Everyone has that manga, novel, anime, or something like that they want to recommend to friends. In my case, it’s a Korean manhwa, Tower of God, which isn’t very popular here in Brazil. I mean, despite having a good fan base, it still lacks when it comes to numbers.
But I believe that a large part of us otakus know that popularity doesn’t always determine the quality of a work. There are thousands of unknown works that are of the highest quality. And I think this manhwa fits that classification.
Tower of God is one of the first manhwas I ever read. Although it can be difficult for someone coming from only reading mangas to start reading it. After all, the layout of the panels, the design, the reading format, everything is different. Even the storytelling style tends to be a bit different in manhwas.
Table of Contents
Tower of God
In Tower of God, for example, people tend to get irritated only in the first season. The reasons are varied; the MC lacks charisma, the plot is confusing, and the development of supporting characters is very jumbled. In addition to many elements that are difficult to understand and poorly explained by the author.
Tower of God is a webtoon written and illustrated by Lee Jong-hui, also known by the pseudonym SIU (Slave. In. Utero). It began in 2010 as the first story in the “Talse Uzer” universe. It is edited and released for free on Naver Webtoon.
Author Lee Jong-hui graduated in visual arts education at the university level before being recruited into the South Korean army. On the advice of a military veteran, Jong-hui began drawing cartoons.
During this period, Jong-hui drew “ten books” of practice cartoons, which formed the backbone of the Tower of God comic that he later began creating for the Internet.
Plot of Tower of God
Tower of God revolves around a boy named Twenty-Fifth Bam, who spent most of his life trapped beneath a vast and mysterious Tower, with only his best friend, Rachel, to keep him company.
When Rachel enters the Tower, Bam also manages to open a door for her and faces challenges on each floor of the tower while trying to find his closest companion.
This happens early on in the chapters of the work. Where Bam enters the tower and soon finds himself chasing Rachel to try to bring her back, despite being very, very weak. However, because of his immense determination, he continues to climb the floors of the Tower until he finds Rachel.
But for that, he has to go through a series of challenges that will lead him to meet and earn the friendship and loyalty of many people. Unfortunately, not everything is smooth sailing, and he soon discovers that he is not just another person in the tower, but rather the one who could bring its destruction.
Elements of the Plot
“The Tower” is a mysterious structure that is completely enclosed and hosts many unique environments. It is permeated by an element called “Shinsu,” which has strange properties similar to magic in other comic universes. It is inhabited by many different intelligent species.
Living on the upper floors is associated with a higher status in the Tower and better living conditions. This is a result of ascending from one floor to the next, which is only allowed by passing increasingly difficult tests of strength, dexterity, and cunning.
Those former regulars who reach the top of the Tower are known as Rankers, and are generally much more powerful than others. The Rankers are often tasked with managing the lower floors. At the top of the tower are the “10 Great Families,” which form the governing body of the Tower.
Each floor consists of three layers: an Outer Tower, which serves as a residential area, an Inner Tower, where people are tested, and a Middle Area, which functions as a network connecting each floor.
The residents of each floor have the chance to ascend, as long as they are deemed “worthy” to do so by Headon, the Guardian of the First Floor and caretaker of the Tower. These people are referred to as “Regular Chosen” in Tower of God.
The Tower is sealed from the vast and unknown “Outside” by massive and impenetrable doors. On rare occasions, extraordinary people manage to open the doors and enter the Tower. Such people are called “Irregulars” in the webtoon, and the protagonist, Twenty-Fifth Bam, is one of them.
According to the author, each floor is the size of the North American continent. Only Irregulars are exempt from the contract that Jahad made with the Guardians of the Tower that made him immortal. Thus, only an Irregular can kill Jahad. This fact drives much of the plot in Tower of God.
Why Read Tower of God
I can’t say I don’t understand people who drop this manhwa. I myself have dropped it a few times when the unfortunate protagonist had some crazy ideas. It seemed like those ideas of a cuckold, when he thinks the woman hasn’t cheated on him.
Yes, the protagonist tends to be a doormat, at least in the first season. But despite seeming bad, the fact is that the development and potential of the protagonist is evident. It’s that type of protagonist where we see he will go far, without even the author forcing it.
He is so well integrated into the plot of the story that we don’t even realize he is the protagonist. And consequently, he develops without us even noticing. Another interesting point is that we often don’t know what the protagonist is capable of.
Yes, that’s right, we never know when he might back down or dive headfirst into adventures. Everything is a surprise, even the bad parts of the work are a certain surprise.
Honestly, few works have enchanted me as much as Tower of God. The plot itself doesn’t seem anything special. But the development and richness of details is certainly a great advantage in this work. I highly recommend the reading.
The union mangás has both complete seasons, and also a third season that started this year. I’m sure you won’t regret giving this manhwa a chance. Good luck.
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