Prushka’s True Form

As expected, Episode 3 of Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun was great. And, what makes it even better is that it answered a question I planned to ask in this review before I watched it.

I love the OP for this season. It doesn’t have the best visuals or song, but I enjoy them a lot. But, one thing I noticed in the OP is that Prushka looks different. She looks more like a whistle than her current form does. Currently, she looks like an alien heart.

So, I was going to ask what the deal with that was. But, now I don’t have to ask. As we saw, there’s a jeweler(?) within the Village of the Hollows who crafts Life Reverberating Stones into whistles. Great. Except, that actually leads into a follow-up question.

Each White Whistle has a unique appearance. Ignoring Prushka, we’ve seen three of the five known White Whistles. Lyza’s whistle looks like a standard whistle. But, it has some designs like a moon, flower, and keyhole on it. Ozen’s whistle looks like a horned helmet. And Bondrewd’s Whistle looks like two skeletal hands grasped together.

Now that we know there’s a Life Reverberating Stone craftsman, that changes things. We can assume someone crafted these whistles. And, we can assume it’s the same craftsman who’s currently working on Prushka. So, that implies every White Whistle has been to the Village of the Hollows.

In the past, I made fun of Bondrewd by saying he’s never been to the Sixth Layer. But, technically, he could have used capsules to return. What about Ozen, though? Are we supposed to believe she went down there too?

Value and the Balancing

Let’s talk about value. All the Hollows within the village value things. Some things have value to single Hollows, while others have value to all. And these things with value can be physical objects or even experiences. Wow, it’s just like value in the real world.

But, unlike in the real world, value is a universal law that you can’t break within the village. Even though the value of something is in the eye of the beholder, value is also universal. The universal value of something comes from the value the owner places on it.

If I own a cool sticker of DoubleSama’s mascot Suzuka and I value it at $1.29, that value is set within the laws of the world. And, this is where “the balancing” comes into play. Whoever destroys value must repay that value.

If you ripped my sticker into pieces and I claimed it lost all its value, you would owe me $1.29. But, I wouldn’t need to pester you into paying up. In the village of the Hollows, the world itself balances out. The world would take from you something of equal value, convert it into currency, and give it to me.

That’s a pretty neat system, even if it doesn’t make sense. But, the way we got to see it in action was the stuff of nightmares. A Hollow hurt Meinya and Riko claimed that Meinya was priceless. So, the world stripped that Hollow of everything it owned — even its flesh.

Now, the last thing I want to point out here is that the currency of the Hollows is intangible. It’s basically cryptocurrency. But, what’s even weirder is that you can’t throw it away. It persists. I guess it’s assigned to your soul.

Faputa, Princess of the Hollows

If the Hollows are crypto bros and the village is the blockchain, does that mean Faputa is their Elon Musk? I’ll leave that for you to decide. But, Majikaja calls Faputa the Princess of the Hollows. And, as he explains, she’s not like the other Hollows in the village.

The Hollows who live in the village can’t leave. Their souls are bound to the village. I guess it’s tied to the whole concept of value they have going on. I don’t know; I’m not an economist.

Faputa is different, though. She can venture beyond the barrier that surrounds the village. And, let’s not forget that Nanachi is the same. Majikaja claims this is true for Nanachi because she became a Hollow at the old ritual site (Ido Front). So, does that mean that’s where Faputa also became a Hollow?

I refuse to believe that Faputa is a “natural” Hollow. Even the Princess of the Hollows must have been a human at some point, right? But, the one thing that makes me question that is Faputa’s alleged lifespan. According to Majikaja, she’s immortal. So, she could be a “natural” or “true” Hollow.

What would that mean, though? It would mean that Faputa is a native of the Abyss. And I don’t mean someone who was born in the Abyss like Prushka. I mean part of some native population that lives — or lived — there.

When we finally see Faputa at the end of the episode, she’s riding atop an automaton with the same cannon arm Reg has. So, does this mean Faputa is a member of the race that created the automatons of the Abyss? And, regardless of if that’s true or not, will she be able to tell us about Reg’s origin?

Conclusion

What do you think of Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 3? Do you think Ozen’s whistle design is proof she’s been to the Sixth Layer? How do you feel about the village Hollows being crypto bros? And, do you think Faputa used to be human? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

The Adventure Is Only Beginning

I don’t know how long Made in Abyss is going to be by the time it ends. But, based on The Golden City of the Scorching Sun Episode 2, it seems that we’re now out of the prologue.

Everything in the First Season and The Dawn of the Deep Soul was the prologue. And, that’s kind of odd considering that together they covered most of the known Abyss. Based on the map of the Abyss we have, there are seven known layers. Dawn of the Deep Soul ends with Riko’s party exiting the fifth.

