Village of the Hollows
In the third episode of Made in Abyss, we follow Reg, Riko, and Nanachi as they follow the Majikaja. This creature is mysterious and seems to be following them. What does it want?
Riko stops during their exploration because she is worried about being affected by the curse of the abyss. Nanachi quells Riko’s fears by telling her that the force field doesn’t exist in this area. This means the curse can’t hurt her. However, she warns Reg to cover them since she also can’t sense any consciousnesses in the area. ..
They discuss the Hollows lurking behind them and Majikaja. They also ponder if Bondrewd or the other White Whistles had something to do with these Hollows “state of being.” However, Nanachi suggests they continue following Majikaja instead.
Majikaja and Team Riko arrive at Prushka’s location. They find a Hollow breaking apart the Prushka whistle. Before Reg attacks it, Riko tells him to calm down because she senses that Prushka isn’t in danger. Majikaja confirms Riko’s feelings. He tells them that the Hollow is trying to fix Prushka and possibly turn her back to normal. Riko glances at Prushka and accepts Majikaja’s explanation.
Majikaja offers to give them a brief tour of their homeland. Yet again, Team Riko decide to follow behind Majikaja. During their outing, Reg asks Majikaja about his status. Majikaja informs them all that he is a Hollow like Nanachi. However, he confirms that his robotic body is only a vessel, as he’s made entirely of smells.
The three strangers arrive at the marketplace of value. They are bewildered by what they see. Riko looks at some of its booths. Some shops sell antique weaponry like Cave Raider gear and weapons. Upon closer inspection, Riko discovers someone is selling a piece of her mother’s letter.
The shopkeeper is upset because she’s touching his items. Riko is flabbergasted, but Majikaja confirms that she can’t interact with objects that hold value without permission. This encourages Riko to look through her belongings to find something valuable to sell to the shopkeeper.
Majikaja stops Riko. He tells her that she must fork over one of her body parts because she herself is worth a higher value. Of course, Riko denies the offer. Majikaja is upset since he desires some human organs for himself. He also explains that stealing “values” is a great crime in this city.
While Majikaja is preoccupied, Riko, Reg, and Nanachi huddle together to discuss some things. To gain information, Reg suggests pretending to be interested in the products the shopkeepers sell. Nanachi and Riko agree with Reg, and they all continue exploring the marketplace. ..
As they walk past each booth, Majikaja gives Team Riko intel about each shopkeeper and what they barter. He also gives them a brief overview regarding Hollows in this place.
The Hollows are creatures that take on the form of their desires. When they turn into Hollows, they become bound to this area and cannot leave it. In return, they receive protection and a body in line with their desires.
Majikaja turns to Nanachi and remarks that she’s lucky to have been bestowed with a blessing. Suddenly, all the civilians of the city gather around Team Riko. During all this, Meiyna ends up hopping over some Hollows’ heads, and one of them catches her.
Riko panics as the Hollow squeezes Meiyna until her eyes start bulging and her head falls to the ground. Riko and Nanachi rush to Meiyna’s aid as Riko cries. Thankfully, Meiyna is still alive, despite some of her intestines protruding. Nanachi pokes them back inside. ..
Majikaja asks Riko what Meiyna’s value is. Riko tells him that Meiyna is not something worth bartering, giving Majikaja the idea that she’s “not valuable at all.” Suddenly, a loud shrieking noise echoes through the environment as Majikaja notes that the “balancing” is about to start. ..
The Hollow tries to make a run for it, but gets caught by a strange black sludge-like organism. This organism begins vandalizing this Hollow’s body. Majikaja explains to Team Riko that because the Hollow caused damage to a “value” that exceeds their own, they must sacrifice everything they have equal to the damaged value’s quality.
According to Majikaja, the Hollows are losing their possessions and knowledge at an alarming rate, and he can do nothing to stop it. He believes that this is the village’s way of protecting itself, but things become much worse for the robber Hollow as black organisms start eating away at its flesh. ..
Nanachi questions Majikaja about Prushka. She wonders why the village’s darkened organisms didn’t protect her from being stolen. Prushka wasn’t stolen within the village’s boundaries, so its powers couldn’t protect her. This allows Nanachi to remove any doubts she had about these Hollows being the ones who took Prushka.
Riko is rewarded for helping Meiyna by receiving coins from Majikaja. The group is then led to a lodging by Hollows after Majikaja leaves. ..
Upon arriving in town, Riko uses the coins she had saved up to rent a room and some food. Several hours later, Riko develops a stomach ache from the food. She rushes to the restroom, where Nanachi and Reg decide to leave her to handle her “duties” while they go find some medicine for her. ..
Majikaja tells them that the Quincy are attacking a village. ..
Majikaja explains that Faputa is causing all this commotion. He explains, that everyone wants to see her because she is the embodiment of value, who can go anywhere she wants without perishing. Nanachi wonders if Faputa was responsible for kidnapping Prushka and leaving the note in the cave from episode 2.
Nanachi tells Reg to interrogate Faputa alone, as she’ll focus on finding things for Riko and Meiyna. After Reg departs, Nanachi asks Majikaja to help her find a food shop. Majikaja tells Nanachi that she’s the Princess of the Hollows. ..
The Ganja Suicide Corps (Vueko’s team) arrive at the Golden City. They encounter the Hollows and have trouble communicating with them. Fortunately for them, these Hollows mean our travelers no harm and ask them all to follow them. ..
As they traverse the vast landscape, they all marvel at the different scenes floating about. Suddenly, a massive dragon swoops in and eats one of the Hollows. This startles the Ganja, who now realize that they’re in for a frightening and terrifying time. And this is where our episode concludes. ..
The Episode Review
This episode of Made In Abyss is a tour de force of anime storytelling. It starts with a cheery vibe and gradually spirals into something horrifying and grotesque. These scenes shook me to the core and left me wondering what would happen next.
The sound design in this episode is excellent. The Hollow’s shrieking cries are well-utilized to create a dark tone in the series. The soundtrack also incorporates for its more peaceful moments.
This episode also offers some incredible world-building regarding the Hollows’ origins and the laws set in stone for their village. The village itself is well-designed, with a rich history and interesting characters. This is all thanks to Majikaja’s explanation and the actions it takes to punish the robber Hollow. ..
Anime that features creatures not typically found in adventure and fantasy genres can help add to the mystery of the abyss. ..
However, there are some negatives. I wasn’t a fan of how Riko, Nanachi, and Reg looked during many parts of this episode. Occasionally, their character designs seem a bit unpolished and off-putting in motion. ..
Some fans of the game feel that the ending could have been more powerful if it concluded with Faputa towering over Reg. It would’ve made Majikaja’s dialogue about Faputa’s royalty feel more powerful and impactful. ..
This episode was a joy to watch. Hopefully, the episodes to come will conclude on a more dramatic note.
