# Start placing your bets, ‘cause Tower of God (ToG) could very well be the most important hallmark in our anime landscape this decade, although the 2020’s have only just begun. For those of you who don’t know, ToG is a Korean webcomic that got its start on WebToon, an accessible online platform that allows individual creators to share their works for free and cultivate consistent readership without interference from publishers. In 2019, Crunchyroll announced that they would be collaborating with WebToon to develop content from the website’s growing catalogue. ToG is the first product from that partnership, and with it comes a whole realm of possibilities. Not only is ToG arguably the biggest Korean IP to receive an anime adaptation, but it also marks the beginning of what could be a new era of anime. Thousands of stories from individual artists can now be brought to our attention further down the line in both webcomic and animated forms. Furthermore, ToG giving Webtoon more mainstream exposure will definitely encourage more people to contribute their stories with the world. ToG is undoubtedly a game-changer and the hype surrounding it has been astronomical. Popularity aside, however, one pressing question remains: Is the show any good? I haven’t seen SIU’s original comic and came into the show blind (apologies for being an anime-only normie). Alas, this will be a (mostly) spoiler-free, newcomer’s perspective on this show. Check out my Tl;Dr further below if you’re short on time. Now, let’s find out how well ToG measures up to the massive expectations on its shoulders.

“For what do you risk your life to climb the Tower?”

For our protagonist Bam, his goal is to reunite with his close companion Rachel. With little explanation as to why she’s embarking on such a mysterious quest, Rachel leaves him, vanishing into the unknown. Suddenly, Bam is also offered the chance to enter the titular Tower and take part in series of trials, with the promise of incredible power should he make it to the very top. He agrees and sets off to reunite with Rachel, not knowing what lies ahead on his journey. As the story progresses, he is pit against various competitors who are all vying for the prize at the top of the Tower. These individuals, known as Regulars, grew up in a society governed by the rules of the Tower; some have dedicated their entire lives to successfully completing this arduous challenge. While the many tests are conducted, the show shines light on how these characters’ lives have been hardened and conditioned to outlast the competition, showcasing their upbringing and circumstances surrounding their inclusion in the games. Expect some high-octane action and plenty of big-brain strategical plays at every turn, as the obstacles are specially designed to put our cast’s might and intellect to the ultimate test.

Right out of the gate, ToG gets plenty of things right in its freshman season.

In my opinion the one aspect ToG absolutely nails is its soundtrack, my GOD it’s amazing! Kevin Penkin brings his A-game to the show, with several bangers that ratchet the tension up to 11. The soundtrack has everything, from choral arrangements reminiscent of his work in Made in Abyss to tense, electronic beats. I’m no music expert but I really can’t help but gush over how exceptional this soundtrack is; it absolutely elevates the show’s big moments and is easily my favorite offering from the show. That’s not to say that ToG doesn’t have anything else worth praising, far from it!

The world introduced is fascinating and makes you feel like the show’s 13 episodes are merely scratching the surface.

We see this realm through the eyes of the Regulars, with glimpses into their lives before they stepped in the Tower. We’re constantly teased the backstories of these characters, learn how they came into the game, and see how their past experiences manifest themselves in their beliefs and actions. We as the audience never step outside the confines of the Tower and thus can only grasp the concept of the surrounding environment through the lens of the Regulars. The plot sometimes necessitates clunky exposition to breeze through material, but for the most part I like this approach to worldbuilding here. Seeing the world the way the Regulars do endears us to them while keeping the outside world shrouded in mystery. The many cast members also keep the games feeling fresh, as their various strategies and incredibly powerful abilities come into play. It seems like the author was aware that these competitors were a vital component to the story’s success, as the tests introduced are written to complement them. What I mean is that some of the more exciting games grant the competitors plenty of room to figure out their own solutions.

This high power balance, coupled with the cast’s out-of-the-box approach to problem solving, gives each test an unpredictable momentum and keeps the experience enjoyable from week-to-week.

Now although ToG has plenty of things going right for it, there are a few issues that I’d like to bring to light here. Granted, these shortcomings may be attributed to either the short series length or SIU’s relative inexperience as a writer when these initial chapters were released. I figured these circumstances could affect the overall experience and tempered my expectations accordingly going into the series. I want to preface this section by letting you know that I’m not sure whether or not my preconceptions are accurate or if the following criticisms apply to the rest of the webcomic. I am simply sharing my takeaways based solely on the anime, so make of this what you will. With that, let’s begin.

