10 Best Things: Tower of God

It’s been forever since I’ve done a “10 Best Things” post, and I’m not exactly writing one now because Tower of God was more outstanding than anything else I’ve seen recently, but just because I’ve remembered how much low-effort fun this kind of post is.

You will find that this list consists of oddly specific items, character traits, and scenes, ranked in a questionable order. I included any aspect of the anime that made it memorable in some positive way, and of course, all biases are my own. Hope you enjoy!

***Spoilers! This post is full of it.***

10. Paracule

Paracule, oh Paracule. You keep thinking “he’s getting eliminated in this test for sure,” but he sure got carried hard (literally) by his team. Why did this pathetic green douchebag make the list? When you consistently find yourself hating someone so harmless (pointless?), you start growing fond of them.

9. The Rachel Plot Twist

*Spoiler warning again in case you ignored the first one.* The last episode did nothing to make Rachel a sympathetic character, but it made her more of a character. For 12 episodes, I was fed up with everything about her except her voice (thank you, Saori Hayami); it’s hard to accept that a girl who says and does practically nothing has such a major role in the story. She sure sucks as a person, but as a character, she was somewhat redeemed. Her selfish motives earned their place on this list not because they were original or impressive, but because of how successfully they recontextualized her character in half an episode.

8. Bam’s Casual Power-Ups

Shounen power-ups tend to be rather tedious, but Bam’s worked for me because of how easily he stumbles into them. Shinsu? What’s that? Cool, apparently I can walk through it and shoot it at things. Power-ups work much better when “I want to protect my friends!” is used as the morale booster that it is rather than a source of superpower.

7. The 13 Month Series

Famous sword sets are always cool to see in anime, especially if there’s a coordinated system for them. The 13 Month Series is coordinated by month, colour, as well as a strict selection of users. The fact that the swords have personas and come in such varied forms, as far as I know, is a bonus. I don’t know why there are 13 months instead of 12 because I haven’t read the Webtoon, but yay, more swords.

6. Yuri’s Ribbon

Forget ahoges that emote. Hair ribbons that twitch with their owners’ frustration? Yuri’s ribbon isn’t as lively as Chitoge’s from Nisekoi, but she has five pointy tips, and few anime characters can rock such a thing. Not to mention that the bold splash of red matches her eyes and the rest of her outfit perfectly.

5. Anaak’s Character Design

Yuri looks awesome (and is awesome), but Anaak’s character design is the one that really shines in the series. When was the last time a green-skinned anime character was this cute? Anaak is a wonderful balance of different shades of brown and green, and is absolutely precious in her blushing, ponytail form. It’s another joy to watch petite Anaak dash around energetically while whirling Green April around. While I don’t have much to say about her personality or backstory, her looks alone make her a treat to see on screen.

4. Khun’s Acting

More specifically, I’m thinking about the time Khun’s teammates think he lost it because he tossed the crown fabulously into the distance and laughs during the Crown Game. Khun can mock people all day long and I wouldn’t mind. On a more serious note, Khun almost always has on a mask for different audiences and purposes, and even the “crappy act” in Episode 10 was convincing enough to kindle ambivalent feelings in some Regulars and myself.

3. Survival of the Fittest

The first half of this clip was actually what convinced me to watch the series past Episode 1, which really didn’t get me hooked enough otherwise. The smooth transitions from one kill to another capture everything that’s so dangerous and enthralling about survival games. In fact, it was a bit underwhelming to see that none of the tests in the rest of the season match this one in stakes, although the introduction of teamwork as a core tower-climbing skill is appreciated.

2. Yuri’s Big Sister Moment

It was pleasant but unsurprising to see Endorsi and Anaak bond at a critical moment, but Yuri’s protectiveness of her two “little sisters” was a different moment of peak coolness. Not to mention how overwhelmingly strong she turns out to be. As it is, Yuri is my second-favourite character.

1. Lero-Ro’s Skeptical Stare

Okay, I may have a thing for administrator characters in shounen exam arcs (very specific, I know), but Lero-Ro has consistently been interesting. He’s the one character who knows more than others, but who is always seeking to know more. Even the first test he administered ended in an information trade with Bam. If Khun questions everyone he meets, Lero-Ro questions everything he’s involved in. Him staring Yu Han Sung down in the final episode and quitting his job to climb the tower is my favourite outcome of the season.

Bonus Favourites

Caffe Latte

Colour Palette for Endorsi’s Backstory

 

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I love these posts because they really help me recall the best parts of a series that I don’t otherwise feel strongly about. As you might know, shounen isn’t really my genre, but Tower of God is certainly a good shounen, and I have no doubt that reading the Webtoon would be a rewarding experience for anyone with the time to commit.

How do you feel about Tower of God? What are your favourite/least favourite things about it? I’m particularly interested in hearing who everyone’s favourite characters are. I find the main cast pleasant, but am also not strongly invested in any of them. I’d love to hear your experiences with this anime, so feel free to comment below!