Kami no Tou: Ouji no Kikan

Terrible drop in quality from first season! From the moment I started watching the second season I could tell something was really off, the animation has become extremy basic and lacks the character it had on the previous season. I was reading some reviews and saw some people praising the animation, but if you watch one of the episodes from the second season and one from the first right after you will be able to tell how bad it is. The story is incorporatinng new characters but all of them look and act so generic that is hard to get back into this show. Everything, ... from animation and voice acting to even soundtrack has had a tremendous drop in quality that has ruined the show for me. I can understand that not everyone was a fan of the unique animation of the first season, but it certainly gave the show a degree of uniqueness that has been taken away. The first season's animation was well polished and cohisive, making smooth trasintions that allowed for easy to watch scenes. Whereas as this season's animation looks cheap, clunky and the most basic it can. Kinda reminds me of every other average anime that comes out every season that ends up not fulfilling its full potential, and it is a shame because this show doesn't lack potential. The direction and character development has also been horrendous so far, with each and every character spewing the most standard dialogues lacking any feeling or depth. It's almost like you are listening small talk for more than half the episode, and if not, it's cliches that are not even funny and are not even pulled off properly. Now, some people say they must be saving the budget for the fight scenes, but if this is the case, the studio must be about to go under because all fighting scenes have been subpar at most and not that enjoyable.

Overall, this show has become another one of those average shows that has wasted the potential its plot had, another boring, basic anime getting pumped out for the studio's financial benefit that lacks love and dedication. Really sad to see.

As a fan of "Tower of God," I had high hopes for Season 2, but unfortunately, it failed to meet expectations. The drop in quality is evident from the outset, with a slower pace that drags down the story's momentum.

One of the most significant changes is the art style. The unique style that initially drew many of us into the series have been replaced by a more basic one that you find in any random anime. This shift detracts from the show's distinctive charm and makes it feel less special.

As well as the introduction of the new characters in this season that falls flat. ... Instead of bringing exciting characters to the story, they brought some boring generic one that lack the depth and originality that made the first season feel better.

Overall, this season of Tower of God is a letdown. The slower pacing, the basic art quality, and generic new characters combine to create a season that feels lackluster and uninspired.

I can't get over how absolutely dogshit the art style and animation looks. Especially since season 1 looked so good and had a really nice art style. What did they do for 4 years? This just looks ugly and amateurish. Like it really effects my enjoyment of the show and I'm sure that I could like it if it looked better.

And also I really don't care about these new characters. They're really just uninteresting and bland. I don't get that they have all these fantastic characters that they introduce and spend the entire first season developing and fleshing out and then season 2 rolls around ... and they're like "alright let's bring in an entirely new cast of characters". Like I know that the old characters will return but this just feels messy and unstructured and there are too many irrelevant characters.

Still hoping that it'll get renewed for a 3rd season with a better art style tho.

TOG is one of my favorite manhwa, and the S1 was good, the visual style was unique, the animation was good but not outstanding.
And after years of wait we get S2 of TOG and at the first moment of EP1 I can already see the most generic visual style. The animation quality is also bad, like PowerPoint presentations. TOG deserves a big studio like Bones, Madhouse etc even mid-size studios would have been great, instead the producers decided to give this project to this no name Answer studio who has not done any major projects. In EP3 & 4 the number of super closeup shots ... were literally unbearable. I think even previous studio Telecom Animation would have done a much better job than this. What bugs me the most is that most mid manhwa like SL getting super animation and budget and TOG is getting pennies.

Don't know how will future episodes look, but as an avid TOG manhwa lover I will watch through remaining episodes, and only hope that future arcs like Hell train arc, Floor of Death arc get the type of budget and animation they deserve.

What is the point of producing an anime that looks like the fanart retracing of an already poor looking comic?

