Tower of God

I for one have really grown to the characters. It's not a masterpiece, but it's quality is rising. And I can't help but want to support the author that keeps continuing the story while his own health is declining. That really takes some dedication.

The beginning of this story was a little weak, including the art, but considering the length of the story, that soon becomes a far-off memory as the art gets much better, more complex character appear, the plot gets interesting. One thing I really enjoy are those separate blog notes and side stories on the characters that climbed the tower before our current cast and explain the world well. It's definitely a nice touch that gets me much more interested. The world building here is really awesome and all this background information just improves it.

It's hard to comment much without spoiling the story, but I think the series keeps improving as it goes and while the character count is quite wide, they all seem to be managed fairly well without really taking the shine off the others. I appreciate that the author is also trying out new ways to act out the story and keeps trying to improve. It definitely is nice. The fights aren't really drawn out, but I can't decide if that is a plus or minus. It makes it definitely less shounen-typical and it allows the story to advance faster without getting stuck in a single fight for months. So for me..it probably is a plus.
I just wish there wasn't so much suffering ;;__;;

Also, I can only disagree with the comment below mine. I feel like judging a series this long on the first few chapters is nothing but short-sighted even if many of those points are valid. It reminds me of the people reviewing anime after 1 ep acting like they know everything about it. So for those who haven't read this yet - the beginning might be a little weak, but it keeps getting better.

I'm at chapter 7 and all the female characters have so far been described by the word "tomboyish". Why is it that all the male characters allowed to be reserved thinkers while all the female characters should aspire to be male-like? And I have never seen anything borrowing so heavily from video games without actually saying that it's set in a video game before. Different levels, seriously? Inventory, seriously? And how about the exposition on every item when it's introduced--exposition that hasn't yet mattered plot-wise in any way, by the bye.

If Tower of God was written by a woman or by someone older than 30 I will eat my copy of Detective Conan.

On another point, nothing here yet feels like it's earned. No no no no, that first test was stupid--it's about problem solving even though readers have not been given any variable. We don't actually know that all the other methods will fail and this method is the only right one--we haven't been shown, we have merely been told. All the stuff that the first challenge was supposed to prove about the main character? They become cheap. They weren't earned.

So about the main character, as there seems to be quite a discussion about him. He did not come off as charming or enigmatic or anything that ToG alleges, he came off as standoffish and annoyingly single-minded. I do not understand, by the way, why manga and its brethren continue to celebrate single-mindedness.Also? Deader than a piece of wood. Does he have different expressions other than bored and determined? I'm not saying there isn't someone like that in real life. I'm saying he isn't compelling as the main character. Which sucks, because so much of what I've read is based on how people have helped him because they find him compelling.

The part where the other characters were saying--belaboring, really--how speshul the main character was, I vomited a little inside my mouth.

I won't even say anything about the art style because it's not actually fun to pick on someone who can't draw well, but I am going to say something about how ToG is presented. The format of the series is basically panels stacked on top of each other, which works well for me just scrolling down the page. It's more cinematic than manga-like that way, but there's a reason why manga works better on a page than film rolls. To its credit ToG is also considerably more inventive in its format than other similar webcomics. That being said, conversation scenes are still incredibly rote and boring. There is usually only one thing going on at one time in one panel--which is the dialog. Panels without dialogs are sometimes more visually interesting, but that doesn't happen nearly often enough. Similar panels close to each other that I suspect was a cut-and-past job? Such a waste of real estate.

Also, the action scene in chapter 7 is confusing and poorly choreographed; the "camera" doesn't pull back far enough, jumps around too much, and gets in the way. There were aerial views and character point views and and messing around with the format in the only scene where clarity was most important.

I wouldn't go back to read this even if it gets better. There's plenty of other stuff that starts out amazing and stays amazing that does not go out of its way to be unappealing.

My favourite among all the mangas, mawhas and webtoons i have ever read, deserves 11/10. Read it from beggining to end like 4 times already.
First: the setting. climbing a tower with increasingly difficult levels in order to make a wish? that doesn't sound too original, but luckily for you, thats just the tip of the iceberg. There is no black and white in the tower, but vast spectrum of colours (almost said shades of gray). There are numerous factions, factions within factions and sidestorys that are part of a whole. Climbing floors is secondary to the strugles to survive and fight against the factions trying to kill/use/both the characters. Everyone has his own agenda and you can expect betrayal at every corner.

