I thought that as long as our protagonist duo were taking a break at the Seeker Camp, things would be quite peaceful. But nope! Made in Abyss spiraled downwards once again in this anxiety-inducing episode. It was just full of suspense and surprises!
Japanese Original Episode Title: 不動卿
After the scare Riko had from seeing a monster moving in the Seeker Camp at night, Ozen indulged her by answering her question on what it is. However, the truth seemed to be too much of a shocker for her and her friends! Actually, it was the same for me! Plus, Ozen ended up showing her true colors, starting by trying to dispose of Reg, which was another shocker!
The truth about Riko: Goodness gracious. Here I thought it was a miracle that Lyza was able to carry a baby through dangerous territory for nine whole months, and that the baby managed to survive and live up to this day. But now we found out that the story Leader told Riko about her birth was only one part of it! Who better to tell the whole thing than Ozen, the one who was personally there, but then she dropped one heck of a truth bomb! Riko was born dead, but she was revived thanks to the relic, so she’s literally a miracle baby! However, after being compared to the meat Ozen put in the relic out of spite, then remembering what it looked like when it was reanimated, it’s now quite hard not getting the image of a zombie, don’t you think? Or if you take into account Ozen’s theory that Riko might drop dead like the meat anytime soon, the image of a wind-up doll can also comes to mind. No wonder the poor girl was so shocked and traumatized at what she found out! Though, Habo seemed to know about this truth, too. Now I’m wondering if the reason why the adults let Riko go off on such a dangerous adventure with Reg was because they knew that she might die early and not have a chance to fulfill her dream anymore.
White Whistle vs. Aubade?: We now also know why Habo warned them about Ozen: she completely ruined the day even further by outright fighting with the kids! A grown woman more than 50 years old bullied a 12-year-old girl and a robot boy! Reg was right, she really is immature, but she’s also deadly! She didn’t hold back in threatening them, ‘flicking’ Riko away without caring if she’d be injured, nor throwing Reg on the floor like a sack of rice! And to think that, so far, Reg’s mechanical body and features have been very effective against the creatures of the Abyss that they’ve encountered. But here he was, no match for Ozen, and she even said the creatures at the deeper levels were much tougher and more cunning than her! No wonder she felt the need to deceive them to test their abilities (specifically Reg’s), and their resolve (specifically Riko’s). Thanks to that, they learned that they really do have lots to improve on so their chances at survival will increase.
The Unmovable Sovereign: Guess even in a sci-fi fantasy show like this, it’s impossible for super humans to exist naturally, unless you’re an Aubade like Reg. However, because of the mysterious relics from the Abyss, you can artificially give someone superhuman strength and youthful vigor! Ozen’s arms looked painful though. Do they feel painful, too? I also wonder how many other cave raiders possess their own relics to help them in their journeys, or were White Whistles the only ones allowed to? Nat and Shiggy asked Habo about Ozen’s like it was common knowledge, after all. Did Lyza have her own relic as well?
Ozen and Lyza: I never knew that Ozen was so old, so I never imagined she’d have quite a close relationship with Lyza all the way back from when Lyza was still about Riko’s age! Makes me think if Ozen had been like a mother or a big sister to her, too, aside from being a mentor, though given the elder one’s personality, it might be unlikely. But still, I thought their friendship was just due to both of them being White Whistles! It’s really an amazing surprise. With this, despite how she acted towards Riko before, deceit or not, I’m certain that Ozen really does care about her too. She wouldn’t have bothered going through all that trouble just to save impulsive children going on a suicide mission, right? She could’ve just let the two be, or she could’ve just immediately sent them back to the surface after lying about her mother’s fate. But instead, she chose to train the two, just like how she took Lyza under her wing before, and even told them the truth of the possibility that Lyza’s still really alive and waiting for her daughter.
Secret test: Ozen’s unpredictability all throughout their time in the Seeker Camp made it very easy to fool our duo, as well as the audience, that her sudden aggressiveness was just to test them! To think that such deceitful training methods are already very common in stories, but I was just so caught up with what was happening that it never really occurred to me!
Youthful-looking elders: This trope exists in a lot of other stories too, and now Ozen adds to the list! However, while she does share this trait with many others, she’s one of the few I know where her youthful look isn’t made for fan service. She actually still looks like the adult she is, and a strong one at that!
Oh man, I don’t even know where to begin! Everything was just so well planned out: the story, the cinematography, the animation! Like with seeing Reg beaten up badly, only for us to find out that he actually fainted after using his Incinerator and Ozen was trying to wake him up! I thought that she was really out for the kill! The woman sure knows how to act like she means it.
Another thing that stood out to me in this episode were the voice-acting! Everyone did such a good job, but most notably Mariya Ise, who handled Reg’s emotional lines really well!
The spot where Riko and Reg have to survive in seemed quite safe when you look at it from the surface, but the Abyss has been nothing but unpredictable lately, so I’m sure we’re still going to be in for a surprise!
In any case, how did you like Ozen’s test? Did you almost get a heart-attack like I did because of the tension? Or did you already anticipate it from the start? Let me know in the comments section! The rest of our Summer 2017 reviews are worth checking out too. You can also check official anime screenshots from the episode at our Made in Abyss Episode 7 Stills and Summary.
NEXT TIME: Survival Training (生存訓練)
Official Site: http://miabyss.com/
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The first season of the new year is just one month away from its finale. It was a great start with many amazing titles that made these past months worth the extra hours we put in front of our sets. Now, it is time for the cold wind to give way to the pink hues of the sakura tree and for the Winter 2018 season to give the anime baton to Spring 2018.
