REVIEW: ‘The God of High School’ Episode 10 – “oath/meaning”

Crunchyroll‘s The God of High School has been delivering god powers, intense action sequences, and attractive anime characters for the Spring anime season. A Crunchyroll Original adaptation of the WEBTOON of the same name by Yongje Park. The series focusses on three friends, Jin Mori, Han Daewi, and Yoo Mira. Having come out at the top of the preliminaries, the three are now representing Seoul in the finals of the titular tournament “The God of High School.” Last episode, the three came up against agents of Nox disguised as participants and the fights were so brutal it led to Mira’s charyeok awakening. Additionally, Mori confronted one of the cult members in the hope of saving his grandpa, Jin Taejin. Now, in The God of High School episode 10, “oath/meaning,” we see the trio fight a new group that pushes them to their limits while Nox aims to destroy the tournament.

In The God of High School episode 10, Mori learns of Nox’s existence and their role in Jin Taiejin’s confinement and swears to win the tournament and save him. In the opening of the episode, we get the chance to see two important elements of the story. In the first act of the episode, we get to understand more about the use of charyeok and who Nox is. While there are still questions as to what everyone’s charyeok will be, we know that they come from the very real power of existing gods across various pantheons. And Nox is a religious cult that is against any god that is not theirs, which includes charyeok users who borrow power from gods.

But while Mori is using this information to propel him in his fights, in the hopes of saving Taejin from Nox’s clutches, Ilpyo isn’t going to let him take the title easily. Now, Ilpyo’s reasons aren’t for glory but rather for revenge. In the show’s opening scene, we see that four years ago, Seungah’s sister and Ilpyo’s cousin, Seungyeon, had her leg broken by Jegal and had to give up martial arts for good. In retaliation, Ilpyo made up his mind to become cold-hearted for her sake. With both boys fighting for those they love, their fight carries all of that weight.

The animation of fights this episode are the best yet. The action sequences are brutal, quick, and do a good job of carrying the determination of the fighters involved. While we get the chance to see Daewi fight against the powerful Seungah, Ilpyo’s teammate. It’s an interesting fight but like many of them, it’s over quickly. Which leaves us to the two main sections of the show. The commissioners versus Nox, with a full out charyeok battle and Mori versus Ilpyo.

The latter of these showcases Mori’s weaknesses as a fighter and more importantly, his adaptability and his strength. Going up against the child trained by his grandfather, Mori is confronted with his hardest opponent which pushes him to rely on more than the taekwondo he’s used to win every match before this. The beauty in their fight comes from the blending of animation. From the MAPPA style of the show as a whole to an ink painting style to highlight their power as they clashed with each other.  There are similarities between their grit and each voice actor brings determination to their roles. This is heightened by the music that scores the final act.

Overall, this episode is monumental, if albeit slightly confusing with how many characters and powers it introduced. That said, the new introductions serve a purpose, to position the series at a crossroads. The arena is one facet of the story and Nox, the key, and the power around them is another.  The God of High School episode 10 shows how varied and vast power in the world is and all of it is happening around our three protagonists. As we get closer to the end of the season, the series is one-upping itself in scale.

The God of High School is streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll Monday morning with the English dubs airing in the afternoon.