Tower of God anime

[PoeticallyPsyco]

It finally happened. Well, I'm hyped. Anyone else?

[Dragonus45]

I've been wildly hyped, and so far I still am. Particularly because most of the big Anime Youtube Influencers have been talking about it and seem hyped about it which tends to do a lot of work for moving the needle on this sort of thing. Most of all, I haven't had to argue with nearly as many people who never caught the hints that Rachel is an manipulative and abusive mother figure and not a romantic interest trying to argue Bam is a weirdo stalker as I do when talking about the webtoon which is always a relief.

The first episode felt a bit rushed but everything else has been great. I worry the last two episodes are also going be a bit to rushed.

[Zalabim]

I'm not sure if 13 episodes can really get them to the end of season 1, and I'm not sure if it should or needs to. It would be nice to put floor 2 to rest in one season, but the last two tests both need some setup before they happen and have multiple moving parts that need time to happen on-screen. If they cut somewhere after hide-and-seek, that's still an emotional punch and a cliffhanger. Hoh dies, a royal assassin shows up, and Bam announces to everyone that he is an Irregular.

In particular, Bam needs to make all his friends, the princesses need to have their stories and their fight, and we need at the very least the wave controller shinsu explanation. It'd be nice to also include the spearbearer stuff, Rak's training and parakewl's revolution, and things like the talks between Rachel and Khun, Rachel and Endorsi, Khun and Rak, and enough hide-and-seek setup to appreciate the difference between group A's coordination under Khun and group B's chaos as Endorsi just brute forces what she wants.

I haven't tried to seriously storyboard everything, but just at the usual rate of adaptation, they'll have to pick up the pace a lot to hit 6 or more chapters an episode.

[Dragonus45]

I'm not sure if 13 episodes can really get them to the end of season 1, and I'm not sure if it should or needs to. It would be nice to put floor 2 to rest in one season, but the last two tests both need some setup before they happen and have multiple moving parts that need time to happen on-screen. If they cut somewhere after hide-and-seek, that's still an emotional punch and a cliffhanger. Hoh dies, a royal assassin shows up, and Bam announces to everyone that he is an Irregular.

In particular, Bam needs to make all his friends, the princesses need to have their stories and their fight, and we need at the very least the wave controller shinsu explanation. It'd be nice to also include the spearbearer stuff, Rak's training and parakewl's revolution, and things like the talks between Rachel and Khun, Rachel and Endorsi, Khun and Rak, and enough hide-and-seek setup to appreciate the difference between group A's coordination under Khun and group B's chaos as Endorsi just brute forces what she wants.

I haven't tried to seriously storyboard everything, but just at the usual rate of adaptation, they'll have to pick up the pace a lot to hit 6 or more chapters an episode.

So assuming the crown game only takes up the first third of the next episode they can establish the training classes, fill things out for character development, and then end after the first test yeah. They could rush the training stuff, I think you could hit the high points in just a couple episodes and do Team A and B fairly quickly as well. Even if it's a bit rushed I'm thinking that might be the best idea,because failing to end on Rachel's betrayal would be a huge mistake.

[Anteros]

I really liked early Tower of God before it turned into generic shounen manga #32038, so maybe the anime will be good in the early parts. I don't see how it can stay good long term though when the source material goes downhill so drastically after season 2.

[Dragonus45]

It will probably stay good by being awesome, much like the Webtoon is. To this day.

[Zalabim]

As episode 4 is the first opportunity to open up and show a real fight scene, I think it's inportant for me to watch it to gauge how much time it takes to make those feel satisfying, but I do think most of the talky bits could be conveyed in 1-2 minute bites each. So this crown game could go up until the second commercial break, then spend the last segment on the afterwards. I've seen people write up potential episode titles to breeze through, so I know it's possible, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

[Anteros]

It will probably stay good by being awesome, much like the Webtoon is. To this day.

Eh, opinions vary and I don't want to get too much into it. If you like the Webtoon still then more power to you. You have to admit that it's changed substantially over time though.

