Dawn of the Deep Soul continues the epic adventure of plucky Riko and Reg who are joined by
their new friend Nanachi. Together they descend into the Abyss’ treacherous fifth layer, the Sea of
Corpses, and encounter the mysterious Bondrewd, a legendary White Whistle whose shadow looms over
Nanachi’s troubled past. Bondrewd is ingratiatingly hospitable, but the brave adventurers know things
are not always as they seem in the enigmatic Abyss...
(Source: Sentai Filmworks)
Most of the time when I write up an analysis, review or reflection, I’m writing it right after I saw the anime in question. I don’t normally like waiting before hashing out my thoughts; the longer I wait before writing about it, the fuzzier the image in my head becomes. Talking about a movie or stretch of episodes when they’re still fresh in my mind allows me to keep my initial experience in mind as I dig into what I like or dislike. But with Dawn of the Deep Soul, the long-awaited film continuation of Made in Abyss, I just couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t summon up the will to get my thoughts out in the immediate aftermath of watching it. It was such an overwhelming, dizzying experience that to ruin that experience with words seemed almost criminal. How could language possibly capture the impact Dawn of the Deep Soul had on me? How could I even think of degrading what this film achieved by transcribing it to imperfect words? There was no way an in-depth analysis would honestly capture what I was feeling in the moment, especially when I was so emotionally drained from the whole affair. So I forced myself to wait. I let myself sit with the movie for a while. It’s been a few days since then, and now that I’ve had some distance, I finally feel ready to actually talk about this damn thing. And I can only think of one possible way to start: Dawn of the Deep Soul is one of the best anime films I’ve ever seen in my life. Let’s be clear, Made in Abyss was already really, _really_ good. Taking a classic Ghibli-esque kid’s fantasy adventure setup and asking, “what if the fantasy world these kids are journeying through is actually a place of infinite horror from the monsters to the culture to the landscape itself?” was a winning recipe right from the get-go. And the series only built off that strong foundation with richer and richer elements. It tapped into the kind of visceral, dirty horror that shoves your face in the gritty, gristly details of human suffering and refuses to let you look away. It built a truly original setting in the titular Abyss, rich with terror, wonder and mystery alike. It seized on the fear of loss and grief as a gripping emotional hook to keep you invested, as our heroes’ journey forces them to bid irreversible farewells to so many of the friends they meet along the way. And it still managed to maintain the joy and wonder of the kid’s fantasy adventures it draws from, never losing sight of the heart at its core. Add to that the fantastic job Kinema Citrus did bringing the manga’s beauty to life, and you have a recipe for an instant classic of the fantasy anime staple (barring the uncomfortable overuse of child nudity). If Dawn of the Deep Soul only continued to live up to the show’s standard, I don’t think anyone would complain too much. But Dawn of the Deep Soul isn’t just the next chapter of Made in Abyss. Hell, it’s not even just the _best_ part of Made in Abyss yet. It is, quite frankly, the absolute zenith of everything this series stands for. If you thought the story was dark and twisted before, you have no idea what depths of madness are waiting for you here. If you thought the emotional torment was unbearable before, prepare to claw your heart out of your fucking chest. If you thought the show was already one of the most gorgeously realized fantasy worlds anime’s ever given us, just wait until you see what Kinema Citrus can achieve with a feature-film budget to flex. It’s a near-perfect alchemical fusion of everything that makes this series great pushed to extremes I never thought possible, all working in harmony to support each other and raise the bar higher and higher with every passing second. And the sum of all those incredible parts is a movie that utterly fucking _destroyed_ me. It destroyed me with despair, it destroyed me with beauty, it destroyed me with sheer, unadulterated hype, and it left me so utterly shell-shocked I could barely even begin to process it all. I _still_ haven’t processed it all. But I am sure of one thing above all else; I have just witnessed the kind of masterpiece that transforms a classic into a _landmark_. Following the events of the show’s first season, Dawn of the Deep Soul follows our heroes as they descend into the Abyss’ fifth layer, the ominous Sea of Corpses, and finally encounter the dangerous White Whistle who was built up in the final episode: Bondrewd. This is the mad researcher who robbed Nanachi of her humanity, who sacrificed countless orphans in his pursuit of knowledge, who saddled Mitty with unwanted immortality