The Twisted Love of Bondrewd in Made in Abyss 

Text version of this video: wtwhivemind.com/the-twisted-love-of-bondrewd-in-made-in-abyss/ Happy Father's Day everyone! Let me know what you think of the video!

Bondrewd's character becomes easier to grasp when you realise that he's extremely honest and genuinely means everything he says.

Bondrewd is best dad. He makes his kids lunchboxes and helps them become white whistles.

many people didn't realize everything he did to the children, he tested on himself first, but he realize it won't work because he is not a human anymore

I find it interesting how in the anime, all the monsters are cell shaded And animated with a lower FPS to make them feel more traumatizing.. And so is Bondrewd

Lyza's either going to be an angel or the most screwed up white whistle when we meet her

On the note of Bondrewd and Prushka, In a way, Prushka got her wish to have everyone go on an adventure to the bottom. Shes still with the group as the white whistle and Bondrewd can observe their adventure through Nanachi's eyes. So yeah in a twisted way she did get her desire.

While Riko refused to sacrifice anything, the only way she and her friends could continue their journey was due to Prushka's sacrifice at the hands of Bondrewd.

"Riko never sacrifices the ones she loves." Yet.

You can never escape the abyss. Bondrewd never avoided the curse. To successfully ascend the 6th layer, Bondrewd abandonded his humanity.

Bondrewd has definitely been beyond the point of no return and back. The manga describes a time he visited the capital of the unreturned. It's not that he can't go deeper. It's just that he's more interested in experiments around receiving "blessings".

So, frankly Bondrewd strikes me as being an incredibly optimistic and subjective nihilist. He's psychopathic but still feels empathy. If sacrifice and loss is part of how the abyss functions metaphysically, I think Bondrewd lost his regret. He can't MAKE any meaningful sacrifices anymore, and that might be his cruelest aspect. He gave up everything, not knowing he has nothing worth giving anymore.

The interesting thing about Bondrewd is that compared to villains (and especially other 'mad scientists') from other series, he isn't deceptive or manipulative in the conventional sense. Clearly, he's amoral, but he still appears to go to great lengths to give everyone around him exactly what they wanted, just not in the way they expected. In the Bondrewd arc the three protagonists wanted to descend to the sixth layer, which they couldn't do without a white whistle. And Prushka wanted to go with them, but that would be very perilous in her human form. Bondrewd solves both problems, and suddenly he's the villain in all this?

As it seems, this movie asked a question about progress and sacrifice, and what is the red line when it comes to it. When do you stop, look at your actions, and realize how far you've gone. For both Riko and Bondrewd, it is never. Never have they done something that caused them to pause, and ask this question. Never have they looked back at the long way they have gone. Bondrewd has no one but himself to accompany him as an equal. All of his subordinates are at one point or another going to be his vessels, all of his children are lab rats. He loves them all dearly, but he is accountable to no one. Riko, on the other hand, is accountable to her two friends. Who saves her life, and guide her way. She may never look back, but they are there to keep her grounded and help her when she need. It helps show that accountability and balance are a needed thing. Science and progress could bring us forward and help our lives, but when do we say "the cost is too great"? Riko has the same curiosity for the abyss as the likes of Bondrewd, but she have people whom she regards as equal to stand in her way and stir her properly, while Bondrewd keeps marching on to the rising dawn, completely alone. He carries with him all of humanity, and all of his children, but he is their guide and the one progressing forward. Non of them can stop him and help redirect him to the more humane direction. But more than that, there is another, far worse layer. Bondrewd didn't lose in the end. He was never the villain, as he never stood in their way. The role of the antagonist is to stand in the way of the main characters and prevent them from achieving their goals. But Bondrewd never wanted to prevent their descent. He welcomed them in open arms, and while he took some liberties with reg's body out of habit, he did nothing to obstruct them on their way down. And after the second fight they had, as they continued downward, he waved for goodbye, and wished them good luck on their journey ahead. Put aside his twisted love, if he hadn't done these horrible things to nanachi and mitti, how would nanachi be able to save Riko's life when she entered the 4th layer? The answer is simple: Riko will be dead. How will our merry group descend even further without a white whistle made spesifically for Riko? They won't. How will they manage to bring Prushka with them when she is so frail? They can't. Bondrewd won. Out of his kindness, he prepared them to the journey ahead, and gave them the right tools to progress forward. While the duality of Riko and Bondrewd seems to imply that there needs to be something to stop you once you go too far with your curiosity and need for progress, the movie contradicts this out flat, by showing us that their only way to progress forward, was, in fact, Bondrewd's way. Which is a very grim, and twisted note to end the movie on.

finally, an actual character analysis, not just a 50min synopsis of the series

This villain to me is one of the most well written villains of all time I love a villain that you hate but love and isn’t one dimensional but I think this show takes it to another level I had such conflicting feelings about him

Bondrewd is one of those villains who you're supposed to really hate, but one you still really love in the end. You know what I mean?