The author would rather constantly introduce new characters than develop the ones he has. It also moved away from contests with a focus on trickery and strategy to win, and more towards typical shounen protagonists pulling power from their behinds as needed and training montages.

This is all just my personal tastes, which I don't claim to be objective, but I felt like the series was fairly unique at first and now it's just another by the numbers shounen.

[Rydiro]

I left the webtoon for too much powecreep. In the End, the real hero is Rachel, cause she does everything on her own.

[Kantaki]

I left the webtoon for too much powecreep. In the End, the real hero is Rachel, cause she does everything on her own.

:smallconfused:Rachel? Doing something on her own?:smallconfused:
All I remember from her is pointless backstabbing, manipulation* and getting everything she has from actually powerful characters.

I mean really, what did she accomplish that wasn't leeching of off others?

*Not that she seems particularly competent at that either. But then, comparing her to Kuun and other chess players is probably a tad unfair.
Still, she managed what? Getting the lonely orphan with no other contacts into absolutely idolizing her? Wow. Such an achievement. Much impressive.

I mean, that she wasn't eaten by a bigger fish would be impressive, if she didn't seem blissfully unaware she's a guppy swimming among megalodons.


But Tower of God having an anime now is definitely cool.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Episode 4 is out. What are people's thoughts? Personally, I would have liked a bit more time devoted to Khun being his lovably manipulative self, but otherwise I think it was pretty good.

Interesting that they chose to end with a line suggesting Rachel is already betraying Bam. I assume that it's to set up a subversion, where it's revealed that she meant kill all of his opponents, but that's a dangerous thing to play around with for a character that is ultimately going to betray Bam.

On the other hand, maybe they're changing things around and Rachel is genuinely trying to off him here and now, and when he saves her she either changes her mind or decides to bide her time to save face.

[Rynjin]

I really liked early Tower of God before it turned into generic shounen manga #32038, so maybe the anime will be good in the early parts. I don't see how it can stay good long term though when the source material goes downhill so drastically after season 2.

Yeah, it's a bit wild to me that people keep reassuring people to keep watching the series because "the first arc is the worst part of the series". I slogged through the cringey Viole ****, after which is admittedly gets a bit better, but by the time they fight off Amalgam-man or whoever on the Hell Train I was completely checked out. There's only so much ridiculous unearned power creep I can take from a series before I drop it, and the series was hitting Toriko levels of free power-ups by that point, even if the results weren't as large. I dropped it partway through the "place that steals your names" arc due to lack of interest in the side characters that arc follows and haven't been back.

[-D-]

Episode 4 is out. What are people's thoughts? Personally, I would have liked a bit more time devoted to Khun being his lovably manipulative self, but otherwise I think it was pretty good.

Interesting that they chose to end with a line suggesting Rachel is already betraying Bam. I assume that it's to set up a subversion, where it's revealed that she meant kill all of his opponents, but that's a dangerous thing to play around with for a character that is ultimately going to betray Bam.
I liked it. It was rather well done. Not too great, but ToG is a very addicting read. Kinda like Bleach but better.

I think everyone and their goat knows that Rachel is a backstabber, so they want to get that part out of the way ASAP. Although the speed they are going through material is a bit puzzling.

Does anyone know why Hwa Ryun attacked Rachel there?



Yeah, it's a bit wild to me that people keep reassuring people to keep watching the series because "the first arc is the worst part of the series". I slogged through the cringey Viole ****, after which is admittedly gets a bit better, but by the time they fight off Amalgam-man or whoever on the Hell Train I was completely checked out. There's only so much ridiculous unearned power creep I can take from a series before I drop it, and the series was hitting Toriko levels of free power-ups by that point, even if the results weren't as large. I dropped it partway through the "place that steals your names" arc due to lack of interest in the side characters that arc follows and haven't been back.
For me Baam is the highlight of the series and following him is a fun adventure. That said, power creep reaches Bleach level IMO. Both in terms of raising the power limit to just absorbing every power and the kitchen sink. And also in terms of adding more and more side characters.

