Before we get into the thick of the review, I must set up the criteria I’m going to be using to analyze the webtoon. I like to judge graphic novels according to 3 primary components, those being plot, characters and finally, art. Off course, given the massive amount of content present within the webtoon, I will have pros and cons present within each of these components. First, we will start with the cons.
Cons:
1) Plot: A few story arcs have slow setups and start to them. The plot doesn't pick up until the arc is halfway through, and this may be seen as boring for some people. Sometimes, the setup will feel like its dragging on until the plot picks up, and some corners could've been cut in these setups to improve the pacing of the story arcs.
2) Characters: Honestly, there isn’t much I can criticize over here. The webtoon’s strongest point is its large and diverse cast of characters. One minor criticism I have is the fact that the villains of the first few arcs of the webtoon lack the sufficient amount of characterization they needed; however, they very much make up for it with their charisma and menacing presence. But this problem is very soon resolved with a cast of well developed and interesting villains.
3) Art: The art in the first season of the webtoon is, to be blunt, not very good. The characters are drawn very roughly, with inconsistent linework, and there is a clear lack of depth in certain frames. The backgrounds are somewhat decent, credit where credit is due. The strongest aspect in season 1 has to be its panelling, while still not perfect; it helps the scenes play out seamlessly as you scroll down.
Pros:
1) Plot: Although occasionally Tower of God may stumble in its setups to story arcs, once it gets going, and all the way to the climax and the end, it’s always a seamless ride, with clashing character motivations, political intrigue, and of course, climactic battles. It is especially mesmerizing how SIU can branch out sub-narratives within an arc, and always have them smoothly converge and combine in the finale, with almost nothing going to waste. The political intrigue of the tower is also fascinating and interest to watch, as different factions vying for power form and break alliances to achieve their distinctive goals. This ultimately leads me to the lore of the tower; as such a massive and expansive world has a history just as rich and captivating as you would expect it to be, with the history itself deeply rooted into conflicts that ultimately culminated in the challenges our protagonist and his allies face. Credits must be also given to the battle design of the webtoon. The concept of shinsu (Korean for ‘water of God’) is simple, neatly balanced in the middle of the scale between soft and hard magic systems. It has enough mysteries and intrigue behind it to give the readers a desire to know more, and it also has enough technicalities to make the battles interesting to follow. Add to that an interesting concept of battle positions and weapons based on fishing (e.g. Fishermen, Wave controllers, Light Bearers), and you have in your hands a well-balanced battle system that doesn't teeter too much on either side of the extremes. Another thing I have to mention is how the series deals with comedy. Normally, shounen battle manga will have downtime ‘comedy’ arcs, where in-between serious story arcs, a few chapters will be dedicated to a comedic lighthearted romp to cool down after a gruelling high stakes arc. But Tower of God seldom has those, instead opting for downtime arcs that offer more personal character reflections and conversations. Instead, the comedy is generously scattered across the webtoon, with small moments of reprieve and comedy in-between serious conflicts acting as a way for the readers to calm down and collect. What I like about this approach is that it allows the series to keep a consistent tone throughout, i.e. instead of dedicating chunks of the story to comedic arcs that introduce tonal shifts; it instead opts to sprinkle the comedy throughout the series, allowing for a more even and consistent tone.
2) Characters: The best part of Tower of God, undoubtedly, is its characters. The main cast all has well-defined motivations and distinct personalities. Development is also top-notch, with the characters developing both in terms of morality and capability. Both the protagonists and antagonists have clearly defined goals, and the decisions they make based on their objectives are also largely influenced by their past experiences and personality, adding a sense of continuity to the plot. The characters in the series follow a revolving door style of appearance usually seen in such epic and massive stories. Aside from a few mainstays, characters will come and go, with some leaving for hundreds of chapters on end before having a triumphant return in a story arc. But in the context and scale of the story, such a format is believable, as the characters will not always possess the same interests and goals as our mainstays, and may only return when their paths happen to converge. The protagonist’s side all possesses distinct personalities that seamlessly bounce off of each other and their camaraderie is fulfilling to watch. The series does a good job of balancing the allied characters in each story arc, giving them all moments to shine. The antagonists all have a level of moral intrigue to them, and they aren’t exactly complete black or white in terms of morals and actions, and even though you’ll usually find yourself in disagreement of their actions; looking from their perspective, you’ll come to understand and sometimes even sympathize with them. However, the star of the show definitely has to be the main protagonist of the series, Bam. Normally, shounen protagonists will start off with a distinct and boisterous personality that demands your attention, but in contrast to that, Bam starts as a blank slate. He lacks the charisma or the intrigue that is required in such a high energy series. Instead, the first season is carried by its side characters, especially the cunning and calculating Khun Aguero Agnes and the attractive and deadly Endorsi Jahad. But a blank slate is just that, an empty canvas the artist can freely draw on, and draw SIU does. Of course, any further delve into how this blank canvas is drawn on begets spoilers, and I'd like this to be spoiler-free.
3) Art: After a shaky start in the art department in season 1. The webtoon finds it footing with season 2, and by the time you're halfway through, it has improved to the point of some really well-detailed art. It brings in some jaw-dropping wide-angle shots; brimming with detail and character, as well as well pronounced action frames with meaty impacts that you can feel bursting off the screen and sending tremors down your body. Character designs are also very well done, with each character having a distinct silhouette, style and clothing. One of the thing that the webtoon does that sets itself apart from its shounen contemporaries is that most of the main cast has a very dynamic wardrobe, and with every new arc, you can expect most of the characters to go through some sort of outfit change. I find it very refreshing, especially in a medium where artists choose to have a very static wardrobe for their characters.
Side note: In regards to the anime adaptation recently completing its adaptation of the first season of the webtoon (as of the writing of this review), I would still very much recommend that you instead read the webtoon from the start. The anime cuts out a lot of the smaller character interactions that make the series special for me, and it's also very crucial in developing said characters. But the anime does have its strong suits, especially the brilliant soundtrack done by Kevin Penkin, a stellar voice acting performance done by an all-star cast of voice actors, excellent art direction and good animation. So wrapping it up, I should instead recommend that you begin by reading the webtoon, and upon finishing season 1 of the webtoon, watch the anime up to season 1, make your conclusions, and then jump back into the webtoon with season 2 (this is optional and you can just skip the anime entirely if you are tied for time). However, later seasons of the anime may be released and depending on their overall quality in comparison to the webtoon, you may instead choose to watch the anime and not be wrong in doing so. But even so, I’ll still recommend that you read the webtoon to get the full experience.
In conclusion:
Tower of God is an epic, tower spanning adventure filled with mysteries and battles; where a rich world and political landscape acts as a backdrop for a colourful yet complex cast of characters, and a larger-than-life clash of morals and goals. Anybody who is a fan of battle shounen or shounen for that matter needs to make it their top priority to check this one out. To top it all off, all of it, from the start to the current, still ongoing chapters as of the writing of this review (which all currently adds up to 484 chapters!), is available for free on Webtoon, completely legal and available on their mobile-friendly app. So I don’t see any excuses for waiting on this one. With a solid 10/10 on plot, 10/10 on characters, and 9/10 on art, this is a must-read 10/10 for me.
