Gold
Episode 12 of Made in Abyss Season 2 begins with Faputa and Juroimoh fighting off the remaining monsters that invaded Iruburu. As Faputa’s fighting her way through the mob of mindless creatures, she realizes that the power boost she attained from devouring the random Hollows from episode 11 isn’t enough. Regardless, Faputa continues gutting and tearing apart each creature, arguing that if they want to ruin her duty of murdering the other Hollow, they’ll have to get past her. We transition to the past involving Faputa’s first encounter with Gaburoon inside the same cave that would become her new home. She finds him trapped under some moss and pokes at him. He startles Faputa and tells her that he is an Interference Unit and knows that she has destroyed others like him. Although he would take action, Gaburoon says he’s broken down and cannot. He pleads with her not to harm him. After Faputa displays animalistic interactions toward him and sleeps, Gaburoon realizes she cannot communicate properly. He questions why she didn’t attack him but figures out he doesn’t harbor the same scent as the others. He wants to learn more about Faputa’s personality, appearance, and power. We transition to another scene involving Faputa helping Gaburoon collect materials to fix himself. He asks Faputa about herself. She responds that she only knows hatred and anger toward the Hollows in Iruburu. However, Faputa tells Gaburoon that she has a new hobby regarding value hunting and getting items to help Gaburoon heal himself. Faputa demands that Gaburoon teach her more about her mother’s language. Gaburoon teaches Faputa everything about value in terms of its accumulation, preciousness, and irreplaceability. This leads Gaburoon to ask her for her name, but Faputa claims she doesn’t have one. Because of her fierce stature, Gaburoon gives her the name Faputa, the princess who won’t perish. Faputa takes a second to think about it and concludes that it’s an excellent name. Faputa asks Gaburoon what his name is, but it turns out that he doesn’t have one either. Therefore, Faputa grants Gaburoon his name and explains that it means the Queen’s guardian. Gaburoon wonders if he can be her guardian since she is undeniably stronger and faster than him. Faputa refutes arguing that Gaburoon’s been protecting her this whole time, so his new name fits his character. The episode flashes forward to Nanachi, Reg, and Riko sleeping in a cave during episode two. Faputa enters the cave in a quiet demeanor and crawls over to Reg. She wonders why Reg didn’t call for her when he returned to the sixth layer. Remember, Reg had no memories of Faputa during this time. Faputa walks over to Riko and questions why she gives off the same energy as her mother. However, Faputa claims that Riko feels different from her mother, soul-wise, and takes note of her Prushka White Whistle. Before she could tamper with the whistle, Nanachi’s yawning startles her. Faputa crawls over to Nanachi and notices that she’s a Hollow. She takes a whiff of her and claims that Nanachi smells nice. Faputa wonders if Reg has a thing for Nanachi because of her scent. Faputa leaves a message behind and departs with Prushka in hand. When she’s away, she glares at the Prushka whistle and knows she can’t make her voice heard in her current form. She tells the whistle not to worry as she plans to help her fulfill her duty to unleash herself. She heads back to Gaburoon, who claims he knows someone in Iruburu who can “beautify” Prushka and help her unleash her power. Faputa trusts Gaburoon will help Prushka attain a better form. Faputa argues that Prushka’s disappearance will lead the others to discover Iruburu and hopefully help Reg remember his past endeavors with Faputa. Gaburoon asks Faputa why she did not confront Reg and the others directly. Faputa claims that she doesn’t like it when there are many people staring at her. This leads to humorous banter between Gaburoon and Faputa as we transition back to the present. We see Gaburoon’s lifeless corpse on the ground as Faputa continues her assault on the mindless creatures and both turbinid dragons. Meanwhile, Riko awakens, and Maaa, Moogie, and the innkeeper Hollow greet her. She finds out they’re traveling away from the scene atop Majikaja, who has taken a carriage-like form. Riko asks Moogie if Nanachi and Reg are okay, and Moogie points her toward them. Riko apologizes to Reg for forcing him to fight Faputa while he apologizes for not stopping her. Moogie tells them not to worry about anything as none of it is entirely their fault. Moogie informs them that it’s best to confront the man responsible for roping them all into this. That