Second: the MC. Normally you have two kinds of mc, the week, pathetic and whinny (kurokami) or the cocky asshole that just keeps on running his mouth (veritas comes to mind). Baam is neither. Even though he starts beeing realy weak, he is brave, but awere of his shortcomings. And he doesn't get riduculous powerups (veritas again). He neither does that of "conveying feeleings through his fists" (samuray deeper kyo, one piece, keinichi) when after fighting the most wicked mfker and defeating him they become best friends.

Third: side characters. Yes there are lots of them, but everyone has his unique personality. Some you will love (like the mighty Rak) and some you will hate (deeply) and some you will love and hate at the same time. All have their screen time and it is never wasted.
Yamake-dono, you should consider reading more than 3 chapters before writing a review, "knight saving damsel in distress"..., you dont even know what the story is about.

Like most manhwa and webcomic, it is very badly told. Events move too quickly because the author is less interested in setup than action. Consequently, there is no tension, mystery, or any emotional investment in the poorly elaborated and shallow relationship with the girl. Not only that, the action and the spectators' reaction are trite, unoriginal crap that screams Gary Stu protagonist.

What's so special about white knight saving damsel in distress from a tower with increasing difficulty levels? Like, are you even trying?

For those interested in the Korean language, the title 신의 탑 can be romanized as Shi-nui t'ap. The first syllable is Shin, but since the second syllable starts with ᄋ, the sound /n/ is displaced to the beginning of the second syllable, leaving it as Shi nui. As for 탑, the first consonant is ᄐ, which is the sound of an aspirated t, /tʰ/, and can be romanized as t' (the standard romanization leaves it just as t).

Korean has three kind of t: the aspirated ᄐ /tʰ/ (t'), the double ᄄ /t͈/ (tt) and ᄃ. This last ᄃ has several sounds: /t/ in initial position, /d/ in the middle and /t̚/ (obstruent) at the end.

So, if you see a Korean word that starts with d, it's actually pronounced /t/; this is because in the standard romanization they always transcribe ᄃ as d, regardless of the position. Same happens with g/k, b/p, j/ch.

Finally, the IPA transcription would be /ɕinɰi tʰap̚/. If you wonder how this sounds, you can check it at Forvo (search for the words individually).

That's all. If there's any mistake, please, don't hesitate to correct me. =)

The first couple of chapters were pretty unimpressive, but it gets pretty addicting quite quickly.

It's really nice when a manhwa can surprise a seasoned reader such as myself, hahaha.

Despite a large cast of characters that are introduced over time, SIU (the author), has taken the time to give depth to each of them with complete background, motivation and unique characteristics that compliment the sheer scale of the world they live in.

Let me warn you, if you are the type of person who skims through the manga/mahawa, does not have patience, or cannot stand pictures that are not detailed and etc. this is NOT THE MANGA or MAHAWA for you!
This mahawa begins off slow but if you do not read carefully you will miss many things right away, which is a pity because this manga has great, surprising plots and each character have great depth. It is completely original and have a great fusion of species that you cannot help but be interested. This story also has my favourite concept implemented into it, a kick ass, righteous protagonist, who has many secrets and undying love for his friends, to the point he would give up his own happiness for them.

I started reading this with low expectations (yet, with hopes that I would find another addicting series like Shingeki no Kyojin). The first couple chapters bored me(the art style didn't help either), but after getting into the 2F chapters, I became interested in the plot. Similarly, the characters didn't interest me at first (in fact, there were too many for me to remember). However, with time, I actually grew to like many of the characters.

I love the subtle foreshadowing, the plot twists, and how the story slowly connects.
The art in Part 1, imo, is lacking (more so in the beginning), but in Part 2, the art is actually quite pretty. A great improvement from Part 1.

Overall, I highly recommend this series.

[Edit: Sad to say that I'm dropping this series. Starting around the workshop arc, everything feels dragged out and with the introduction of even more characters (that feel like they should be important but they feel quite flat) divides the screentime of the old cast. Not to mention, it's hard to keep track of all the new characters (or find the motivation to).

This manhwa totaly suprised, more I readed more I wanted read. This manhwa totaly got potential grow amazing, and Im totally gonna follow it! truly recommend to everyone try out. This artist truly got shining future ahead if he keeps working and developing in future!

PS. even others comments that there is too many side charachters, I felt it made story alot richer when all story lines started go together. But critisim is always good, so future readers knows whats coming when reading this.

