Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun
|
Goto page Previous Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hiroki not Takuya
 Posts: 2656 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
I wait for what others say, I do not connect at all, sosu...
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Pandsu
 Posts: 197 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
I too am glad they gave this the double feature.
Truly a great season through and through and one I enjoyed just as much as S1 and the movie, which I am rewatching with my mom right now lol - we have been bonding in the past few years after having a very difficult family relationship all around for most of my life, so I felt it appropriate to show her my favorite anime even with all the iffy stuff within it; none of which she really seemed to mind or even notice so far. She even went so far as to point out that Prushka is very cute and ask if there's a figure/statue of her to buy, which isn't a kind of thing I know of her to say. I wonder how she'll feel about Faputa. And also if that damn toilet will be the first time for her to notice and/or point out the kinda iffy weirdo stuff in this. On a side-note... I am from Germany but don't really consume much German media (translated or native) but since my mom doesn't understand English (or Japanese for that matter) I had to look into a German subbed version and came across the fact that they actually simulcasted the season on TV here and also the fact that both seasons and the movie have an age rating of 12+, without any censorship. That's incredibly baffling to me, especially in a country that has a history of harsh age ratings, censorship and banning of media, including stuff that is way less violent and dark than this. Yet they deem this appropriate for children lol The manga is 16+ here. I'd have expected 18+ for both, if released (uncensored) at all. Anyway, I digress... The suffering in Season 2 got a bit much at times but honestly, I feel like it was necessary to really feel the conflicted catharsis of the final few episodes. It was uncomfortable at times, but that's kind of the name of the game with the franchise as a whole and I truly wonder if it would be as special to me as it is if it wasn't for those uncomfortable moments, of all types really. During some episodes I started to feel a bit fatigued from the constant one-upping of dark stuff and I started to wonder if I'd end up feeling less enthusiastic about the franchise as a whole and whether or not my overall hype level for it would go on a steady decline, maybe even to the point where I'd no longer consider this my favorite anime. But the final few episodes have raised that emotional bar right back up. And now that it's over I feel both a sense of relief and hopeful look toward the future and a kind of emptiness since it's gonna be years before we get another new season or movie. It's a feeling I am not that used to anymore since I very rarely watch things as they are running, and even more rarely make it a weekly, day-of-release ritual, which this time I did together with my best buddy. That being over and being replaced by a loooong, uncertain wait makes me pretty sad. But I can't say that they didn't cap it off well, either. The ending did feel complete. I might start following the manga again but well... even that one updates incredibly slowly and checking back every once in a while to see if anything new has happened is a bit sucky too. And like someone else has mentioned in this thread before, the manga is a bit weird when it comes to how much you actually end up remembering. When I used to read each chapter as it came out, I got to around the halfway point material of this season, but while watching I could barely recall what was about to happen or where I even left off. I did, today, check the next chapter to confirm something that I thought was left slightly ambiguous at the end of the episode, and well... I immediately went "why did we have to do that?!" about one of the first things I saw within that chapter. The author really can't be helped sometimes lmao. It's not nearly on the caliber of the toilet, but is about as unnecessary and made me roll my eyes and then I couldn't help but laugh. spoiler[Basically, completely out of nowhere and for no real reason, as far as I could tell, Riko points out that Faputa has a single hole for all her stuff (like a bird), wonders what it smells like, proceeds to literally shove her nose in there and then describes the smell. Why'd we need that? lol The smell thing was already pointed out with Nanachi and even that was unnecessary. But to make things even weirder, a few hours later I came across some official merch, including a perfume that smells like Faputa's butt... Apparently there also is a Nanachi version.] Anyway. I'm rambling without really saying anything. The tl;dr is that I absolutely loved this second season and that I will sorely miss this show. Hopefully it'll return within the next, say, 3-4 years or so. |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Everlasting Coconut
 Posts: 316 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
The finale didn't hit me as much as the previous episodes had been doing. I thought Faputa's flashback at the beginning, while cute, was way too long and distracting. Her meeting with Gaburoon is something I probably would've liked to see earlier, and I don't see why the parts about Faputa spying on the main trio and stealing Prushka were needed when it was all stuff we already knew.