individual is Wazukyan. Riko and friends arrive to find Wazukyan alone and in a cocoon-like state. Wazukyan greets them but says he’ll depart from this world soon since he’s utilized all the power he had left. Wazukyan claims that everything has transpired because everyone decided to care for each other and take action. Wazukyan asks Riko if she adored coming to Iruburu, to which she agrees. Riko claims that she made the correct choice in leaving her homeland with Reg, as entering the sixth layer allowed her to establish new bonds with others and encounter wildlife she’d dream of meeting. Nanachi asks Wazukyan to explain his final plans for Iruburu, Faputa, the Hollows, and himself. Wazukyan explains that his goal was to become something that’s beyond human. He argues that his plan involved multiple steps. These involved transforming into a Hollow and learning to manage their newfound body and powers. This would ultimately come with a perk, allowing them to thrive without the sixth layer’s curse dramatically affecting their body. As Wazukyan widdles away, he asks Nanachi, Riko, and Reg to take care of Faputa for him and be careful treading forward. After Wazukyan perishes, everyone hears a loud roar coming from above. Nanachi feels it’s coming from Faputa, who lets out another loud battle cry. Moogie picks up on it and assumes Faputa is requesting their arrival back to the battlefield. Moogie tells Riko that they’ve got to go back. Although Moogie felt her initial roars were calls to destroy them, she gets the feeling that these are signaling Faputa’s cries for help. Moogie wishes to be the one to decide her fate, regardless if it ends on a brutal note. Reg thanks the Innkeeper for her help with packaging, and we learn from Riko that their name is Mepopopon. Majikaja and another Hollow named, Pakkoyan warn everyone to hop on top of Majikaja as time’s running out. Pakkoyan tells the others that Vueko’s gone missing as she should’ve been with Wazukyan. As everyone hopes aboard the Majikaja express, Moogie hands Riko the same letter she was trying to buy from the merchant (Gaume) in one of the earlier episodes. Apparently, Moogie and Majikaja used Faputa’s severed arms Reg gave them as a bargaining tool to get the letter from Gaume. Riko looks over at Maaa and asks if Maaa regrets joining by her side. Maaa lets out a happy noise alerting Riko that she has no regrets. We then see Riko and her friends embark on a mini-quest to find Vueko. Meanwhile, Vueko is heading back to the battlefield as she’s worried about everyone’s safety. She asks why she’s so attached to Riko after only knowing her for a short time. She values Riko’s bravery, leadership, and willingness to offer adventure to those different from herself. Vueko recounts the one decision in her life that she doesn’t regret, and that’s joining the Ganja and meeting all the wonderful people in her life, including Irumyuui. While lost in her fond memories, Vueko notices that her body’s beginning to change its form, transforming her into a deformed Hollow. Vueko sees that the wall protecting everyone in Iruburu has been destroyed, allowing the sixth layer’s curse to take effect. As she grotesquely transforms and mentally apologizes to Irumyuui, she falls asleep only to be awakened seconds later by Pakkoyan. Pakkoyan picks her up and attempts to take her to Riko and her friends. After some time, Pakkoyan notices that Vueko’s body is slowly fading away and decides to toss her down the stairs–near a visible entryway. As Pakkoyan fades away, Nanachi leaps off Majikaja and heads to Vueko. Nanachi’s shocked to see Vueko’s disgusting Hollow form and notices a misty essence representing the sixth layer’s curse: loss of humanity has entered Iruburu. Nanachi tells Reg via a walkie-talkie-like device to head to Faputa’s location. She picks up Vueko’s body and takes her over to Majikaja and the others. Riko asks what happened to Vueko and Pakkoyan, but Nanachi says she’ll explain everything to them along the way. Nanachi promises Vueko that she will take her to meet Faputa soon. Meanwhile, we see the mindless monsters feasting upon Joroimoh’s lifeless corpse as one of the turbinid dragons walks over and spits out a blood ball. This ball turns out to be Faputa, who is infuriated that she can’t take down the dragon. Even though it’s not immortal, she gives the dragon its dues for being able to handle her strength. Faputa uses one of her mother’s balancing creatures to heal her wounds in the meantime. Before she strikes, Reg comes to her steed. Although she’s happy that Reg showed up, she becomes appalled that he showed up. Reg apologies for not understanding her duty and