that made her life an endless suffering. We know right from the outset that this will be the single most dangerous foe our heroes have ever faced. But he guards the only way down to the sixth layer: if Riko, Reg and Nanachi wish to continue their dive to the netherworld’s bottom, their only choice is to go through the Sovereign of the Dawn. And when they first arrive at his massive live-in research facility, the Idofront, he seems amiable enough. He offers them hospitality, doesn’t impose upon them, even lets his adorable, doting daughter Prushka hang out with them, forming a quick friendship with Riko in the process. But even as peaceful as things start out, there’s always this unspoken acknowledgement between all of them that sooner or later, they’ll have no choice but to face each other down. If the kids are to prove themselves worthy of continuing their journey, Bondrewd is an obstacle they _will_ have to get past. They _will_ have to overcome him. And he _will_ make it as painful, horrifying, and gut-wrenching a process as he possibly can. All any of them can do is wait for someone to fire the first shot. That tension is what defines the film’s structure, as the rising inevitability of confrontation strains higher and higher until it finally bursts. The first chunk of the film gives our heroes a chance to explore the facility, learn its ins and outs, bond with Prushka and learn how she sees her beloved Papa’s work, encounter the effects of the fifth layer’s curse, and slowly inch closer and closer to the horrific truth of what Bondrewd and his elite team of researchers/bodyguards- the Umbra Hands- are truly doing here. The uncertainty of what’s going on and when things are going to go wrong builds until you’re practically biting your nails every time Riko so much as wanders off on her own. And once the bubble is finally popped and the shit hits the fan, that gut-twisting tension explodes into a series of standoffs, close shaves, narrow escapes, and increasingly horrifying reveals that escalate and escalate and escalate until it feels like the entire damn Abyss might just collapse on our heads from the sheer scale of what’s unfolding before our eyes. And trust me, however horrific you think Bondrewd’s experiments might be? However monstrous you think the secrets he’s hiding are? You are wrong. You are so, so wrong. Every single time you think the truth can’t possibly get any more upsetting, yet another piece of the pule is revealed that makes your screams even louder and even more agonized. It is fucked up on a level I don’t think I have the words to properly express. Don’t even bother trying to prepare yourself for the horrors to come: there’s no possible way you could be ready for this. And that phrase is pretty much the mantra of this entire film: you are not fucking ready. You are not ready for how devastating, how upsetting, how staggering, how jaw-dropping, how gorgeous, how _awe-inspiring_ this film gets. Watching Dawn of the Deep Soul is like being swept up in a burning tornado and staring into its fiery rage as lightning strikes mere inches above your head. It builds and builds and builds and builds and doesn’t let up until you’re a gibbering mess on the floor no more coherent than post-curse Mitty. There are moments in this film that made me _sick_. There are moments that made me bite my fist to keep from screaming. There are moments where I just fucking gave up and screamed regardless. The unspeakable depths of horror the story reaches made me sob violently all throughout the final twenty minutes, maybe even more. I can’t remember a last time an anime left me this incoherent through sheer force of emotional trauma. It is one of the single most overwhelming emotional experiences I’ve had since goddamn Evangelion. And believe me, I don’t make that comparison lightly. Plenty of anime have made me feel sad or hurt or full of despair, but only a choice few have left me this fucking agonized. But the interesting thing is, I don’t even think the story itself is the most important factor in making this movie such a raw, visceral experience. No, that honor goes to the incredible folks at Kinema Citrus who brought this film to life. Were you wondering where all their good animators and storyboarders were when Shield Hero’s first season turned into a production trainwreck of barely-there animation and ugly CG? Well, turns out, they were all working their ass off to make Dawn of the Deep Soul one of the most lavishly produced animated films ever made. Forget how beautiful the show already was, the level of craft on display here is fucking _insane_. Background art so richly detailed you feel like you could reach out and touch the shifting sands. Direction so staggering it makes every gorgeous vista and sweeping wide shot feel as massive as Lord of the Rings. Some of the most haunting lightning effects I think I’ve ever seen, casting the entire world and the people within it in deep, textured shadows and weighty, ethereal illumination. Character animation that places