The anime world knows how to get dark when it wants to, even with some franchises that tend to focus on “happier characters.” One Piece, for example, knows how to get into traumatic back stories while seeing Luffy and his colorful crew sail around the Grand Line. The Straw Hat Pirates are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to traversing dark territory, with many anime adaptations routinely ripping the band-aid off when it comes to mature themes. For one specific anime, the art style made many fans unprepared for the gnarly subject matter, but helped the franchise to hit new heights.
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Made in Abyss first premiered as a manga in 2012, and ever since, the series from creator Akihito Tsukushi has been releasing dark chapters ever since. Receiving an anime series, various feature-length films, and a video game, the story of Riko and Reg has been a stalwart part of the anime medium. Recently, the anime franchise revealed that there are over twenty-two million copies in circulation, making for quite the achievement for the manga series. With a new anime movie arriving later this year, that circulation number is only going to grow as more fans discover the dark story of Made in Abyss.
Made in Abyss Hits The Big Time
Made in Abyss: The Awakening Mystery was revealed earlier this week, once again following the protagonists as they made their way through the mysterious and often deadly lands of the Abyss. Much like Demon Slayer, the franchise is seemingly looking to transfer its story from the small screen to the silver screen, which has been a tried and true method for many anime in recent years. The last time that Made in Abyss hit the screen was with Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun, which ended in 2022, making this a four-year turnaround time for the franchise.
If you want to learn more about The Awakening Mystery outside of the trailer above, here’s how the feature-length film is described by studio Kinema Citrus, “Riko is suffering from the venom of the ferocious beast, the Abyssal Gangrew, on the fourth layer of the Abyss. She is saved by the mortal Nanachi. With Nanachi as her companion, the three embark on an adventure to the fifth layer of the Abyss, where Bondrewd awaits. There, they meet a girl named Prushka, who was raised by Bondrewd and has never known the outside world. Enthralled by Riko’s adventure stories, she wishes to join them, but is sadly used in Bondrewd’s experiments.”
The description continues, “However, Prushka transforms and becomes Riko’s White Whistle, and the group travels to the sixth layer of the Abyss, “The City of No Return.” There, they find the “Village of the Lost,” where the Lost live with their own unique values, and a princess named Faputa. Freed by Faputa’s “wish,” the village collapses, and Riko and her friends invite Faputa along with them to the seventh layer of the Abyss.”
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
A photo of the Retrovolt Arcade taken in 2017, showing several classic arcade cabinets and stools. -
Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
Courtesy of Saber Interactive