downplaying her determination. He tells Faputa to head for Riko’s group. Reg promises to handle the turbinid dragons while she handles her business with them. Although Faputa wants to confess something to Reg, he warns her that she needs to hurry. Faputa flees as Reg’s bothered about the situation he’s found himself in. Reg left behind one of his arms to inform Riko when it was the right moment to use Prushka’s whistle. Riko blows the whistle and falls unconscious, resulting in Reg dawning his white-knight power-up. Reg begins his assault on the turbinid dragons as Faputa makes it to Riko and the others. Faputa notices Vueko’s Hollow state and informs Nanachi that she will handle her business with her later. Faputa thanks Moogie and the others for showing up and plans to devour them to attain more of her mother’s value. This will allow her to carry out her duty to destroy Iruburu and learn more about her mother’s wishes. She also plans to crush the mindless monsters who interfered with her plan. Moogie tells Faputa that they’re all willing to relinquish themselves to allow Faputa to carry out her plan. As Faputa begins to feast upon Moogie and the others, Reg manages to get both turbinid dragons outside of Iruburu’s boundaries. He leads them toward a bridge made up of Wazukyan’s parts and concludes that Wazukyan planned for them to enter Iruburu. Reg uses one of his arms as a leash and pulls the bridge apart, resulting in the turbinid dragons falling hard toward the ground. At the same time, Faputa finishes her Hollow meal and utilizes her mother’s value attained from Moogie and the others to carry out her plan. Faputa might causes Iruburu to crumble, leading to many large rocks tumbling and falling from the skies. While aboard Majikaja, Nanachi tells him to run for it and informs Maaa to protect Riko from incoming rocks. Meanwhile, we peer into Vueko’s mind as she glares at Faputa. Vueko claims she can’t forgive herself for eating her children and not dying alongside her. While inside Irumyuui’s head, Vueko learned that Irumyuui wanted children and a loving mother. Vueko thanks Irumyuui for all she’s done for her and is happy she met her. While Vueko continues monologuing, Iruburu falls apart due to Faputa’s fierce might. Reg manages to catch up with the others and protects them from large rocks as Majikaja rushes away from the scene. Some time passes as more rocks continue falling from the highest points of Iruburu. Some monsters get crushed as we turn toward Faputa, who has finished her duty. Faputa gets knocked into a large hole by a rock and recounts that she has no energy left. We transition back to when Faputa encountered Riko, Moogie, and the others. She reiterates how she’ll deal with Vueko later and respects Moogie and the others for helping her carry out her mission. As for Majikaja and Maaa, Faputa tells them to help Riko and her friends escape from Iruburu. Back in the present, Faputa wonders if she made the right choice in not devouring Maaa and Majikaja at that time. Eating them would’ve given her extra strength. However, she throws that idea away as she’s just glad that it’s all over. Before Faputa could fall to her demise, Reg saves her and drags her aboard Majikaja. At the same time, Iruburu continues crumbling as Maaa looks over at Riko. Riko reveals to Maaa that she made him the similar looking stuffed-animal toy that Maaa lost during their balancing ritual in the past. Maaa looks on gleefully as Reg continues swinging his arms around to deflect any incoming rocks. Unfortunately, Majikaja stops and informs them that one of his legs has become injured. Knowing he can’t go on, Majikaja sacrifices his life force and inserts his remaining strength inside Faputa’s body. This allows him to control Faputa for a short period of time before he disappears. Meanwhile, Maaa comforts Riko one last time and ends up vanishing off-screen. Reg opens Majikaja’s closed backside and tells Riko and Nanachi to look at the turbinid dragons. After falling to their doom, one turbinid dragon got severely wounded while the other remained perfectly fine. Although the wounded dragon calls for help, the healthier one ends up murdering it and departing from the area. This encourages the remaining monsters to feast on the dead dragon. Afterward, Riko and her friends find a nearby cave and wait for Faputa to regain control over her body. Upon awakening, she felt like she was awakening from a strange dream. Then Vueko approaches her as Faputa wasn’t expecting her and Vueko to be the only ones left alive. Meanwhile, Riko glares at the toy she made for Maaa, accepting that Maaa is no longer with them. Nanachi informs Riko that