We’re five-sevenths of the way through the Abyss, right? Maybe. But also maybe not. Nobody knows how deep the Abyss is. There may be far more layers than seven. All we know is that there are at least seven, the seventh starts at 15,500 meters, and the bottom is beyond 20,000 meters.

To put those numbers in perspective, the Mariana Trench is only 11,034 meters deep. And the deepest hole ever drilled by humans is only 12,262 meters deep. So, by the time a cave raider makes it to the Fifth Layer, they’re about as deep as the deepest hole in real life.

Anyway, why am I saying that the real content of the series has finally begun? There are two reasons. The first, I’m pretty sure I mentioned in the Episode 1 review. That is, the subtitle of this season comes from the Sixth Layer.

That implies we’ll be spending as much time in the Sixth Layer as we did on the surface and in the first four layers. The second reason is that Riko mentioned in this episode that they need to create their own map. From this point on, they’re in uncharted territory.

Sending a Letter Home

I don’t remember when Riko sent her first letter back to the surface. But, I kind of feel like it was very early on — like after the First or Second Layer. Now that she’s arrived in the Sixth Layer, it’s time to send another.

The problem with sending letters from the lower layers of the Abyss is that it requires a lot of luck. There are a lot of things a letter needs to get passed if it’s going to make it to the surface. Not only is there the terrain, but all the creatures of the Abyss, too.

As we saw in this episode, the creatures got in the way this time. Some sort of dragon snatched Riko’s letter out of the air shortly after Reg released it. What if that had happened to all the information Lyza sent up to Riko?

As far as we know, Lyza is the person to have made it deepest into the Abyss. In the previous episode, I said I thought there were 7 White Whistle holders. It turns out there are 5. But, that number may not include Wazukyan’s party. It may be that there are 5 who are currently known.

Still, Lyza’s letters to Riko came from beyond the Sixth Layer. It might have even come from the very bottom. I don’t remember if she said that she’s currently waiting for Riko at the bottom or if she’ll meet Riko at the bottom.

Regardless, it’s amazing that Lyza’s letters made it to the surface from that depth. And we still don’t know anything about 2 of the other White Whistle holders. If Riko runs into them in this layer and the next, that should confirm Lyza is the deepest.

Majikaja and the Hollows

While searching for Prushka (Riko’s White Whistle), Riko, Reg, and Nanachi make their way to a village. According to the title of the next episode, this is the village of the Hollows. Hollows are those like Nanachi who suffer from the curse of the Abyss.

But, before discussing the village of the Hollows, I need to go over something that happened on the way there. Team Riko found some dead animals with Riko’s and Nanachi’s hair sewn inside them. Surprisingly, I don’t have an issue with the hair being sewn into the carcasses.

It’s obvious that whoever did this has a reason for doing so in their mind. I also viewed the “message” left on Riko’s letter as a death threat. So, this hair-stuffing could be some sort of “curse” to kill them. But, what did shock me is that Riko’s party opened the carcasses.

In their defense, they probably have no reason to think like this. But, when I saw those corpses sewn up, my first thought was that it was a booby trap. In my mind, it was clear that some sort of explosive or toxic chemical was sewn into those animals. Luckily for Riko, I was wrong.

Now, as for the village of the Hollows, we saw a bunch of different Hollows in it briefly. But, the one that I’m most interested in is Majikaja. Majikaja isn’t like the other Hollows. He’s mechanical. Or, at least that’s how he appears.

I’m assuming that Majikaja’s real body is within his mechanical one. And I hope we get to see it at some point. I’d like to get a backstory for him — he could be from Wazukyan’s original party. The Ganja Party could have founded this village.

Conclusion

Before next week’s episode, I want to make a prediction. I think the Hollows in the village are killing humans. They might think they can turn themselves back somehow. But, the fact that there are human body parts all over the village implies something sinister.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 3 is available now.

The Ganja Expeditionary Party

Made in Abyss Season 2 Episode 1 reaffirmed that the series is the best adventure anime out there. There are plenty of other good adventure anime. But the world of Made in Abyss is so much more interesting than the others. I’m always left wanting to know more.

The start of Episode 1 takes us back in time to one of the first expeditions into the Abyss. Back then, rumor had it that there was a hole to the center of the earth with a city of gold within it. This is the titular Golden City of the Scorching Sun.

After learning of this rumor, the Ganja Party sets out to locate it. This is a group of people with no homes to return to — the banished. To them, the Abyss and the city of gold within it represent a fresh start.

