REVIEW: ‘The God of High School,’ Episode 7 – “anima/force”

Crunchyroll Original The God of High School turned the corner into a new arc last episode and now the violence has been kicked up to 11 and it’s not coming down anytime soon. Based on the WEBTOON by Yongje Park, the series is anime by studio MAPPA and has been the talk of the anime community since airing.  Last episode we learned that the final three of each preliminary region will fight together to determine the finals for the eponymously titled tournament. But while it began the next leg of the sanctioned fighting, it also showcased the rising cult, Nox and it’s murderous targeting of the tournament’s staff. Now, in The God of High School Episode 7, “anima/force,” we get more use of powers, bloodshed, and Nox begins to take shape.

There are two parts to The God of High School Episode 7 and what I assume will continue to be a trend for the rest of the season. The first is the national tournament and the second is Nox’s agenda. In the first match of the national tournament, we get to see how our main trio, Jin Mori, Han Daewi, and Yoo Mira stand up to the others who won their preliminaries. In order to take the win and advance one for teams needs to win the best of three. But, after showing dominance over the course of the last six-episode, Mori loses his team’s opening bout by applying a pressure point he learned from Bongchim of The Six, which renders him immobile. This ups the pressure on his teammates.

The second bout pits Daewi the tournament’s oldest competitor, 38-year-old Jin Pum Kwang, who overwhelms Daewi with powerful attacks acquired through years of hard physical labor. And the final match sees Mira put up against a mirror opponent who also uses a practice sword. Meanwhile, the subplot takes shape as Commissioner Q is attacked by Drake, a member of Nox, and is seriously injured. But, Q ends up removing his limiter so he can call upon the power of the gods, and the charyeok Joker materializes.

The physical representations of the fighter’s power, charyeok take center stage this episode. It’s clear that there are two types of fight sequences that we can look forward to in the series and that’s the straight forward we saw in the first five episodes and the use of charyeok that are all just as terrifying and dangerous as what Commissioner Q showed briefly against Mori in the early episodes. That being said, in an episode where everyone but our three main characters uses their charyeok, it’s noticeable that the series has yet to define what they are. All we know is that there those based around weapons, there are ones that are extensions of bodies, and they are giant monsters that can be emitted, to fight like the Joker.  We’ve seen so many different styles that it’s almost frustrating to not know much about them, especially since much of the story seems to assume that you know.

That being said, this can be an effective show and not tell method of storytelling if we get more information in the upcoming episode. But, perhaps the most fascinating thing about the charyeok is that while we have seen small glimpses in Mori, Mira, and Daewi’s fighting that seems of their charyeok we haven’t seen them manifest them in the same devastating or prolonged way as other fighters. The God of High School episode 7 feels like two anime in one and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the two disparate stories begin to meet in the middle.

On another note, the short length of the individual tournament matches has been a consistent frustrating part of the series. Outside of Daewi and Mori’s match which properly lasted an entire episode, everything has finished in a flash. Thankfully, The God of High School Episode 7 curbs that frustrating, not by elongating matches but by adding character depth through their backgrounds to help flesh out the fights. While short, each fight does seem to carry weight. And with both Daewi and Mira’s opponents using their charyeok, one thing is made clear, our trio (when Mori isn’t paralyzing himself) is strong enough to overcome those manifestations of power like nothing. Additionally, Commissioner Q’s battle with Nox is high-octane, bloody, and satisfying to watch, ultimately balancing out the action this episode.

With new opponents entering the arena at the end of the match, it’s clear that the easiest part of the tournament and the story has passed. The God of High School Episode 7 packs in as much action and visual storytelling that it can in its runtime and its clear that the stage is being set for something even more violent and terrifying.

The God of High School is available exclusively in the US on Crunchyroll with new episodes (sub and dub premiering Monday).