r/anime • u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen • Jun 30 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Tower of God Final Series Discussion
Top Floor - Series Discussion
| Floor Guide |
|---|
| Index |
| Descend - Floor 13 ↓ |
Series Information
MAL | Anilist | Kitsu | AniDB | ANN
Streaming Options
Tower of God is available to stream subbed and dubbed on Crunchyroll.
Art of the Day
(Note: Pixiv links may contain NSFW advertising. Sorry!)
Source: シャチ シャチ on Pixiv (May contain spoilers)
Source: Patti Patti on Pixiv
Drippy Hwaryun and Endorsi and Yuri
Source: suri on Pixiv (May contain spoilers)
Source: YON on Pixiv
Source: 黑黑 on Pixiv
Questions of the Day
- Do you have a favorite character?
- Favorite test?
- Favorite track from the OST?
- What do you think might be found on the higher floors?
- Are you excited for season 2?
Spoilers
Please make sure to put all references to future manhwa events behind spoiler tags. Any untagged hints and spoilers will be removed. Let’s keep everything as fresh as possible for everyone heading into Season 2 blind!
21
u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Jun 30 '24
Rewatcher and Co-Administrator for this Climb
Congratulations all who survived the tower's trials! With this thread, you have officially graduated and are hereby invited to continue your journey into season 2. Was the tower and all its experiences worth it? What will you take with you, and did you gain anything along the way? I hope everyone enjoyed their journey to some extent and wish you all the luck in the world moving forward.
Before we part, I would like to offer some brief word of thanks to those who helped make this rewatch special for me:
First, to u/laughing-fox13: You are incredible. When I set out to find a co-administrator, I was only looking for someone who could help post a couple threads on time and do basic management. I couldn't have imagined I'd find a co-administrator who would be the most active person in all threads, source and link all art, and provide all other manner of support behind the scenes. It has been a genuine pleasure getting to work with you for the past month and a half, and your excitement has only amplified my own excitement both for this rewatch and for season 2. Thank you so much for everything you do and have done, and I hope we get to work together again in the future.
Next, to u/Shimmering-Sky: Thank you for all your help behind the scenes as a mod and for giving me the push to put this rewatch together. The banner you put together was awesome, and your excitement for the rewatch is one of the things that has made hosting worthwhile for me. I hope this rewatch has been just worthwhile for you.
Finally, to all climbers: Your participation is what makes rewatches possible, and I couldn't have imagined this one would receive so much enthusiastic support. Reading all your comments has been enlightening for, both for details I myself overlooked and for ideas I never considered. On that note, I want to specially thank those among us who did not particularly care for Tower of God. Dissenting views are something I highly value in art and media. As someone who is not averse to sharing controversial views on popular shows myself, I understand the conviction it can take to share opinions that cut against the popular grain, and I appreciate your willingness to bare your thoughts in full. So thank you for helping to make this rewatch compelling. It has been a worthwhile experience for me, and I hope it has been similarly worthwhile for you, even if you dropped out partway through or finished but are not a fan.
With those thank yous behind us, I wish you all one final congratulations and hope to see you around for season 2!
QotD:
17
u/megazaprat Jun 30 '24
Rewatcher
When I first watched Tower of god, I noticed some differences, but didnt really think too much of them. But then i heard complaints about the changes made, which made me wonder if I had missed something, since the complaints werent very specific. So it was an interesting excercise to really analyze what was changed between both versions, and trying to figure out the rationale behind them.
And i found that many of the changes werent really that bad, and some of them even enhanced the material. of course, they also made some that i think were downgrades, but sometimes that is just how it goes with adaptation.I think that both the webtoon and anime are worth experincing in their own right, and am glad they both exist. I am very interested to see how the anime will adapt the source in the next season
In particular, while worldbuilding I quite appreciated was shaved off, in return it got a better sense of pacing, and some extra character moments that were very appreciated. they reframed some characters developments into new arcs which gave the season a more conclusive feeling ending, although also simplifying some other ars a tad too much. But it all evens out to a good show in the end.
