Film

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul

Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul continues the anime series' descent into a nightmarish underworld where wonder and horror intertwine. It's gorgeous and meticulous, building dread through the mundane, then devastating you with what lurks beneath. For people who loved the show but want something denser—more time with these characters, higher stakes, uglier truths.

TMDb rating3.9

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Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train2020

A feature-length continuation that deepens character bonds while raising the scale and spectacle. If you loved the show's emotional core, this proves anime films can honor that without betraying it for action sequences alone.

But It's a direct sequel to a show you need to watch first. The plot feels more like a capstone than a chapter—some find that anticlimactic rather than cathartic.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train poster

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie -Rebellion-2013

Another deceptively sweet magical story that weaponizes cuteness against you, then reveals the horror underneath. Shares that tonal shift from whimsy to genuine dread, and a refusal to let the audience off easy.

But Demands you've watched the series. The metaphysics get abstract and philosophy-heavy; some viewers find it self-impressed rather than earned.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie -Rebellion- poster

Mahoutsukai no Yome2017

Another anime about descent into an uncanny world alongside a stoic protector figure. It's thoughtful, gorgeously animated, and takes its supernatural setting's rules seriously. Less horror-tinged than Abyss, but equally meticulous.

But The pacing is deliberate to the point of slowness. If you want constant momentum, this will feel like wading through honey.

Mahoutsukai no Yome poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica2018

Both follow young protagonists on carefully planned descents into unknown territory, using the environment as a character and a teacher. Both understand that growth requires confronting something larger than yourself.

Four girls on an expedition to Antarctica—a real frontier that's hostile and alien. Like Abyss, it's about young people pushing into the unknown, facing limits (physical, psychological, social), and changing each other irrevocably. Same sense of wonder, similar patience with character. But it's grounded in our world and trades cosmic horror for human vulnerability.

But It's a school comedy series first, an adventure story second. If you want unrelenting darkness or constant stakes, this will feel unexpectedly warm and silly in places.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica poster
More like this (7)

Natsume's Book of Friends2008

Episodic encounters with the strange and supernatural, each one melancholy and wise. It shares Abyss' ability to make the uncanny feel real, and to find pathos in the alien. Deeply comforting despite the subject matter.

But It's a slice-of-life series, not a plot-driven adventure. Expect contemplation over stakes, which can feel aimless if you crave narrative momentum.

Natsume's Book of Friends poster

Land of the Lustrous2017

An anime about a strange world with its own harsh ecosystem and alien logic. The character dynamics are deeply felt despite the characters being sentient gems, and it builds dread through worldbuilding rather than jump scares.

But The CGI animation is beautiful but polarizing—some find it cold and difficult to warm to compared to traditional animation.

Land of the Lustrous poster

Attack on Titan2013

A larger cast descending into danger, uncovering conspiracy and cosmic horror. Early seasons share that sense of exploring something vast and hostile, where information is power and ignorance is deadly.

But It becomes a sprawling mythology puzzle that divides viewers on whether the answers were worth the wait. The tone shifts significantly after season two.

Attack on Titan poster

Innocent Curse2017

A child navigating a grotesque, hostile world with minimalist dialogue and maximum atmosphere. Like Abyss, it trusts you to feel the wrongness rather than explaining it. Gorgeous and unsettling in equal measure.

But It's very short and deliberately ambiguous about what anything means. Some find it beautifully mysterious; others find it frustratingly opaque.

Innocent Curse poster

Grave of the Fireflies1988

An anime film that refuses to look away from suffering. It shares Abyss' willingness to let terrible things happen to good people, and to make beauty coexist with tragedy without softening either.

But It is almost unrelentingly bleak. This is not escapism; it is art designed to break your heart and not repair it. Some find it cathartic. Others find it punishing.

Grave of the Fireflies poster

The Owl House2020

A young person discovering an alien world with genuine stakes and surprisingly dark turns. The character work is excellent and the show trusts its audience to sit with complicated emotions and moral ambiguity.

But It's American television on a Disney channel, which means tonal whiplash between adventure and comedy. Some find that inconsistency charming; others find it jarring.

The Owl House poster

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake2023

Both are adventure stories about descending into a strange world, but filtered through very different cultural aesthetics. Both ask: what do we owe to the things we find down there?

What happens when a children's fantasy adventure grows up and gets strange? This series reimagines a beloved show as something genuinely haunting and melancholy. It shares Abyss' understanding that childlike wonder can coexist with genuine horror, and that innocence doesn't protect you.

But Requires familiarity with the original series to land fully. Also, it's very American-TV-casual in tone; if you want Asian animation's deliberate pacing, the whimsy might frustrate you.

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake poster

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