NK: Ah, right. New anime I got a couple weeks back. It’s called “Tower of Druaga - The Aegis of Uruk.”
Av: That’s a mouthful. Wait, “Tower of Druaga?” I’ve heard that somewhere before…
NK: Tower of Druaga is an old video game by Namco. I played it a bit when I was a kid. That’s the reason I took a look at the anime.
Av: How’s the anime?
NK: Pretty good. Sure, it doesn’t follow the plot of the game, putting the events of the game at 80 years in the past, but it still has references to a lot of the game. King Gilgamesh, all the monsters. Heck, the main group actually goes to the old tower during one episode.
Av: Sounds…interesting. What did they do there?
NK: It’s actually an important plot point as to why they were there, so I won’t divulge all the details. Basically, Jil charges into the tower to find something, when it turns out he has to be controlled by someone outside. Hilarity, and the most direct reference to Tower of Druaga, ensues.
Av: I take it that’s your favorite episode?
NK: No. Episode 5 is. The party comes across a fork in the road, one side saying “shortcut.” They decide to take the shortcut, which turns out to be covered in traps.
Av: That doesn’t sound good…
NK: The traps are hilarious, though. They change the entire party magically whenever someone steps on one. For example, at the beginning of the episode, everything turns 8-bit. It’s great.
Av: Right. What about the characters?
NK: I like most of the characters in the series. The main party is easy to get attached to, though some are your stereotypical heroes. Jil, for example, is your typical, likeable goof, though he does get pretty serious when he needs to. Kaaya is, well, there’s a lot of important details to her. She’s an oracle, a user of defensive magic…she comes across as cute an naive at first, but...well...that’s all I’ll say about her. Ahmey is a very serious character among all of the chaos in the party, so she stays pretty quiet until there’s trouble. Melt is from a noble family, so he’s really picky and complains about a lot of stuff. Plus, he uses his magic with rods that he swings like golf clubs. His assistant, Coopa, is the craziest of the group, being about 12 years old, though she acts much more mature than Melt. It‘s funny watching them argue. I really can’t go into too much detail about the party, though I will say it’s one of my favorite casts of characters.
Av: Figures as much. Take it Coopa’s your favorite? You do tend to like the younger characters.
NK: Actually, no. Melt is my favorite character in the series. The introduction to him casts him in a bad light, seeing as how he’s completely drunk, but he’s actually a likeable character once you reach the end of the series.
Av: You watch it in Japanese, as usual?
NK: I actually watched it in English, though I did watch the first few episodes in Japanese. Part of the reason I bought the series was the voice actors in it. Jil is played by Todd Haberkorn, who also played Hikaru in Ouran and Watanuki in xxxHolic. He does a good job playing the goofy hero. Melt is voiced by Chuck Huber, the same guy who voiced Hiei *snicker*. It’s a pretty interesting voice cast. Oh, just warning you now, Coopa’s played by Monica Rial.
Av: Oh, joy…
NK: It really isn’t that bad. Though she does sound a lot like Renge.
Av: That’s what I was afraid of. So, I take it I should watch this?
NK: Definitely. Even if you haven’t played Tower of Druaga before, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it. Oh, before I forget, this is the first season. There’s a second season I’ve yet to watch subtitled “The Sword of Uruk.” The ending is pretty weird because of that, just warning you.
Av: You’ll be getting that one too, huh?
NK: Yep. Though it comes out in February…It’s going to be a long wait.