As mentioned prior, one of the strengths of the show lies in its cast. Khun, Endorsi, Anak, Shibisu, and Rak are bound to be fan-favorites; and other Regulars have strong moments as well.

Unfortunately I can’t say the same of our Irregulars, Bam and Rachel,

at least in this stage of the story. There’s no easy way to say this, but Bam is a paper-thin audience surrogate and the worst element in ToG. The world of the Tower is just as alien to us as it is to Bam, so it makes sense that he is the focal point of our story. However, when lined up against his peers Bam feels underwritten, with every fiber of his being seemingly built solely around Rachel (That’s a WHOLE other story, check it out in the spoiler-filled “Stray Ramblings” section^). He represents a couple of problems in the narrative and is typically framed in contrast to his Regular counterparts to balance things out, for better or for worse. You like interesting and charismatic characters that actually get involved in the games? Bam’s bland and mostly just sits back while the others participate in the challenges. Throughout the series I never learn a single thing about Bam that isn’t related to his friends or Rachel; he’s a blank slate in every sense of the word. What annoys me the most however, is how OP he can get. Due to the competitive nature of our story and the need for our main character to, y’know, survive; he’s a magnet for plot contrivances and is constantly buffed with little explanation. Rey Skywalker may be the new Mary Sue, but Bam looks set to take over her throne soon. He may have been completely unfamiliar with the magic systems in place, yet his power scaling is borderline ridiculous and puts other Regulars to shame. With his bland personality and effortless wandering through the narrative, ToG gives me a hard time rooting for its lead. With all that being said, the later arcs do attempt to course-correct by giving him a little more agency within the narrative. Further addressing this problem in future instalments by adding more personal conflict and developing his character growth would go a long way to justifying why us fans should cheer Bam on.

Another aspect that could use some fixing is the writing, as it’s pretty inconsistent at times.

ToG does take time to slow down and set up some really clever sequences, but occasionally expects the audience to accept certain moments happening without adequate explanation. In one instance the show very nearly conveys the WRONG information^^, which I only realised after a manhwa reader pointed it out. The tests are also worth bringing up, as most of them feel rather inconsequential. A couple of these games amount to rudimentary tasks (which is made all the more boring ‘cause Bam is OP), and only exist for the show to provide exposition. Meanwhile, two of the show’s biggest arcs end on slightly-sour notes, making the incredible build-up behind it fall a little flat. My guess as to why these writing problems persist is that 13 episodes just weren’t a whole lot for the show to work with. ToG manages its pacing well but cuts a few corners so that all the big story moments to land. Speaking of large moments I think it’s time to talk about the art and animation, and how they factor into the show’s setpieces.

ToG looks really rough around the edges, to the disappointment of the comic’s fans.

I’m not the one to tell you whether or not it was a deliberate artistic direction, but ToG has a tough time meeting art standards set by other anime in recent years. Personally I don’t think it’s too much of an issue, but if your mind is still reeling from the "sakuga" in Demon Slayer you’ll want to take note of this. ToG’s action sequences still feel fresh thanks to that fantastic score, and director Takashi Sano does the best with what he’s given with some good shot compostition^^^. I certainly can’t fault the show for trying to polish its presentation, but there is room for improvement.

Tl;Dr:

Tower of God has the makings of something truly special. ToG has given me several reasons to stay invested long-term, delivering a strong cast of characters and countless creative ideas alongside its solid premise. A masterful soundtrack by Kevin Penkin enhances the experience and is a stellar highlight. At its peak, ToG brings out some of tensest action setpieces all season. However, this show looks like one still finding its feet; a disappointing main protagonist, inconsistent writing, and subpar art present issues that need resolving ASAP. ToG’s short episode length also needs to be taken in account, because a lot of relevant material seems to have been left on the cutting floor as a result. Compared to its webcomic counterpart, I can only wonder whether or not this story got the adaptation it deserved. But from I’ve seen so far, this show is glowing with promise and I’m intrigued to find out what new tales might come our way in the near future. 6/10~

STRAY RAMBLINGS (SPOILERS):

