English Dub Review: Tower of God “3/400”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

“3/400” continues to follow Bam’s ascension up the grand Tower and reunite with Rachel. Bam’s experienced some beginner’s luck with the first test that he faced, but he begins to properly comprehend the dangers that face him as he goes through several culling periods between tests. Elimination is on everyone’s minds and before Bam even has the opportunity to face level two’s challenge, he must first figure out who to trust and align with as the Tower’s tests intensify. Bam now has more support behind him than ever before, but he’s also a major target thanks to the Black March that he possesses. Bam is tested physically, mentally, and emotionally, but both he and those around him start to discover that the Tower may have special plans for this Irregular.

Our Take:

Tower of God’s premiere episode really rose to the challenge and did a great job at introducing the audience to this strange, new world. However, “3/400” is more impressive in practically every way and it really gives a good impression of what a standard episode of Tower of God may look like as Bam and company rise higher up the foreboding structure. “3/400” fluctuates between intense battle scenes and reflective puzzles that effectively illustrates the complexity and range of this shonen series. Now that Bam is officially in the Tower, there’s no turning back and”3/400” looks at how exciting of a prospect that is.

“3/400” picks up immediately after the mysterious ending of “BALL.” Bam hardly gets a chance to celebrate his latest victory because he literally wakes up in a war zone. Headon explains that this is the “culling” period that takes place between levels. Apparently too many participants passed the first level and so this process is to bring the number of people down from 400 to 200. Bam is an easy target thanks to the Black March that he wields and both Rak and Khun become fascinated with him, albeit for different reasons. Both of these characters show up at the end of the last episode, but “3/400” actually turns them into characters. Rak is driven by aggression and committed, nearly to a fault, to the Tower’s challenges. Khun however is much harder to pin down and his seemingly friendly behavior towards Bam is motivated by ulterior self-interests.

Bam still has many decisions to figure out on his own and he’s not quite sure who to trust through all of this. Mentally, he’s isolated, but Bam, Khun, and Rak turn into an unlikely alliance here that’s a lot of fun to follow. They all embody such different personalities and in the case of Khun, his true goals remain a mystery. Every time he assists Bam there’s a subtle level of tension that accompanies the gesture. It’s also very compelling to see how Khun represents a sect of people who choose to rise to the top of the Tower by rebelling against its tasks. Everyone seems so beholden to the Tower’s rules above everything else, so it’s very refreshing when Khun adopts the strategy to simply relax and let the culling handle itself.

It’s already very exciting to think about how Khun’s resourcefulness and Rak’s aggression will motivate Bam in different ways. Power dynamics are already in play with how Bam tricks Rak into becoming his teammate, but at the same time Khun is also playing puppet master on a larger scale. There are also a few more helpful details regarding Bam’s past, such as how he describes himself to be owned by Rachel and that their relationship may have a very different dynamic than what was originally indicated. A cryptic flashbacks also plays out that describes the dangerous ramifications of giving an Irregular like Bam a weapon that’s as cherished as the Black March.

Khun and Rak are strong allies for Bam, but “3/400” also introduces a trio of other characters that immediately resonate. Anaak is probably the most interesting of the lot, largely due to how she’s a cute lizard girl that looks like she’d better belong in Saranzamai. Anaak utilizes vines in her fighting style and it clashes well with her opponent, Hatz, who uses swords as his weapon of choice. There’s also Shibisu, a fighter in a tracksuit who at this point just wants to be acknowledged more than anything else. This group is at odds throughout “3/400,” but due to the evolving rules of the Tower they’re pushed into a team together. Tower of God executes more excellent casting here. Cherami Leigh is already killing it as Anaak, Nicolas Roye is great as Hatz, and Scott Whyte properly taps into Shibisu’s fears of perpetual uselessness. They’re all useful additions to this eclectic cast of characters, but everyone seems to already recognize the awesomeness of Anaak.

When Bam and his new teammates finally gain access to level two of the Tower, they’re informed that the number of participants has actually dropped down to 120, rather than 200. That improves their odds, but it also helps the impact of this sink in, since the difficulty scaling between level one and two is significant. The next test concerns a giant wall of Shinsu energy that the teams are all required to pass through. However, some fortunate luck on Bam’s part results in him already being on the winning side of the Shinsu when the test starts.

This may be a cop out to some degree, but the implications that it has for Bam’s importance are far more rewarding. This opportunity also allows Bam to bond with a Tower Administrator and earn the right to ask him questions regarding Rachel, even though it turns out to be a fruitless endeavor. “3/400” concludes with Bam’s team successful and ready to head into the next test. It’s still encouraging to see Tower of God move through at least one test per episode and maintain a degree of pacing that doesn’t allow the audience to get bored.

“3/400” organically dispenses more fascinating history on the Tower itself. These details may not amount to much, but they continue to expand on this universe in rewarding ways. The news that Administrators are all people who have formerly reached the top of the Tower helps show that this is not an impossible task. The information that outside of the Tower is actually just a much bigger Outer Tower is also incredible and helps reiterate just how massive the series’ scope is. This is a whole world that’s encased in various levels of prison. Finally, the details that are provided regarding Shinsu, the Tower’s ki-like energy force, are fascinating. Shinsu is shown to be both powerful and dangerous in this episode and it’s definitely an element that’s going to be very important as the stakes in Tower of God increase.

Aesthetically, “3/400” is another beautiful episode of Tower of God that gets to show off its range a little more than the first episode. The culling battle at the start looks fantastic and pushes itself in terms of the busy fight choreography. Furthermore, characters like Khun, Rak, Anaak, and Hatz all employ radically different combat styles, which allows for a lot of variety in the fighting that takes place. The versatility in all of these fighters hold a lot more potential than if everyone wielded a sword. Additionally, the whole Shinsu wave obstacle on the second level also gets creative with its visuals. There’s a lot to show off and the episode succeeds with how every level of the Tower should look like a completely unique world.

“3/400” is a thrilling second installment that only confirms that Tower of God is going to be one of the most enjoyable and engaging anime of the season. Bam’s quest advances in drastic ways and his next challenge should be even more exciting as he’s forced to work with his new teammates. “3/400” balances action, emotion, and narrative drive as it digs deeper into the layers of a very engrossing mystery.