Made in Abyss Season 2 Episode 01 (2024)

The Compass Pointed to the Darkness is the first episode of the Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun anime series.

Synopsis[]

A young red-haired girl, Vueko, looks at the Star Compass, while under deck of a ship.

Gazing at it, she is reminded of the story her abusive foster father, Juroimoh, would boast about while assaulting her.

Back in his youth, when he went out to sea, he and his crew found a ship sending up smoke, in the ocean. After boarding the ship, they quickly found its crew had died in very unnatural ways. One having burned without any flames around, one having been bisected, and another with spilled out organs. Only one crew member had survived, but was so traumatized he couldn't speak. After picking up the Star Compass, the survivor pleaded to Juroimoh about a "Golden City" at the bottom of a giant man-eating pit, dying shortly afterwards.

Juroimoh, believing that he had been chosen to discover this "Golden City", would recount this story to Vueko, to torment her that he was special and that she was worthless.

The memory, coupled with the ship's motion, causes Vueko to feel seasick. She runs outside, onto the deck, and throws up in the ocean. Wazukyan, the leader of Ganja, an expeditionary band of outcasts, jokingly remarks that she is getting used to the vomiting, but also assures her they will soon reach their destination.

Vueko questions whether she really should be the one to hold onto the compass. Wazukyan reassures her, before taking his leave to catch rats. Belaf, another leader of Ganja, tells Vueko not to worry and that Wazukyan may be quirky but wants the best for all of their squad. Vueko, still in self doubt, asks Belaf if someone as ugly as her should really be allowed to be a one of The Three Sages of Ganja. Belaf replies that beauty exists in the eyes and that it is not something superficial, calling her more capable and lovely than she gives herself credit.

Later in their journey, a storm rips through their fleet and destroys all but the flagship housing the Sages. They sight their destination and make landfall, discovering a tribe with whom they exchange information. Vueko gives the Star Compass to an elder that becomes roused at the sight of the relic, in exchange for the tribe's aid.

As they descend into the hole, they notice a young tribal girl has followed them. Upon translating a tattoo on the back of the young girl, Belaf tells the rest of Ganja she has been "relinquished to The Abyss", for being unable to bear children. Vueko suggests retaining her as their guide.

Shortly after, a Ganja member suddenly falls while attempting to ascend. The girl urgently explains The Curse of the Abyss to Belaf, proving her worth as a guide and alerting the expedition to the reality of their situation.

The perspective then switches to Riko and her friends at the Altar of the Absolute Boundary. With the altar activated by her Life-reverberating Stone, Nanachi warns Riko not to touch it again, to avoid accidentally ascending. While in transit, the group witnesses massive and mysterious sea creatures pass by, also journeying through layers of bones and corpses resting at the bottom of the sea.

Some time later, the altar reaches the 6th Layer, a shining vista of mangled architecture and dangerous creatures.

Adapted From[]

• Volume 6, Chapter 39: Capital of the Unreturned
• Volume 8, Chapter 48: The Compass pointed to the Darkness

Character Appearances[]

• Abyss Tribe
• Ajapoka (Debut)
• Belaf (Debut)
• Irumyuui (Debut)
• Meinya
• Nanachi
• Pakkoyan (Debut) / (Unnamed)
• Reg
• Riko
• Vueko (Debut)
• Wazukyan (Debut)
• Minor Characters

Bestiary Indexing[]

• Meinastilim
• Unknown Creatures

Quotes[]

Background Music[]

• Old Stories
• Sëgûr
• The Golden City
• Mori
• GRAVITY (opening version ft. Arnór Dan)
• Nature Sequence. 6th Layer.
• To the Abyss!
• Rafters

Gallery[]

References[]

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