The heroes continue their journey through the Abyss, discovering new secrets and dangers.
The sixth layer
Riko, Reg and Nanachi approach a research facility called Front ID, led by the white whistle Bondrevd. The next layer of the Abyss is almost at hand, but Bondrewd has slightly different plans. Explorers will be forced to fight him. What awaits them once they reach the Altar of the Final Frontier, the only transition to the sixth tier, from which there is no return? What they see there and the decisions they have to make can change their perceptions about the Abyss once and for all.
Definitely not for kids
In volume 5, we can observe one of the darkest moments of the series, when the heroes infiltrate and learn about the principles of the facility run by Bondrewd. Any doubts about who this manga is intended for are also resolved. The fairy-tale appearance of the heroes that I mentioned in the review of previous volumes can be confusing. Due to the violent scenes, younger readers should stay away. Tsukushi’s drawings offer a wealth of details of the environment and the character of the antagonist, when we witness his immense power. His motivations are also explained in the flashback series.
Volume 6 allows you to breathe a bit after the brutal events of its predecessor. Explorers reach the sixth layer of the Abyss and end up in a very strange place. It is full of contradictions. On the one hand, it seems alive out of your worst nightmare, but it has a kind of innocence. In some frames it is difficult to keep your eyesight, because the author at times exaggerates with showing various abominations. The story unfolds in a new direction and new threads emerge. The mysteries surrounding Rega deepen. We get to know new heroes and get a taste of what will come next.
In Volume 7, we’ll encounter even more of the strange and often unsavory aspects of the village our heroes find themselves in. I particularly cheered on Riko, and her openness to these new, often terrifying experiences, was able to cheer me up while reading. We get to know even more intriguing characters showing the complexity of the presented world. At times, however, I had the impression that the author exaggerated a bit in showing various quirks. Tsukushi challenges readers at every turn to try to get to know different concepts of what normality is. Because what is typical of a village would not find a place in the human world. For me, it was the strangest and most interesting experience in the modern manga.
Summary
Made in Abyss still manages to surprise, offering new and fascinating locations, intriguing heroes deepening the concept of the world, and new challenges falling on the shoulders of Riko, Rega and Nanachi. It’s hard for me to imagine it, but I suspect that the sixth layer of the Abyss will surprise me more than once with its weirdness in the following volumes. I look forward to seeing more!
