The Tower of Druaga ~The Aegis of Uruk~ Episode 1 - The Great Tower of Druaga
OP - Swinging (Muramasa) - alarm bells! Ska opening, characters in school uniforms… it’s nicely done (although almost impossible to actually read any of the credits without freeze-framing) even if it wasn’t really what I was looking for… *sigh*
ED - Touchousha-tachi (Kenn) - this reminds me how nice the background art for the show is, which is a good thing because the song is completely uninteresting. Seiyuu vocals ahoy!
As everyone on the Internet probably knows by now, this is a parody episode. Jil, the main character, gets knocked out in a fight in the insidious Tower of Druaga, and whilst unconscious dreams a stereotypical adventure story parodying not only genre cliches but games and anime in the process. When he wakes up, he’s on the run from evil nasties.
I’m going to be the party pooper on this one - I am bitterly, bitterly disappointed with Tower of Druaga. Anyone else remember seeing the first piece of artwork for this show (see it here, it’s the top left piece of art)? I remember seeing that and the first trailer for the show and thinking it was going to be an artistically interesting serious fantasy. Instead, we get jokes being run into the ground in 20 minutes (the death captions), art that looks as dull as virtually every Gonzo show ever (the overall “look” of the show is exactly like Trinity Blood)… basically, just a total let down for me.
I’m not really the best person to comment on Druaga, as I despise virtually all anime comedy and parody only carries you so far (I laughed twice). I can’t really tell you if it’s a good show or not - I understand there’s a so-called ura episode that tells the story from the perspective of the other party members while Jil is unconscious which is probably more indicative of the actual show content, but to be perfectly honest I just don’t care any more and I certainly won’t be watching any more of this show. What a shame.
Perhaps the universe will balance out and somehow turn Blassreiter into a kickass action show to compensate me (because of course my anime viewing habits are the most important in the world). Damn you, Gonzo!
April 5th, 2008 at 9:59 am
But it’s different if it’s something like Erementar Gerad where it’s extremely standard but somehow manages to be funny in a bad way? ;) Just asking, I haven’t even seen this yet.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:06 am
No, not really. I have no excuse for watching Erementar Gerad, I think I must have been temporarily insane :(
April 5th, 2008 at 11:44 am
LOL, this episode was really funny :)
April 5th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
So….. what, is this actually going to be a comedy series or did they just decide to open on a completely different note for some reason? Either way, it doesn’t seem like a smart move.
April 5th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I’ll agree. I was mildly entertained, but let down. That’s about it.
April 5th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Penguin_Factory - it seems as if it’s going to be a bit like Rune Soldier Louie or something like that, a slightly tongue-in-cheek fantasy show (that’s pretty much the tone of the “ura” episode supposedly). The idea of which is like nails on a chalkboard to me, as this usually translates into “oh ho ho, the male lead is an idiot” and “ha ha ha, the female lead is a useless shrieking harpy AND an idiot at the same time” with a smattering of perverted/overly violent sidekicks and boring villains.
Yes, I have managed to extrapolate this from precisely one episode of Tower of Druaga. Of course I’m right. Why wouldn’t I be?
April 6th, 2008 at 2:49 am
[…] downside of this show thus far is that I may be forced to hate it by a blogosphere that adores way too […]
April 6th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Based on how it ended, I think the show will be a lot more serious than this first episode showed. Granted, I had no expectations coming in, so I was thoroughly pleased with what I saw, and wouldn’t mind seeing more of that. Though it might turn out to be that serious fantasy show that you’ve wanted to see. Sometimes it helps to be uninformed/not expecting anything? :/
January 5th, 2009 at 2:28 am
[…] downside of this show thus far is that I may be forced to hate it by a blogosphere that adores way too […]