Quick Summary
In Tower of God episode 10, “Beyond the Sadness,” Rak Wraithraiser almost walks over top of Han Sung Yu. Unfortunately for Rak, he elected not to apologize and learned a valuable lesson about how to talk to a Ranker and a Test Director. Meanwhile, Rachel’s injury was significantly worse than it had appeared, to the point where Aguero Agnes Khun and Rak assume that Bam will drop out of the race to the top of the Tower. Are they right? Will he withdraw? Or will he surprise both of them?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Best Moment in the Show: Bam Sees Something I Don’t
Bam was true to his affection for Rachel. I gotta respect that. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
There’s one thought that kept popping into my brain while I watched this episode. From mini-Rak to candy bars on the grave to “Someone’s actually asleep,” I kept thinking this:
Damn, I’m glad I’m watching this series.
Trying to choose which moment was my Best in Show for this episode was like looking at a dozen adorable little puppies and trying to decide which one to pet first. So, I’ll go with one that challenged me. I’ll pick the moment I didn’t fully understand, because I didn’t need to. Why? Because a) the writers have won my trust and b) Bam clearly knows what he’s doing.
This episode shocked me in a good way: Rachel’s injury was so severe that she’ll be confined to a wheel chair. Who does that to a main character? This show imposed actual consequences! That’s cool.
It gets better.
Rachel, in her new wheel chair, is sitting in a meadow. Bam’s standing beside her. She’s broken-hearted, of course. Not only has she lost her locomotion. She’s lost her shot at climbing the Tower. And loosing that cast her previous decision to abandon Bam in a new light.
Was Rachel truly broken up by what she’d done to Bam? Was she reacting to her loss of locomotion or the death of her dream to reach the top of the Tower? I’m not sure. And I don’t think Bam cared. He had his own vision of her. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Now, I’ve read some posts about viewers and readers who absolutely hate Rachel for what she did to Bam. Can’t say that I blame them. But it’s not my call. It’s Bam’s. And he took a different tack.
Forced by her circumstances to confront her past decisions, she burst into tears. At his concerned look, she said she was no longer the Rachel he had fallen in love with. She also called him clueless and weak — I’m struggling a bit to understand why she threw that into the conversation. But she explicitly gave him permission to abandon her, presumably to even the scales (08:50).
I don’t know what I would have done. I’m pretty sure I would have vented a little, though her physical condition would have blunted my fury. But Bam’s Bam. He’s a more kind and generous and overall good man than I am.
“A ray of light pierced my dark and lonely world,” he said (09:07). “I thought it was a miracle.” He went on to say that he’d made a lot of friends since he started his climb. “But you’re the only one who came to see me from the other side of the light. No one can replace you.”
Have you ever seen such an earnest face? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
It was only then that she actually said she was sorry. Only after he had pierced her heart with hyper-relativistic kindness.
That’s Bam choice. Given every excuse to abandon her, he chose to stay by her side. I don’t understand the decision. I don’t think I would have made the same one. But he did, and I thought it was beautiful.
Oh, and we got a brief glimpse of Ha Yuri Jahad. All in all, probably my favorite episode of the series. So far.
What did you think of Khun’s attempt at acting towards the end? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!
Other Posts about This Series
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Kami no Tou: Tower of God – Episode 10 discussion
- Lost in Anime: Kami no Tou: Tower of God – 10
- Rabujoi: Tower of God – 10 – The Light That Pierced a Dark and Lonely World
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Review: Tower of God Episode 1: BALL
- Review: Tower of God Episode 2: 3/400 (Three Four-Hundredths)
- Review: Tower of God Episode 3: The Correct Door
- Review: Tower of God Episode 4: The Green April
- Review: Tower of God Episode 5: The Crown’s Fate
- Review: Tower of God Episode 6: Position Selection
- Review: Tower of God Episode 7: Lunch and Tag
- Review: Tower of God Episode 8: Khun’s Strategy
- Review: Tower of God Episode 9: The One-Horned Ogre
- Review: Tower of God Episode 10: Beyond the Sadness
- Review: Tower of God Episode 11: Underwater Hunt (Part 1)
- Review: Tower of God Episode 12: Underwater Hunt (Part 2)
- Review: Tower of God Episode 13: Tower of God
It’s weird. Bam’s loyalty to Rachel made me dislike her a little less.
I felt that way, too. It’s like for just a moment, I saw her through his eyes. I love it when a show can make me see another perspective like that!