I was charmed by the first season's vibrant aesthetics, poetic BGM, and the arbitrary but somewhat fascinating worldbuilding, but season two made me realise how much animation quality was important for me to enjoy this series.
What we got now is something that looks like the cheapest, most generic run-of-the-mill isekai seasonal you could imagine, where (save a couple seconds in fight scenes) not even main characters deserve to have proper shadowing and detailing of their faces, and animation fluidity is something I myself could replicate using ... MS Paint.

Plot wise the time skip was also very jarring. We know the conclusion of S1 was dramatic and with lots of plot holes, but after a six-year timeskip I did not expect to bear through the shouting of an annoying new mc and a very slow plot pacing, with three episodes spent on a single uninteresting exam floor. An example of where a similar situation was instead well handled could be Oshi no Ko S2: the plot is excruciatingly slow so far, but I'm still watching and enjoying the show because production quality is through the roof, making even a super boring administrative quarrel suddenly interesting.

I did try to read the webtoon of ToG for the first chapters of S1 and S2, but got shivers at the quality of drawing. I know this series has a huge fanbase but I fail to understand how something with such immature aesthetics and meandering dialogues could become so popular. Again, a done right example of this could be Jujutsu Kaisen: I really don't get the hype and don't like how basic and messy the drawings are in the manga, but I did enjoy the anime a lot because that's a work of art of an adaptation, not just animation and production-wise, but also when it comes to make everything, from barebone scenes to cardboard characters, look and feel so much richer and sexier.

If you're going to make an anime when the source material is a full color comic and there already is a videogame adaptation, it better be something that stands out artistically in some way, otherwise what's the point in watching it?

A lot of people say the plot is gonna get good soon, but at this point I'm better off bracing myself and reading the comic because at least there won't be random cuts to the dialogues and sub scenes.

I can only speak for myself: The first seasons animation was kinda weird at first but after 3-4 episodes I started to love it with the thought that it really suits tower of god but the new animation style is just common for slice of life animes or even worse compared to the slice of life animes these days. I hope they improve the animation - ofc I would wish the old one for myself back but I also do know that the manhwa also changed the art style between the seasons but it was a quality improvment and not, again it´s my opinion, a ... down grade.

Okay, lets be honest. It was the biggest disappointment. This is the first time I've seen the second season of an anime done this badly. Seriously, is this a sequel to Kami no Tou, which I watched? Where is divine and existential references and a deep philosophy lie? Dark but mysterious theme? Background music that excites you? Classic but still appealing character designs?

First of all, let me tell i didnt read the Webtoon. I am making my review as someone who has only watched the anime.
ANIMATIONS. I don't even wanna talk about it. It's really sad that it turned from a unique animation into a ... 3rd part simple no-budget thing. The plot progression in season 2 is considerably lower in quality compared to season 1. The anime inexplicably focuses on uninteresting, simplistic characters. Instead of the mysterious theme from season 1, it now follows a low-quality, low-budget Slice of Life theme. Given how season 1 ended and the impression it left on the audience, in my opinion, this is not a good approach. While everyone is curious about between Rachel and Yoru, and Yoru's journey, season 2’s focus on mediocre characters is entirely frustrating. Especially the blonde character's empty motivation, the predictability of his character arc at first glance, and the near-identical character design make it unbearable.

There is definitely a significant difference between season 1 and season 2. Unfortunately, I couldn't even get 2/10 of the enjoyment from season 2 compared to what I got from season 1.

Horrendous. How are people still defending this anime? Huge drop in quality both animation, story and characters. Super generic, obnoxious and predictable. Painfully telegraphed. Don’t bother and waste your time! There is nothing entertaining, the main character is now OP and finishes “fights” immediately, all of other characters are either arrogant, cowardly or whiney. The art style of the first season was rough yes, but it was unique, it gave the series charm, now this is just mass produced crap like so many other main stream anime. This anime hardly deserves a 7/10, just watching the first 3 episodes was mind numbing, despite the stupidly ... fast pace I was begging for it to be over just so I could leave a bad review, I haven’t bothered to badly review another anime before now, just shows how disappointing the second season of this anime is.