Vueko's death made the show feel like suffering porn once again. As if her backstory wasn't already depressing and cruel enough (you know, torture, rape, suicide, eternal imprisonment, etc), she dies the most gruesome and painful death for walking up some steps? Is that how we wrap up her story? As for the music, as beautiful as this show's soundtrack is, the tracks finally started to sound repetitive. I did like the conclusion to Faputa's story, but I still maintain that Made in Abyss' biggest weakness is its character writing. I did not care for anyone in S1 and the movie. I mean, I sort of liked Nanachi until we retreaded her storyline with Mitty all over again, but that's about it. And as much as I like Faputa and I look forward to her joining the team, I really hope the story will introduce more colourful or interesting characters going forward. There are a couple of other things I didn't like, like Vueko's girlfriend/lover being introduced out of nowhere, or how Faputa's new design looks like someone splattered yellow paint over her (and her right pupil being different from her left one irks me to no end), but despite all these complaints, I'm still gonna keep watching the show 'cause I wanna know what's at the bottom of the damn abyss 
Anyway, see you in 10 years when the next season comes out. Last edited by Everlasting Coconut on Thu Sep 29, 2022 10:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Gem-Bug
 Posts: 1306 |
|
|||||||||||||
There were a few opportunities where they could've added the one panel from the manga showing they were lovers(there was even a montage right before she got hit with the curse that would've been perfect), but they didn't, so it just feels off if you weren't already aware of their relationship. 
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Everlasting Coconut
Posts: 316 |
|
|||||||||||||
Someone here had told me about her a couple of weeks ago, but honestly, I would've had similar complaints reading the manga. She just appeared in a single panel and we know nothing about her, so her sacrifice wouldn't have made an impact on me either way. |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
dm
 Subscriber Posts: 1460 |
|
|||||||||||||
This is true. The real reason you might know to pay attention to her was an inter-chapter bit of concept art in the manga that showed her evolution from human to her cyclopean form. There are similar pages for a few of the other hollows --- Muggie is one I remember, and there is one for one of the weird pucker-eyed blobs. The pucker-eyed blob has no greater significance that I know of --- so presence in such pages isn't a guarantee that the character is one to watch out for. As to the Faputa flashback, maybe some of it is fan service for manga readers? It's presented as a flashback in the manga. I think the biggest thing we learn from that scene is a deeper understanding of Faputa's feelings about "the Hollow Child", "the Human Child", and a bit about her relation to "the Stone Person". Oh, and more about Faputa's written language. When her graffito on the drawing of Reg, Riko, and Nanashi is first presented, it seems almost threatening (a hanged man drawn atop Riko). Later we learn that this is Faputa's symbol for "treasure", and in this flashback we learn the logical progression of the symbolic forms. Some of us really like that detail-obsessive aspect of the series (though maybe not some of the details that obsess the creator of the series). |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
jdnation
Posts: 2107 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
And so ends another fine show!
Still as good as ever. My only quibble being that the entire season was spent on only one level of the abyss when I'm eager to see more. But understandably, the deeper the levels go, the more significant and impactful our time there ought to be, so my quibble is really my own impatient curiosity's fault! The sad thing is realizing that it will be a looooong time until this story continues... Doubt I'll get into the manga. The more sanitary version of the anime is my jam alongside the music. So I'm glad with the fact that the more ecchi content others talk about is left out.
Perhaps you should consider that warning your heart is telling you. It is never too late while still alive to reconsider turning to God and reassessing one's life. One thing I liken Made in Abyss to when describing it to others is Dante's Inferno. One needs to go down in order to really appreciate what it is like to then go up. Because sadly, those born into the topside of things fail to appreciate how good they have it until they lose it. So it stands to reason that those who make up paradise maintain it having become wiser thanks to their experience without it. That is the story of the Fall. Mankind had paradise, but exercised their Free Will to reject it. While this brought calamity, it also created the opportunity to exercise restraint, heroism, humility and sacrifice, and many other things such that now there is opportunity to become something greater than what we were before, but at the same time, even the possibility to fall further down. That danger must be real, or else our triumph and victories would then be hollow. And so too would be our stories. Made in Abyss can only exist in a world where there exists both love and cruelty. Choose the former, the Creator did not leave us alone and unattended, He has authored a story in which we all are players and participate in it; however unequally our role may seem in comparison to others, but that is nothing worth fretting about, as we are placed exactly where we need to be. Just do what you can within the role you were born to begin in and where circumstances have you now. You already know where to begin looking. World events are indeed heading towards a climax, be prepared for it, leave the rest to providence. |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Gem-Bug
Posts: 1306 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
Great review, James! Thank you.
