REVIEW: ‘Tower Of God’ Season 2 Episode 16 — “The 25th Bam”

Tower of God Season 2 faces a lot of vitriol from fans of both the Webtoon and the anime’s first season. I’ve added to that criticism. And unfortunately, it doesn’t seem the series will right itself. It’s astonishing how dull Episode 16 is despite a story that should be riddled with dramatic stakes and tension. Viole must hide his true identity as the 25th Bam from Shibisu’s team to protect them. Yet despite all the close calls and the weight these potential interactions should carry, it remains lifeless.

Tower of God Season 2 Episode 16 has intriguing elements. Or, instead, they’re intriguing in theory. We should want to care that Shibisu (Takuya Eguchi) is fighting Bam/Viole (Taichi Ichikawa) and that the latter is one punch away from being outed as alive, endangering his old teammates. And there’s certainly a spark of something when we hear Rak (Kenta Miyake) call Khun (Nobuhiko Okamoto) Blue Turtle, hinting at a reunion.

Kevin Penkin’s score remains the anime’s most significant asset, driving up drama and mystique despite the lackluster visuals. Pieces of the puzzle are there, but none form together to create something cohesive or engaging.

Viole/Bam fights Shibusu’s team to keep his identity a secret. Shibisu, meanwhile, tells Viole that their primary objective as a team is to capture him. They don’t care about the Warehouse Games or gaining entry to the ship, Archimedes. Viole is their goal. But Shibisu hasn’t become heartless. And while they make good headway in taking Viole down, including a ring that blocks his power, Viole walks away with the upper hand.

One fun bit of writing is the consistent gag about how every previous member of Bam’s group who hears of the great, imposing Viole believes he’ll be this hulking figure. It makes them let their guard down when they see him and his slight physicality. It’s why Shibisu is so confident in his team’s efforts. He believes that if they turn off Viole’s access to power, they’ll be able to apprehend him quickly due to his stature. But there’s too much about Viole that he doesn’t know, and his powers are beyond expectations.

While the fight should be a standout sequence, it falls unceremoniously flat. The visuals continue to be the most tremendous disservice to the story. They’re stiff and possess no weight or texture, smooth panels that siphon away any sense of life or vibrancy. The lighting is particularly damning as it strips away any depth or shadows that might help create dimensions or impact. The fight, for all of its stakes, is hollow. Every punch or surge of power lands superficially. The action grazes by rather than locking in our interest.

It wouldn’t be so frustrating, but again, Season 1 was rough around the edges, but I found a way to make the animation distinctive enough to overcome any shortcomings. There’s none of that ingenuity here. Tower of God Season 2 Episode 16 should be thrilling—both narratively and through the action. But instead, it leaves us checking the time to see how much longer the episode has to go.

A major example of the lack of dramatic tension happens towards the end of the episode. Novice reprimands Viole for taking everything on himself rather than allowing others to help. Novick tells him that it’s a sure way to ruin himself. Viole, however, says he’ll happily destroy himself if it ensures the safety of others. In what should be a devastating, revealing moment for the character, Viole says, “I don’t have a reason to live anymore.” Instead, the camera is hardly even focused on Viole — nor is it on Khun who listens in — and the score doesn’t reach an emotional peak. It’s stated, then forgotten, as the episode moves on to other characters.

But it’s Viole’s humanity and his tether to his past life as Bam, his tethers to his friends who helped him ascend the tower in the first place, that give the series any sense of heart. The series seems so determined to stamp out any semblance of soul and personality that it might as well be another show entirely.

Tower of God Season 2 Episode 16 is fine if you’re not expecting anything. The story moves along, we almost have a reunion, and a single action scene lands with a whimper. It’s lifeless. The care we have for the early iterations of these characters is all that helps the series maintain any level of engagement.

Tower of God Season 2 Episode 16 is out now on Crunchyroll.