English Dub Review: Tower of God “Position Selection”

https://youtu.be/3oKVCmHD3uI

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The Regulars within the Tower are subjected to the next stage of their ascent, which comes down to a series of assignments that will sort everyone into different battle positions based on their talents. The five different positions get explained, with the first assignment focusing on the Scout role, which is all about recon and relationships. All of the Regulars are subjected to an unconventional assignment that forces guards to be dropped in ways that are both helpful and hurtful.

Outside of the position assignments, serious tests of friendship and character are explored when Rachel puts Khun in a difficult situation regarding Bam, plus it turns out that one character has been lying about their identity and has sinister plans for their Tower victory.

Our Take:

Relationships and alliances have been a fundamental aspect of Tower of God so far. In some sense, everyone is on their own in their quest to reach the top of the Tower, but it’s a task that’s proving to be so difficult and unpredictable that it appears that friendships are a necessary ingredient for success. The trio of friendship between Bam, Rak, and Khun has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of Tower of God so far, but they are only a fraction of the characters caught up in this journey. “Position Selection” is an episode that mostly spends time setting the stage for what’s to come, but it’s an episode that’s all about the importance of allies and the many ways in which they can be assets.

The first few episodes of Tower of God kicked in with a ferocious pace, but “Position Selection” continues with the more relaxed fit that the show has transitioned towards. A very big battle is right around the corner, but this is easily the calmest and most passive entry of the series yet. It’s even revealed that Bam has spent several days in the hospital following his Shinsu performance during “The Crown Game,” so even within the universe of the series things have still slowed down. The lack of action isn’t necessarily a deterrent in this case, considering there are some major revelations made about several characters. Tower of God has more fun with the tricky, Rubix Cube-esque approach to its cast.

The first of these developments deals with Rachel who makes quite the interesting arrangement with Khun. Rachel wants some level of emotional distance between her and Bam while she can continue to manipulate him in certain ways, albeit with somewhat altruistic intentions. Rachel wants Khun to lie to Bam and tell him that she’s not actually Rachel and is actually someone named Michelle. It’s an odd request and even though it aligns with Rachel’s previously strange behavior, it’s news that Bam struggles to accept.

Rachel’s plan here tells a lot about these characters in some satisfying ways. Bam has always seemed a little to obsessed with Rachel, but the way in which he denies that this is some imposter is a sweet way to convey that he really does know her on some level. Bam’s friendship with Khun also grows deeper. Khun technically sticks to Rachel’s lie, but be begins to drop veiled hints to Bam in an effort to help him figure out the truth and get on Rachel’s good side. It’s sweet to see these two friends dedicated to each other in an environment that’s full of distrust, not to mention the baggage that Khun carries with him.

Bam is able to recuperate and he’s informed about the next big test that awaits everyone in the Tower. Now that the Administrators have gotten an opportunity to better witness everyone and their skills in battle, there’s an attempt to level the playing field in some respects. Everyone in the Tower must get designated a certain position, which they’ll then stick to in battle. This approach makes sense, adds a little more structure to the proceedings, and also allows more of a chance to understand what more ancillary characters bring to the table.

There are five positions for everyone to fit into: The Fisherman (close-range combat), The Spear Bearer (long-range combat), The Light Bearer (strategist), The Wave Controller (Shinsu user), and The Scout (reconnaissance). These roles cover all the bases and even though Bam suffers a disadvantage from being out of commission for a few days, there’s no question that he obviously fits into the Wave Controller position.

Rather than choosing where they fit in, the Regulars will all undergo a series of tests that are based on each of these positions. According to their performances within these tests, everyone will then be slotted into these positions in an official sense for the next battle. All of these positions are important in different ways, but “Position Selection” spends most of its time looking at the Scout role, which comes back to the show’s larger theme of relationships.

The requirements for the Scout test are that students need to make nine friends within a week. This doesn’t seem that difficult in theory, but everyone remains so unpredictable that there are definitely some Regulars who are more interested in being opposition than an ally. Anaak is certainly a character who falls into this category. In fact, she actually has less friends than when she was last seen, since after the results of “The Crown Game” she’s actually broken up with her team and made the bold move to go it alone. Bam tries to induct her into his friend group, but she’s not interested. She has the Black March now and Anaak’s powerful weapons appear to be the only friends that she’s interested in. It should be interesting to see how this strategy works out for her. It’s only going to be a matter of time until Anaak gets overwhelmed and she’s going to wish she had support by her side.

Besides Anaak’s rejection, Bam and Khun are already off to a valiant start with their friendship mission. They align with Shibisu and Hatz, as well as Endorsi, who also joins their squad. They’re already past the halfway point and there are still many people who would be happy to team up with these guys. It’s nice to get a deeper focus on Hatz and Shibisu and hopefully everyone will get their own independent moments of glory now that they’re getting singled out from amongst the crowd. The prospect of larger team battles is also very exciting and there’s an added level of energy to all of that once everyone is clear of their enemies’ strengths.

“Position Selection” implies that a series of position-based tests await in the next few episodes, which could really go either way in terms of its execution. The series has consistently been creative with the challenges that it’s come up with, but this is a lot of time devoted to simply figuring out everyone’s roles and there are considerably lower stakes. Tower of God will hopefully rise to the occasion or get more economical with its storytelling and figure out a more efficient way to navigate this territory. There’s nothing wrong with “Position Selection,” but “make friends” is understandably a less compelling challenge than the “Door Test” or “The Crown Game.” The next episodes will need to do more.

What’s arguably the biggest news in this episode is the bombshell that’s revealed about Anaak and who she really is. It turns out that the real Princess Anaak of Jahad is dead and this character is actually an imposter. This Fake Anaak isn’t a total stranger though and she’s actually the Real Anaak’s orphan daughter. In addition to Real Anaak’s death, it turns out that Fake Anaak’s father has been killed at the hands of the other Princesses of Jahad and she’s entered into the Tower to get revenge against all of them.

This is some very entertaining backstory that in many ways speaks to the solitary nature that she adopts during this episode of companionship. It gives Anaak the most emotional and justified reason for being in the Tower, too. It also nicely explains why Anaak was quietly referred to as an imposter in the previous episode. Once again, Tower of God impressively holds back with its story and allows for natural foreshadowing, rather than clunky exposition.

“Position Selection” holds back when it comes to the action and fight sequences, but all of the character interactions naturally lend themselves to a lot of comedy. This is a lighter installment and it’s entertaining to get to see everyone learn more about each other and open themselves up. Even some of the darker moments in “Position Selection” are tinged with comedy, like how Anaak’s murdered father is a renowned chicken pie chef rather than some battle expert or member of royalty.

“Position Selection” is a very natural installment of Tower of God that keeps its eye on the bigger picture and where everything is headed. The characters and the rules of this universe are still entertaining and this episode works on both the more intimate, personal level as well as in a grander sense. Bam’s in a position where he needs to trust more people, but with the secret histories that keep coming to light he’s put in a rough scenario. Bam and his friends are off to a good start, but let’s hope the next test doesn’t trip them up.