The Capital of the Unreturned
The second episode of Made in Abyss’ second season takes us back with Team Riko, who have finally arrived at the Abyss’s sixth layer. Riko and Nanachi discuss the underground golden city. They also discuss the possibility that someone could have sent a mail balloon to the surface discussing this discovery. ..
As she walks through the city, her curiosity gets the better of her. She almost falls into a large hole, but luckily for her, Reg saves her. She thanks Reg and continues sightseeing and exploring the area. Riko ponders over this area’s origins. Her questions revolve around how the city was built and if it became fossilized in time. Essentially, she’s astounded by the incredible visuals in front of her and makes generalizations based on what she sees.
Nanachi warns Riko that it would be best for them to find a place to set up camp. This is because Nanachi senses the presence of unknown dangerous organisms. While traversing the sixth layer, Riko asks Nanachi if there’s a chance that other White Whistles traveled through the sixth layer with others. Nanachi responds that it’s possible but says it could be dangerous to talk to another White Whistle since they could turn out to be an evil person. After their altercation with Bondrewd, who could blame her for thinking that way?
Riko and her team come across a Turbinid Dragon while searching for a bite to eat. The dragon is described as being able to move between different dimensions without worrying about curses, and it is packed with poisonous defense mechanisms. Although Reg has no issues taking it on, Nanachi says they should find a weaker and less dangerous target.
The team of explorers come across a nest of Mizojacks and decide to take some of their eggs. However, the eggs appear to be old and not fresh. This doesn’t stop Riko and Reg from taking a few eggs. ..
Nanachi and the others hear a scream-like sound mixed with vibrant light. They run outside to see a large fireball continuously growing in size before bursting. They barely manage to dodge one of the fireballs, but two more fireballs grow and burst before their eyes, causing them to flee the area.
Nanachi and Riko are investigating the possibility that the Mizojacks built their nest in a geothermal vent. They wonder why the Mizojacks would choose an environment like that to build their nest. Meanwhile, Riko has managed to scavenge three of the Mizojack eggs.
We shift to Riko, Reg, and Nanachi sitting inside an abandoned cave as Riko’s preparing to cook the Mizojack eggs. After cooking them, Riko opens one of the eggs up, and the organism inside starts moving. Reg believes it’s still alive, while Nanachi argues it’s simply a reflex because boiling it wasn’t enough to break down the organism’s muscles.
Reg decides to try a bug for the first time to see if they’re poisonous or delicious. It tastes delicious even though he’s weirded out by it moving in his mouth. Riko decides to grill and coat the bug before eating it. She finds it to taste amazing after making her needed preparations. Although Nanachi is weirded out by them eating a semi-living organism, she decides to try the food out. To her surprise, she ends up loving the meal despite finding it to be too hot. ..
Riko recalls the day she and her friends Nat and Reg were taken from the orphanage during the Cave Raiding Memorial Day event. She worries if she’ll ever see them again, but Nanachi comforted her and suggests Riko send them a letter via a mail balloon. Nanachi hands Riko a drawing of her, Riko, and Reg as a gift to send to her friends in Orth. Reg’s hesitant about Nanachi including herself in the image, but Nanachi says it’d be foolish to think someone would come to the sixth layer to pursue them.
Reg and the others prepare to send off their balloon before they worry about whether or not their earlier message had reached Nat and the others. Nanachi tells Reg that their friends can have received their messages if they believe hard enough. A bird-like creature quickly nabs the mail balloon, leaving Riko distraught. Nanachi says they can try another time, and they all should get some sleep.
The morning after Riko’s Prushka whistle was stolen, Nanachi noticed that the package that was taken had been returned and that her drawing of herself and Riko had two symbols drawn on it. She was left astounded as she could not believe how the infiltrator managed to get past Reg’s arm trap, steal the package back, and avoid detection regarding Nanachi’s sharp sensory skills. ..
Reg calms Riko down and the team decides to look for the individual(s) responsible for all this. We get a select few scenes of them exploring the area until Meinya finds the carcass of three creatures. They all decide to investigate their bodies and realize their all sewn up. Upon cutting open one of the bodies, Reg discovers that Nanachi and Riko’s hair had been inserted inside. Nanachi examines her fur and Riko’s pigtails and confirms Reg’s suspicions. Although Reg grows concerned, Riko’s determination to find Prushka fuels his motivation to continue.
As they continue their search, they come across large footprints left by a bipedal creature. Reg connects this organism to Prushka through his incredible sensory skills. They all decide to follow the footprints, and stumble upon a mysterious building. Reg points out that this is a larger organism’s carcass, while Nanachi notices the same symbol that was drawn over her sketch near the entrance of the building. This symbol is placed on a flag near this mysterious building’s entrance. ..
The team heads for the entrance of this carcass, but Reg overhears the sound of someone’s voice. Nanachi tells him to forget about it and keep moving forward. They eventually reach the entryway and continue progressing. Riko notices that several bodily limbs surround them. She ponders what this could all mean. As they exit the carcass’s entrance, they are surrounded by weird-looking animals. ..
Majikaja, a strange creature who introduces himself to the cave raiders in a strange language, apologized for scaring them. He said his name was Majikaja.
Riko asks him about Prushka, but Majikaja asks them all to follow him. Although Riko is flustered, she joins the others in following Majikaja.
The Episode Review
This week’s episode of Made In Abyss recaptures the dangerous and mysterious atmosphere the series is known for exhibiting. The characters utilize their past experiences with deadly organisms to formulate proper strategies in the hopes of surviving.
The scene in which the creatures ate live organisms was disgusting, but it feels realistic in a world where survival is your priority. Even when their attempts go off without a hitch, the abyss continuously challenges them by introducing new and unexpected obstacles.
The layer’s unique design and wildlife offer a new and exciting experience for players. The creatures in this layer are also very fragile, so players need to be careful not to make too many mistakes. The flooring is also a bit weak, so players need to be careful not to fall too much.
The sixth layer looks like a giant old-fashioned relic, oozing in mystery and history. I enjoyed seeing Riko take in the visuals and speculate about their origins. While the episode spent more time showing off what each area they traversed through had to offer, what we got was immaculate and jaw-dropping. Reg, Riko, and Nanachi’s OST also contributed to this sensation, as it perfectly complimented their respective situations. ..
Although it makes sense not to get more details about Vueko and her team, I was unsure about Majikaja’s CGI design and movements. For the most part, Majikaja’s movements felt sluggish and took me out of the experience. At the same time, it’s understandable for him to move in such a manner because he looks like a worn-down machine-like organism. Regardless, this episode left me engaged and hungry for more content. I’m excited to see what Majikaja has planned for our heroes.
