INTRODUCTION
The South Korean masterpiece illustrated by SIU that
webtoon readers have admittedly been committed to since June 30th, 2010, finally
gets an anime adaption through Crunchyroll in 2020. A wave of nostalgia hit
fans upon witnessing their seemingly popular webtoon get its own anime. This
highly acclaimed anime arguably peaked and hailed its well-deserved title.
Tower of God, a standard action-shounen anime, is about
the same old coming of age story in a supernatural world, revolving around
underdog characters you will find yourself rooting for throughout the series.
Filled with exaggerated fights to the brim, usage of lots of powers, emotions
welling up to the max, and the not so uncommon portrayal of the "power of
friendship," Tower of God indeed lives up to all the shounen stereotypes.
It is a full-blown package if you're into that stuff.
Now let us jump right onto its plot.
PLOT
The plot centers around a boy called
Twenty-Fifth Bam, who unfortunately had been trapped at the bottom of an
immense, humongous, and mysterious Tower, apparently ever since he was a kid.
All these years, he had been suffering alone there until a girl named Rachel
shows up. Legend says, if you manage to make it to the top of the Tower of God,
any wish that you have will be fulfilled. Rachel, who joins Bam, had enough of
this morose environment and decided to ascend the Tower. Bam, who couldn't risk
being left alone, once again follows her, and they both embark on this
dangerous mission to conquer this eerie Tower. Little did they know that many
intense battles and challenging tasks await them.
The pace is perfect, not too fast, not too slow. It's the perfect combination of drama and thrill, with every little scene so detailed
and engaging.
Next, let's take a look at the stage animation and direction
of the anime.
STAGE, ANIMATION, AND DIRECTION
Tower of God is a mysterious realm of its own that hosts
plenty of undefined beings and unique environments. The anime series showcases
Shinshu, a strange magic property found within the Tower varying in
concentration depending on the floor. Each floor is home to unknown intelligent
species whose status doubles as you go up the Tower. Every character must fight
them and go through several challenging missions and battles to get to the top.
The art style is beautiful. The animation is fluid, which
makes the fight scenes ever so engaging and mesmerizing to watch. The visuals
and colors are bright and vibrant enough to catch our eyes; the direction has
been done brilliantly. Directors made it sure to make this series splendid
enough, so we don't feel like taking our eyes off the screen for even a second.
SOUNDTRACKS
This brilliant series' opening and ending themes have
been done by a popular and highly praised South Korean boyband group called
Stray Kids. The music is incredibly catchy and fun to listen to. Mostly whenever
it plays in the backgrounds, you're bound to feel those goosebumps soar up.
Viewers who were already hard stans of Stray Kids were greeted with a feast
they never asked for.
Let's take a look at our characters now, shall we?
All the characters are very unique. Tower of God is
steeped in diversity when it comes to characters. Members of SIU made sure to
include many different races. The portrayal of different characters, each with
its own style centering around a specific theme, has also been impressively
done.
the protagonist of the series, known for his adventurous and inquisitive nature, Bam is empathetic and caring. He’s given a tremendous amount of power and strength right off the bat, which makes him slightly uninspiring, unlike what you would expect from a usual shounen protagonist.
RACHEL
Rachel is a social butterfly who loves being around
people and enjoys being guided. A little tomboyish, who is always present
wherever she is, making her popular among her peers. Her friendly nature is
also very likable.
KHUN AGUERO AGNES
A Character known for his tactics and schemes, Khun wears
a facade of a creative architect who enjoys spicing things up in front of him.
On the other hand, he has a deep and darker side to him as well. Overall, he is
very knowledgeable.
RAK WRAITHRAISER
Rak owns a very action and adventure-loving personality
who loves being the center of attention, making him popular among others. He
acts tough but is a softie inside.
Her striking green tail and green skin gives her a unique
appearance. She, too, is a fan of exploring. However, her laziness and
arrogance are one of her few flaws.
ENDORSI JAHAD
A natural-born leader who has a very ambitious and
decisive nature, her charismatic personality makes her personally one of my
favorites. Initially, she was very cold, but she opened up after meeting Bam
and took on an authoritative team role.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For ardent shounen lovers, Tower of God is a treasure. It
covers all the usual cliches and stereotypes, making it very easy for viewers
to feel familiar with what they're watching. However, the extra touch of
staging the series in a magical, vast steampunk universe indeed serves the
series a few additional points. The battle world amplifies the entertaining
elements of the shounen trope by a great deal. Combined with a diverse cast of
characters and a fantastic soundtrack, Tower of god's anime adaption also
stayed loyal to the webtoon's storyline and art style.
In conclusion, Tower of God was definitely not a
disappointment but an astonishingly compelling series that will immerse you in
its winning plot and keep you hooked to its captivating list of amiable
characters. With all that said, now, I will come to what we all have been
eagerly waiting for,
THE FINAL RATING
Keeping in mind all the fantastic elements and little
flaws, Tower of God deserves a final rating of 9/10!
I'm pretty sure now I must have convinced you to go watch
the series right now if you haven't because you absolutely cannot miss out on
greatness.
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