Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul

Riko, Reg and Nanachi reach the Idofront on the fifth layer of the Abyss. The man who runs it is Bondrewd, once a celebrated explorer who held a White Whistle and now experimenting on children in his own laboratory. Nanachi's past is tied to this place: she and her friend Mitty fell into his hands, and the experiment left both of them no longer human. Even for people who know the series this is a hard entry. Bondrewd is written not as a monster but as a scientist whose logic is entirely consistent; he counts everything he does as the price of discovery, and his affection for the children is not faked. That is exactly where the discomfort comes from. Masayuki Kojima directed for Kinema Citrus. The film continues the story directly from the first season of the series. The visual world follows the series: detailed, expansive backgrounds against soft character drawing, a contrast used deliberately in the scenes of violence. Who it is for: viewers of Made in Abyss and anyone who can take hard fantasy. Who it is not for: newcomers starting here, and anyone with no tolerance for violence against children. The film softens nothing, and anyone misled by the drawing style will find it heavy going.