Tower of God season 2 episode 16 review: Slight improvement in animation gives fans hope

Following the first two episodes of the series’ Workshop Battle Arc, fans were hopeful heading into Tower of God season 2 episode 16’s release week. Officially released on Sunday, October 20, 2024, the episode rewarded viewers with glimpses of greatness that at least tease a visually exciting finish to the season.

Tower of God season 2 episode 16 did this by adding the “finishing touch” to what was missing from episodes 14 and 15, which was a step up in animation quality. The latest installment thankfully includes this, pairing it again with exciting and unique directorial choices that make for a satisfying watch.

Tower of God season 2 episode 16 review: Better animation, continued directorial flair, and more are the positives

Tower of God season 2 episode 16 review (Image via The Answer Studio)

This step forward in animation quality is the single biggest highlight from Tower of God season 2 episode 16. GThe episode had general improvements across the board, as did episodes 14 and 15, to a similar degree. This progress is encouraging and worth mentioning because it shows that animation as a whole is improving rather than just shooting up in quality for specific scenes.

The fact that this visual improvement has been consistent throughout the first three episodes of the Workshop Battle Arc is even more encouraging. Assuming this trend continues, it at least shows that The Answer Studio is aware of the Workshop Battle Arc’s significance and is prioritizing it accordingly. This is further supported by specific instances of heightened animation, evidenced in many of the episode’s fighting scenes.

The best example in Tower of God season 2 episode 16 comes during Bam’s fight against Shibisu’s team member, Aleksai Amigochaz. Upon activating his Red Thryssa powers, Bam rushes for a strike at Aleksai, giving fans the best animation of the season as the blow lands. The impact frames here do most of the work, but the sequence is significantly more well-produced than earlier comparable ones.

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What continues on in this latest episode is encouraging directorial choices, which indicate thst The Answer Studio is doing more than going through the motions. The final moments of the episode, where Endorsi Jahad discovers that Bam may be alive, serve as a good example. Viewing her reaction through the reflection of the traveler’s glasses is a nice touch, communicating the impact this has on her mentally.

While there aren’t many additional worthwhile moments to point to in Tower of God season 2 episode 16, which highlights this, the episode overall shows signs. There’s more expressiveness and life in the characters’ actions, seen via their faces in tense situations. It’s still far from being the benchmark for anime in this regard, but the key here is that The Answer Studio is tightening up at the right time.

The episode also does a good job of setting up future climaxes and payoffs for the characters involved. Episode 16 gives significant new meaning to the Workshop Battle itself, which seems set to be a stage where multiple wills, goals, and personalities will clash. The reappearance of characters like Kang Horyang and Rak Wraithraiser also hooks viewers as the series continues to air.

Voice acting also takes a slight uptick in quality overall in this episode, with Takuya Eguchi’s role as Shibisu being particularly praiseworthy. His performance will likely be a highlight moving forward as Shibisu returns to the fold of central characters. It’s likewise expected that other voice actors from the series will get their chances to shine through later developments for the Workshop Battle Arc.

Tower of God season 2 episode 16 review: A snail’s pace and more are the major negatives

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One of the biggest issues with Tower of God season 2 episode 16 is its pacing, which doesn’t see much happen. While it may succeed in terms of adapting a significant amount of source material, there’s not much substance in the episode’s events. The most notable development is arguably Endorsi’s discovery of Bam’s survival and that she seemingly didn’t make it onto the Archimedes.

A runner-up comes in the form of Miseng and Prince’s abduction, but the above likely has more implications considering Bam’s status as the protagonist and the upcoming battle. While the episode succeeds in setting up future payoffs, the story itself isn’t pushed forward meaningfully aside from the above two points. Rak’s reunion with Khun would also be included if it weren’t used as a cliffhanger.

The fight scenes also still aren’t up to par with the standard set by the first season, even if there is a general improvement in their most flawed factors. The Answer Studio is certainly doing more than it used to and deserves praise in that context, but the final product is still inferior overall relative to the industry standard. Once again, it’s especially disappointing, considering the first season’s fight scenes and overall aesthetic were high-quality.

Beyond these two points, there aren’t any other major negatives. Most of the nagging issues that made the series borderline unwatchable have shown acceptable progress in recent weeks. While one can argue this progress is incredibly slow as a negative, at this point in the series, it’s clear fans will simply have to take the wins they can get.

Tower of God season 2 episode 16 review: Final thoughts

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Tower of God season 2 episode 16 is not perfect, and it’s unlikely that The Answer Studio will have a perfect outing in this series sequel. However, there is apparent and obvious improvement in the major problem areas, encouraging fans to keep the faith for just a while longer. Assuming these improvements continue to ramp up and go to great lengths as the Workshop Battle approaches, the series is in its brightest spot yet this season.

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Edited by Joseph Brogan