English Dub Review: Tower of God “Underwater Hunt (Part One)”

 

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After many grueling tests that have tested these characters mentally and physically, Bam and company prepare for the beginning of the end as they head into their most important and dangerous test to date. Bam’s success and Rachel’s fate is set to be determined by a wildly atypical performance exam that turns everyone into someone else’s dinner entrée. Bam and the Regulars remain confident about their chances at victory, but unforeseen dangers split up the group and challenge them in new ways.

Oh yeah, and we learn that Tower monsters like to eat pizza. Update your notes accordingly.

Our Take:

The adage, “Eat or Be Eaten” has been around for ages and is an effective way to distill the cutthroat nature of humanity and the world they live in. It’s a somewhat nihilistic belief, but one that comes from a real place. This principle has been baked into Tower of God since the start, but “Underwater Hunt (Part One)” takes the lesson to heart literally and involves a test where Bam is in danger of being eaten and swallowed. All the Shinsu in the world isn’t going to do much against raging stomach acids and a digestive tract. Tower of God takes some creative risks as it prepares for the end, but it results in an episode that feels big and teases a very satisfying showdown for the anime’s first season.

Tower of God hasn’t struggled with grandiose situations so far in its run and even though there’s a serialized nature to the storytelling, this latest episode wants itself to be recognized as big by the fact that it’s called “Underwater Hunt (Part One.)” This is Tower of God’s first multi-part episode and it wants to make sure that the new task that Bam and Rachel face has the biggest stakes yet. This daunting challenge is ominously prefaced with the phrasing “Final Test,” so it seems like this is the beginning of the end for Tower of God’s first season.

This final test does not mess around and it features what’s easily the craziest challenge and the grandest example of what the Tower’s magic can do. Bam and Rachel get transformed into fish and their task is survive the hungry, determined net dolphins (think Shinsu porpoise) that are after them. “Underwater Hunt (Part One)” leans into this food chain angle as it also throws pigs and goblins into the mix, which will hunt the dolphins, and on top of this there’s a “Bull,” which is a monster that will jut straight up consume anything that it encounters It’s an extremely unusual angle for a test and more than likely the Director was probably just playing some Ecco the Dolphin or Donkey Kong Country before Bam and company arrived, but it adds a lot of character to this entry.

The fantastical nature of this test’s premise speaks even more to the possibilities that await the show in the future. At this point it wouldn’t be ridiculous to hold a test where Bam is turned into an eagle and has to prove his worth in the sky or everyone is transformed into insects and they have to avoid being caught in a spider’s web. This is even explored to some extent with Khun’s partner, Narae. The Underwater Hunt Test is a big leap for Tower of God, but it’s a move that immediately gives the anime a lot more potential for what’s to come.

Bam and Rachel face a heavy lot here, but Bam acts hopelessly naïve towards the gravity of their situation, even when Rachel tries to remind him of this. Bam is definitely lost in the glow of his reunion with Rachel, but it’s genuinely sweet to see how much she’s softened up to him. Tiny moments like where she ruffles his hair speak volumes for the progress of their relationship considering where they were at during the start of the season. On another level, it’s just extremely satisfying to see how much Bam valued the group’s downtime at the cafeteria, since that scene was easily one of the most powerful and simple moments in Tower of God so far.

Speaking of sweetness, Khun and Shibisu are mostly kept to the sidelines in this episode, but they both get some warmhearted moments where they pat each other on the back over the growth that they’ve made since entering the Tower. There’s a real friendship here, which means even more for someone that’s as closed off as Khun. Shibisu gets to show his importance in more ways than one when he heroically rises forward to face off against the Bull, even if it’s a decision that doesn’t exactly work out for him.

There’s a lot to enjoy in this episode of Tower of God, but by far the most satisfying moment is when both Anaak and Endorsi show up to Shibisu’s rescue. The season has carefully been building to this friendly rivalry between them and their battle against the Bull acts as the culmination. What’s fantastic here is that the two Princesses of Jahad actually came to the fight independently and are both eager to make the Bull their own prey. The fact that they devise a bet that turns this insurmountable threat into a game for the two of them is just perfect and such a good illustration of what their characters represent.

Anaak and Endorsi are resilient in the face of danger, even when the Bull appears to have the upper hand. Arrogance doesn’t always work in Tower of God, but it’s so cathartic in scenes like these where the goal is to reiterate how awesome a certain character is. The character development is satisfying on its own, but the battle also looks incredible and it’s easily one of the animation highlights of the episode. Just the design of the Bull is a lot creepier than anything else that’s appeared in the series so far. Once again, Tower of God crushes it when it comes to the music and each of the phases of this Bull battle are complimented with a grandiose score.

Endorsi finds herself overpowered by the Bull and Anaak would be more than happy to come to her aid and rub in her face how she’s stronger than her. Unfortunately, Anaak gets distracted by Ren, a member of the Tower’s Royal Enforcement Division. He’s an insane character who’s cryptically occupied the shadows in the past, but he finally gets to confront Anaak. There’s nearly a frightening quality to the character’s performance that feels unique from the other threats. Ren also doesn’t waste any time to show off his hand in regards to how he holds knowledge about Anaak’s past and wants to force her to eliminate her demons (his powers also look amazing and are like if Akira’s Tetsuo was filtered through Felix the Cat’s Bag of Tricks).

A lot of people have threatened Anaak before that it’d be easy for this threat to feel empty, but it’s incredible how some subtle animation and vocal tics immediately illustrate how important this is to Anaak. Bam has been able to receive some closure of sorts with his reunion with Rachel, but now Anaak finally gets a chance to resolve her tortured past. Anaak and Endorsi both end up overwhelmed and the episode earns its “Part One” title as the fate of several characters are left up in the air by the end of the entry.

Most of this episode of Tower of God is devoted to building up the stakes for the season’s final episodes, but it does find a few opportunities to lighten the mood with humor, typically with the use of Rak. Rak also appears to have been restored to his normal size off screen between episodes, which is a little discouraging. However, he’s at least threatened with the possibility of having to go through the demeaning experience again if he doesn’t change his attitude. On the topic of supporting characters, Paracule also manages to actually do something and prove that he’s not completely useless. And all it took him is 11 episodes.

“Underwater Hunt (Part One)” wisely employs the approach to have one huge test that slowly unravels over the final episodes of the season rather than individual threats pet entry. This strategy really allows this material to breathe and nothing needs to get sacrificed here. There are plenty of accomplished action scenes, as well as numerous emotional moments that speak to the larger character development of the series. As a result, some may consider “Underwater Hunt (Part One)” to be too slow or not cover enough ground, but it honestly properly paces itself and fits in even more than a standard episode. This episode sets up some very real consequences and it helps make the final two installments of Tower of God feel like the spectacle that they should be.

Now, someone please provide me a GIF of Anaak impatiently saying “Tick, tock. Tick, tock,” while Endorsi fights her ass off.