As a fan of the series and the webtoon (read all chapters up to the most recent one) I was eagerly awaiting the second season since they anounced it years ago... Now after all those years of waiting all we get is horrible animations, horrible pacing and an absolutely horrendous amount of ''zoom in on characters face to not have to animate more'' to show how low budget this anime is.
For this part of the story which doesnt have many big figths happening I was wondering (like many others) if they would just save the budget for those couple of fights. Sadly all ... we got is animation quality that look worse than the stuff you can do in Powerpoint.
It's honestly sad this part of the story got done by this no name trash studio which only makes children tv shows.
What also made me sad is they didn't really made new osts for this season and use the ost from season 1. Don't get me wrong, I love what Kevin Penkin did for season 1 and I allway listen to that same ost when I read the newest chapter of the webtoon. It's just the way they use the ost is hella weird and sometimes the ost just doesn't fit in with the mood the scene is having or they just randomly clip in a couple seconds from one track and then cut it out again. You litteraly can see and hear how bad this studio is handling this anime.

After watching 5 Eps I honestly don't think its gonna get better at all (It mostly feels like it just gets worse every new episode).

All I can say at this point don't waste your time with this season and just read the manhwa if you enjoy the story. The art in this part of the story still looks kinda shitty but its bearable and it gets way better after some chapters.

Here's to hope Season 3 (if we ever get another season) gets done by a better studio...

Animation 7, Story 9, Chars 9, Char design 7 (matches the manhwa more, so Rachel finally looks on the outside as on the inside, S1 Rachel was too cute for what she is)

Yes its less unique than S1, but if it means we get to get S3 and more, I am more than happy with it so give it a try for yourself, make your own opinion. The story will pick up...not like S1 was crazy filled with action, not to mention story depth which we didnt even scratch the surface off

For adaptation of sauce with 600+ chapters, following multiple "main" characters sometimes for multiple ... chapters, diving deep in backstories of side characters that will die in a moment, so much it made me take a break 2 or 3 times already (looking at you War of talks and Cat games) this is still good show and also much better than 80% of current season.
For this show to shine it would need continuous releases like major shounen titles like Narutardo and Wan piss. But I am afraid we wont get it when I am reading reviews of ppl here...

TL;DR Preliminary Review Summary:
Animation: 6/10; Serviceable. There's worse this season. SHOULD have been better.
Sound: The OST is gorgeous... but they're not letting any of it play. The S1 OST is God-tier/10.
VA: JP VA, 9/10. Eng VA, 7/10.
Story: 15/10 🙏please🙏 stay for the story.

Listen, if you're a fan of the manhwa, watch it. If you've already read it you'll enjoy the attention to detail and easter eggs, seeing things in motion, and wonder why they cut this and that, but at least you have the full context and know Team Sweet and Sour are the best team despite what all these confused haters that miss the ... second floor team say.

If anything, I beg people to stay for the story. It's amazing, it's just in a major build-up phase right now and people need to learn patience. Let it cook, it will reveal all its secrets in time. The characters are unique and fleshed out with their own motivations and aren't just Generic MC Support Character #39382; they slowly unravel themselves to you, and everyone introduced is here to stay. The worldbuilding is unique, and now that we're past episode 5, the true world of the tower is finally going to open up.

The problem we're facing with this anime right now is that there is friction between the source material and the adaptation. ToG is an incredibly dense story full of context clues, inference, and an absolute shitload of foreshadowing, and adaptations always make cuts. Worse, ToG is famously known for having miles-long individual manhwa chapters, often running 2x-3x the length of a typical Japanese manga chapter, *every week*. It's impressive. It's also bad for adapting into the modern anime format where shows only run for 12-13 episodes per cour, unlike back in the day where 26~56+ episodes was standard, and creators were allowed to pace story beats out in a more digestible manner.

