When writing about the first two episodes for the preview guide, I didn’t have much to say about the visuals. Maybe this was because I was so wrapped up in the story or the obtrusive watermarks plastered across my screen obscuring everything. (I watched a pre-release press screener of those episodes.) Regardless, with the third episode, it becomes obvious that this is not the quality product we got in the first season—at least in the animation department.

The first season of Tower of God had this otherworldly feel. This was largely due to its use of solid colors and how it played with light and shadow. It also had tons of creative camera work and awesome backgrounds that made the action pop off the screen.

This season, on the other hand, has none of that as the change of studios from Telecom Animation Film to The Answer Studio Co., Ltd. has really left Tower of God with a lack of visual identity. Oh sure, the few returning characters are still recognizable but what we get here looks like a mid-to-low tier budget anime and not the follow-up to one of 2020’s most popular shows. We have lots of minor movements and animation loops alongside flat-looking characters and backgrounds. And as for the action, it has an almost disconnected feel in the way the camera jumps around—and that’s not even mentioning the sub-par choreography.

On the story side of things, the first two episodes excited me. Here we have a Bam disillusioned and starting over but with his goal unchanged: climb the tower to find Rachael. Of course, now he’s doing so not to help her but rather to discover the reason for her betrayal. Moreover, this time, he’s determined to do it solo. This decision is partially an expression of his damaged heart—after all, no one can betray you if you don’t let anyone close enough to do so. However, there is a second reason—a more logical one. By publicly announcing he is with FUG, he has a major target on his chest. Anyone who allies with him will be in the crosshairs of nearly everyone else in the tower simply by association.

Also on the positive side of things, we are introduced to the new cast. Each comes with new odd powers and what look to be decently interesting backstories. But better still, none of them feel like copies of season one characters. Getting to know them through the upcoming trials should be a lot of fun.

But then comes episode three and everything drops in quality—not just the animation but the storytelling as well. The pacing just feels rushed. We get downtime, test rules, and the first few fights of the test all in a single episode. A ton happens but none of it has time to land to have any real emotional effect, like watching an abridged compilation film rather than the actual anime series.

So after three episodes, I’m not sure where I stand on Tower of God‘s second season. The first two episodes had some solid character beats and set up the problems facing Bam and our other heroes quite well. But the third episode was such a mess, it feels like the show has already squandered what goodwill it had. Hopefully, this was just a misstep and things will improve next week but for now, I have to put myself in the “worried about this adaptation” category.

Episode 1 Rating:

Episode 2 Rating:

Episode 3 Rating:

Tower of God Season 2 is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.