I liked that Named/Nameless isle, the ending was IMO well earned and showed Baam's true power, to basically cut through the family bull****. It's also the first time he ever asked FUG for help.

What kinda is puzzling - Baam wants to grow to help his friends, right? But shouldn't he also want to make his friends get strong? Shouldn't his ideal power basically be a huge AoE buff for everyone on his team.

[Anteros]

I liked following Bam when he was a character. Somewhere along the way he becomes just another shounen Mary sue that's basically a blank slate for the reader to insert their wish fulfillment fantasies into. When your only defining character trait is vaguely wanting to protect your friends, you're not exactly standing out from the crowd.

[lord_khaine]

I left the webtoon for too much powecreep.

Yeah this kinda killed interest for me as well.
Because honestly, i think its worse than even Bleach or Dragon Ball.

And i think its a freaking tragedy. The first 2 chapters were so exceptionel.
Breaking the mold in a lot of ways. But it slowly seems to fall to the wayside.
More or less chocking the story.

[-D-]

I liked following Bam when he was a character. Somewhere along the way he becomes just another shounen Mary sue that's basically a blank slate for the reader to insert their wish fulfillment fantasies into. When your only defining character trait is vaguely wanting to protect your friends, you're not exactly standing out from the crowd.

I disagree with that assessment. Baam ain't Ichigo. Baam's character trait isn't that he wants to save just his friends, he does want to save everyone. That's why the Nameless/Named floor worked. That's why the Hoaqim lava game worked. He saved his friends and his enemies. But instead of getting powers that fit that goal, he gets generic shonen protagonist powers. That part annoys me.

In a way, he's kinda like another FMA good guy, he doesn't want to use acquired "souls" to fight, because he feels they don't deserve to disappear, just to be used for a fancy attack. The only time he did use them when they wanted to fight White.

[Zalabim]

Does anyone know why Hwa Ryun attacked Rachel there?
In the moment, I'd chalk it up to navigator senses. That was her best way to get Baam off the throne. She's not trying to win the crown game. She's trying to put Bam in the position where FUG gets to kidnaprecruit him. I actually am not certain at what point she comes up with the threaten Rachel to control Bam plan, but this is just the first time she uses it. She gets better.

[Zalabim]

So the other day, I compared the time the fan dub of the comic (it's pretty easy to find on youtube) has spent to get to where it is, and I'm estimating the Anime is trying to do season one in about half of the time. It's about 90% on track so far. Shave a little bit more time from the end and it can still hit all the important scenes. But if the next few episodes goes like the crown game, it'll end about where I predicted. The pieces are falling into place. Will they sprint to the finish line? Will they deliver a marathon length finale? Will they take a movie or OVA victory lap after the season's 13 episodes are done? For me, it's interesting to see how well new viewers are understanding the anime presentation, and what they expect to come next. In other words, I enjoy the ride and don't worry about the destination.

[Lemmy]

It looked pretty interesting at first... But honestly, I feel like there's something missing, although I'm not sure what. The series just isn't very exciting, I guess...

[Lord Raziere]

I like how HxH the tests are in this. lots of unfairness requiring your brain to get around. Khun is my favorite character, Bam is...a bit....meh? crocodile man seems to be comic relief.

I don't like the normal non-Bam guy following the samurai and the lizard girl around. he is just annoying aaaaand needs to die. shame that probably won't happen.

Shinsu seems to be this series chakra/nen/ki/quirk/spirit particles/etc equivalent. I like how its water rather than just energy or something, makes it stand out.

Bam has a lot shinsu and can actually turn into it and is like special or something. I'm not surprised in the least, but I'm past the point where such cliches turn me off of a story.

