The Following Review Contains Minor Spoilers with Reduced Details for Tower of God Season 2, Episode #7
Summary
Tower of Godis halfway through the Summer 2024 anime block with its second outing being successful with the fans, butepisode #7is the biggest font of intrigue yet. After a deadly encounter with a dangerous Ranker, Viole is sidelined. At the same time, the episode gives ample time to explain Jue Viole Grace’s motives for joining FUG and how the team operates around him with some of the best storytelling and intrigue yet, with Ja Wangnan and the team surrounding Viole taking major strides in their development.
With the events ofTower of Godseason 1 having passed years ago in the anime,Bam’s alter ego as Viole, along with a drastic personality change, is an enticing mystery for anime-only fans.The Tower’s mysteries and lore are compelling for the viewers as much as they are for characters like Wangnan, as they learn what they must do to protect Viole’s old friends.
But asTower of Godseason 2, episode #7soon shows, in its strengths and weaker points, why it’s exciting to look forward to more from the show.
Tower of God’s Anime Finally Returned, Why You Should Be Excited About the Second Season
While the first season of the hit webtoon’s anime adaptation was a critical and commercial success, its second season should be even better.
Viole’s Motivations Are Explored in Tower of God Season 2, Episode #7
The Rest of the Team Bonds and Finds Their Purpose
Whilethe premiere ofTower of Godseason 2 was a visual adjustmentfor fans craving more of Takashi Sano’s style from 2020’s first outing, episode #7 gets the story moving more aggressively than before. In light of an especially dangerous foe, Viole, who would normally fight his enemies alone at this point, was surrounded by allies, for better or worse. The most exciting portion of the early act of episode #7 isseeing characters like Horyang reveal their tactical sides, showing no intent to leave an ally behind, replacing the usual dramatic inner monologuing of a typical shonen series.
In typicalTower of Godfashion, the mysterious Ranker encountered in season 2, episode #7 is fascinated by Viole’s actions and recognizes his choices to risk harm or even death to protect his innocent allies. In the rest of the episode, Viole is left to heal and viewers are treated to multiple characters, principally Yeon Yihwa and Ja Wangnan, vowing to improve themselves. After all, this is connected to a flashback where Viole is given his quest as a FUG slayer,with the penalty of his friends' death if he is not strong enough to succeed.
How strong do I have to get to never say goodbye again?
-Bam
Perhaps this episode’s most compelling positive point is in these character developments, chiefly in Viole’s flashback. Faced with a list of his former teammates from season 1 who will be killed one-by-one based on his performance, Bam, now called Viole, merely asks, “How strong do I have to get to never say goodbye again?”
This explains his loner tendencies with his newer, moodier alter-ego. It clearsan omission from the first season ofTower of God, making himan achingly sympathetic hero who takes matters into his own handsbecause he believes nobody close to him deserves to suffer.
Tower of God Season 2, Episode #7 Is Still Uneven Visually
Varying Moments Translate Better in Anime Form
The interior of the zygaena, much like in episode #6, is full of earthy tones that, while boring, work well not to pull focus from a short but exciting battle initially.
It’s easy to fixate too much on individual details rather than the whole assembled product, but the drab backgrounds of much of the opening half forTower of Godseason 2, episode #7 create a less engaging viewing experience. The interior of the zygaena, much like in episode #6, is full of earthy tones that, while boring, work well not to pull focus from a short but exciting battle initially. In a sense,the weak and uninteresting backgrounds keep the viewer from being distracted, being de-emphasized largely to draw viewers back to the characters.
This is a welcome change, especially asWebtoon recently recognizedTower of Godfor how close season 2 comes to its rendition of the original webcomic. The visuals are impressive, like the rendition of Viole’s combat abilities, especially the striking emergence of a healing exoskeleton around Viole, and a wonderfulbespoke shot of Viole fighting Mazino that takes a dark turn when the innocent may be hurt or killed in the crossfire. There’s plenty to enjoy as this series takesTower of God’swebtoon adaptation seriously, making the necessary sacrifices to execute it cinematically.
Climbing the Tower Has More Direction
It’s More Than Simply a Vertical Ascent
So much happens in this episode, yet there’s still plenty to discover further up the Tower.
It’s far too reductive to boil the plot ofTower of Godseason 2 into a quest to ascend the eponymous Tower.While it’s not wrong, it’s also not the most interesting answer.Season 2, Episode #7 dives into what challenges Wangnan must face, reuniting Viole with his old friends several floors up, and Yihwa vows to climb the Tower and correct her family’s mistakes, and assist her team. There’s even a nefarious meeting between Ha Jinsung and a mysterious masked Ranker named Karaka. So much happens in this episode, yet there’s still plenty to discover further up the Tower.
What results is a fascinating emergence of key subplots in the absence of Viole’s contribution for the rest of the episode, endearing viewers to the new ensemble, while promising a fateful reunion.Tower of Godhas shortcomings, such as its visual compromises in backdrops or occasionally repetitive music. Yet, the experience crafts a potent cocktail of plots to follow, and reminds viewers that Viole is still far from the most dangerous character and even not the most important asTower of God’sworldbuildingexpands.
This review was made possible courtesy of a screener provided by Crunchyroll.
Tower of God
Cast
Tower of God is an anime series based on the South Korean webtoon by SIU. It follows a young boy named Bam who embarks on a perilous journey to ascend a mysterious tower, where each floor presents unique challenges and tests. The tower promises to grant the deepest desires of those who reach its top. Along the way, Bam forms alliances and confronts adversaries while uncovering hidden truths about himself and the tower.
