REVIEW: ‘The God of High School,’ Episode 12 – “FOX/GOD”

We’re reaching the end of Crunchyroll OriginalThe God of High School. An anime adaptation of the hit WEBTOON of the same name by Yongje Park, this series has continually upped the ante on combat animation and story with each episode. In episode 11, the moment fans had been waiting for finally happened: Jin Mori awakened his charyeok. With Ilpyo awakening as the key, the only way that Mori was able to take home a win was to unleash his own power. But while the two were fighting, something else was awakened which led to a battle that pushed what we thought was capable of charyeok and left Ilpyo’s teammates gravely injured. Now, in The God of High School Episode 12, “FOX/GOD,” we get to see Ilpyo and Jegal fight, the key, and a devastating god come from the sky.

Having had his trauma triggered by watching his friends yet again be injured by Jegal, Ilpyo mercilessly beats down Jegal. But, just as Ilpyo is about to deal the finishing blow, Jegal sprouts tentacles and ensnares him. With the charyeok Greed, Jegal unleashes the charyeok powers of the others he’s absorbed and turns their incredible powers upon Ilpyo. This highlights just how devastatingly strong the charyeok have become. As their battle rages, something changes in the sky over the arena, and it is soon filled with a sword-wielding God and his many followers that descend on the city.

There is a lot going on in The God of High School Episode 12 and at times, it feels like too much. As the commissioners fight the followers that have come from the sky wreaking havoc to hopefully keep God at bay, Jegal has become a monster, the teens competing in the tournament are sent away, and so much more I can’t mention because of spoilers. With so many story elements revealing themselves, its hard to keep track and makes for an overwhelming viewing experience, leaving me with many more questions than answers.

That said The God of High School Episode 12 is fast-paced and packed with content that pushes MAPPA’s animation even further than previous episodes. The action sequences are beautiful fights and the carrying charyeok farther than I thought possible in scope and detail. The animation is truly what kept me engaged in this episode because the story left me curious and a little confused.

After this, I have even more questions about The Six, the Key, and who exactly Jegal is to begin with. I can’t seem to find the answers, even when rewatching this episode. while this makes me feel like I’ll need to read the WEBTOON to get a full understanding of the series’ lore, this complaint doesn’t drive me away from the series. In fact, I feel less like the answers to my questions aren’t there and more like I need to find the elements I missed in previous episodes. This leaves me at an impasse. There are too many elements happening in The God of High School Episode 12 and yet, I wouldn’t take any of them away. However, it is clear that the series would have benefitted from a longer season.

Overall, The God of High School Episode 12 isn’t perfect, but it is beautiful to watch and so action-packed that you can’t look away. With one episode left in season one, I’m expecting an exciting and loud finish, but this episode has being bringing a lot of baggage packed with questions into it.

The God of High School is now streaming exclusively on Crunchyroll with new episodes of the sub and dub airing every Monday.