Khun's bag is awesome though. I like how he uses it. I'd like to have a bag like that.

also there seems to be other power sources that aren't Shinsu or something? swords, the bag, various beings not like humans? probably will never be expanded upon.

the Swords of Jahad specifically, hm, they seem to be sword-spirits so basically legendary zanpakutou? who have preferences for their wielders.

the whole premise of ascending the tower to become god or well....basically get your wish/desire fulfilled is...well its more structured than usual, honestly. with shonen manga, you just have your world, a quest, and people in it and the protagonist just finds the places where they get test, pass them then just....luckily come across progressively stronger foes to face in their quest without much explanation. with this, this gives an explained logical structure to make sure the threats are always harder, because the whole tower is an unending test of sorts. by focusing the whole series on this singular great tower, one doesn't have to wonder how anyone lives with these powerful beings duking it out for strength because they are all in one place, constantly ascending for a single goal and because they're all underground, we don't know how high it truly goes, what power is going to look like at the end, or what godhood even is in this world. that is good bit of clever worldbuilding, and its implied that most people in this world haven't seen the top of the tower, makes for a refreshing bit of mystery of how powerful its really going to get rather than showing it off too early.

Rachel is ....meh to me. her and Bam's relationship is weird to me:
Rachel: we're friends
Bam: yay
Rachel: I wanna see the stars!
Bam: cool I wanna come with!
Rachel: no I have to do it alone
Bam: why?
Rachel:......Bye!

Later:
Bam: but seriously why though
Rachel: I'm not Rachel
Bam: I'm a complete doormat with no personality who lives only for you, and even I don't believe that lie.
Khun: but lol, for reals why though?
Rachel: because friendship is a wea-*is cut off by a music video of various images of friendship and teamwork triumphing start with various shonen characters to various cartoons, comic books, movies, then expanding to include every triumph of civilization made possible by working together going backwards through history through the ages until we get to hunter-gatherers working together to hunt and prepare food together, then animals working together to survive even before that.*
Khun: ok, now give a reason that isn't garbage
Rachel:.....bye!

the princesses of jahad seem like they're going to be interesting though. Anaak looks like she has a sympathetic backstory given that she is trying to avenge her mother.

this show to be well thought out from what I've seen. I'll keep an eye on it, see where it goes, not sure about it one way or another yet, but.....if I like it, I'll check out the webtoon of it.

[Rynjin]

Rak is not just comic relief. He's the best. I mean he IS kind of comic relief but he's also legitimately the strongest fighter on the team.

Yes, Bam's relationship with Rachel IS weird. Should become clear by the end of the first season.

Pretty sure everything is shinsu, it can just be harnessed in different ways. Though to be fair I got like...300 chapters or so deep and they never really elaborated on what Shinsu exactly IS. "It's water" is a bit too simplistic, though it IS often shown having water-like properties...including flowing through pipes. It's weird.

Also yes everything to do with the Jahad family is interesting; they're all basically "protagonists of another story". I genuinely wish Yuri was the main character a lot of the time.

[Lethologica]

Rak is not just comic relief. He's the best. I mean he IS kind of comic relief but he's also legitimately the strongest fighter on the team.
Eh, even at this point, to what end is Rak strong? It's so that we don't have to seriously worry about him (and can therefore safely laugh). Now his strength is even being used to sideline him for the tag game while everyone the narrative actually cares about is participating, even people who are likely stronger than Rak.
And of course in later seasons Baam is unquestionably the most powerful of the trio, and Rak is clearly a third wheel for anything narrative or dramatic.

[Zalabim]

Eh, even at this point, to what end is Rak strong? It's so that we don't have to seriously worry about him (and can therefore safely laugh). Now his strength is even being used to sideline him for the tag game while everyone the narrative actually cares about is participating, even people who are likely stronger than Rak.
And of course in later seasons Baam is unquestionably the most powerful of the trio, and Rak is clearly a third wheel for anything narrative or dramatic.

Rak has an amazing ability to cut through BS and I hope we get to see some of that in the anime. There's a reason people look forward to the banana talk. Additionally, he's not the most powerful, thanks to Baam, but I've never seen him mope about his ability to keep up. He's always certain he can get stronger or master that new thing, if he isn't great enough already.

