Made in Abyss Episode 6 Review: Seeker Camp

Two new interesting characters appeared in Made in Abyss, and they both met my expectations of them in a way, but at the same time they didn’t! Even the general theme in this episode was what I expected, but there was still an alarming surprise somewhere in between!

Japanese Original Episode Title: 監視基地[シーカーキャンプ]

Plot

Riko and Reg have finally arrived at the Seeker Camp to get a brief respite, as well as gather information about Lyza from the person who closely worked with her, Ozen! But Habo’s warning about the last White Whistle wasn’t without basis, because the woman was rude! Her assistant Marulk, however, was kind, and proved a good comfort to the two, so it wasn’t all that bad. Their short stay at the Camp would’ve gone without a hitch, except that Riko saw something that shouldn’t have been in a safe place like that.

Episode Highlights

The Seeker Camp: I didn’t think anyone could live nicely in the Abyss given its horrors and its effects to the human body. But, somehow or the other, the Seeker Camp was set up in the best place: inside a giant tree that can sustain itself, perfectly accessible for cave raiders coming down and going back up where they can be safe from creatures that want to eat them alive. It’s definitely a sanctuary for them! Looks pretty homey inside too, complete with flowing water! You’d think that’d be hard to pull-off in such a place, but they have it. I say that’s an indication that they’ve got everything they need! No wonder Ozen and Marulk managed to live there without going up for long!

Ozen and Marulk: Speaking of the hosts, let’s start with Ozen, who seemed like a really interesting character, both inside and out. She was super tall compared to the kids! I actually want to see her next to the adults now just to see if she really is that tall. Her hair and outfit said quite a bit about her sense of style which mirrored her personality quite well. She mostly acted cold and sarcastic whenever she talked to Riko and Reg, even mentioning having thoughts of abandoning baby Riko back then! She was probably just being honest, but was that really an appropriate thing to say to the child in question? I also found it very interesting that at certain times, she was depicted with quite a horrifying and menacing face. Is there a specific reason for that or it’s just because of her character? Meanwhile, there’s Marulk who’s such a sweet…girl? Boy? Reg’s question and Marulk’s reaction at seeing a naked Riko made it vague, huh? (Let’s just use they/them!) Anyway, they were super cute and soft-spoken, and it looked like they really enjoyed having children the same age as them to talk to! I wish I could see them interact more with their Master, though, so we can see if Ozen really does take care of them well. Though, I’ve just got one question: if Marulk is really a boy, why did she make him wear such a cute outfit? Is Ozen really that eccentric?

Monster in the night: What in the world was that thing lurking there in the dark? That was horrifying! It was like an experiment that had gone wrong! The creatures of the Abyss that we’ve seen so far looked cute compared to that grotesque thing! How did it even get in there? Why didn’t it follow Riko all the way when she ran? Ozen seemed to know what she was talking about, but why? What was the secret behind it? More questions!

Real talk: Even though Ozen’s attitude was really hard to understand, there was one thing normal about her compared to the other adults. While they surprisingly cheered on Riko, with a test to escape the search party and even offering to help them get to the Second Layer safely, Ozen, on the other hand, tried to stop her. It was harsh, yes, but she only told the facts as someone who knew Lyza for a long time and as the person who discovered her things. For once, someone (aside from Nat) was finally stopping a child from going through more hell just based on ‘what if’.

Themes & Trivia

Wishful thinking vs. facing facts: There’s nothing wrong with having hope; in fact, in this world, it’s better to be hopeful because it’ll help you keep going despite the trials and hardships. However, it’s also important to be logical, to consider the facts first before deciding on a course of action. I believe we can’t live without both hope and logic, as too much hope will make us go for anything impulsively, while too much logic will make life unbearable. In Riko and Ozen’s case, the latter is just balancing everything out, in my opinion.

Comments

Would it be repetitive if I said once again that this show never ceases to amaze me? This whole episode turned out as I thought it would: peaceful since our protagonists are at a stop-over, but they’ll encounter some problems with Ozen. However, it also still kept me on my toes with all the surprises, like Marulk’s gender, and that hideous monster! Then it had the gall to end on an eerie cliffhanger. I didn’t know what to do with myself afterwards! The anime just really knows how to keep things intriguing and make the viewers keep asking questions!

What’s the secret?

Ending the episode with that white box/plane, I hope it’s something like a key item! How is it connected to that grotesque monster that Riko saw that is trying to stop her and Reg from continuing their journey? We have to wait another week just to find out the answers!

In the meantime, I’m very interested to hear your thoughts on the new characters and the events that transpired! The rest of our Summer 2017 reviews are amazing too, so take some time to read them! You can also check official anime screenshots from the episode at our Made in Abyss Episode 6 Stills and Summary.