the entire cast right there among the towering iron walls of the Idofront and endless expanses of black water. It’s clear this wasn’t made into a movie just to cut down on effort; the animators took advantage of every last opportunity allowed by their feature-film budget. They pushed the show’s beauty so far beyond even its highest previous peaks, it almost feels like an entirely different thing. And frankly, I think this is the only possible way Dawn of the Deep Soul could’ve worked. The increased budget and scope are so _essential_ to selling this film’s majesty that I genuinely don’t think it would’ve been even half as effective as a TV production. When the body horror kicks up, muscles and blood and bones burst and ooze with an almost mesmerizing believability. The gut-wrenching despair of the story’s darkest moments is reinforced by how flawlessly the animation sells the upsetting gruesomeness at the core of its reveals. The staggeringly beautiful landscapes and the horrifying explosions of viscera and flesh spiral together in perfect synthesis that push the series’ wonder/terror dichotomy into hyperdrive. And the action scenes. MY GOD, THE ACTION SCENES. The dizzying camera that spins and soars through the expansive battle arenas, the gobsmacking detail given to every last explosion and burst of rubble, the overwhelming chaos and brutality of every single exchange, an a final, furious brawl that explodes with the force of a thousand supernovas and left me utterly fucking speechless. On a pure spectacle level, I don’t think I’ve seen _any_ other animated action scenes that top this. Not, not even Mob Psycho Goddamn 100. The force of this film’s sakuga is so fucking powerful, it actually manages to outshine Bones’ crowning achievement of the 2010s. _That’s how fucking good the action scenes are_. And then, of course, there’s Bondrewd himself. To say too much about him would be getting into spoilers, so I’ll have to limit myself. But suffice to say, Bondrewd has become one of my favorite anime antagonists of all time. Utterly terrifying in every conceivable way, able to make you nearly puke with horror at the things he reveals himself capable of, yet also a man true to his principles with a genuine love for the people unlucky enough to be swept up in his wake. He’s a personification of Riko’s own drive to explore and discover taken to its worst possible extreme, a man so driven to uncover the secrets of the Abyss that there’s no ethical line he won’t grind to dust and no sacrifice so immense he won’t make it. In the inhuman purple glare of his helmet, we see our protagonists’ greatest weaknesses reflected back at them, a symbol of all the darkness inherent to their journey they’ve been desperately trying to overlook for the sake of their sanity. Bondrewd forces Riko to truly grapple with the mission she’s embarked upon, to face the awful, unspeakable reality of what it means to devote your life to the Abyss’ siren call at the expense of everything and everyone. And the way his darkness challenges her fundamental nature, how she still strives to be good and just in the face of everything he represents, how she tries to find a better path forward than the one he’s been traveling down, absolutely gutted me. When the dust finally settles, Riko isn’t the same person she was upon first descending into the Sea of Corpses. Neither are Reg and Nanachi. The trials they’ve all undergone has shaped them and reshaped them in ways both obvious and subtle, even as they still hold fast to the love that’s kept them alive all this time. Made in Abyss will never be the same after what their experience on the fifth layer gave them... and what it took from them. But it’s in that titanic endeavor that Dawn of the Deep Soul is so damn important. What I witnessed here wasn’t just a Made in Abyss film; it was the platonic ideal of Made in Abyss itself. It was this series’ true form, the purest possible embodiment of why this story matters, perfectly realized with all the passion and skill you could ever hope for. Dawn of the Deep Soul isn’t just the next stage of Made in Abyss: it __is__ Made in Abyss. It stunned me and wrecked me and left me in a puddle of a million different overflowing emotions, and the most criticism I can level against it is that some plot mechanics are given somewhat rushed explanations, likely a result of compressing the manga chapters into a movie’s length. And if that’s all the price I have to pay for this series to reach its defining moment so spectacularly, then who am I to complain? Before, Made in Abyss was merely one fantastic series among many; now, it’s officially established itself as the greatest fantasy anime of the modern era. We’ll see if Re:Zero can reclaim that crown when I finally get around to watching its second season. But until then, Dawn of the Deep Soul is an unqualified landmark in the tapestry of anime as an art form, a new gold standard for all future fantasy anime to look up to. And I cannot fucking wait to see where this series goes next.
