In Winter 2022, Made in Abyss will return to dig deeper into the unknown universe, so here’s all you need to know before then.
With a new video teasing a Season 2 in Winter 2022, Made in Abyss is finally returning from hiatus. The popular and critically praised adventure series premiered in 2017, followed by two summary films and the 2020 film Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul, which will continue the anime tale. The allure of treasures and adventures in the Abyss will continue in Season 2 with a whole new arc and characters to adore, but for those who don’t have time to rewatch all of Season 1, here’s a quick recap of Made in Abyss and where Dawn of the Deep Soul left off.
Riko’s mother, Lyza, was an Abyss Cave Raider who attained the highest level, White Whistle, in the story so far. Riko was floated up out of the Abyss as a baby to reach the village above, where she was taken in at an orphanage, but she hasn’t been seen in ten years. Riko fantasizes about entering the Abyss, and one day, while exploring the upper regions, he meets Reg, a cyborg child who has no memory of his past but appears to have come from the depths of the Abyss. Soon after, Lyza sends a message to the top containing her White Whistle, a drawing of Reg, and a note stating that she is at the bottom of the Abyss. Riko is adamant about going to see her mother, and Reg may be the only person who can keep her alive for the voyage. The two set out, totally unprepared for what was about to happen. The Abyss is divided into six layers, each one more dangerous than the last. While the Abyss is dangerous throughout, it isn’t until the couple reaches the fourth tier that things turn truly fatal, as a creature’s attack needles Riko with lethal poison. Riko orders Reg to cut her arm off, but he only manages to break it before attempting to take Riko upstairs to safety. However, there is another hazard to being so far down in the Abyss: everyone attempting to travel back up begins to perish. Rika’s orifices begin to leak blood, and she stops breathing, which is when Nanachi, a humanoid monster that resembles a rabbit, appears.
Nanachi’s story is terrible, and she does not tell it lightly, despite her abilities to stay alive in the Abyss. She and her blobby, dumb companion, Mitty, were formerly children who were taken down into the Abyss and then quickly pulled back up as part of the White Whistle Bondrewd’s series of experiments. Nanachi and Mitty were both altered by their rapid ascension through the Abyss, and Mitty was subjected to harsh experiments that left her disfigured and in continual pain until Nanachi freed her and fled into the Abyss. Nanachi chooses to join their descent once Riko has recovered, but only after Reg has killed Mitty and put an end to her suffering.
The plot of Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul revolves around the trio’s endeavour to bypass Bondrewd in order to obtain entrance to the Abyss’ sixth and last known layer. Bondrewd surprises them by welcoming them into his base, along with his daughter Prushka, with whom Riko forms an instant attachment. The true purpose of the welcome is to examine Reg, as he is a product of the Abyss’ lowest layers, and he is abducted and mutilated, while Nanachi must confront her history with Bondrewd and the fact that, in her fear of him, she assisted him in developing a way to use people as a power source — stored in a handy little box — to increase his strength.
When Prushka learns what happened to Reg, she assists the three in escaping, but they are unable to enter the sixth layer because Riko lacks her own White Whistle. This culminates in a final encounter with Bondrewd, in which he is vanquished, but Riko discovers that Prushka was torn apart for Bondrewd to use as fuel during the fight. Prushka does manage to spit up a portion of her bone, which Riko uses to make a White Whistle, allowing her, Reg, and Nanachi to progress to the sixth layer.
Along with the original trio, Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun will introduce several new characters and may provide light on the Abyss’ mysteries, curses, and blessings. Lyza’s whereabouts, Reg’s origins, and the cause of the sickness afflicting people in the city above are all unanswered concerns for the time being, as is what the sixth layer has in store for the Cave Raiders’ motley group.
HIDIVE and Amazon Prime both have Made in Abyss available for streaming. HIDIVE is streaming Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul.