My view of Bondrewd is that the Abyss forged his pragmatism to razor sharpness. He didn't take on children that were wanted, he only took on souls that had been abandoned completely; that everyone else viewed as completely worthless. The more worthless the soul, the more overjoyed he would be take them on. I think if you were to ask him what he thought of people who moved through life without purpose and meaning, he'd probably remark that he can't view it as living at all. As such in his eyes, mind, and heart; he's giving lost unwanted souls glorious purpose and meaning, to forward knowledge and progress to help many people far into the future. He takes those with nothing and gives them purpose, and in his own twisted way maximizes their potential. For him the value of a life isn't in it's duration, but rather its brilliance; so when he sees a life shine brighter than even his own expectations he is honestly and truly overjoyed. Bowdrewd can only give so much value to the children he took in, and that value has to be through experimentation; but it's value nonetheless. The children of course also come to understand this as well, they were abandoned and unwanted; but Bondrewd wants them. Of course this is an extremely sad dynamic the world didn't offer these children something better, but the world is cruel; and the Abyss even more cruel still. Still at the end of the day they were given something, and they all wanted to give something back; even if it had to be their own lives. It's sad and cruel the dynamic: "All I can give you in return for all you've given me is my love and my life, is that enough?" Yet that's the core of what's presented.

Prushka: I wanna be a white whistle! Bondrewd: k.

Prushka: Hey Riko! I want to be a white whistle just like you! Riko: Heck yeah! Manga readers: *sweats nervously*

In the next arc: My mom was forced to feed people with my siblings

I have been itching to make an analysis of Bondrewd myself for a while, and I love seeing the way others interpret his character. I like how you pointed out the fact that he does indeed become a sort of twisted father figure to the whole party, he even gets to fulfill Prushka's wish to go with them in a roundabout way, as she joins the party with him watching over their journey the whole time through the eyes of Nanachi. This whole arc really makes you contemplate the whole setting itself and its effect on the characters within, while also providing an ominous foreshadowing, not only of the mental state of the other white whistles we might meet, especially Lyza herself, but the fact that we may be too naive in assuming Riko will be able to push forwards without sacrificing something of her own.

when bBondrewd was fighting the children, he didn't use any of his " "combat" bodies or his most powerful artifacts, implying that he is way more stronger than he is shown, and can be truly troublesome when he is serious. This was said by one of the kids if I remember correctly.

The Most Hated Hero. And At the Same time, Most Loved Villain.

Omg I just realized if all Narehate gain a form that they desired, then Bondrewd just wanted to be fluffy and cute like Nanachi x33

ozen is cruel at first glance but nice once you get to know her bondrewd is nice at first glance but cruel once you know him makes me wonder about the remaining 3

no1 dad of all time

I wonder how white whistles got their nicknames. How Bondrewd is "Lord of Dawn" when he chooses to live almost exclusively in the 5th layer?

It’s strange that this guy can commit such horrible things and yet still be able to genuinely care for the people he victimized. I’m not sure if he’s just so crazy that he’s sane or he’s just really got that “for the greater good” mentality down perfectly.

Curses can be transferred Step 1: Descend into the Abyss Step 2: Cover yourself in children Step 3: Furry

Bondrewd is pretty much one of the best written fictional villians

He is so twisted and has no morals to the point he sacrificed his own original body and everything he held dear.

I know Bondrewd did horrible things but I still can’t help but love the guy.