[Lord Raziere]

Rak is not just comic relief. He's the best. I mean he IS kind of comic relief but he's also legitimately the strongest fighter on the team.

Yes, Bam's relationship with Rachel IS weird. Should become clear by the end of the first season.

Pretty sure everything is shinsu, it can just be harnessed in different ways. Though to be fair I got like...300 chapters or so deep and they never really elaborated on what Shinsu exactly IS. "It's water" is a bit too simplistic, though it IS often shown having water-like properties...including flowing through pipes. It's weird.

Also yes everything to do with the Jahad family is interesting; they're all basically "protagonists of another story". I genuinely wish Yuri was the main character a lot of the time.


Oh yeah, he is. hope I see more of that.

I think its already clear that its weird by the fact she found him in cave, he has no desires in life other than to be with her, and she for some reason isn't taking advantage of someone so willing to follow her through the most dangerous area in the entire world despite being the one to get him wrapped around her finger in the first place, and he has proven that he has made it past all the nonsense thus far! like if she was a princess, Bam would be ideal servant material, she is throwing away a friend and good willing stooge at the very least! do she know hard it is to find either of those?

of course its not just water, its probably some complex spiritual blood of divinity flowing downwards from the top or the life liquid of all things or some other high conceptual magickery but y'know....its liquid. it flows. it stands out compared to all the things that are just....like y'know.....fire??

If they are written like then that will make this more interesting indeed.

[Rynjin]

Oh yeah, he is. hope I see more of that.

I think its already clear that its weird by the fact she found him in cave, he has no desires in life other than to be with her, and she for some reason isn't taking advantage of someone so willing to follow her through the most dangerous area in the entire world despite being the one to get him wrapped around her finger in the first place, and he has proven that he has made it past all the nonsense thus far! like if she was a princess, Bam would be ideal servant material, she is throwing away a friend and good willing stooge at the very least! do she know hard it is to find either of those?

of course its not just water, its probably some complex spiritual blood of divinity flowing downwards from the top or the life liquid of all things or some other high conceptual magickery but y'know....its liquid. it flows. it stands out compared to all the things that are just....like y'know.....fire??

If they are written like then that will make this more interesting indeed.


Yeah as far as I know the direct translation IS "divine water", but the weird thing comes in with stuff like Shinsoo actually also being air (you can breathe it in, and I think you can survive on it in an airless space), and fire, and...light somehow? Like I said, it's bizarre. The entire tower and everything in it might be made of Shinsoo.

[Lord Raziere]

Yeah as far as I know the direct translation IS "divine water", but the weird thing comes in with stuff like Shinsoo actually also being air (you can breathe it in, and I think you can survive on it in an airless space), and fire, and...light somehow? Like I said, it's bizarre. The entire tower and everything in it might be made of Shinsoo.


Well for one, there are actually liquids that can you breathe in real life, they just are artificial concoctions that most don't ever experience.

and water makes up a lot of things in our world and is incredibly adaptable/shape-able for many different things. its honestly not a bad metaphor for an all-pervading magical force making up everything if one wants to avoid modern scientific concepts like atoms, particles and so on in their explanations. particularly for a series like this where you have to tie it into life in some manner so that you can enhance peoples physical attributes and pull off cool anime stunts like jumping really high.

[Dragonus45]

So something I won’t count as a spoiler since it was already mentioned, if not clearly, right after the elimination/teamwork game and elaborated on about the time of the crown game in the WEBTOON. There is no air in the tower. It’s all shinsu. All of it. And it gets denser and denser as you go up, to the point that the vast majority of people use needles instead of swords because they are harder to swing.

[Knaight]

Absent quarantine situations I wouldn't even be considering this, but I have free time now. Has the translation improved? Dramatically?

[-D-]

Absent quarantine situations I wouldn't even be considering this, but I have free time now. Has the translation improved? Dramatically?
Dunno. Translator's had their fun. "Bam" -> "Yuru", "Hwa Ryun"->"Karen". Not sure on the latter.
If anything Rachel should be named Karen.