So, like any other adaptation, you'll hear it from me as well: if you're impatient, read the manhwa. If you want full context of everything, read the manhwa. The art is ehhhh at this point - it was drawn ~12 years ago so give it some slack, I promise that it improves tremendously. It's the One Piece of Korea for a reason.

Now, as someone who was drawn in by season 1 of the anime who subsequently binge-read the entire series, then hoped for a season 2 for four years straight, this is a stab to the heart to see the animation quality and sound direction being fumbled so badly. The OST isn't allowed to play and the animation is choppy. They say they did a more faithful adaptation of the artwork but then cut out several iconic designs (RIP girl scout Khun, at least Tanino Miho-sensei drew it for us) and some of the colors are off. But alas... the fact that it got a second season is a blessing, and I kinda pray for a third, but with the reactions from the anime-only viewers and fans alike, that seems like it's going to be a pipe dream. Quite unfortunate that it's something out of the fans' control due to the production management's poor direction.

I'm going to watch it anyway because its one of my favorite manhwa. Episode 1 and 5 are probably the best directed ones thus far. The next two weeks' episodes will cement my impression of the adaptation as they are critical story beats with action and plot in equal shares, and as such, will determine whether I genuinely continue to defend it with my life like I have been, or lay this poor thing to rest and stick to the source material.

What do you desire? Fortune? Glory? Power? Revenge? Or a second season with the same mood, same intrigue, same mystery factor as season one? Turns out you can't climb the tower to ask for that...

The first episodes of both seasons are incomparable. What grabbed the viewer in season one is completely lacking this time around. And even though season one was far from perfect, there was some mysterious factor which made it all just work. But this magical ingredient is missing; it's no longer the same Tower.

For those who did love season one, I am sure you empathise with the hope things will turn around ... next week. Even the music that loomed so large in season one - occasionally reused in season two - feels abandoned with such a lacklustre new soundtrack. The story feels slow yet rushed. The tests feel pushed. The characters feel... random rather than intriguing.

And sure, the Webtoon promises a slow start to the season. That's okay, but boy is it slow. This would be fine if the other factors were there to keep it interesting, but the fact is, they're not. A slow burn story won't sustain the missing elements season one just had. We want to like season two. We want to like the characters. We want to like the music. Hell, we want to like the art! But we're still looking for what the magic 'thing' is that will hook us; weave together the frayed threads. There's currently nothing to carry this production. Nothing to make up for it's shortcomings except history and possibility. And that's what keeps us helpless-season-one-fans watching.

Disappointment lies somewhere behind the twin illusions of hope and loyalty. Not sure even the Tower's fans will wait for the illusion to fade to be disappointed with the reality...

I think Tower of God is simply not compatible with an anime adaptation. I'm not criticizing the animation (which is decent), the music (which is actually pretty good), or the voice acting (which I can't comment on yet). In the end, like in season 1, the story and dialogue cuts for the sake of pacing are simply too damaging to the story and characters to be worth it. In my opinion, almost every single line of dialogue from the first arc of Chapter 2 is essential, whether it be for developing characters, enhancing world-building, or simply providing more context for the rules of the game. ... Cutting out these lines of dialogue makes characters like Wagnan and Goseng, and even Love more shallow and less interesting. However, I can't think of a way to solve this issue and still keep a regular anime season's pacing for the show. Thus I have concluded that the two formats are simply incompatible. It's probably why the Hell Train arc could never be adapted in a million years, there is simply too much shit going on and not enough time to animate it all. When you begin to think about it that way, you are way less disappointed in how things turned out.

Appalling is the right word to describe what has been done to this "once-in-a-lifetime" anime with this second season. The feeling is going to the cinema to watch a hype movie, the trailer of which grabbed you so deeply, only to leave the movie theatre beyond disappoint. "Trailer" aka Season 1 being made by one director and "the actual movie" aka Season 2 being made by a totally different person. The art style difference and direction is outrageous. The drop in quality is disastrous and the new characters look like they might only ever have the potential to excite some 12 yearold. No matter this ... though I shall be finishing this anime and updating my score afterwards.