Bondrewd is more of an monster than Tucker from Fullmetal Alchemist

(Writing this just as I start the video) So, this occurred to me today: the city around the Abyss Tis cruel towards children and conditions the orphans from a young age to become delvers, which’ll be exploited by their superiors whom won’t need to risk anything since the kids are treated as expendable. Knowing this, all of the fully grown delvers could easy have suffered from the cruelty of their forebears, thus creating a cycle of abuse that’s handled in three different ways. Bondrewd wants to know the Abyss’s every secret, becoming a pathway to ending the cycle swiftly. Ozen makes unpleasant comments to send delvers back up top so as to prevent them from warranting serious cruelty (you made it back up alive, that’s what counts). And a kindly gentleman whom treats his fellow delvers as his equals, trying simply to make their lives better. The Abyss attracts two groups of people: explorative and exploitive. The curious explorers delve deep in search of artifacts which’ll make them famous, if not just sate their curiosity, and the exploiters turn every explorer into a gold mine of future income. To condition those without families into a life of exploited exploration, would guarantee the corrupt into a future of lucrative trade and commerce. Those who have survived, those few who found their stride in the depths, have become less than human yet something more. A kindly old man who served as a library of knowledge more than as a person, himself. A beast of a woman capable of toppling armies, numbing herself to the pain any who *could* harm her would seek to befall her again. A monster of a scientist who respects his subjects as emotional beings and remembers their names, because someone Fucking has to. Do they even realize that’s what they’re doing? No, probably not. Bondrewd forsook his humanity and *would* sacrifice his men if it meant progress, yet there are limits that he must abide by for the time being, and so he treats each taken child as he wanted to be treated at their age. So many people hunted him only to fall into his sway, perhaps fellow survivors of abuse who see how his actions can lessen the abhorrent cruelty above, by giving the collected youths a different life altogether and still learning about the abyss. Ozen has grown desensitized to the horrors around her and revels in the depths, practically living there, away from the society which hurt her, and in the domain which they wanted so badly for her to roam. Scaring away future delvers, sending them back up, to their superiors with whatever Twas found and their lives intact, could be her own way of making them stay alive-unwittingly prolonging the misery they suffer high above. And a kindly gentleman who knows to treat others with kindness, a repository of information as he studies the depths, yet does nothing to halt the horrors above as he’s become too engrossed in the horrors below. In educating the youths, he empowers them to escape below, yet his kindness teaches them to wait when their superiors demand results. Unwittingly, he encourages the cycle to continue. Bondrewd’s method has the look of guaranteed success on paper, yet it comes with flaws as well. As I’ve come to see it, MiA Tis allegorical for the cycle of abuse and how it effects each generation. Rico’s been mistreated much of her life by the people who benefit from her delves into the Abyss, and to escape the abuse Doth she delve into a world wrought with things worse than her mind has known before. The deeper you go, the worse humanity becomes, and still she seeks to go further for she believes answers exist at the very lowest depths…when she never should’ve begun her journey, for her life has come to be surrounded by greater horrors than anything she would’ve known had she simply decided to remain home and learn how to handle the problems there, instead of bringing herself to the levels of evil she seeks to escape. Tis just my interpretation and I wrote this before jumping into the video, on the off-chance it talks about what I’m thinking.

Bondrewed was such a badass and the way he looked was super cool like his coat and mask is amazing not only the powers he has with them and the movie was so good too

You know I was thinking recently about what I think of MiA. I was debating if it was really just shock value for the sake of it but now I really don't think so. Some pretty awful stuff does happen to children in this series but I feel that's what keeps the stakes high. It makes me hurt to see what's happening but that's the whole point. Some people dismiss the series because it "glorifies" the violence but in the end it's just a fantasy. This is one of the first pieces of animation that really makes me feel something. Thanks for explaining your interpretation of Bondrewed because it made me realize things that I had never thought about. Also Dawn of the Deep Soul was such an amazing adaptation of the manga!

The sick part of the bastard isn't, in my opinion, his experiments. It's how he views them. As his children. He loves Prushka and the others but for his obsession with science he'd sacrifice everything. It's terrifying to see someone who should be a lovable character that'd make viewers go "I wish that was my dad" instead become something that'd give Mengele and Shirō Ishii a run for their money in terms of depravity.

This guy makes the Shou Tucker look like an angel.

yeah he's not evil , he's just batshit insane though genuinely honest

I find it very interesting that Bondrewd has some sort of link to the Norse God Odin: Odin is a relentless seeker of knowledge and wisdom, willing to sacrifice anything for this pursuit. Not only did he sacrifice one eye, but he did also sacrifice himself to himself by hanging himself from the tree of Yggdrasil and stabbing himself. This way he proved himself worth and the runes revealed themselves. He did everything he could do to find a way to prevent Ragnarok. Just like Bondrewd, a seeker of knowledge, sacrificed himself to himself to become a white whistle and find a way to prevent the disaster that occurs every 2,000 years. It's just something I noticed and might be a coincidence.

Bondrewd is such a badass and the rare , not edgy , kind. My mans made a white whistle from himself TO himself with love xD

Bondude is inarguably the greatest villains ever. His presence is menacing, yet also awesome. He's morally horrid, yet a character that you gravitate toward because of his demeanor.

The cruelness of Abyss is far more sinister than what Bondrewd orchestrated. His actions may seem the depth of evil for now but the abyss will tell its tale.

The saddest thing really is that bondrewd loves everyone of his children..

