Tower of God season 2 episode 8 review: Eerie plotlines and revelations appear at the cost of action and impressive animation

While Tower of God season 2 episode 8 likely didn’t satisfy viewers’ thirst for action after the uneventful Urek Mazino confrontation, it was nevertheless an excellent episode. Officially released on Sunday, August 25, 2024, the latest installment to the beloved anime series instead took a more narrative- and plot-heavy route which worked extremely well.

Unfortunately, these storyline advancements in Tower of God season 2 episode 8 came at the expense of any meaningful or significant animation, let alone well-animated action. That being said, it’s clear that the series is looking to save budget for the Workshop Battle tournament, which will undoubtedly be a feast for the eyes over the next month.

Tower of God season 2 episode 8 review: Unique takes on story and character development are the positives

Tower of God season 2 episode 8 review (Image via The Answer Studio)

One of the best compliments that can be paid to Tower of God season 2 episode 8 is its unique approach to storytelling within the series overall thus far. The entire episode is framed through the introduction of the Emily chatbot, which is implied to be connected to the upcoming Workshop Battle. It’s a new approach for the series which is executed incredibly well here, providing a connecting thread to the various perspectives focused on during the episode.

The Emily storyline itself is also given payoff by the installment’s end, which suggests that Emily is actually a human being used by someone else. Combined with the overall focus on the Workshop Battle in the episode, it seems clear that this is a major plotline to be explored as the second season concludes. The installment also does a good job of teasing Kang Horyang’s connection to the Workshop, making it obvious without providing any preemptive connotations.

There are also significant moments of character development in Tower of God season 2 episode 8, especially as it relates to Wangnan Ja and Bam’s team. The group is now more cohesive and cooperative than ever before, and interpersonal relationships are even blossoming. Hon Arkraptor and Miseng particularly embody this, building on the former’s affection for her by nature of reminding him of his own daughter.

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The episode also does a good job of focusing on Khun and giving him some good characterization throughout. His initial skepticism of Emily gives way to hope-fueled curiosity, showing him in total mental shock after she tells him that Bam is still alive. It shows how desperate Khun is to reunite with his friend, while also subtly suggesting that he never once considered that Bam actually survived his encounter with Rachel.

This scene leads into the reveal of the human seemingly powering Emily in the Workshop, and makes for a fantastic end to Tower of God season 2 episode 8. Aika Wakuno’s performance as Emily is particularly unnerving here, with each of her lines of dialogue feeling extremely unsettling. It helps to create an overall creepy feel to the episode during the parts where Emily is actively involved, bridging the gap between otherwise unrelated developments.

Unfortunately, there’s not much else the installment does exceptionally well beyond the above. Voice acting across the board is acceptable, and while there is plenty of narrative setup, there isn’t much follow through on or continued development of previously introduced plotlines. It’s far from the worst installment of the season thus far, but can also not be considered one of the best, let alone the very best.

Tower of God season 2 episode 8 review: Wooden animation and a lack of action are the negatives

Generally speaking, where Tower of God season 2 episode 8 suffers most is in its lack of action. This is especially impactful here given the bait-and-switch of the Urek Mazino versus Bam skirmish in the previous installment, which wasn’t much of a fight at all. Likewise, while each episode doesn’t need to have action, there’s been a frustratingly minimal amount in the season thus far. Hence, episode 8 simply gets the poor luck of the draw of following up the Urek encounter.

That being said, there is some brief action in the episode, but its production highlights the episode’s second major flaw of relatively wooden and unlively animation. This is especially true in the fight scenes present within, but can be applied to the episode in general overall. There aren’t many scenes which are genuinely eye popping, with the only true notable exception being Ran’s attack on the enemy team during their test.

Beyond this, fight scenes are slideshow-like, and the characters lack significant or dynamic movement in any way. While emotions such as Khun’s disbelief are very palpable and well done, animation on the whole is a major letdown here. Unfortunately, The Answer Studio continues failing in its need to justify the change to a generic art style, especially with how much more lively and vibrant the first season’s aesthetic was on the whole.

Tower of God season 2 episode 8 review: Final thoughts

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While Tower of God season 2 episode 8 isn’t a particularly awful episode, it does falter in its approach to action and animation given its follow-up of the Urek encounter installment. In this way, these issues are exacerbated by fans who are still waiting to be truly wowed by a large-scale fight scene with high-budget animation. Likewise, the continued lack of such visuals also leads to a lack of justification for this major change in art style from season 1 to season 2.

That being said, the episode continues to succeed from a narrative perspective, which has been one of the season’s strengths overall. The world of the tower truly feels expansive with each passing episode, and the introduction of Emily and her seemingly sinister origins help to further intensify this feeling. Likewise, with the Workshop Battle coming up soon, fans can expect this aspect of the series to be cranked up to 11 as several new teams and fighters are introduced.