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
dm
Subscriber Posts: 1460 |
|
|||||||||||||
As David Hume said: what comes after we due is probably no different from our experience of what came befits we were born. |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Philville
 Posts: 158 |
|
|||||||||||||
I'm happy for you and hope that you can mend fences. I suppose it's also a fitting choice, given how the theme of motherhood is so central to this arc (I imagine some scenes might be hard to watch together for that reason, but who knows, they might even prove to be therapeutic). Personally, I can't imagine watching MiA with anyone...
…and yet, somehow, the Wazukyan thing was over in a flash. I didn’t expect that to go down the way it did and it honestly felt like a bit of a letdown given how important the character is. On the other hand, his whole monologue about the “accumulation” of experience and personal value was very interesting. I’m just not sure how we got there in the first place.
Beautifully said. I can’t wait to actually explore the abyss itself again, as I’ve made clear before. Part of me is happy the village burned to the ground. 
Moogie basically says as much at some point (something along the lines of "what are we even doing here when we're supposed to be going on an adventure?")
Same here. In theory it did offer up resolution, tie up loose ends and allow for spiritual healing (despite all of the physical suffering) but after the incredible intensity of the previous three episodes I felt that the emotional payoff wasn’t all that satisfying. Previous episodes had me in tears, but not the finale, sadly. I did think the last shot was epic and the final words encapsulate that sense of wonder and awe I associate with the journey down the abyss, which is getting me hyped for the next arc. Having said that, I still think this series is an absolute masterpiece even if I wasn’t entirely convinced by the ending of the season.
Gotta disagree there. There are subtle variations in the tracks, even if some of them are always used in the same kind of context (like the “soothing” theme which is basically playing anytime characters aren’t in immediate danger). Since they’re motifs, certain musical phrases are repeated, but there are also meaningful nuances in the instrumentation. I was sometimes genuinely surprised by tiny changes to the music's overall formula. There’s a track that plays in Episode 11 when Nanachi is imagining Riko dying which gave me goosebumps.
There's definitely some excellent world-building, even if a lot of things intentionally remain shrouded in mystery. The same goes for narrative details like the fur being used as beast repellent and the language-related questions (like how Faputa can learn other languages so quickly). One thing they didn't really explain (though I might have missed it) was the significance of the "Iron Rain" a few episodes back when Faputa began her destruction of the village. Was that just supposed to be cool fiery rain? It sounded like it was actually something that Wazukyan had prophesied. In hindsight, I suppose more could also have been said about the origin of the Cradles of Desire, but then again the mystery is integral to the arc and I suppose they’ll have a role to play later on as well. I do think the season could have benefited from giving us even more flashbacks of Wazukyan, Belaf, Irumyuui and Vueko though (before everything went to hell), so as to flesh out their relationships. EDIT: I'm still not entirely sure what to make of Wazukyan's final prophetic words in Episode 12, especially his point about "value" as opposed to Vueko and Faputa's comments on what constitutes the "gold" or "treasure" found deep within oneself (which is what I meant in my very first post in these forums, where I suggested that exploring the abyss was also a metaphor for plumbing the depths of the self). I do think, though, that we get two slightly different philosophies or worldviews laid out in this episode: 1) On the one hand, we have Wazukyan's theory suggesting that we are basically the sum of our experiences -- that our character is shaped by what we have gone through and the decisions we make -- which is physically manifested as transactional "value" in the Village of Hollows. 2) And yet, there is also talk of being "free of the yoke of value", which suggests that "value" is far less important than the notion of "treasure", "gold" or "HAKU", which as I understand it isn't just something that is earned or shaped over time, but that is actively recognized or embraced (for example, choosing to cherish someone as Irumyuui has done with Vueko, or Faputa with Reg). The latter seems to be a sort of epiphany or revelation about what is of value to oneself -- i.e., one's personal "treasure" or inner "gold." In that sense, there are strong alchemical undertones to this arc: there's actually a line about the abyss being able to "turn junk into gold" which Vueko remembers that resonates with the overarching themes of transformation and rebirth (which is also why Irumyuui is in a sense reborn as Faputa). This is made literal when Faputa essentially evolves into the equivalent of Super Sonic, a Super Saiyan, or a legendary Pokémon (sorry for mixing my video game and anime metaphors!) -- the "golden" character design which someone complained about here. As far as I'm concerned, all of this emphasis on finding one's purpose and realizing what really matters to oneself makes it clear that despite all of the misery the show does have a lot of heart at its core. Last edited by Philville on Sun Oct 23, 2022 11:57 am; edited 3 times in total |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5498 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
Despite my mixed feelings towards season 2, I'm very satisfied with how it all came together in the end. Though I do feel uneasy that that satisfaction is from an entire village of people being killed, but given how that village came to be, this was justice done right.