The thing is that we can make himself love the children without caring about their well-being (a biiiit similar to Isabella from tpN who in the end did love the kids because she spent so much time with them)the problem here,is that bondrewd isn’t hurting from the loss of his loved ones,like for example nanachi did.He may love them,but his priorities are far from protecting them and his love he feels,doesn’t affect how he sees the world AT ALL.So he doesn’t seem to make any „emotional sacrifice“And the children don’t sacrifice themselves for him out of free will,because they never wanted to get in to this situation in the first place.

What I love about this sick twisted bastard, is how sincere he is. Sure, he targeted children who couldn't quite grasp what he was offering them, but he never once lied. Still, bondrewd can rot in hell.

Legally it's questionable, morally it's disgusting, personally I like it

Never heard of Made in Abyss and was not expecting any of this shit lol. Makes me want to invest time into it now. Fantastic video Wut

You think when Riko and friends go down to the 6th layer and they encounter a more terrifying foe down there that Bondrewd might show up and save them? Since he also just wants to see humanity succeed in the abyss no matter what it takes

"Papa's rod"

Didnt realize Craftsdwarf ran this channel

He remembers the name of every kid instantly when he sees them

Man Bondrewd's voice is music to my ears, that may be one of the reasons why I can't come to hate him

Bondrewd's love is empathy without the desire to self-sacrifice or change. It isn't simply that nothing will get in the way of his goals. A lot of toxic relationships are like that. It just goes to show... love isn't enough.

I just finished the movie and then came and watched this video. You did an amazing job. This video was really well done and gives me a lot to think about while I sit up in bed unable to sleep.

Bondrewd is amazing, a villain that had done horrible irredeemable things but is written in a way that makes him hard to hate. Bravo.

“But a father's job is not to embark on a journey rather it's to raise his children" *Literally every dad in One Piece* 🚣‍♂️

YES! EXACTLY THIS! I'm been trying to explain this for so long but you've gone and worded it so mucb better than I could. Really though, it's for all these reasons that Bondrewd's my favorite villain in media, and not enough people appreciate him.

I love how, in a sense, the first scene in which we see Bondrewd gives us a very clear picture of what he is like. And it also tells us a bit about what Prushka is like too. The time we first see him, he is monotonously walking in a line with his group, when Prushka sees him, her first reaction to this unnerving and inhuman sight is to immediately run towards him with her arms outstretched, showing that this armored man with an emotionless gait is normal to her. And when she hugs him, he returns it, but while not rejecting her embrace, he shows a minimal amount of enthusiasm towards it. As though he doesn't understand the desire for physical affection and is only entertaining her for the sake of it. He doesn't look like he's pouring any emotion or energy into the hug whatsoever.

There is not one character that fascinates me this much.

Bondrewd the kid soup maker and furry lover.

bro that was amazing beautifully put together

such a cool video! i loved the way you connected the images with things you were explaining, hit different.

although bondrewd is undoubtedly a terrible person in his own right, his character itself is incredibly compelling, at least to me. it’s the same reason the pale king from hollow knight is such a compelling character, they will stop at nothing to learn about something and figure out a way to understand it, even if it means countless casualties. bondrewd is easily one of my favorite characters from made in abyss just because of how interesting and compelling his goals are, it’s *because* of how he sees his goals and conquers them.

The few lines of Bondrewd being a loving evil father to prepare his children to a much more cruel and more evil than him legit made me teary… but cruelty is cruelty and pain is suffering, he may have done it for the right reasons but he still did some evil things. I’m sorry, this whole video just reminded me of my loving uncle who had the same circumstances that I couldn’t agree more

Amazing video! Would love to see more Made in Abyss content from you in the future.

I have never had more mixed emotions for a character than Bondrewd

Bondrewd has been to the village in the 6th layer though

this movie was the most FUCKING DISTURBING thing I have damn ever seen in my entire life! He cut most of his daughters body off, and shoved her into a box!!!!! and She was screaming it hurts when she was in the box like dude OMFG put her out of her misery holy shit this was horrifying!!!!!!

This was a beautiful analysis

I'm astonished that you even included pages of the manga to proof true what you are commenting on. To make something clear: imagining oneself in the shoes of another - especially in those who are evil - is something everyone should do from time to time. if only to remind oneself, that each and every person has evil in himself/herself and under specific circumstances may very likely become pathological. Gratitude is the most important virtue and all others go alongside it. Thank you for this enjoyable watch.

Literally can't even watch that show legally here right now. I love licensing.

As insane as this man is he is truly a genius.