God, season 1 was so good. Rewatched it in anticipation of season 2.

I was incredibly confused for the first few episodes of season 2, at times questioning if I was even watching the right show. All the tonality of season 1 has been replaced with a very generic anime vibe. Season 1 was dark, strange, and had such an intensity to it. Season 2 feels like such a departure from that.

Yes the animation was very different, but I think more importantly was how different the show felt. The mystery of the tower gone. The suspense of everything trivialized. Felt like a completely different ... show.

For someone who has been following the webtoon for a couple of years, the sudden announcing of season 2 has left me confused but also hyped because it was so far apart from the first season. Nevertheless, so far the start of season 2 has been great from my perspective, they are following the webtoon accordingly and the choices in terms of pacing are alright.

In terms of animation, I do agree with the consensus that the animation isn't as unique and fleshed out as season 1 but if that was the cut off for the series to continue being animated, I will happily watch it ... as it is now. The action so far has been well animated and we should be patient before we can judge it fully if it was well done or average.

In terms of character building, so far it has only been 3 epsiodes but they are clearly showing everyones motivations and aspirations with a few subtle hints here and there for us who have read the source material.

In terms of story, back when I read it the first time I was left with a lot of questions on why we completely changed settings but believe me, from here on out it only gets better and better. Consider that this anime season in the webtoon is season 2 which is drastically differenet from season 1 which is considered a prologue to the story. The direction behind Viole's character is one of the best things in this show for me and hopefully they do it justice.

Overall I will give this season(so far) 8/10 because the animation is alright and the story's adaption is being handled well and I will definitely follow this till the end.

This season noticeably slows down compared to its predecessor, impacting its overall pacing. While the intention to expand the world through supporting characters is clear, the execution feels excessive. This approach detracts significantly from the main storyline, leaving little screen time for the central characters in each episode. If this trend persists until the finale, it could jeopardize the show's chances for a third season. As it stands, the series risks receiving a lower overall rating, estimated between 6.80 and 6.50, primarily due to this imbalance.

On a positive note, the art style stands out with its above-average quality, earning a solid 2-star rating. The animation ... also impresses, receiving another 2 stars. However, the current storyline progression falls short, warranting a negative rating of -6 stars. For viewers seeking a balanced mix of world-building and character development, adjustments in the series' pacing and focus could significantly enhance engagement and satisfaction.

*Tower of God*, Season 2 is a good continuation of the series, but it has its ups and downs. I really liked the unique style of Season 1, especially its art and character design, even though some of my friends thought it looked old-fashioned and didn't like it as much.

For Season 2, the action sequences are above average, which is a strong point. However, it feels like the background music isn't as impressive as in the first season. The characters designs and art seem a bit generic this time, and the animation quality doesn't stand out compared to other recent anime. It seems like the ... studio might have had tight budget or time to work on this season.

On the positive side, the voice acting is very good, and the intro song is quite enjoyable. The anime stays true to the source material, which is something I appreciate. Overall, it’s a solid season, not top-notch but not dull either. If you enjoyed Season 1, you’ll likely enjoy this one too. It's worth watching, especially if you're a fan of the series.

That’s just my opinion, and others might have different views. It’s a good season, and I’ll update my thoughts as I watch more episodes.

After watching 4 episodes. I take my words back for fight sequence being a plus point, after episode 1 it's a let down in fight sequence like almost every shots are face closeups.

I Also think a bad writing i can see after 2nd episode, side characters are not that felt that connected.

But anyways I am still going to complete it, but I hardly see any chances of this anime getting another season.

Such a bad adaptation and a greatly let down from season 1.

I will update after watching more episodes i might once again improve my scores, but for now it comes under mixed feelings with 7 points.