Unexplored Abyss – review of the manga “Made in Abyss” vol. 1-4

Compared to other comics from the Land of the Rising Sun, the manga by Akihita Tsukushi is distinguished by an unusual graphic style.

Great rift

Years ago, a great chasm was discovered on an unknown island. No one had any idea how it was created or what was in its depths. In addition, it was protected by a force field that made it impossible to observe. Soon, many explorers and adventurers began to arrive. Many of them decided to settle in this area, which led to the creation of cities. Discovering the secrets of the Abyss, which is not a safe place, becomes the most important life goal for the inhabitants. Monsters and many other dangers lurk there at every turn. For the most persistent there are rewards in the form of relics, the destiny of which is hard to understand. 12-year-old Riko, who lives by the Abyss, dreams of becoming a discoverer of its secrets one day. The girl wants to follow in the footsteps of her mother, one of the greatest researchers of the rift, which – according to the majority – lost her life while exploring this mysterious place. Riko leaves her current life and sets out on a journey with a robot boy named Reg.

The original world

Made in Abyssit is based on a great journey into the unknown. Lots of adventure and fantasy elements here. Through scenes full of drama, the extraordinary world of the Abyss and the dangers lurking in it, we learn more and more about the mysterious rift. Both the history and the unexplored space of this place are the greatest advantages of the series. Riko is a resolute girl who knows what she wants and does everything to achieve her goals. Her travel companion – Reg. As a boy / android, he asks himself the typical questions in this situation: why was I created? by whom was I created? am I more human than machine? In the literature, usually such questions cause the climate to thicken and become much heavier. Here it has been treated with exceptional lightness which is very refreshing. It’s also hard to find a more original world than the Abyss today. It is the only undiscovered place on Earth, and therefore it can inspire countless adventurers to take the risk of exploring its next levels. With each subsequent volume, the action develops more and more, and the heroes, apart from discovering new secrets, experience a lot of difficulties and learn many surprising things about themselves.

Unusual style

Graphically, Tsukushi’s manga stands out from other Japanese comics. His dash suggests Made in Abyssis aimed at a younger reader. There is a significant discrepancy between the style of drawings and the events presented on the manga cards. Many of the situations presented can be dramatic and bloody. In the first volume, we get a few full-color pages on chalky paper, while the rest of the manga is in shades of white and gray, which has its undeniable charm. The author’s style resembles sketches full of details. While reading, we can also come across descriptions of relics already discovered in the Abyss. The Polish translation of the dialogues is good and even the onomatopoeias have been translated appropriately. I will now come to the only thing that I can consider a drawback to this manga. It’s not a big part of the story, but I have to mention it. It is a fairly specific type of eroticism that can cause disgust. At certain points, we have the opportunity to observe children running around naked. Fortunately, there are not many such situations and they do not significantly affect the reception of the entire plot.

Podsumowanie

Made in Abyss potrafi oczarować światem tytułowej Otchłani pełnej wymyślnych stworzeń i magicznych artefaktów, dla których wielu ryzykuje życie. Przemierzamy ją wraz z bohaterami, a im głębiej schodzimy, tym więcej otwiera się przed Nami tajemnic. Nietypowa kreska autora również nadaje mandze unikalnego charakteru. Polecam w szczególności fanom przygód, których centralnym elementem jest wyprawa w nieznane światy z elementami fantastyki. Ja już nie mogę doczekać się kolejnych tomów i ponownego odkrywania sekretów Otchłani.