Gives me great insight into the value of hatred and its place in ourselves

Child may your journey overflow with curses and blessing. Bondrewd

Thanks for giving reason to that. My thoughts and feelings were split on that. I was deeply hurt and disgusted by the movie, but I was also deeply moved emotionally and I did enjoy it very much. You could litterally feel how something truly meaningfull was unpacked in an unarticulate manner through this story, but it was difficult to really point a finger to all the themes and motives that were questioned and discussed, while the story unfolded. Art has this peculiar ability to create chaos in seemingly locked categories of thoughts, which is both interesting and terrifying. But people who are able to analyze that, which was questioned and put back order into it, are just as magnificent and important. Made in abyss dives deep physically on the superficial story telling level, but simultaniously it dives deep into thoughts and meaning on a meta level. And if all that wasn't enough, that score from Kevin Penkin is just as much an interpretation of the story itself, as it is a tool for storytelling. 1am thoughts out on the internet again.

Bondrewd is definition of nature. It loves its creation, but willing to sacrafice her children for better future..

I love Bondrewd so much simply because of how he exposes people. You could easily judge the content of someone's character by their views on this character. They will argue, they will react emotionally, they will do all sorts of things to deny. However, Bondrewd is the sort of evil that is just tricky enough to make people that could become despicable at any time, expose themselves.

damn, awesome video. i love this damn show

Okay now this is epic

That man is beyond broken... And beyond his own humanity

Love that you have a text version of the episode, very great and flexible channel! So happy I found it, entertaining AND talks about Made in Abyss??

Bondrewd is my favorite villain of any media. His intentions are positive, but his actions are awful. His views are always positive, he never says negative things, and sees even the darkest things as improvement. He wants progress and can sacrifice anything for it. He sees past the trauma he is creating. It's just amazing, and I don't how how else to describe it

Care for some soup?

I can't wait to guide Riko to the bottom of the abyss.

The abyss is a metaphor for the constant tension between one's own desire and one's morality. The 6th layer brings to mind the notion that there are some transgressions that are morally irrevocable. That people cannot come back from. Think murder in crime and punishment. However it's not just the act that carries moral weight. Its the intention and capacity behind it. Bondrewd gave up his humanity and thus has freedom to transgress which is to say move about the abyss (thru relic sure). Innocent children were forced to transgress and lost themselves. However thru love people can retain their humanity thru this transgression. Which is why it works so well. If you transgress out of concern for another then perhaps your wish, that they benefit, may be granted. To go into the abyss is to give up all for your desire. But if your desire is something so synonymous with your humanity, then what exactly do you lose in its pursuit? Which is what we all wanna find out. So yeah i like this video because it keys in on what I view is an important idea behind the series.

You have no idea how much I cried when watching “Dawn of Deep Soul.”

The interesting thing for me is, that most people seem to assume that Bondrewd sincerely loved the children who suffered through his actions. I think he didn't. The "love" he had for the children was a mere extension of his love for himself projected onto the children for the sake of his want.

Bondrewd is almost Joseph Mengele. In fact, he an underground Mengele.

Made in Abyss could also be called "Bondrewd: the price of ambition"

For those who are unaware it is shown in the anthology comics that Bondrewd is in fact able to go beyond the point of no return using Zoaholic as a lifeline to leave behind the body that he used to go down and return his mind to the body of another umbra hand not left below.

he reminds me of mother Isabella a little bit both having a love for the children they’re with but for their own means has them in sacrifice “for the better”

This reminds me of tpN and Isabella.However Isabella was herself a victim of the situation,and at the end she still becomame more attached to them,and felt,despite how unhandy that was,sadness and regret. Yes,Isabella is a selfish person,but she never wanted all of this.Bondrewd himself chose to sacrifice everything and even made himself love them.He also doesn’t seem to be sad about it

Bonrewds desing is amazing i really like the things he has going on

There's a lot to be said about what has been written in human history regarding the mythos of delving into the underworld, and Made In Abyss is a very immaculate depiction of that

Mmm child soup go yummm But he's actually one of my favorite characters of all time though he's just too awesome

just watched the 3rd movie and this gave me a small sense of closure. RIP little ones

Great video and I would love to see more made in abyss. Especially if you talk about the village arc even though it has yet to see a conclusion. A small criticism is that at some points you talk a little bit too fast.

dude i started watching this anime 3 days ago thought its a nice show with colourful and joyful adventures. boi was i wrong. like everything became so gory after they entered the fourth layer. the moment Riko got poisoned the whole anime made a 360. i just watched the movie and dont even know how to feel. you want to hate bondrew but you cant feel hate towards him. You know he is a bad guy but he himself is not a bad guy. he is nice and caring yet he does such cruel things probably with a smile under his mask but not one of mischief but happiness. What an Antagonist. not a villain but an Antagonist.