Tower of Druaga
Tower of Druaga is like that ugly girl with the glasses whom you have never actually met in real life, and when you finally do meet her, you realize that she’s in fact very attractive and doesn’t actually wear glasses. Also, there’s probably a that’s-what-she-said joke somewhere in that title…
Now hold your horses. I know all those regular readers of my blog out there (all three of you) are probably going, “OMG DM is actually blogging about an on-going series (that’s not made by Sunrise)!” Wrong. Uh-uh. Sorry to disappoint you but this post is about the first season of Tower of Druaga which aired last year.
So why blog about it now? Because I just watched it (while fishing in Dalaran). It’s also cool to be non-conformist and blissfully ignorant of current blogging trends. At least that’s how I like to think of it.
So basically Tower of Druaga was an 80s arcade machine that probably no one other than hardcore Namco fanboys cared about until Gonzo randomly decided to make an anime out of it and even after that. Since the game was just an 8-bit maze with probably zero story to speak of, it is difficult to understand why Gonzo decided to license this franchise instead of making a new one. Maybe it was free, or maybe they really, really wanted to do 8-bit gags.
The punchline of the entire series?
The premise of the show is nothing to write home about — A group of adventurers with radically different personalities go on a long and arduous quest to climb a gigantic tower and slay the generic demon king who is terrorizing the land in ambiguous manners — which is why I was reluctant to give this series a try. Fortunately, I did.
The impulsive young boy, the silent mature lady and the likeable heroine
People who read my Gundam 00 ‘reviews’ probably think that I am a joyless cynic whose icy soul has frozen beyond the reach of the simple wonders of mainstream entertainment. That is actually quite true when it comes to anime. I find it difficult to sit through a 20-minute episode of Akikan! without mentally dismantling every line of dialogue down to its tiny core of cliché. This makes Tower of Druaga particularly worthy of compliment, considering that it managed to keep me distracted for the entire length of its 12 episodes and kept things interesting and fresh enough that I had little time to pause and deconstruct its entire existence. Bravo.
“This story is so stereoty… WAIT OMG TENTACLE SECHS”
So I shall do that now instead. Stripped down to its bare fundamentals, Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk (i.e. the first season) is essentially a cleverly-crafted gateway drug. The first episode is a blatant attempt at chipping away the hardened outer shell of even the most cynical critic with a non-stop barrage of gags and parodies that poke fun at the fantasy adventure genre, and for the most part it works remarkably well.
The core humour at work in the series is smart and, barring the first episode, seldom over the top. The clever use of cultural anachronism provides a focal point for the audience’s wandering attention until the larger plot eventually takes over. It also helps that the animation quality is rather good and does not distract from the story, except for maybe parts of episode 7.
And the opening sequence is just pure genius.
Probably go down in history as the most awesome OP ever
The entire story of the first season can probably be summed up in one sentence, but that’s because it is only the beginning of the real epic. After drawing the audience in with its charming humour, the first season eventually focuses on developing the main characters and to make the audience fall in love with them, so as to set the stage for the larger story.
I’m melting…
And in case I am giving the wrong impression with my bias selection of screen captures, Druaga is definitely not a gag anime per se. There are gags, but the overall feel is a lot closer to Scrapped Princess than Excel Saga, and my personal opinion is that things will only get more serious and emotional in season two.
I know this isn’t helping my case
It is still too early to judge Tower of Druaga as a whole, for a great appetizer is nothing without an equally enjoyable main course, but The Aegis of Uruk is no doubt one of the best appetizers from Gonzo in a long, long time. Let’s hope that the currently-airing Sword of Uruk will not turn out to be a let-down.
On another note, Fatina is so hot. I know that so far every single hint in the show, including the opening sequence (usually a rather accurate indicator of future plot direction), says that Kaaya is the heroine of the show, but I just can’t help but root for the underdog. I mean come on, Fatina and Jil make such a cute and entertaining couple.
She can climb my tower any time if you know what I mean. Well, high-rise public housing, but close enough.
P.S. I keep reminding myself to get down to writing my Comiket reflection piece, but I just—Oooh shiny thing.
January 17th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Shiny, shiny tower.
January 17th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
That’s what she said.
Honestly, I don’t know why more people watch Druaga. It’s even freaking free, on youtube. Maybe that it’s so fun for jaded people take away its appeal for non-jaded people, for which there are more of in the world.
January 17th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
/wistful sigh. Oh, Fatina… To be a roper for you…
January 17th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I only realize Fatina was voiced by Horie in Season 2. I phail ;_;
January 17th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I wish someone would kill Kaaya
January 18th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Watched the first episode and then dropped it. But maybe after your glowing endorsement I’ll give it a second try.
