Made in Abyss season 2 was the embodiment of a roller coaster ride. So many ups and downs and elements that we finally know are here to stay with the team and be a part of this journey.
Here, I was going to give this season a 6. It was not an adventure; it was not about the kids; it was not about seeing the wonders of the pit or even having a new great character. It was about the "village," and it was way different from the village we sat in Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
As someone who still enjoys the flashbacks of the first season, I wasn't ready to have the kids settle in a static environment for almost 12 episodes and to go aside and let the entirety of the village be the main character of this season. At first, I didn't mind it. The pacing was way better than in the last movie, and the village was more lively than the dark bunker.
But still, something was not right. What I was watching was not a story about an adventure. It was a mediocre documentary about a cannibal village. At this point, the looks and the art style were the only things the second season had left. But yeah, there was a second storyline. Vuelo's storyline was fresh air in a season where almost everything good about the show was absent. And yet, the writers somehow managed to fail this one too.
When there are two asynchronous storylines in a story, you know they will somehow fust together in a twist. Then you can have that little sense of joy when two characters from two different lines interact. Yet again, not only did the writers completely throw the second storyline out of the window but the way they pushed their unfinished work through a single flashback destroyed the build-up for the big mystery and the fusion of storylines.
Yet, with all that being said, the last two episodes finally brought back the show I knew and loved. The last few episodes were too reliant on the shock and gore elements. The show could do even better if they'd decided to reduce the amount of gore in the last three episodes.
But with all that being said, the writers somehow managed to write a likable character. The "raw" hollow princess finally turned into a respectable and relatable female who'd nail it every time she said sosu. I couldn't care less for her mother or her mother's mother figure. The writers killed the hype for the Vuelo-Irumyuui story. When they somehow connected them to Faputa, I was more willing to skip the fake drama they were trying to shove down everyone's throat.
But then, they managed to give us a real character drama from Faputa's side. No, I'm not talking about the what-is-my-duty-after-the-genocide one. The chemistry between Faputa and Reg drew both characters out of their flatness. It gave them deeper dimensions to be represented, and it worked out well for both of them.
I wouldn't say I liked the first half of the first season either,, but still, its magic managed to find a way to my heart. Season 2, even without that special magic of the series, managed to do better and better throughout its second half and gave birth to a new great character while deepening our ties with our heroes.