Disclaimer: I don't hate Made In Abyss at all I actually kinda like it. All this is my own personal opinion and you shouldn't take my opinion too seriously. I haven't read the manga yet and these are anime only opinions, I will read the manga in the future so my opinions might change. Spoilers ahead: Proceed with caution. I think this movie and especially the series have a bit of a missed potential nonetheless they are pretty good anyway. The idea is honestly amazing and the visuals are quite good but my problem resides with the way the story is going and the cast. The cast- I think that the cast is some what boring and not really lovable. Just because a character such as Nanachi has a sad back story that doesn't make me automatically like her or feel connected to her whatsoever. Reg is pretty cool and we do not really know much about him he is pretty mysterious and we will probably know more about him in the future but for me he really isn't much loveable, its hard to love or feel connected to a character we hardly know anything about. When Reg had to "kill" Bondrewd I didn't feel bad for Reg at all the connection just wasn't there. Scenes like Nanachi's flashbacks have no affect on me at all even though they are sad. They failed to make me feel any connection to the characters what so ever. Riko is just a cute girl that wants to go deeper to get answers to all her questions and that is it. Watching these kids feels kinda cringy and weird for me, maybe after we get a second season and we will know more about the characters I will start to feel way more connected to the cast but right now watching them feels kinda dull and somewhat boring. The story- The idea and the direction are honestly amazing and im sad the cast is currently dull because Made In Abyss has so much potential. My problem with the story isn't the direction but the way we are seeing it, I would prefer seeing more of each layer, maybe later down the road each layer would take more time and would have more screen time. But right now every layer pretty much until this movie was a breeze and they hardly had trouble passing except in a couple points. I would've liked to see more and more of each layer this world seems so cool and mysterious and its a shame that all the layers up until now had hardly any significance. With such a cool idea seeing more of the creatures the landscape and more of a in depth view on each layer in the abyss. In conclusion despite of my opinions about the cast and the direction of the story I really am enjoying Made In Abyss. It honestly has great animation and good plot twists and the series really makes you want to know more about this fascinating world.
__This review may include minor spoilers. If you want to see the movie without any details of what's it about, watch it before reading.__ In "Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul", we get to follow the trio Riko, Reg and Nanachi on their next adventure to explore the secrets of the Abyss, and while doing so, they have to face the past and cruelty of their lifes and the Abyss. As they are headed for the lower regions, we are already reminded of the true nature that the Abyss portrays. >This is the beginning of a journey that has no turning back. No matter how dark it gets, you'll be fine. You're bright, after all. And while a flower wilts, you must push forward. # __A movie nothing can prepare you for__ While in the beginning of the first Season, their adventures were more light-hearted, the setting of the movie begins in a dark way, showing that even beautiful views can result in tragedies that can't be prevented, except by fighting back. The trio already knows this of course, as all of them have experienced the brutality of the lower levels, therefore the steps they take in order to move forward are more cautious than ever. Looking back, the atmosphere in the movie appends to the last arc of the first season. But while we already have experienced the pain and suffering that the curse may inflict, it was only a small part of what's waiting in the Abyss. In the movie, the trio has to face this uncomfortable fact and in order to overcome these hurdles, fight against relentless and cruel enemies and learn to deal with the unfairness this world inflicts on them. # __What all of this is about__ But not only does the movie provide a darker theme, it completely changes the dynamic that we saw throughout the first season. We're not experiencing the fun adventure style anymore, but a life or death one that leaves no time to take a breath. But what exactly is their goal here? Is Made in Abyss really just Riko's attempt to find her mother? To understand where Reg is coming from? It's a question that "Dawn of the Deep Soul" tries to explore in a way that sometimes may be subtle, yet at other times pretty clear. That even if Riko meets her mother, it won't be the end. That even if Nanachi has lost everything precious, they still risk everything for Riko and Reg. And that no matter what happens, Reg will always keep them safe. Their dynamic is not just "a weird group that wants to get to the bottom of the Abyss", it's "a weird group that wants to get to the bottom of the Abyss, together". And in order to do that, they will do everything in their power to protect and help their friends, even if it seems impossible. # __Visuals__ As expected of a movie, the visuals are way better than those of a normal TV anime. But what Kinema Citrus delivered is something that I absolutely did not expect. The characters, backgrounds and colors are drawn in beautiful detail, exceeding what's normal by far. But not only do the still scenes look gorgeous, the fight scenes and animations are cleaner than Nanachi's fur. Fire and light animations make you sit infront of the screen with your jaw dropped, the 3D camera movements are just great and really enhance the already exciting fights. But to close it all off... # __Just close your eyes...__ ...and listen. It already becomes clear in the first few minutes of the movie who made the soundtrack. It will fill your ears and steal your heart into what's happening, paralyze your whole body in scenes where its volume draws you into every frame, fading out whatever is happening around the screen. Mystic and dramatic, light and adventurous, there's nothing this soundtrack doesn't portray perfectly. So you could just close your eyes, play the movie without even looking, and still feel every drip of emotion that you would normally experience, just by listening to the concert you are given. # __My conclusion__ If you liked how the first Season turned into a more serious series, than you will probably absolutely love this movie. As for me, I absolutely love it. The storytelling advanced, the production is truely amazing, the soundtrack will stay in my head for a long time to come and while the movie may have small pacing issues in the last third, all in all I will gladly include it into my most favorite pieces of anime, ever.