[Lethologica]

Dunno. Translator's had their fun. "Bam" -> "Yuru", "Hwa Ryun"->"Karen". Not sure on the latter.
If anything Rachel should be named Karen.
Well, Yoru makes total sense as a translation, so SIU probably told them that the main character's name meaning "25th night" was important. And the subtitles still call him Bam.

[-D-]

Well, Yoru makes total sense as a translation, so SIU probably told them that the main character's name meaning "25th night" was important. And the subtitles still call him Bam.
I was referring to Hwa Ryun's really weird renaming. It's reminiscent of what 4Kids name butchering.

[Rydiro]

Well for one, there are actually liquids that can you breathe in real life, they just are artificial concoctions that most don't ever experience.

and water makes up a lot of things in our world and is incredibly adaptable/shape-able for many different things. its honestly not a bad metaphor for an all-pervading magical force making up everything if one wants to avoid modern scientific concepts like atoms, particles and so on in their explanations. particularly for a series like this where you have to tie it into life in some manner so that you can enhance peoples physical attributes and pull off cool anime stunts like jumping really high.
The ecology and sociology of the tower are actually pretty cool. My guess would be that shinsoo is some bodily fluid of the floor Guardians. Is there a difference in shinsoo concentration between inner and outer tower? Else, it would not make sense for people from the higher levels just to be regular folks.

[Dragonus45]

The ecology and sociology of the tower are actually pretty cool. My guess would be that shinsoo is some bodily fluid of the floor Guardians. Is there a difference in shinsoo concentration between inner and outer tower? Else, it would not make sense for people from the higher levels just to be regular folks.

Yea there generally does seem to be a difference, but very little of the outer floors has even been explained.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I have to admit some disappointment; some cuts have to be made to fit the schedule, it seems, but we're losing some of the funniest lines and schemes in episode 7.

Endorsi yelling "This is the true power of Jahad!" as she grabs Anaak's foot to drag her off the edge, the elaborate system of pulleys Bam set up so Endorsi couldn't just snatch the food tray from him and the beautiful simplicity of Khun's script; both were pretty dang hilarious in the webtoon. For more plot-relevant stuff, a few more lines dealing with Quant would have helped, I think, spelling out that he's infuriated that the regulars weren't taking him seriously as a Ranker and Shibisu's knowledge of his personality from studying under him wouldn't have been amiss.

Still, personal preference aside, the anime is hitting all the most important points pretty well, I think.

[Zalabim]

While I do wish there was more time to savor the moments in Episode 8 and 9 especially, they are closing the gap between episode and chapter progress. I think there's a lot of places to save time in the upcoming chapters too. Episode 10 might cover plot points from the next 9 chapters. There's just a big gap where only a few things stand out in my memory, and that usually marks other material that's likely to be dropped to keep up the pace.

Episode specific stuff: I think they could have introduced the 10 houses stuff earlier, and explained the Position Test better/earlier than they have/do, and on the positive side, the major conflict in episode 9 still works pretty smoothly without explicitly calling the starting area off-limits to the Ranker "it".

[Lethologica]

Lines I miss from the webtoon:
"Let's fight. Just us bad guys..."
"If we reach the top after stepping over all our friends...then what remains for us at the top?"
"When people lose the things they cherish, they lose their reason to live."

I don't like the adaptation's choice to have Leroro acting like this is an emergency. Totally doesn't fit the ethos of the floor of test. How many bodies did the test administrators have them climb over to get here already? Even though Leroro wants the tests to be fair while Yu Hansung has other priorities, nobody's expressed any particular desire to protect the regulars' lives before now. (Quant is another matter, since his motives are disgust with the betrayers and a desire to get one over on Khun.)

On the other hand, I don't mind dropping the safety zone contrivance. Quant's actions aren't as consistent as in the webtoon, but as long as I assume he's keeping his administrative role in mind and testing Bam, I can accept it enough to move on.