Why Tower of God should Be on your watch and Read list

Anime has always been an interest of mine as I would watch the Animax channel on TV with my brothers. Starting with series’ like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Yu yu Hakusho, and Law of Ueki to streaming shows like Demon Slayer, Horimiya, and Black Clover. However, out of all the shows I’ve watched recently, none have caught my attention quite like Tower of God.

Tower of God is an anime based on a webtoon by the same name, written and illustrated by S.I.U. (Lee Jong Hui). Unlike most mainstream anime, Tower of God is not based on Manga rather it is based on a Manwha, which is another name for a comic written in Korea. Currently, the show has only one season, but after just a single watch I was hooked and immediately dove into the webcomic.

The series follows the journey of Bam and his ascent through the Tower, an infinitely massive structure. According to the narrator, whoever can reach the top will gain everything they desire, whether it is money, fame, power, or something that transcends all things. However, as everyone wishes to climb, the challenges are seemingly endless. At first glance, the series appears to be simple, accomplish a task and climb to the next floor. However, S.I.U. has created a story that covers so much more as it has themes of tyranny, betrayal, war, and death.

When talking about the Tower of God, I cannot understate how impactful worldbuilding has been as the author has created such a unique and expansive setting. The Tower is truly near-infinite in size as each floor could easily be its world. Additionally, with a set of this scale comes an almost endless cast of characters that keep readers interested and invested. While there is one main protagonist, the number of supporting characters has continued to grow to One Piece levels. This ever-evolving cast then creates a true sense of engagement as readers feel as though they are growing along with the story, constantly discovering and experiencing new things.

Another reason to pick up this series is the art style. While the early chapters may have a strange look to them, S.I.U. has greatly improved in terms of his drawing skills. It is not an understatement to say that this story has some of, if not, the best art I have ever read in a comic. What sets it apart in my opinion is the uniqueness and use of color as TOG has its style that is fundamentally different from most other anime and manga.

Sadly, a release date for TOG season 2 has not been officially announced. However, animators from Studio Telecom Animation Film have stated that they are pausing production on some other shows as they are preoccupied with the Tower of God sequel. Finally, at the time of this writing, Tower of God’s first season is available on Netflix, while the Manwha has over 500 chapters out online for the public to read for free.

Source: CBR, AnimeGeek, ScreenRant