“Longing sometimes gets the better of instinct” — revisiting the desires of the Made in Abyss trio (and Mitty)

“Unlike us, you’re a hollow from the old ritual site, aren’t you? You have a real life. You must have been protected by a very powerful desire.”

-Majikaja to Nanachi, Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun, Episode 3

When Majikaja loosely explains the rules of the hollows’ village, Iruburu, he also speaks of individuals’ desires and how their transformed bodies reflect those. He then turns to Nanachi and says the above, reminding Nanachi of Mitty. The more that’s uncovered of Iruburu’s rules, especially its value system and concept of what “value” means to different occupants, the more Made in Abyss‘ second season turns the lens back on its three main characters and shows their own desires and reasons for traveling.

Against the backdrop of Vueko’s words that, “longing sometimes gets the better of instinct,” it’s a good time to revisit those desires of Reg, Nanachi, and Riko. Desires and wants seem to be the deciding factor of value in Iruburu.

Return to the Abyss — Made in Abyss: the Golden City of the Scorching Sun, Episode 1

“About 1,900 years ago, a huge pit was discovered on a remote island in the southern sea of Beoluska. With a diameter of around 1,000 meters and a depth that is still unknown to this day, the mysterious formation mesmerized people. Valuable and dangerous primeval creatures and bewildering relics that are beyond comprehension beckoned adventurers looking to strike it rich, which in time gave rise to a giant city. Over the span of many years, with a spirit of adventure for the unknown and countless legends luring them in, the world’s only remaining unexplored chasm has swallowed up a great many people. It is known as the Abyss.”

–Made in Abyss, Episode 1

When we first are introduced to the city of Orth in Made in Abyss‘ initial season, there is already a well-established social hierarchy with its own societal norms. All of it involves the Abyss, around which the entire city functions. Riko and her friends are cave divers in training, and through them we learn the rules of the Abyss as well as Riko’s own personal connection to it as the season continues.

For the opening of its second broadcast season, Made in Abyss chooses to return to the initial discovery of the Abyss itself, effectively bookending the entire story while also making it abundantly clear that whatever comes next is uncharted territory not only for our protagonists in Riko, Reg, and Nanachi, but even the city of Orth itself.