Tower of God season 2 episode 20 review: Fleeting flashes of improvement appear as the plot thickens

Modified Nov 19, 2024 08:14 GMT

Tower of God season 2 episode 20 review: Fleeting flashes of improvement appear as the plot thickens (Image via The Answer Studio)

Tower of God season 2 episode 20 was highly anticipated by fans, following the improvements that The Answer Studio has been making in recent weeks. Officially released on Sunday, November 17, 2024, it appears that The Answer Studio is set to reward viewers for their patience and perseverance in the final six episodes.

However, Tower of God season 2 episode 20 is largely as impressive as other recent outings, with a few brief but particularly bright signs for season 2’s future. While there are still issues, it offers a largely enjoyable experience that is extremely rewarding to fans who’ve suffered through to this point.

Tower of God season 2 episode 20 review: Great directorial choices, an enthralling plot twist, and more are the positives

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One of the most significant and immediately apparent areas where Tower of God season 2 episode 20 succeeds is in its directorial choices. The opening seconds of the installment highlight this by implementing an anime-original scene to make up for cut material on how Endorsi Jahad, Rak Wraithraiser, and co. encounter and confront Bam. This anime-original scene shows Rak, presumably shortly after Bam’s alleged death, violently thrashing and rejecting the notion.

This transitions into a shot of Rak’s eye, which then shifts to the present, showing his eye to be much gentler and teary as he celebrates reuniting with Bam. While The Answer Studio may still be holding back in terms of animation quality and sakuga, one of the biggest improvements through the Workshop Battle Arc has been directorial choices. Rak’s opening scene serves as one of the more fulfilling and productive examples of improvement.

Rak and Bam's reunion is a particularly impressive aspect of Tower of God season 2 episode 20 (Image via The Answer Studio)

Another continued improvement from The Answer Studio present in Tower of God season 2 episode 20 is seen in Bam and Reflejo’s conversation on how to fight Team Mad Dog. The stairs behind them are very well animated as they descend, giving a subtle yet impactful sense of life to the scene. This may seem small, but continuously improving background animation has been a major aspect of improvement during the Workshop Battle Arc.

The final major strength of the latest installment comes in the execution of its narrative. As mentioned earlier, Bam’s reunion scene with his friends is exceptionally well done but is also only just the beginning. The next major narrative highlight comes from Kang Horyang and Miseng’s reunion. Although it’s not a particularly high-budget sequence, it is impactful for the emotions they clearly have for each other and what it does for their relationship.

Tower of God season 2 episode 20 also excels narratively in its tangled web of twists that unfold during the episode’s second half. It’s exceptionally well done in that it’s suspenseful, unpredictable, and yet easy to understand. The revelation that Bam was the titular tournament’s prize all along is incredibly engaging, as is his being trapped by Beta in the final moments. This ending scene also highlights some solid animation improvements.

Tower of God season 2 episode 20: Underwhelming action is the only major negative

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While the episode is far from perfect, the only major negative aspect that can be identified is the underwhelming action. Bam and Beta’s confrontation ends before any punches are thrown, with the latter trapping the former, while Wangnan Ja’s fight with Tebo & Lebo was fairly underwhelming. Although this was also a quick and simple fight in the manhwa, The Answer Studio deserves criticism for adding virtually no flair to the fight.

The only other significant action not used as part of the cliffhanger’s setup comes from Vespa’s battle with Bundawan and his brief skirmish with a regular. Both sequences are either mostly offscreen or display little to no flair, with the word “slideshow” being an accurate description at some points. That said, these are far from major battles, so while it is fair to criticize Tower of God season 2 episode 20 nonetheless, this is necessary context.

Tower of God season 2 episode 20 review: Final thoughts

Tower of God season 2 episode 20 excels at driving home the danger Bam and his allies are now in (Image via The Answer Studio)

Like most episodes in recent weeks, season 2 episode 20 continues to show promise for the series’ future, albeit while frustratingly refusing to capitalize on some aspects in the present. However, this latest installment is a net positive overall, largely carried by key directorial choices and an enthralling, twisting narrative that begins to untangle here.