they’ve all returned to the abyss from the eternal cradle. Riko tells Nanachi not to worry as she’ll remember the fond times she spent with them. Faputa comforts Vueko and tells her it’s okay if she doesn’t speak, as she can hear her thoughts. Faputa claims that she didn’t know about Vueko until she attained Belaf’s scent. Faputa asks Vueko to tell her what her mother was like and if she resembles her in any way. Vueko internally tells Faputa about her interactions with Irumyuui. She states that Faputa and Irumyuui weren’t alike in personality. However, she feels both have this sense of softness. Faputa acknowledges how much Vueko meant to her mother, even sharing that it was the one thing she wouldn’t hand over to her. Vueko tells Faputa that she changed her for the better and sadly passes away in Faputa’s arms. Faputa lays Vueko down with tears flooding her eyes. The others rush over to comfort Faputa, who can’t fathom why she’s feeling so hurt over Vueko’s death. We transition outside the cave, where the others note that the monsters are no longer around. Iruburu’s scent probably drew the others’ attention, Nanachi informs them. Instead of devouring Vueko, Faputa decides to bury Vueko’s body and builds her a grave. After the grave’s complete, Faputa places a few stones on Vueko’s burial, acting as Vueko’s companions so she won’t be lonely. This action leads Faputa to remember Gaburoon and cry. Reg rushes over and offers Faputa a chance to tag along with them on their journey. Although Faputa’s flattered at first, she still doesn’t forgive Reg for forgetting her and their promise. Reg acknowledges his mistakes and mentions that he’s apologized numerous times for those mistakes. Faputa and Reg exchange meaningful rebuttals against each other until Reg breaks down and offers his hand to Faputa. Faputa rushes over to Riko and asks her if it’s her duty to cherish those she encounters, as this is something Prushka told her. Riko asks Faputa if she can really understand what Prushka is saying inside the whistle. Faputa responds in a manner similar to Prushka’s, confirming Riko’s assumption. Faputa informs them that Reg bears a similar ounce of kindness as the day she met him. Afterward, Faputa says she plans to depart from the group. She wishes to observe, touch, and gather things along the way. Reg asks Faputa if this means she doesn’t want to travel with them. Faputa smiles and says she’ll think about it. This leads to Reg and Faputa jumping around as the others giggle. At the same time, Vueko monologues about Faputa’s past journey, saying that she’s not free to do anything else. The episode concludes with a shot of Riko and friends staring out into the distance alongside Faputa, who remarks that she’ll be seeing everyone later.
The Episode Review
This was an intriguing and emotional way to end Made In Abyss’s second season. I went into it expecting a grand time, considering the build-up and anticipation it received after episode 11 aired. Unlike prior episodes, this episode featured a longer run-time of about 45+ minutes, probably to cover any essential elements from the source material. While the season finale does wrap up some of our new characters’ storylines well, there are some problems too. For instance, I wasn’t a fan of how Wazukyan’s tale ended with him dying off peacefully. While his actions are justifiable and his later actions noble, I feel somewhat mixed about how he went out. On that note, this episode’s pacing felt rushed regarding the other Hollows’ death scenes. Despite most of their sacrifices serving a plot purpose, I can’t help but feel dissatisfied with how they handled each Hollow before they perished. For example, it could have been more impactful if we received a scene of Moogie or Maga reminiscing about their time in Iruburu or with Riko and friends. Seeing characters like them die off-screen felt like a disservice. Otherwise, this was a brilliant way to conclude this season. I couldn’t help but tear up after the segment between Faputa and Vueko. With the excessive close-ups, flashbacks, and beautiful soundtrack by composer Kevin Penkin, it was difficult not to draw a single tear during this episode. Although Faputa claims she’ll ponder joining Reg and her friends on their journey, it’s safe to assume she will. After completing her goal, she no longer has the burden of carrying out anyone’s wishes anymore. Considering the dangers that await Riko and her friends in the abyss, it’d be beneficial for them to acquire someone as capable as Faputa on their journey. As future seasons unfold, I look forward to seeing what other devastating and intriguing mishaps our protagonists will encounter.