Wazukyan is the leader of the Ganja Party. According to his followers, he has prophetic powers and is able to read the future. One example of this is how he foretold the arrival of Vueko the day before she joined the party. To me, though, his only real power is the power of charisma.

Vueko is a young girl who may be around 15 years old. Before joining the Ganja Party, she didn’t live a good life. She’s an orphaned abuse victim. But, it’s from her abuser that she first heard of the Abyss. And, it’s from him that she obtained a special compass that points to the Abyss.

From this first part of the episode, it’s clear that Vueko is going to be this arc’s supporting character. Or, it may be better to say this layer’s supporting character. You know, like how Marulk was in Layer 2 and Prushka was in Layer 5.

Mystery of the Abyss

The mystery of the Abyss is one of the best parts of the series. Even when we learn information about the Abyss, it only creates more questions. For instance, what happened to the crew of the “ghost ship?” Their situation doesn’t make sense.

Of the four people on the ship, only one survived long enough to warn his would-be rescuers. The other three died horrific deaths: spontaneous combustion, bisection, and disembowelment. But, how did the Abyss cause these injuries? And how did they make it back onto their ship? We don’t know.

By the time the Ganja Party makes it to the island, it’s still “uninhabited.” As we learn, there are natives who live in the jungle. But, there’s no modern civilization built around the Abyss as there is in the present. And it doesn’t appear that the Ganja Party founded the town.

After interacting with the natives, the Ganja Party entered the Abyss. Their guide was a native girl, who seems to be 8 or younger. The tribe banished her to the Abyss because she wasn’t able to bear children. And yes, that’s a weird thing to say about a literal child.

Now, because I’m assuming Vueko is going to meet Riko’s party, later on, that means she made it to the Sixth Layer. That’s pretty far considering the Ganja Party knew nothing about the Abyss. But, Vueko would have entered the Abyss long before Riko — decades or even a century before.

So, if that’s the case, how are they going to meet up? Well, it’s a good thing I only recently watched the Dawn of the Deep Soul movie. In that movie, someone mentioned that time flows differently in the Abyss. I assume it’s slower as you get deeper.

Almost a Perfect Episode

Before moving on to discussing and theorizing about the Sixth Layer, I need to rant a bit. You see, this episode was almost a perfect episode. I loved the mystery of the ghost ship, the adventure of the Ganja Party, and how it all connected to the present story.

But, there were some problems. And you may already know what I’m going to say here.

The author of Made in Abyss is a creep. I don’t see myself ever being able to give the series a 10/10 because of some of the things he puts in the story. I know there was weird stuff in the First Season, but it’s been so long that I don’t remember the details. Dawn of the Deep Soul had a lot of belly button stuff that was strange.

This episode had 2 moments that stood out to me as suspect. First, Vueko commented on the native girl’s “supple” body as a beneficial trait. It came out of nowhere and didn’t add anything of value. All it did was remind us that the author should stay away from children.

The second moment was, in my opinion, worse. I didn’t need a scene of Riko going to the bathroom. I didn’t need an explanation of how Reg and Nanachi could smell it. And I certainly didn’t need ASMR of the act.

The Layer of No Return

The Sixth Layer of the Abyss, also known as the Capital of the Unreturned, is a major milestone in the Abyss. Once you’ve reached this layer, it’s impossible to return to the surface. But, I don’t know why it’s impossible to return.

I’m guessing the issue isn’t that it’s impossible to call the elevator back down. The issue is obviously the curse of the Abyss. But, in what way does the curse of the Abyss prevent you from returning to the surface from this layer?

Is it that the surface is too far? Can you only ascend a certain distance before dying? Or, is it that you can’t even ascend back to the Fifth Layer because the curse is stronger the deeper you are? As far as I remember, we don’t have an answer to that yet.

If the problem is the strength of the curse’s effect, it means neither Ozen nor Bondrewd has been to the Sixth Layer. That’s pretty interesting considering they’re both White Whistle holders. And, I kind of remember that there were only like 7 White Whistle holders in total at the start of the series.

Speaking of White Whistles, I’m a bit confused about how the Ganja Party made it down to the Sixth Layer. We saw them enter the elevator in the Fifth Layer, so they must have had one. I guess it wasn’t necessary to show since we just learned about how they’re made in the movie.

Still, I would have liked to see how they got their White Whistle. A scene only lasting a few seconds would have been good enough. It would add to building up the mystery of the Abyss. What horrifying fate did that person meet?

Conclusion

What do you think of the first episode of Made in Abyss Season 2? This is the anime I was most looking forward to this season. And I have to say that this episode delivered, despite the weird parts. Also, since the season is named after the Sixth Layer, I guess that means the entire thing takes place there.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 2 is available now.