abyss. The Abyss harbors artifacts and remnants of civilizations long gone, and is, therefore, a popular hunting spot for so-called Cave Raiders, who undertake arduous and dangerous descents into the mist-filled pit to recover whatever relics they can find. Returning from the Abyss can be dangerous as "the Curse of the Abyss," a mysterious and potentially fatal malady, manifests upon ascension. The deeper one goes, the more acute the effects of the curse; few who have descended into the lower regions have returned to tell of their experiences. Some legendary Cave Raiders earn the title  of White Whistles, one of them being Riko's mother, Lyza, who is presumed dead after taking a "last descent" into the Abyss. Riko's longing in life is to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a White Whistle. One day, she discovers a robot resembling a human boy in the second layer of the Abyss and names him Reg. Riko and her friends sneak Reg into Belchero and quickly welcome him into their close-knit group. Sometime later, a number of findings are made from the depths of the Abyss, including Lyza’s White Whistle and pages  of discoveries and observations she had made, as well as a message presumably for Riko, stating she is waiting at the bottom of the Abyss. Riko, determined to find her mother, bids farewell to her friends and secretly departs into the Abyss with Reg as her companion. Media. Manga. Written and illustrated by Akihito Tsukushi, "Made in Abyss" started on Takeshobo's "Manga Life Win+" (later "Web Comic Gamma") website on October 20, 2012. Takeshobo has collected its chapters into individual "tankōbon" volumes. The first volume was released on July 31, 2013. As of July 29, 2021, ten volumes have  been released. In North America, Seven Seas Entertainment announced during their panel at Anime Expo 2017 that they had licensed the manga. The translator of the anime for Sentai Filmworks, Jake Jung, also adapted the manga for Seven Seas Entertainment. Regarding his involvement in the English version of both media, he stated, ""Made in Abyss" is chock-full of terminology, so I hope fans of both media are able to enjoy a seamless experience." In addition, he has confirmed his intention to use gender-neutral pronouns for both Nanachi and Marulk. A manga anthology, titled "", was released on July 29 , 2017. On December 13, 2019, Seven Seas announced they had licensed the book, and they released it on October 6, 2020. As of July 2021, a total of four anthologies have been published. Anime. An anime television series adaptation was announced in December 2016.began serializing the manga on . The 13-episode series aired from July 7 to September 29, 2017 on AT-X, Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, TVQ, Saga TV, and BS11., and covers content from volumes 1 through 3. The final episode was a 1-hour long special. The series was directed by Masayuki Kojima  and written by Hideyuki Kurata, with animation by Kinema Citrus and character designs by Kazuchika Kise. Australian artist Kevin Penkin composed the soundtrack for the anime. Miyu Tomita and Mariya Ise (the actresses for Riko and Reg, respectively) performed both the opening theme "Deep in Abyss" and the ending theme "Tabi no Hidarite, Saihate no Migite", the latter in collaboration with Shiori Izawa (Nanachi). The first season premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on January 16, 2022. Two compilation films, titled (encompassing episodes 1–8 with new scenes for introduction) and (encompassing episodes 9-13), were released on January  4, 2019 and January 18, 2019, respectively. A sequel was announced at an event in November 2017. Following the release of the first compilation films, the sequel was revealed to be a film titled . The film premiered in Japan on January 17, 2020. The film had been set to premiere in the United States at Anime Boston on April 11, 2020 before that convention's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular theater showings in the U.S. had been planned for April 13 (English dub) and 15 (English subtitles). Following the release of "Dawn of the Deep Soul", a new  sequel has been announced. On May 5, 2021, it was announced that the sequel will be a second season, officially titled , which is set to premiere in July 2022. The main cast and staff are reprising their roles. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series, and streamed it on Amazon's Anime Strike service in the U.S. and on Hidive outside of the U.S. Sentai has since released it on home video with an English dub. MVM Films has acquired the series for distribution in the UK and Ireland, and Madman Entertainment has acquired the series for distribution in Australia and  New Zealand. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the two compilation films, and screened the first film at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles on March 15, 2019, with a subtitled theatrical release on March 20, 2019, and an English-dubbed theatrical release on March 25, 2019, in collaboration with Fathom Events. During its panel at Anime Expo on July 5, 2019, Sentai Filmworks announced that they had acquired the license for "Dawn of the Deep Soul". Sentai Filmworks planned to screen the film in North America, the United Kingdom, and Ireland with English subtitles on April 13, 2020 subtitled, and with the  English dub on April 15, 2020, however, the screenings were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sentai Filmworks also acquired the second season for distribution worldwide except Asia, France, Germany, Italy and Middle East and North Africa, and will stream it on select digital outlets. Video game. In May 2021, a 3D action role-playing game developed by Spike Chunsoft was announced. The game, titled "Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness", will be fully voiced in English and Japanese and feature an original story supervised by Tsukushi. It will be released on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam  worldwide in late 2022. Film adaptation. In June 2021, Sony's Columbia Pictures announced that a live-action film adaptation was in development. The film will be produced by Roy Lee and Masi Oka and adapted by Kevin McMullin. Reception. The manga was nominated for the 11th Manga Taishō awards and received a total of 40 points, coming in at eighth place. "Made in Abyss" has been met with positive reviews and widely considered to be one of the best anime series of 2017. Nick Creamer of Anime News Network praised the anime for being adventure-focused, as well as  its efficiency in establishing its premise. Creamer also praises it for its artwork and music that highlights the beauty and terror of the Abyss. Julian Malerman of THEM Anime Reviews praises the show for being a well-executed emotional drama saying "The manner in which the show approaches this conclusion is often brutal and alienating, but the final answer is simple and pure. It sings." The series was awarded Anime of the Year and Best Score at Crunchyroll's 2018 Anime Awards.