| Spoilers for Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul throughout. I'll be talking about it assuming you've watched both the anime and movie or read the manga. Made in Abyss is definitely worth a watch/read so if you have any inkling to do so I'd recommend it! Before I begin, I'd just like to say fuck Bondrewd. He is a horrific monster of a barely human that the world would be better without. Now let's talk about how he's full of love and affection for all the children he's murdered. Coming into the movie the only thing we know about spooky-mask-man Bondrewd is that his experiments were responsible for Mitty turning into a hollow. In the name of science he's taken dozens of childred and performed brutal experiments on them. Killing many and dooming others to an immortal life as a lump of flesh with no sense of self. Given that the buildup to his reveal is appropriately spooky and mysterious. We first see the strange suited figure that burns the beatiful field of flowers to the ground to get rid of the dangerous insects. Then the massive and beautiful Idofront looming ominously in the distance. Then, Prushka. It's not some imposing figure that greets our trio but an adorable young girl. Of course this strange levity doesn't last long. The moment Bondrewd is present everyone freezes in horror until the strangest thing happens. Prushka runs up to him, ecstatic, and gives him a hug. What? How can someone possibly have so much affection for this asshole? He even seems to reciprocate it. She can't possibly know right? About all the horrific things he's done. Of course, she doesn't. Later when it's revealed Reg was kidnapped for experimentation she at first doesn't believe her Papa could possibly have been involved. Still, it's not like he could have earned that affection by being consistently cold-hearted right? His first conversation with Nanachi takes this even further. It's almost as if he's... kind. He's happy to see her again. He talks about such lofty concepts as family, saying "Having souls that love each other is what makes people family." right after stating in no uncertain terms that Prushka is indeed his daughter. (while staring at his wall of flesh lamps, each representing a kid like Mitty) When Nanachi asks that he not hurt Reg and Riko though, he says "It seems I have done something regrettable." A paltry sentiment considering the abuse he put Reg through it's nonetheless impressive that he can even experience regret. Skipping past some more of Bondrewd's atrocities, at the bottom a massive pit where all the other Mittie's are, he starts doing this strangest things again. He starts giving their names. He remembers all of them. The same with the cartridges, he even comments that one of them wanted to be a princess. This is also where we learn how Prushka came to be Bondrewd's daughter, and came to love him. He let her live as a child on the verge of death, gave her nothing but kind affection her whole life. Cared for her as if she truly was his own daughter. She loved him even while he hacked away at her body. Tore off her limbs, ripped her open until she was a loose sack of barely conscious organs and stuffed her in a suitcase to only ever experience suffering and the curse of the abyss again. He loved her the whole time. A good question to ask might be "why?" Why does this shell of a man driven insane by the abyss and Zoaholic, who doesn't give a damn about the suffering of others, love? I think he says it himself every time he talked about how love was the key to his research. Bondrewd only loves as a tool. His every thought and action is focused exclusively on traversing the abyss. Nothing else matters to him, not even himself. He went go so far as to kill himself to try and attain a white whistle. The reason he raised Prushka as his daughter was so he could stuff her in a suitcase and use her to receive the "blessing" of the abyss. If fear was the way to attain his goals this would be a very different discussion. Even after he's defeated, after he's lost everything, descending the abyss is still all that's on his mind. Even if it's not him that'll do it, saying to Nanachi "That you will all continue on beyond here is my new aspiration." Maybe before Zoaholic, before the abyss, he was a more compassionate man. There's definitely a lot more in this movie to talk about, like the parallels between the main trio and Bondrewd, Nanachi's relationship with him, the fantastic horror, but this aspect stood out in particular. |
| looks like a lit review but I should probably actually finish made in abyss |
| I'd love to contribute but I sadly haven't completed the movie addition to the franchise. |
| Enjoy! |
| After completing the film, I completely agree with your sentiment on Bondrewd. This guys is one of the most abhorrent, inhumane sacks of shit I’ve seen in anime, and the atrocities he’s committed are honestly impalpable. Behind his feigned demeanor, his actions and selfish ideologies are indicative of his true depravity. (I really enjoy how the film constructs this sinister, mystic atmosphere and elaborates on the umbra hands) |
swardLSep 27, 2020 8:26 AM
| Enjoy! |
| Just watched the movie today and damn it was good. Specifically about Bondrewd though, one thing I really liked about him was how much he reminded me of Erwin Smith from Attack on Titan, one of my favorite characters. Both characters do some horrendous acts in the name of the greater good, and both of them have some awesome levels of determination for achieving their goal. It's honestly a little terrifying how similar these two are, and I think that's because Bondrewd kind of represents what could happen when this intense determination is directed towards the wrong goals. Sure Erwin let a titan kill a bunch of people so they could capture it one time, but everything Erwin does is in the name of freedom and survival. Bondrewd's goal is to explore more of the abyss, which is not as necessary of a goal as survival. Because of that his actions come off as horrifying instead of heroic. And also Erwin never melted children into terrifying immortal blob creatures or cut them up and stuffed them into suitcases. |
| Kinda hard to make a discussion about the movie since I don't know what you want to talk about. Bowndred? White Whistle? Human Experimentation? or the secret of the abyss. I like made in the abyss but for the movie, it has pacing issues and a lot of things left out of the water. To be honest, what stands out in the movie is the fluent action sequence more than everything else. The horror of insanity and isolation of the abyss doesn't seem much of like the focus anymore. Given how short the time given on the setting itself and things need to be explained as minimalistic as possible. I gave the movie 6/10. It is not as good as the first entry that is more setting focus with a combination of the character interacting with the setting. But the idea is still there but the problem still exists. Made in the Abyss Movie is worth writing both the strength and weaknesses but I refer to waiting out for the 2nd season to aired and finish to finalize my thoughts on the franchise as a whole. |
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