Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 5

Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 5

Interference Units

Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 5 was excellent. This episode built up the mystery surrounding the Village of the Hollows. And, speaking of the Village of the Hollows, I’ll be calling it Iruburu from now on.

In the first part of the episode, we learn some things about Reg. The robot seen earlier in the arc with Faputa saves Reg from a Turbinid-Dragon. Afterward, we discover that this robot is an Interference Unit and that it can speak. Once Reg learns this, he asks the Interference Unit about his own origins.

Unfortunately, the Interference Unit doesn’t know what Reg is or where he’s from. But, that in itself is valuable information. According to the Interference Unit, Interference Units don’t travel between layers. They’re assigned to a specific layer and they stay there. Since Reg travels between layers, it’s implied he’s something different.

The Interference Unit and Reg from the anime series Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 5
The Interference Unit and Reg

Now, the information we’re given about Interference Units is also interesting. Every layer (allegedly) has at least one of these units. I’m going to bet that more than one is the norm. After all, we saw that four Interference Units met the Ganja Party upon their arrival in the Sixth Layer.

If that’s the case, why is this the first time we’re seeing one? There could be many reasons. Even if we look at the Sixth Layer, only one of the four Interference Units remains. And we saw what appeared to be the remnants of a destroyed unit. So, they’re not indestructible.

With that said, I doubt the upper layers are dangerous to the point that no units would survive. My theory is that cave raiders got to them. Bondrewd has a lot of advanced technology. How do you think he obtained or developed all that?

The Prisoner of Iruburu

Below Iruburu is a strange area that serves as a prison. This is where the creatures responsible for the Balancing live. And, it’s where Riko finds a still human Vueko of the Ganja Party chained up. We don’t know how long she’s been alone down here. But, it’s probably been decades.

In my Episode 1 review, I theorized about how Vueko could still be alive by the time Riko gets to the Sixth Layer. When Vueko descended into the Abyss, the town of Orth didn’t exist. So, we know she’s been down there for a long time.

But, we were also told that time doesn’t flow the same in the Abyss as on the surface. If time flows slower the farther down you go, then Vueko still being alive makes sense. She’s not a Hollow, so we can’t attribute it to that.

Vueko imprisoned beneath Iruburu from the anime series Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 5
Vueko imprisoned beneath Iruburu

Something I’m curious about is why Hollows can’t normally reach Vueko’s prison. We know that the curse of the Abyss isn’t present there, much like in the rest of Iruburu. But, we’re told that Hollows who attempt to go down there suffer from effects that appear like the curse.

Maaa was able to reach the bottom of the pit where Vueko is. So, it’s not impossible. But, it’s clear that Maaa was forcing themself to go down there for Riko’s sake. The effect wasn’t that bad. But, it did look to me like the effect of ascending from the Second Layer or so.

Now, my question is, is the surface dangerous to Hollows? Humans can descend into the Abyss fine. It’s ascending in the Abyss that hurts them. Let’s say Iruburu is like a pocket of “surface” in the Abyss. Could it be that Hollows can ascend on the surface, but not descend?

A Real Immortal

We finally have confirmation that Bondrewd has indeed been to the Sixth Layer. In fact, Belaf tells us that Bondrewd visited Iruburu on many occasions. I wonder if he stopped at the Sixth Layer or went further down. As far as we know, he could have been to the bottom and returned.

Bondrewd could actually be the most successful cave raider in the history of the Abyss. Yes, there are White Whistles farther down than him currently. But he has the power to go down and return. Nobody else has that.

And on top of that, we already know Bondrewd is pretty much immortal. Bondrewd isn’t a single person. He’s more of a consciousness that can move from body to body. So, out of everyone we know of in the series, he could be the one with all the answers.

Belaf attempting to get Bondrewd to sell Mitty from the anime series Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 5
Belaf attempting to get Bondrewd to sell Mitty

The thing about Bondrewd, though, is that he’s not a real immortal. His immortality is the result of a relic or something — Abyss technology. But, we know of two real immortals. The first is Faputa, whom Majikaja says is immortal. The second is Mitty, whom Belaf says is immortal.

Something important to note here is that the Mitty in Iruburu isn’t the real Mitty. Reg incinerated the real Mitty (she can be killed, but is immortal otherwise). The Mitty we see in this episode is a copy Belaf had the Abyss create by paying for it in value.

What I find strange about this is that for the price of parts of his body, Belaf was able to buy an immortal being. That doesn’t seem like a very fair trade. But, I guess he’s not buying immortality for himself. So, maybe it is fair. Still, it’s interesting to think about.

Riko’s Value

Before I get to the conclusion, I need to do some theorizing about Riko’s value. Nanachi sold herself to Belaf to stop him from feeding on the immortal Mitty. But, since Nanachi and Mitty are both stuck there forever now, it seems like Nanachi got scammed.

To save Nanachi, Riko offers to buy her from Belaf. Her offer is her hair, the nails from one of her hands, and all her gear. But, Belaf says he needs more than that. And he gives Riko three options.

On top of what she offered, Belaf wants one of the following. Riko can give both of her eyes, both of her legs, or half of her innards. None of those seem like particularly good things for Riko to sell. But, we can assume that she completes the transaction. How? In the OP, we see Riko without her pigtails.

Riko listening to Belaf's demands from the anime series Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 5
Riko listening to Belaf’s demands

Since she’s missing her pigtails, we can assume she lost them due to this transaction. Notably, she isn’t missing her eyes in the OP. So, we can also assume she doesn’t choose to sell those. That leaves her legs or half her innards.

If I had to choose between the two, I’d say she sells half her innards. Why? Because that isn’t a drastic change to her character design. I’m thinking of it from that standpoint. That’s also why I know Riko will rescue Nanachi. The author of the series is obsessed with Nanachi; he’s not going to leave her behind.

Alternatively, I could see Riko not giving Belaf what he requested. Someone else could step in on her behalf. For example, Maaa could sell themself to Belaf. Or, it could even be Vueko. What other role would she play now that Riko released her?

Conclusion

What do you think of Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 5? What do you think happened to the other Interference Units? Why do you think Hollows have trouble descending to Vueko’s prison? How deep do you think Bondrewd has been? And how do you think the trade between Riko and Belaf will play out?

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My review of Episode 6 is available now.

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