Tower of God season 2 episode 1 review: Season's story starts strong, but new art style leaves something to be desired

After nearly four-plus years, Tower of God season 2 episode 1 premiered earlier this weekend, marking the continuation of protagonist Baam’s story. However, the protagonist ended up taking a backseat for most of the premiere episode, and rightfully so with the plethora of new characters, the series introduced fans to within.

Likewise, Tower of God season 2 episode 1 still marks a promising start to the second season’s overarching story. The new characters are enjoyable, have clear talents and strengths of their own, and are also being teased for greater things later on. However, there are some notable disappointments regarding the second season’s debut outing, with one of the most notable being a questionable change in animation and art-style.

Tower of God season 2 episode 1 review: An expansive cast, subtle setups, and Baam’s reintroduction are the positives

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One of the biggest criticisms of the first season of Tower of God was that despite being so large in scope of world and series progression, it was relatively narrow in terms of its focus on the cast. While not extremely narrow, it’s true that some characters from Baam's class got the short end of the stick when it came to development and focus.

Tower of God season 2 episode 1 does a great job of tackling these claims by introducing several new characters in a context separate from Baam’s original group. Separating the two groups of characters helps to show that the series can handle a wider, larger cast with the setup from the first season out of the way. It’s also an encouraging sign to fans who are hoping for even more characters within the tower to be introduced throughout the season.

These characters are also being subtly set up for bigger developments later on even from their initial introductions in Tower of God season 2 episode 1. For example, Ja Wangnan’s ring is a focal point throughout the premiere, often being highlighted by the camera even if not by the characters themselves. However, this is all that’s needed, as fans will immediately recognize his ring as bearing the mark of Jahad, the Red Three Eyes.

This, in combination with talk from other princesses of Jahad about the Prince of Jahad throughout the episode, emphasizes that the second season is already looking towards its future. This is further supported by a focus on Baam in the episode’s final minutes, where he begins likening Ja to his friend Khun Aguero Agnes. In this way, the series is clearly emphasizing that, as Baam and Khun once climbed the tower together, so shall Baam and Ja.

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Speaking of Baam, Tower of God season 2 episode 1 also does a fantastic job of reintroducing fans to who Baam is and what he’s like after having lost everything he had in Rachel. This new, seemingly ruthless version of him is lined by an emphasis that his former proclivities of kindness still exist within him. One of the best ways the episode highlights this is by having Baam specify to Ja and the others that he won’t beat them, but simply make them fail.

In turn, this also emphasizes that Baam’s trauma has now forced him to consider the trauma others may face if they try climbing the tower also. It’s a very subtle, yet telling way of highlighting how Baam has changed in terms of his personality and demeanor since the events of the first season. The second season premiere also teases an explanation for the origins of this change, which seem to be Baam’s joining FUG and becoming a “Slayer” for them.

It’s this foresight and approach to future events, as well as explaining the past, which serve as the major highlights for the second season’s premiere. The consequences of past events will be shown, as will be the teases that set up future revelations and developments. All the while, fans can expect to meet brand new characters, as well as learn how previously introduced characters have changed in the time between seasons.

Tower of God season 2 episode 1 review: Loss of spirit via artstyle change and lack of focus on Baam are the biggest negatives

Baam's reintroduction may be praiseworthy, but a lack of focus on the protagonist is deemed a negative in this Tower of God season 2 episode 1 review (Image via The Answer Studios)

That being said, fans would be forgiven for viewing Tower of God season 2 episode 1 in isolation and not seeing Baam as the protagonist. For starters, his name isn’t said once throughout the entire episode, with only his flashbacks to season 1’s events identifying him definitively. There’s also the fact that Baam has no significant dialogue throughout the episode, paling in comparison to Ja with respect to total dialogue and screen time.

While it’s not an egregious offense since this time is well-spent developing and building up Ja as a key character for the season’s events, it’s still frustrating given Baam’s title as the protagonist. Likewise, fans’ primary concerns with respect to season 2’s story do revolve around Baam, if he plans to reunite with his friends, what he’s undergone in the time between seasons, and more. It in turn can create a frustrating experience for anime-only fans who didn’t know what to expect.

However, one negative of the second season’s premiere which most fans are likely to agree on is the change in artstyle from something truly unique to a generic and unremarkable approach. The heavy lines, sketch-like sakuga, and motion-blurred movements of the first season are nowhere to be found here. Instead, they’ve been swapped out for a very generic “gets the job done” style in Tower of God season 2 episode 1’s events.

While this art style does earn points for being more comparable to the source material’s aesthetic, such an approach doesn’t always translate to a high quality final product. In this way, Tower of God season 2 episode 1 fails in its attempt to introduce a new art style, which throws much of the spirit and recognizability that the first season had out the window. While specific frames are clearly influenced by the first season’s aesthetic, the general overhaul remains.

Tower of God season 2 episode 1 review: Final thoughts

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That being said, the episode is still very promising overall for the second season, and even if the new artstyle is generally inferior, it’s nevertheless serviceable for the series. Likewise, the premiere is still animated at an exceptionally high quality in this new art style, which suggests that the overall level of quality being gone for hasn’t changed.

Tower of God season 2 episode 1 also deserves to be commended for its aforementioned focus on plot setup and character development thus far, even if Baam is somewhat left behind here. Hopefully, later episodes can alleviate this issue while also giving focus to Ja and co, resulting in a near-perfect approach with respect to the season’s narrative.