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Hiroki not Takuya
Posts: 2656 |
|
|||||||||||||
So at the end, not having been caught up by the story presented this season, I wonder what happened to Riko's quest for her mother? Could the clues in S1 mean that she died in the field infected with carnivorous bugs which is where her pickax was found almost as a grave marker? Is she really dead? Or has Riko just decided that the bottom of the abyss is what she cares about now? We know Reg came up form this layer at least but is there more to this layer where he might have been from or is he from the 7th? And it seems from the denizens of the Hollows Village that no one in a very long time has come from above, maybe hundreds of years? Except Bondrewd, but what that was about we still don't know. Could it be that Riko and Co. are the only ones to make it that far in so long? Did Bondrewd kill the rest? So many questions. If someone has answers, I'd like to know, just spoiler tag (I don't get spoiled, still interesting knowing what may come). After all, if these have to wait for S3, that'll be years and I won't remember anyway (not a manga reader)... |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Electric Wooloo
Posts: 314 |
|
|||||||||||||
I won't be spoiler tagging because what I'm posting was mentioned in this season and season 1, I think you may have just forgotten them. Riko is heading towards the bottom precisely because that's where her mother is. In episode 2 or 3 of the first season when Riko and Reg are able to examine all of the possessions that came up with Lyza's white whistle there's a note that says "I'll be waiting at the bottom" Then when the two meet with Ozen she initially says Lyza is dead and her grave is in the flower field, but Ozen later amends that right before the two descend to layer 3 (Her previous statement being a half truth meant to upset Riko because of Ozen's past scorn) and she says "That grave was empty you know, after all I dug it up myself" Then when Reg sees a small field of flowers after they meet Nanachi he has a flashback of visiting the grave. In that scene it is implied that Reg dug the grave/memorial although that is less concrete than the above examples. In the movie when Reg goes shadow mode Bondrewd says that his fighting style reminds him of Lyza's as well as his speech pattern of calling things irredeemable (It may have been Ozen to mention this actually) Finally the things this season. In the market the group finds parts of Lyza's notebook indicating that she herself passes through the village. Not to mention her notebook also had details of the beasts of layer 6. And through Reg's flashbacks with Faputa we learn that 1. He was heading to the surface to find his "Haku" 2. He already had the name Reg on the way up before getting the name from Riko It's a very minor thing so I don't blame you for missing it, but the name "Reg" was also the name of Riko's old dog (She mentions that when she gives Reg his name) and one of only a few other people who might find that name noteworthy would be Lyza. So all in all (and this part is just my theory due to the above) it seems that Lyza reached the bottom and IS waiting there, she met Reg along the way (And perhaps gave him his name), taught him how to fight and had some mannerisms rub off on him, and then sent him to the top to bring Riko back down. On another note, there have been more visitors since the village was created. It's mentioned throughout the arc that the village "Is a place where delvers who have given up and decided to stay" often end up. Moogie also mentions that "the sages never talk about the history no matter how much we ask" implying that her and probably many many more villagers were not there at the start. Because if EVERYONE was from the Ganja group than Vueko's flashback would have explained nothing since everyone lived through it. Keep in mind as well that the "150 years" Wazukyan mentions is in level 6 time, and there's a substantial time dilation in the abyss (Where time moves slower further down). So 150 years for Wazukyan was probably more like 1,000 years in surface time. Lot's of time for many delvers to make their way down. |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group