**Overview:** Simply put… child experimentation arc on the 5thfloor, its fucked its brutal, its dark… and everything one would expect from the standard Made In Abyss sets. Details about the white thangs :mrcleans: is given and as with the rest of the show, it’s also fucked :sweat_eo: . **Visuals/Music:** Visuals as per the regular series is up with some of the best. The amount of detail in both the still and animation parts are some of, if not the best out there. Pausing at nearly any scene and its easily worthy of being a background quality picc or close to it. No complaints from the visuals which is to be expected given Ghibli Osamu Masuyama is Art Director. He worked on Howls, Ponyo ect so just a bit of clout surrounding him :D Music and OSTs are still up there with the tops. They know how to place em and where and how to use them, topping us off with some Myth & Roid ending credit song… not much more a person could want. **Final Thoughts:** Instead of animating a season they condensed it down into a movie. Not enough content to have done a full season so makes sense but at the same time could have been about half hour to three quarter-hour longer to get the pacing better. Not that it is a bad choice by any stretch. The end result was simply :blush: :pachaperfect: Most are probably going to misunderstand Bondewd due to his actions throughout, simply taking him at face value of a person that just does such exquisitely tasteful experiments… but his character and the type of love in its purest sense… as in absolution type was portrayed very well. It’s a type of love that a normal person wouldn’t understand or be able to convey due to it being absolute. Absent of any ill intent that comes from within disregarding any other emotions that would otherwise cloud and disarray it from its truest sense. Not to say he is a loving character though lol, that would also be a severe misunderstanding of him. His actions are to help humanity at its forefront, which debatably will. As with any true form of progress sacrifice must be made and only a certain type of person can and will be willing to make them. The film does have its shortcomings, mainly in terms of pacing due to it being in an odd position of content to cover. Too long for regular film yet too short for regular season. Small problem overall I think given what was brought forth. Things feel rushed and not as much detail at times as one would like. Would also say the ending but its left at a to be continued and is already confirmed to continue onward from where it left off here. The ending point is good enough and doesn’t tease too much which is good. They end it at a spot that is satisfactory and concludes the arc well enough. Highly recommend the film to those who have seen and are anticipating more Made In Abyss. For those who haven’t seen it, def a good time to pick it up. ```Overall Ratings - Rec: N/A Raw: N/A```
youtube(https://youtu.be/3SEhUVLRhIg) For Riko and Reg, they have now reached their greatest obstacle as they continue the descent. As for Nanachi, this is her return to the source: the place that brought her the pain that was shown previously with Mitty's story. I'll never forget how sad it was to see them save her, and I had to pause it and cover my eyes with my hands for a moment when I realized that they even put her bed and plush toys with her when the time came. Continuing, the obstacle that stands before them with deceitfully open arms is the most fascinating character, at least for me, in the series: Bondrewd. Little was shown of him in the television series, and now he gets to be explored deeply with this film. It's telling, and shows the greatness in his writing, that as the main antagonist, he is still the most interesting and memorable character to me. He truly is Made in Abyss, and the most extreme example of it, far beyond Ouzen as well. His pursuit for knowledge in the name of science, and his struggle going into the Abyss himself, has turned him into that which he least would want to be. His tragedy is that he has lost himself to the extent he lost his humanity trying to be humane. That is because the deepness of the Abyss itself seems to have warped his state of mind. As a result, He is good and evil smashed together into a neutrally chaotic ideology. It's intriguing to see that he may not even be aware of what he has become. Still, his stare is both compassionate and frightening to the point it makes me uneasy. He has been experimenting to understand the Abyss, and to save people, so he believes. What he does in this film is unspeakable and one would have to see the levels of obscenity and vileness he willingly decides to go forward with themselves. Not only that, it's his calm, cool, and collected personality throughout all this that makes it even more disturbing. Amusingly, his permanent-like optimism can even be moving at times. Still, despite how much I enjoyed his character, he is the most irredeemable of characters. They say sacrifices are necessary, and yet his idea of sacrifice is so absurdly