Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul

What is it?

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul is the third movie in the Japanese anime series, charting Reg, a humanoid robot, and Riko’s journey into the abyss to find Riko’s mother, Lyza. The film starts as they arrive at the fifth layer. Together with their friend Nanachi, who has lost part of their humanity to the abyss and resembles a rabbit, they must confront Bondrewd, a cave raider who can transfer his mind between bodies, in order to make it down to the sixth level. The film is in Japanese, with subtitles in English.

What to expect

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul is an engaging high-fantasy anime feature. Its protagonists are both plucky and worthy; the painted style and world building contribute to its epic adventure feel. However, it deals with body horror and cruelty to an extent and degree that the unrestricted availability of the publication would be injurious to the public good. While the animated medium limits the overall impact, occasional gore and scenes of juvenile characters being dismembered while alive are still striking and highly affecting. Both the depiction of cruelty and the ideas behind the horror are likely to shock and disturb children. Teenagers are more likely to be able to contextualise the content within a fantasy narrative without being adversely affected.