• ^
  Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

  Rachel is a big problem. I couldn’t find a way of working her into the main review without spoiling anything, as I wanted to avoid revealing that she shows up in later episodes. This pair of Irregulars are irritating as heck. Much like Bam, Rachel is severely underdeveloped and ticks me off in every scene she’s in. She’s fridged for a good chunk of the narrative, only serving as a damsel in distress who gives Bam something meaningful to do in the tests. Her motivations are always annoying to interpret and she never really opens up on her shared past with Bam, ensuring that I couldn’t care less about the bond that got Bam taking the tests in the first place. Both of our Irregulars create dissonance between themselves and the audience, with Bam’s passivity and Rachel’s distant façade. The one time I appreciated her character was for indirectly calling out Bam on his BS by telling him how clingy he’s been, which is something I do NOT want to be complimenting! Granted, the show finally tries to justify her stubborn desire to “see the stars” in the season finale, but I would be a lot more forgiving about our leads if Rachel did just a little to justify the great deal of respect that Bam has for her. I’m plenty impressed with SIU and the cast of Regulars he’s put together, but I’m puzzled as to why these two vital pieces don't get the same treatment.
• ^^Okay, so I don’t know if I’m just too stupid to keep up with the plot or not, but something weird happened while I was watching Episode 10. Several of my friends came out just as confused by this as I was, so here’s hoping that I’m not alone in missing out this key detail.
  Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

  Early in the episode we get a quick flashback sequence from Khun’s perspective, delving into his suspicions on Hoh. This rapid-fire plot dump seemed to have made Khun out to be the culprit who planted the note in Hoh’s quarters. To my surprise I later learnt that Khun actually copied the note with his bag and left the real one where he found it. The reason why this misunderstanding occurred in the first place is because this flashback was only given one minute to present all that exposition! While writing this I revisited the episode to see what I didn't catch. I counted 2 cuts. 2! Missing that was all it took for me to misinterpret the scene entirely, especially when Khun later goes on to claim, “My strategy was perfect.” An extremely unfortunate coincidence that wasn’t helped by the density of the plot and the inadequate series length. Probably the most damning indicator that this series deserved more than the single cour it got.
• ^^^Seen some hate-filled comments aimed at Takashi Sano that I don’t think is warranted at all. He’s an experienced staff member with credentials in storyboarding and key animation. His roles in Megalo Box and Vinland Saga demonstrate the importance of his talents in visual storytelling. You still see creative and impactful flourishes throughout the show, although the poor production values can’t deliver those scenes at their fullest potential. As for the many “unnecessary” changes made to the original story, studio execs in charge of the anime likely forced him to adapt way too many chapters in a short span of time, while throwing in some other nonsense they thought us zoomers would like. The poor guy’s hands were tied, and I seriously doubt that he ever intended to derail the project. Please don’t send hate his way.
• The VA cast sound distinct and are mostly great. I actually think the dub is worth checking out, mostly for the sweet reprieve of not hearing Japanese Bam’s tiresome voice on a weekly basis. I won’t go as far as to say that Sayori Hayami phones in her performance, but she doesn’t get a lot to work with. All is forgiven though, ‘cause we get Takuya Eguchi as Shibisu. It’s nice to hear Hachiman’s voice this season, especially after Oregairu got postponed :’)
• Hats off to Stray Kids for recording the songs for the OP & ED in three languages: Japanese, English, and their native Korean! I am glad to report that all three iterations of “TOP” are certified bangers. Stray Kids, I think what you guys did was really cool and pray a kind soul finds y’all a loving home soon.
• To heck with the 13 Month Series, Khun’s briefcase is the most broken weapon that we’ve seen so far. It’s such an interesting take on a Bag of Holding, the trope where a bag is implausibly larger on the inside than what it should be. Seeing the briefcase make countless copies of objects
  Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

  and even spawn an entire team of Regulars
  fits Khun’s conniving nature to a tee. I hope they never explain away how the damn thing works, it’s way too fun!
• Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

  Hmm, foreshadowing for the Crown Game was a tad too on-the-nose here:

• BEST GIRL: Endorsi Jahad, Princess of Jahad, is my Queen. We have a close runner-up in Lauroe, for being me and everyone else during Covid lockdown – encased in a blanket 24/7.

• WORST GIRL: Rachel. As a woke Nayvadius “Future” Wilburn once said:

• Lockdown does weird things to people, so I guess I blog now! Thanks so much for making it this far. If you happen to like my verbose over-analysis, come check out the other reviews I’m putting out this season. Also, feel free to leave any feedback for me; I’m still trying to figure a lot of this stuff out. Stay safe, see you in the next one, peace!