REVIEW: ‘Tomb Raider King’ Episode 2

Tomb Raider King Episode 2 sees Joo-Heon Seo (Yoshimasa Hosoya, Dorohedoro) continue his plans as he secures his financial stability and heads off to his first tomb. And he’s not the only one out for the relic that lies within. Not that anyone is likely to be able to oppose him. 

In any narrative centered around action, there must be tension. The protagonist’s struggle to overcome those who would oppose them is the key element that has to be sold to the audience. If the possibility of failure is not present, there is no tension. And with no tension, the audience will quickly begin to wonder what the point of following the story is. 

Tomb Raider King Episode 2 fails to craft the tension its narrative requires. Whether it’s overcoming thugs to acquire the money he needs or plunging into a tomb to face his first relic, every task that Seo faces falls far too easily before him. And while it sometimes makes sense for things to go right for him, at other times it feels like his success is due to simple plot armor and nothing else. 

Seo’s inability to fail hurts Tomb Raider King Episode 2 the most during his confrontation with the new tomb’s relic. This scene, clearly intended to be the episode’s highlight, falls apart due to poor management of Seo’s advantages. 

Following up on his near-omniscience in Tomb Raider Episode 2 is a fight Seo never truly feels engaged in.

The first way that this scene stumbles is through his preparatory knowledge. Despite being taken off guard by the tomb’s appearance, once inside, Seo knows everything about the tomb, having learned about it in the future. He knows exactly how to summon the relic, as well as the dangers and tricks the relic would attempt to ensnare him with. 

That he would have some understanding of relics he hasn’t personally encountered would make sense, but this level of understanding feels ridiculous. With how many times Seo has described his time as a lawless, chaos-fueled warzone, it seems unlikely he would have access to deep files about every random tomb ever found, let alone the time to memorize them. 

Following up on his near-omniscience in Tomb Raider King Episode 2 is a fight Seo never truly feels engaged in. Despite the massive size of the creature, it seems completely incapable of even threatening its diminutive foe. Of course, it’s also one of the dumbest enemies ever seen, given how much time Seo spends standing on its head, and the creature never thinks to simply roll over on him. 

Tomb Raider King Episode 2 never manages to excel with its visual presentation.

Much like the combat encounter in the previous episode, Tomb Raider King Episode 2 never manages to excel with its visual presentation. The creature’s size is impressive, and the way it moves feels natural for its locomotive style, but the other elements, like camera work, continue to do little to help the one-sided encounter feel more engaging. 

Later in the episode, when it looks like there is a hole in Seo’s prepared knowledge, the series goes out of its way to let him catch up on anything he’s missing. Coincidentally running into a government relic hunter and managing to learn a bit more than he probably should, at least if you don’t want him to possess every possible advantage there is, drives home the fact that Seo will never be caught off guard in a meaningful way. 

The only sliver of hope that Seo’s great start could turn sour on him and, in doing so, create a potential problem that may take effort to overcome comes through the episode’s B-plot. As he aids in the take down of a drug ring to earn a reward large enough to set himself up for his plans, he brazenly flaunts who he is to one of the captured dealers. Will the series use this moment of overconfidence to possibly bring the protagonist down a peg or two? Feels unlikely, but there is always hope. 

Tomb Raider King Episode 2 manages to smother any tension or compelling energy from its narrative with an earnestness that leaves little hope for future tasks it sets before Seo. An overpowered hero can make a compelling center for a story, but not if action is core to your plot. 

Tomb Raider King Episode 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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