seinen

Before saying anything about MIA, it is important to understand that the mangaka is a twisted individual; he is a closeted pedophile, with children being his primary canvas in which he inflicts serious gore, physical violence, emotional/mental violence, and sparingly, sexual violence. It is not the easiest show to watch if these things inherently bother you. Despite all of that, this is one of the most gorgeous and well written worlds ever created in fiction; it has whole biospheres, plants and symbiotic organisms that feed off of the supernatural force that is the titular "Curse" of the Abyss. The further down you go into the netherworld, you are subjected to more horrific effects the instant you try to ascend. This is the driving narrative force behind the story, as the main character finds a sentient robot that does not experience the effects of the Abyss. The soundtrack is also amazing, Kevin Penkin created his best OST's with the MIA soundtracks. The anime also enlists the help of background artsts from Studio Ghibli to heighten an already absurdly high level of visual detail. If you can get past the weird shit the author enjoys, you will see what made this show so popular and meaningful for thousands of people.