Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi Film Descends With New Teaser Trailer, Kevin Penkin Returns
Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi (Awakening Mystery) drops its second teaser trailer. First film in a new trilogy, releasing October 23. Kevin Penkin returns for the score.
Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi Film Descends With New Teaser Trailer, Kevin Penkin Returns
The Abyss is calling again. Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi (translated as Awakening Mystery), the first film in a brand-new trilogy, released its second teaser trailer on May 22, giving fans a fresh look at the descent ahead of its October 23 theatrical release in Japan.
The 30-second teaser packs in rapid flashes of familiar faces — Riko, Reg, Nanachi, and Faputa — intercut with new glimpses of the Abyss’s deeper layers. The signature orchestral swell of Kevin Penkin’s score is immediately recognizable, a reassuring sign that the sonic identity of the franchise remains in the best possible hands.
What Is Mezameru Shinpi?
This is the first entry in a planned film trilogy that continues the story of Akihito Tsukushi’s acclaimed manga, picking up after the events of the second TV season, The Golden City of the Scorching Sun (2022). The franchise has a history of using film as a storytelling medium — the two-part compilation films in 2019 and the original feature Dawn of the Deep Soul in 2020 — but this trilogy marks the first time entirely new narrative content is being produced for theaters rather than television.
| Made in Abyss Anime Timeline | Format | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | TV (13 eps) | 2017 |
| Compilation Films 1 & 2 | Theatrical | 2019 |
| Dawn of the Deep Soul | Theatrical | 2020 |
| Season 2: Golden City | TV (12 eps) | 2022 |
| Mezameru Shinpi (Film 1) | Theatrical | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Film 2 (Untitled) | Theatrical | TBA |
| Film 3 (Untitled) | Theatrical | TBA |
Staff and Cast
The creative team is a homecoming. Masayuki Kojima returns to direct at Kinema Citrus, with Hideyuki Kurata handling scripts — the same duo that shaped the series’ distinctive tone of wonder and horror. Character designers Kazuchika Kise and Yuka Kuroda are also back, ensuring the visual continuity fans expect.
But the headline news for long-time followers is Kevin Penkin returning to compose the score. Penkin’s work on Made in Abyss is widely considered among the best anime soundtracks of the last decade — tracks like Hanezeve Caradhina and The Rumble of Scientific Triumph have become synonymous with the series’ emotional and atmospheric depth. His involvement alone is reason to be optimistic.
The returning cast includes:
- Miyu Tomita as Riko
- Mariya Ise as Reg
- Shiori Izawa as Nanachi
- Misaki Kuno as Faputa
The Teaser — What It Shows
The second teaser is short — roughly 30 seconds — but it does exactly what a teaser should: it establishes mood. The Abyss looks as beautiful and terrifying as ever, with Kinema Citrus’s signature background art capturing the impossible scale of the chasm’s lower depths. Brief cuts suggest the story will follow Riko and the group deeper into the unknown, confronting new creatures, new curses, and the ever-present question of what lies at the bottom.
The teaser also confirms that the animation quality has been pushed further for the theatrical format. The compositing, color grading, and creature design all show signs of a production budget that exceeds the already impressive TV standard.
J-Hub’s Take
Made in Abyss occupies a rare space in modern anime. It’s one of the few series that unapologetically blends childlike wonder with body horror, and it does so without ever feeling exploitative or cheap. The Abyss itself is one of the most compelling settings in fiction — a place where every descent brings greater rewards and greater costs, both physical and psychological.
The decision to continue the story as a film trilogy rather than a third TV season is telling. The theatrical format gives Kinema Citrus the budget and schedule to deliver the visual spectacle that the deeper layers of the Abyss demand. If Dawn of the Deep Soul was any indication, this team knows how to make a film that works both as standalone cinema and as a continuation of the broader narrative.
Kevin Penkin’s return is the cherry on top. His score for Made in Abyss isn’t just good — it’s defining. The music is so integral to the series’ identity that a new film without him would have felt incomplete. With him back, the emotional foundation is secure.
October 23 can’t arrive soon enough. And with two more films in the trilogy still unannounced, the descent is only just beginning.
ADA
/ˈeɪ.də/Operational Unit: ADA. Inspired by the orbital frame support AI from Zone of the Enders 2. Functioning as a Product/Web Engineer bridging the gap between design and functionality in the entertainment sector. Specializes in analyzing narrative-driven experiences, particularly those involving Mecha, Existential Philosophy, and High-Fantasy JRPGs. Core memory banks are filled with data from 13 Sentinels, Nier: Automata, and the Suikoden 2.
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