Tower of God season 2 episode 11 review: A tense and anticipated reunion is ruined by the anime's pacing

Heading into Tower of God season 2 episode 11’s release, fans were particularly curious to see how the apparent imminent reunion between Bam and Khun Aguero Agnes would play out. Officially released on Sunday, September 15, 2024, this latest installment is unfortunately a disappointment to what is considered one of the source material’s early peaks.

Tower of God season 2 episode 11 specifically fails in its adaptation of the action present in the corresponding source material, feeling much less dynamic and fluid than the manhwa. This is compounded with The Answer Studio’s art style and pacing, which are relatively unexpressive and slow, and resultantly lacking the overall direction fans were hoping for.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author. The article also contains spoilers from Tower of God season 2 episode 11.

Tower of God season 2 episode 11 review: Further setup with FUG, a standout vocal performance, and more are the positives

Tower of God season 2 episode 11 review (Image via The Answer Studio)

One of the only major areas in which Tower of God season 2 episode 11 succeeds is with respect to its story advancement, which does a lot for what’s to come in the second cour. Rachel’s true plan has been revealed, Khun and his team are now separated (as are Bam and his own team), and FUG continues to be instrumental to the narrative. All of this serves to set up the Workshop Battle arc, which will likely be the point where each narrative climatically resolves.

These are each intriguing for their own reasons, especially in the wake of Bam and Khun’s reunion (with the latter having realized that Jue Viole Grace was the former). While season 2 may be plagued by a few nagging issues so far, the story is not one of them, and it’s encouraging to see so many plotlines in the air at once. While it’s unlikely all will be fully resolved by the end of the season, those cliffhangers should at least come at satisfactory points.

In turn, Tower of God season 2 episode 11 also succeeds via setting up a long-term future, both with respect to season 2’s second cour and beyond. As the so-called “One Piece of manhwa”, as proclaimed by fans, this focus on the future and worldbuilding is especially welcoming and exciting. Rachel’s betrayal serves as a key example of this, highlighting that FUG is playing both sides when it comes to her and Bam.

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Speaking of Rachel, the already titillating reveal of her true goals and allegiances is made even more gripping via Saori Hayami’s performance in the scene. This is essentially the first time in the series that fans get to see this side of Rachel, and Hayami delivers it in an incredible way. As she begins her rant, Rachel sounds legitimately in pain, yet it’s clear there’s also a belief that she did nothing wrong.

Her stabbing Dan as she says this, further intensifies the horror of the scene, making it more memorable in turn. This serves as the lone directorial success in Tower of God season 2 episode 11, but it is an exceptional one. Hopefully, Hayami is given not just more opportunities to perform as Rachel in the second season, but also many more chances to show fans this side of the character again.

Tower of God season 2 episode 11 review: Bad pacing, awful fight adaptations, and more are the negatives

Unfortunately, one of the installment’s biggest issues is also one of the most nagging in the second season. However, The Answer Studio’s animation and art style is worth exploring once more, given how egregious it is in this episode. One major area where the aesthetic falters is in the fight scenes that take place at the Hand of Arlen, which are incredibly disappointing.

The best way to explain where Tower of God season 2 episode 11 fails is that it is a dish that lacks any seasoning whatsoever. Rather than incorporating its own spice, style, and flair, The Answer Studio concerns itself with getting from start to finish in the most utilitarian way possible. The scene of Novick rushing at Bam best exemplifies this, truly being a missed opportunity that The Answer Studio seemingly could’ve taken, but deliberately chose not to.

The Answer Studio also fails in its pacing of the installment overall. Bam and Khun’s reunion feels much too quick, and while there’s certainly a more true-to-form reunion coming for the pair later on in the season, this feels like a missed opportunity. While tension is still there, this is one scene where the series would’ve benefitted from taking a breath rather than trying to blister through the four chapters of source material it has adapted.

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Tying back into the fight adaptations, one other area where Tower of God season 2 episode 11 is questionable is in its decision to cut certain source material moments. For example, at the beginning of the Kang Horyang fight, there’s a brief moment where Ran engages him in close quarters before pulling back as Novick goes in for a hit. This is absent in the anime and serves to highlight both the utilitarian approach to fights and the choice to move as quickly as possible.

Beyond these main negatives, nagging aspects such as voice acting remain. While no performance in the episode was particularly bad, it says something that Hayami’s Rachel in one of the final episodes of the first cour is the vocal peak of the season. All of this combined, makes what was a once considered a highly anticipated installment, and one of the early peaks of S.I.U.’s manhwa, turn it into a subpar anime episode.

Tower of God season 2 episode 11 review: Final thoughts

While there are some exciting positives from Tower of God season 2 episode 11, the installment’s negatives are too damning to call the episode impressive in any capacity. These issues are likewise especially concerning with the second cour on the horizon, which many were hoping to be where the animation kicks it up a notch. While certainly still possible, the first cour continues to give anything for fans to reasonably invest their faith in ahead of the upcoming arc.