The Duality of Made in Abyss
A Rhetorical Analysis
Made in Abyss is an anime adaptation of the manga written and illustrated by Akihito Tsukushi. It is about two children Rico and Legu who decide to explore a mysterious place called the Abyss. As opposed to Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, and all these famous shonens, Made in Abyss is rather a niche anime targeted towards the anime community. The members of the latter are already familiar with the genre and its codes. Moreover, Made in Abyss is a Seinen, meaning that inside the anime community, its young adult members are the most likely to appreciate it. At first glance, the anime seems joyful and childish. Still, the show does a great job at shifting that ambiance towards a darker one, using visual and audio elements and disseminating hints along the episodes therefore completely misleading the audience's expectations.
Generally, works of fiction use characters who resemble their target audience. This creates a sense of closeness to the characters and makes their experiences more relatable. As mentioned, Made in Abyss' main characters are two orphan children. Their desire to explore the Abyss by themselves and their enthusiasm to do so makes them endearing. This is also due to the art style of the anime: chibi.
Characters, who are already children, seem even more innocent and fragile using this simplistic art style. They are characterized by big heads with small bodies; even their gloves are larger than their arms. In addition, the chibi style uses round-edged corners, hence giving a smooth visual for the anime. This is noticeable for every part of the characters, especially their big wide colored eyes. Besides, the setting in which the characters live is pictured colorfully. In the first episodes, the animators focus on wide shots of the Abyss, the sense of immenseness, the colorful nature, and more importantly, the lighting. The scenes are bright and the lighting is warm thanks to animating natural sunlight instead of artificial light. Moreover, the openings and endings also contribute to that childish vibe. The singers are the two main characters' voice actors singing about the Abyss and their continuous desire to explore it, especially when saying, "I will never stop longing again". This also gives a message of hope, a sense of joyfulness, and the aspiration to always pursue your passion and not give up. Shonen usually conveys this kind of message because it targets a young audience. Therefore, with the first episodes, anime fans expect the series to continue on this path of childish and colorful vibes.
However, a great work of fiction would not be so without a surprising plot twist. In this sense, Made in Abyss sets a new unexpected ambiance: horror. Episode 7 starts with a presentation of the White Whistles: the very best cave raiders who explore the Abyss. As watchers, we only see their silhouettes accompanied by a deep voiceover that presents them as the elite who are known by titles that personify them. When each White Whistle appears on the screen, a distant eerie noise echoes which contributes to the disturbing atmosphere. Amongst those White Whistles, one stands out in terms of physical strength: Ozen, the Immovable. She is shrouded by numerous rumors describing her frightening physical abilities. Once the main characters finally meet her, her intimidating appearance and behavior are revealed which pushes the audience to feel worried and concerned for the little children. Contrary to other characters, Ozen has drab black eyes drawn in rectangles. In addition, she is pictured in a monochromatic way and the house they meet her at is dark. This creates a dissonance between her and the environment the audience is used to in this anime which allows the animation studio to create the desired shift.
When talking to Rico, Ozen displays a subtle smile on her face. The art style makes it even creepier since it is very simplistic: a wide, thin, and elongated smile. This facial expression is emphasized by Ozen's disturbing voice. It is full of inflections, tinged with hints of amusement, and takes long slow notes towards the end of sentences, especially when telling a hard truth or scary thoughts to the main characters. When doing so, there are also close-up shots of her face. Her eyes and mouth are blurred with darkness to give a cold impression of the character.
Alongside the creepy vibe, the anime sets an atmosphere of dominance from Ozen and weakness from Rico and Legu which is a warning for the rest of the adventure. Since Ozen is very tall, when talking to the main characters, she is represented with a curved back that surpasses her head. Her hands are excessively large, especially compared to Rico's head which shows her control over her. Hence, underlining her superiority over the small fragile children. This is stressed in the following fight between Ozen and Legu where the White Whistle crashes him; Ozen strikes a powerful kick on the child against the ground. The latter breaks into pieces and the scene is animated on a white flashy background to emphasize the kick's power. Then Ozen's words are "That won't do. Both of you are unfit for it." with the same scary smile on her covered pale face. As a result, this sets the tone for the rest of the adventure: This is not a playful exploration anymore… This is a dangerous quest into the depths of the unknown.
Here, Made in Abyss did a perfect job of exploiting Kairos. The audience who is familiar with the genre already has certain expectations, especially after watching the first episodes. Nevertheless, the anime played with these expectations and went against them after setting a deceptive atmosphere, which ultimately affects the audience by creating strong emotions and appealing to its pathos.