January 18th, 2009 at 12:28 am
omo, you speak wisdom as always.
January 18th, 2009 at 1:02 am
-random lurker speaks-
I liked ToD as it’s really some silly fun to take my mind off things. And the humor is really classic! I think I rewatched the crazy costume change episode (with the 8bit gag) a dozen times, just because its so hilarious.
The opening for ToD definitely rocks, and the same winning formula is used in the Sword of Uruk.=D
-returns to lurking-
January 18th, 2009 at 2:18 am
Fatina is more suited to be the heroine and a better fit for Jil. Kaaya is way to secretive and manipulative.
They should really just let her die like in Ki’s vision ;D
January 18th, 2009 at 3:24 am
Let Kaaya and Neeba die. So I can have a JillxFatina end. LOL
January 18th, 2009 at 4:42 am
I got to agree the OP was awesome. If fool me when i first watch it.
January 18th, 2009 at 7:02 am
kaaya…….kaaya who?
as far as im concerned she did die..
yes i’m avoiding reality..
January 18th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
hiaz the first ep of the 2nd season looks boring … (gonzo sure have many ideas for their opening)
January 18th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Fatina is ♥~~~
January 18th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
DM, this is creepy. I dropped Druaga after Ep1 back when it aired and this week i completed it – while fishing in Dalaran… (well not only Dalaran, had to get fishing from 198-450)
Well, i got my giant (and ugly) sewer rat somewhere along Ep10 :D
January 19th, 2009 at 10:08 am
The whole series was an excuse to show how cute Coopa is. Much like A Certain Magical Index is about how cute Index is.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:35 am
andreas, lol. I just need Mr. Pinchy and one of the rare weapon fishes for my Salty title now. So close yet so far. D:
January 19th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Not more gundams reviews :(
Since you post this, i am thinking about watch it.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
That’s what she said.
January 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I recently just watch this myself as well. And seriously, the way they manage to build up the characters while adding in humor makes it really interest me. I am now totally hooked up with sword of uruk.
Talking about which, you were right. I didn’t realize that it IS similar to Scrapped Princess. Mind me… >_<”’
But overall, I felt this anime is really nice~
January 20th, 2009 at 6:08 am
Hi. Just wanted to say I like your article. It sounds like a very entertaining show. I’ll see if I can get a copy of it. Glad to see you have a subscription option, so I can keep up with your content!
January 20th, 2009 at 11:40 am
I hate you. You made me WATCH this trash!
Okay, I’ll admit i was laughing ~80% of the first ep.
Hey, wait a minute. It gets serious at the end? I would never have guessed.
January 20th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
and you couldn’t make fun of gundam…..
please make fun of gundam(00) again!!!!!!
XD please.
January 20th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Great review! After reading your acticle and looking at the screenshots of it. I might actually pick up watching this anime. At first I wasn’t really sure about watching it but just the animation only makes it worth watching now.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:26 am
Hey DM, whats your IGN?
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:39 pm
The reason they decided to make the anime is because it was basically a promotion for the Tower of Druaga MMORPG.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:45 am
Interesting. I was actually thinking about watching this series not too long ago (I watched the first episode of the second season out of impulse and boredom, and liked it, but never got around to watching the first season).
Anyways, thanks for putting this review up. I’m gonna go ahead and watch it now…unless I get distracted…
(I will not beg for more Gundam 00 reviews…I will not beg…I will not beg…)
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:14 pm
God dang it. Just finished watching it from the beginning to the end.
Man that was freaking epic.
And I have to agree with you DM, Fatina is pretty much the hottest of the show. Although Ahmey was pretty cool too…
Can’t wait for the second season!
January 24th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
just stumbled this article, I was lookin’ for a new series to get my teeth into, checkin’ this out asap, thanks!
January 28th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
by the way, season 2 episodes 1, 2, and 3 came out
January 31st, 2009 at 10:02 am
Minion! Continue blogging about Gundam 00.
February 8th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
i loved the ep5!
2nd season still ongoing…
February 21st, 2009 at 5:45 am
Ha, I just watched this series like a month ago. It is funny, except for this one episode that is devoted to nothing but stupidity. I need to watch season two…
February 25th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Are you going to blog about the second season by any chance?
Trackback from
Toward Spring Season Anime 2009 « GerryMon’s WebLogFebruary 28th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
[...] by few blogs I also start collecting the Druaga series and well just like they said its really a hidden treasure. Although it was for good laugh and entertaining at the beginning [...]
March 28th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
second season ended and nothing came up here :(
April 1st, 2009 at 7:51 am
Second Season……..
horrible….
:(