Movie Review: Made In Abyss: Journey’s Dawn

‘About 1900 years ago….’, those are the opening words of Made In Abyss:  Journey’s Dawn.  The stylized brown letters on a black background immediately conjure visions of iconic Japanese RPG’s of the past.  In truth,  this anime adaption of the manga by Akihito Tsukushi has the feel of classic titles like Final Fantasy or Blue Dragon.

Made in Abyss was originally animated in a 13 episode animated series by the same name and released by Kinema Citrus.  This series, which I highly recommend, was sometimes criticized for it’s pacing and the meandering path it took to get to pivotal plot points.  I’m certain that producer Masayuki Kojima and Director  Shimpei Yamashita had some of the criticisms in mind when they went back and created this film that is being distributed by Sentai Filmworks.  Covering the first half of the anime series first season and with a run time  of a little over 2 hours, Made in Abyss:  Journey’s Dawn is an excellently paced film that advances the story faithfully while adding new material and sub-plots.  These additions add flavor, humor, depth and sometimes even terror to this movie which feels much shorter than it’s run time because of how engaging and heart-warming the characters and the story are.

Riko Credit IMDB

The story’s protagonist is Riko.  Adorable, precocious and determined; we meet Riko early on in the film and we instantly fall in love with this character whose ambition will drive the story.  Seemingly orphaned at an early age, I’ll leave some details for you to discover on your own when you watch the film, Riko lives at the  Belchero Orphanage where she is an apprentice Cave Raider.  Riko’s, and by extension the other orphan’s, situation is somewhat off-putting as they are forced to work as Cave Raider’s so they can secure artifacts from The Abyss in order to fund the orphanage.  Putting that aside, Cave Raider’s have a ranking system that is delineated by colored whistles they wear and use.  Initially, Riko has a red whistle which marks her as an apprentice Cave Raider.  Other whistle variations include blue, black, moon and white whistles; white whistles being the master delvers who journey into the deepest recesses of The Abyss.  Each of these ranks have a general area of The Abyss to which they are confined.

In one of the opening scenes of the movie we are introduced to Riko; exploring the upper levels of The Abyss for artifacts at a level about 100 meters below the surface.  One of the more curious things about the Abyss is that it has definite bio-zones for lack of a better word.  As one goes deeper into the gaping maw in the ground, the zones and their affects on the people who travel there become more marked and, dare I say, sinister.  In point of fact, the lower you go into The Abyss the more you can suffer ‘The Curse of the Abyss’, which has debilitating affects on the body and can lead to death.  In fact, if you go too far into the pit it is nigh impossible to ever return to the surface again.

In the Forest of Temptation

Riko is determined to prove herself so that she can graduate from the ranks of the red whistles and ultimately earn a white whistle like her mother, a famous cave raider in her own right.  We come to find out later in the film that Riko was actually born in level 4 of The Abyss and survived the journey to the surface with the aid of an artifact before being left in the care of Belchero Orphanage.  As she carries her huge backpack full or artifacts, she spy’s one of her friend unconscious and in danger of being eaten by a Splitjaw, a monstrous flying creature with the mouth of a python.  Helpless to intervene, Riko is shocked when a ray of energy tears through the petrified trees and drives off the beast.  Hurrying to the source of the blast she finds a boy she will eventually name Reg.  While Reg has the appearance of a boy he is actually a robot.  He has metallic arms that are capable of extending with a grappling hook affect and he can generate an energy blast from crystals in his palm.  Additionally, he has impenetrable skin and, in a hilarious moment that you must watch to understand, a very normal penis.  Riko and her friend smuggle Reg back to the orphanage and he eventually enrolls there.  Life at the orphanage settles into the routine and Reg also begins training as a Cave Raider.

Some time later, a Cave Raider team emerges from the depths carrying a white whistle.   This is traditionally a sign that the raider in question has taken their final dive and the townsfolk recognize the whistle, for each white whistle is unique, as belonging to Riko’s mother.  Along with the whistle, the team also brings back a sheaf of papers that were intended for Riko.  Eventually she is allowed to see them and Riko latches on to the idea that her mother has sent her a message asking Riko to join her in The Abyss.  Riko, being the girl of action that she is, decides to sneak out of the orphanage and to undertake the perilous journey into the depths.  Joining her is Reg, who has found out that he is, indeed, an artifact himself.  Reg, besides being fond of Riko, has a desire to understand his origins and what his place in the world is.  Committed, the two of them manage to leave the surface with the aid of their friends and thus their adventure into The Abyss begins.  The pair face a number of trials in the unfolding story and the end of the movie leaves them facing a new challenge with the promise of new adventure and greater danger in the sequel to come out in the future.

This tale is captivating and endearing.  The naive forthrightness and complete honesty of Riko’s scientific mind is heartwarming.  She sometimes says or does things that can be incredibly embarrassing for those around her but her personality makes it impossible not to love her and chuckle at her occasional faux pas.  Reg is the more human of the two in his compassion and desire to establish relationships and protect those he cares for.  The two together are an easy pair to root for.  As I stated previously, any possible pacing issues in the anime series have been addressed in this movie and indeed, the new material created for the film drive the story forward.  There is no wasted time in this movie but it doesn’t rush forward at a breakneck pace.  My only critique of the movie’s story is the same critique I would have of any part one; the story ended in the middle and I was left wanting more and felt poorer for not having it.  While that ultimately weighs on me I’m sure that news is gold to those creating the second film.

The animation itself is beautiful.  The visuals can be epic in their scope when they are trying to take in the city which borders The Abyss or The Abyss itself.  In contrast, scenes with character interactions, such as the ones in the orphanage, have a very intimate and personal feel.  The animation style is homey and are sometimes more childish than the serious situations being presented on screen.  However, this by no means takes away from the film but rather underscores the fact that this is a dangerous journey seen through the eyes of a child.  Complimenting the film incredibly well is the moving score written by Kevin Penkin.  Stirring and awe inspiring when needed, the score can also be soft and emotional as well.  Penkin has achieved something great with the music for this movie; complimenting the on-screen moments and utilizing a combination of classical and modern musical techniques to evoke emotion in the viewer.

So where does that leave us?  If you are an anime fan I can’t stress how much I think you will enjoy this movie.  All of the elements of an anime classic are here and they are done well.  If you are not an anime fan I would still urge you to give this movie a chance.  The largest problem many, who have not been initiated into this style of anime, have is that they have a problem getting past the ‘cutesy’ nature of the material.  What you need to understand is, as I stated above, this is a conscious choice that allows the creative team to present this story through the eyes of a child.  To put it in western animation terms, imagine how different a classic like Alladin would be if it was drawn from the perspective of Jafaar or The Sultan.  Anime like Blue Dragon, RWBY and Made In Abyss deal with some very serious moments but their antagonists are children and so the material is presented accordingly.  All that considered, this is a wonderful movie and one I enjoyed immensely.  The technical elements of the film were done expertly and my only complaint was the one I noted above.  I highly recommend this movie for anime goers and if you aren’t one I encourage you to give it a try.  You could do far worse for your first anime.

Animation – 5 of 5 Stars
Story – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Direction – 5 of 5 Stars
Music – 5 of 5 Stars

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