A full review:

**Summary: ** (parts credited to various people here)

What do you desire? Power? Glory? Fame? Wealth? Revenge? Or a night sky, full of stars?
In return, what are you willing to leave behind?
Who will you step on? Who will you betray? Who will you kill?

Everything you desire, all the answers you seek, can be found at the top of the Tower. And as the bodies pile higher, all you need to do is climb.

As a young boy chases his dearest friend, he starts climbing this Tower filled with challenges and treason, along and against a diverse cast of characters and factions, each with their own agenda.

Strengths:* Dark, expansive world with in-depth lore. The Tower, now controlled by the Great Families who originally "conquered" the floors, has institutionalized dream-seeking, creating a system of tests designed to weed out the weak and pit the contenders against one another, crushing many dreams in the process. This harsh system has also given rise to a number of individuals or factions seeking to exploit or overthrow the existing order. And many have their eyes on Baam, the "irregular" who entered the Tower without being chosen.

• A diverse cast of characters. From the charismatic (though slightly unstable) Baam to the powerful Zahard Princesses (yes, excellent female characters) to devilish geniuses such as Koon, and of course all-around awesome characters such as Rak (oh by the way, Yu Han Sung is a guy, you've been warned), the story offers a wide range of likeable and interesting characters. In the second arc, Wangnan's much weaker team develops a somewhat touching middle-class family dynamic.
• Interesting system that doesn't rely on just power-ups. Whereas most Shounen manga have succumbed to "everybody is a stand-alone fighter" formula, Tower of God focuses on team formations where non-offensive abilities are as valuable as offensive ones (probably positions that were created when the first conquerors were navigating treacherous caverns filled with dangerous creatures rather than fighting other people). One of the most capable characters of the series, Koon, for example, is valued not for his fighting abilities but for his incredible intellect and resulting leadership abilities, and is respected by his teammates accordingly. In a weaker team, otherwise unbalanced individuals complement each other's strengths and weaknesses to move ahead. All this is helped by...
• Extremely clever trials that challenge not only your power and intellect, but your loyalty as well. Do you work together, or sacrifice a teammate to get ahead?
• Unpredictable plot. This is not a place where you can just punch a few bad guys to get ahead. Baam quickly becomes a victim of the ambitions and politics within the Tower. SIU keeps taking the story in unexpected directions, keeping readers on their toes while shuffling team formations like a deck of cards, resulting in new dynamics every time.
• The art, though weak at first, improves Tremendously over time, with some jaw-dropping artworks at times.

Weaknesses:* Does suffer from "too many side characters syndrome." The cast quickly inflates to a large size, and the fast pace of the story often leaves little room for specific character exploration or development, making it hard to get attached to a number of characters, or leaving you disappointed when you do get attached to characters that don't get explored much. This is later mitigated though, by the fact that the characters get continuous character development and interactions, not just during a few dramatic moments.

• Some arcs are less epic than others. This may sound like a weird thing to say, but is in fact an issue: you get so used to SIU's constant "good" trolling (that takes you in unexpected directions) that you can't help but feel disappointed whenever he takes a relatively easy way out, resulting in a writing that is just "good."
• The art is somewhat poor at first: the background perspective is often off etc. As said, this improves over time.

Overall, Tower of God offers a very good blend of what Shounen series do well: great world building, interesting systems and diverse characters, all the while:* Avoiding many of the common pitfalls that have staled the genre: annoying Jesus-like protagonist, a world that bends over just to make the protagonist look good, simplistic plots that are nothing more but a succession of power-ups and beating up bad guys, and side characters just there to worship the main character

• while adding many elements that are rarely found or done well in this genre: challenges that require intellect and teamwork, complex and entertwining plotlines that give the series an air of mystery, "real" moral dilemnas etc.

This blend of qualities means that, even when it doesn't excel at a particular aspect, especially if you look outside the Shounen genre (not the best character development, not the best fights, the puzzles don't necessarily compare to say Liar Game), it nevertheless reinvigorates a genre that has too often succumbed to the formulaic. This, imho, easily makes Tower of God one of the best ongoing Shounen series out there.

This webtoon is by far the best thing I have read. The characters all come from different backgrounds and each of them has their own way of doing things. The series overall is completely original and contains almost no obvious cliches. The artwork is incredible and every twist in the story leaves craving for more.