counter productive and selfish it overshadows it's usefulness. This film also brings the introduction of Prushka and her adorable pet Meinya. She is from the same place Bondrewd is from. The two share a bond that plays out during the film. Considering it's Bondrewd, one would worry how something such as this could play out. Same as before, the animation plays out well everywhere it is used. There are also some intense and amazing fighting sequences. What always stands out beautifully is how much attention to background art the author places on. The music, however, felt mostly like atmospheric background music this time. By that, I mean it's not as memorable as in the television series. At least they bring back some of the old soundtrack as well. Again, the author has some controversial ideas, and is not afraid of putting them in his work. Like the television series, it's going to get very dark. It's a type of shock that reminds me of the horror watching Space Runaway Ideon's movie sequel can invoke. By the end I felt as if I had gotten off my first roller coaster ride after being forced to do it and having a fear of it at the same time. The ending itself is beautiful and makes great use of the ending credits, and the wondrous ending credits song. Made in Abyss gave me hope. There are many who don't like newer anime. This could be a turning point for them. Some give up, but where they really looking? I wasn't, which is why I had quit watching anime for so many years. For some, they eventually say they can "move on" from anime. I can't comprehend it. Anime like Made in Abyss continues to teach me that something as wonderful like this can really get you into seeing the great potential the medium can always have. By that, I mean that great works exist that can move me more than any other type of media, and that it never ends. I'll never finish watching everything I want to. I can only get as far as I can with the short time I have. Maybe I am growing more paranoid because I no longer want to waste my time and want to be productive as much as possible. Regardless, Made in Abyss inspires me that if I explore the medium itself, I will never grow tired of it because passionate works such as this that I long for will always be there if I really look for it. To grow tired of that is to miss out.
~~~Definitely not the professional review you're looking for and most certainly not one worthy of even typing out Made in Abyss, heck, I don't think this can even be considered a review, but then again, with blessings come curses~~~ ~~~img(https://i.redd.it/rwu2icqhevb41.jpg)~~~ I'll start this off by saying that I had stopped myself from reading and watching anything to do with Made in Abyss because I enjoyed it way too much and didn't want to feel like it was over. So this was a reminder of sorts. But I finally finished it after months of procrastination. This was an incredible adaptation of the manga. Didn't need to be bawling my eyes out at midnight, but here we are. I can assure you that Made in Abyss did not fall flat with this sequel. There were many twists and turns, but they only served to enhance its appeal. ~~~✧~~~ Made in Abyss' nature is immediately apparent from the start. Amid the flowers of fortitude lie the Amaranthine-Deceptors, whom are absurdly horrifying. The fact that they feed themselves to their victims is already frightening, so to make it worse they also plant LARVAE inside you before, well, killing you. Quite literally the insect of openings. Yeah, the whole orifices saga has returned. Thank you very much Akihito Tsukushi, I always end up with my mouth open when I sleep so if I ever wake up repeating “who”, you know what happened to me. or I've been possessed by an owl idk ~~~img(https://cdn.epicstream.com/images/ncavvykf/epicstream/98055801d2154aec1805350d4c05404c36457f3e-1920x1080.jpg?rect=0,36,1920,1008&w=1200&h=630&auto=format)~~~ I gasped more times than I do after walking up 4 flights of stairs on my way to class while watching this, and they were all for the right reasons. Unprecedented horrors that I didn't expect to unfold. I mean, even if you did expect those things, they still hit you square in the face. No apologies whatsoever. The emotions in all the characters were expressed incredibly well (hell, I say even perfectly) that if somebody handed the team a lump of meat and told them to make it exhibit suffering, they would definitely execute it flawlessly (it's literally Made in Abyss). I’ll never look at my meat the same way ever again... ☹ And talking about the visuals, oh my days... It was like a feast for my hungry eyes. I've been starved of good visuals lately, but this was truly a healing experience, a visual buffet that satisfied my famished gaze, a banquet of stunning imagery that left me in awe. Truly, enough to make a grown man cry. ~~~img(https://animesolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Made-in-Abyss-Dawn-of-the-Deep-Soul_00.00.52_2020.12.16_00.56.14.jpg)~~~ ~~~img(https://64.media.tumblr.com/fc4cc19bd747f0fa7fe75684cffdfebf/e9e82ab7e5475c6c-ba/s540x810/935419b1b221f886c52874c270640da6e2e46b4b.gifv)~~~ I don't think I will ever be able to express in words just how much I love the world-building in Made in Abyss. It's so vast and full of life, which makes room for a heck load of exploration, for both Nanachi and the rest and us the viewers. This time around, we didn't get to see much since it focuses solely on the trio trying to get to the 6th layer and their experiences in Ido Front. But they still managed to leave us with more and more questions with no answers, nonetheless, a lot was discovered. ~~~img(https://c.tenor.com/m_GRSpSwpA4AAAAd/made-in-abyss-bondrewd.gif)~~~ From Bondrewd alone, we gain quite a bit of knowledge. Firstly, that he's still a monster (that one Reg scene still has me shocked—36:55). Secondly, thanks to the elevator experiment seeing success with Nanachi, he now makes cartridges to 'ward off the curse of the abyss'. Thirdly, he's no longer human. He can't use his own white whistle as he is not considered as being alive. So even if he tried to help them get to the 6th layer, it wouldn't work. This just got me more curious on the history of the Abyss. He also possesses the Zoaholic artifact, which went missing 15 years ago and uses it to stay immortal. There is no correlation between how long he can live and the mask. Since he uses the Zoaholic to spread his consciousness across multiple bodies of the Umbra Hands, he uses the mask once he transfers so it looks like him. So Reg really did kill him twice, just that he moved bodies. That's one hell of a twist if you ask me. However, that then raises the question of why Reg, Nanachi, and Riko did not destroy the Zoaholic. And I am also not aware of the answer. But from what I understand, it would be ineffective considering he has already spread his consciousness. So killing one will just make him move over. And if it's already tiring to defeat him once, try defeating him three or more times. Another user (KuroGFX) suggested that it had to do with the way Made in Abyss works and how it's inhumane in a similar way to the cycle of life. Not saying that they were detached or lacked empathy, but saying that they now had a white whistle and Bondrewd was no longer an obstacle or a threat to their progress. [His interpretation written here](https://anilist.co/activity/421363553). ~~~img(https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*TrANd4MYv35qVnNdPHoFSQ.png)~~~ ~~~img(https://i.redd.it/m59fh9addv871.png)~~~ Who could forget this? Literally shattered my heart, it's so messed up. That Bondrewd bastard. To think they'd introduce a character who acts like a “daughter” to that monster, so we see him as being more human and actually capable of loving someone, make him say something heart-warming like “Families are built by strangers who cross paths and come together” to give us hope, have Meinya squeak and appear to be moving toward Prushka, then further give us hope by telling us how Nanachi used to participate in the killing of children and how much she suffers and regrets it to make it seem like she'll be able to save one this time _then_ unveil that while the trio were out and about Prushka was being reduced to the bare minimum, enough to be considered 'alive'. The girl that was laughing and smiling just the other day was turned into a literal box, made to suffer. ~~~img(https://lostinanime.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Made-in-Abyss-Fukaki-Tamashii-no-Reimei-01-46.jpg)~~~ And what was worse? Being an unwanted orphan made her naive. She was raised with false love and still thought good of Bondrewd even in her last moments. Taking on the burden of the curse and allowing him to receive the blessing of the Abyss. Oh god. And the red goo pouring out of the only hole in the box, combined with her pulse and her voice, was an excellent way to show emotion. My tear ducts are now drier than my pitiful ex's texts. Even though she had been through so much, she still thought of Riko who she had only spent a few hours with. So now, Riko can descend to the 6th layer. After all that. They have gained one thing they needed, but the horrors behind it are still there. ~~~-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-~~~ I still have not emotionally recovered from the whole thing and my therapist is considering adding an extra session just because of this traumatic experience, I even considered starting a support group for people who have been emotionally scarred by this event so please reach out if you need a hand to hold. ~~~img(https://rabujoi.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/miam09.jpg?w=840)~~~ Darn incredible, I tell you. This film reminded me just how good Made in Abyss is and why I fell in love with it in the first place. A fantastic sequel, adaptation, and movie. THIS is what real anime is. ~~~★★★★★~~~ ~~~Thank you for reading this far (or skipping). Hope to see you again once the sequel is completed! (14th July 22)~~~ ~~~img(https://media.tenor.com/FBjJTyS789wAAAAi/noob-roblox.gif)~~~