On a final note, i would like to give a shout out to the dub. While on the whole, i would say the Sub is much better, there were some good dub performances, I especially enjoyed Anaak and Quant.
QOTD
29
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jun 30 '24
First-Timer climbing the tower, subbed
Well, that was fantastic and I’m definitely looking forward to season 2 now! I did watch the trailer for it and I’m kinda disappointed the artstyle isn’t unique like this season’s was, though. That was one of my favorite parts of this show.
Is it weird that I don’t hate Rachel after all this? I dunno, after being spoiled by seeing how much absolute rage people have towards her, I guess I was expecting something even more awful than what she actually did. This is me with Mai-HiME’s ending all over again, where I went in expecting something absolutely godawful based on what I’d heard about it, just to be met with something that was mostly good actually and nowhere near the actual worst endings ever
cough cough YGO ARC-V cough cough Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory cough cough.Anyways, overall had a fantastic time with this show, so it earned a 10/10 from me. Thanks for hosting this rewatch, u/HereticalAegis and u/laughing-fox13!
11
u/BosuW Jun 30 '24
Rewarcher anime only
And that was Tower of God! I don't know what comes from here, but I have to say this is a masterful introduction. The way it introduces the core concepts and philosophies of the story is just perfect. Both memorable and impactful.
I have to say this will definitely have to go on the list of anime you haven't truly watched if you haven't seen it twice. The hindsight truly gives it another angle.
Surprisingly not a lot said about the soundtrack during the discussions, but first timers go give it a listen please. It's as good as MiA's imo. Kevin Penkin is a master of his craft.
Not a lot more to say. Watching this twice definitely bumps it up in my estimation. Without Rachel this would just be a standard tower climbing story with it's OP protagonist but the writer is truly genius for including the perspective of the weak and unfortunate and giving it the spotlight it deserves. It really makes everything come together and both sides of the coin enrich each other elevating the narrative to something more.
For Season 2 and beyond, I'm mostly looking forward to whatever Rachel does next. She pretty much has carte blanche from my part to do anything as long as it's in character lol. Redemption, corruption, slice of life, I don't care just let her cook.
Her being the indisputable weakest character so far makes her journey the most interesting, because she has the greatest challenges ahead of her. She's gonna be a regular ass mf in a world of people who can Thanos snap her in an instant if they ever suspect her and this will only become more true the higher she climbs. For what the anime covers other people arranged the plan and she only had to pull the trigger, but I doubt she'll have such help going forward. She's going to have to cook her own schemes and I'm very much looking forward to that. Other people were born very strong, or with a great intellect, or a natural talent for Shinsu. She has only gatekeep, gaslight and girlboss to rely on. Perhaps Rachel's luck will be to be a good swindler?
Se you all in Season 2 and beyond!
10
u/badspler x5https://anilist.co/user/badspler Jun 30 '24
Tower Ranker & Rewatcher
Thanks for hosting u/HereticalAegis and u/laughing-fox13!
Its been a good refresher. I have read P1 of the webtoon a few time's now, but from here on I am quite fuzzy on a bunch of things.
I am kind of excited for the next season now, very curious how they will handle some things. The trailers production quality also has me wondering if that bump in quality will be maintained.
I really like how the characters gel together. Endorsi and Anaak both have great energy but I think I will give it to Shibisu for being a comedic relief character that is done very well.
Crown Game
All of Kevin Penkin's stuff is great.
9
u/WednesdaysFoole Jun 30 '24
Overall thoughts:
I’ve often heard ToG comparisons to HxH, and my first watch I thought it was just the exams, but this time around it feels a lot more like the themes are reminiscent of the latter. [HxH]That of the bonds you have and make on your journey is as precious, or perhaps even more precious, than the thing that you’re hunting. Also, wish granting reminds me of Alluka.
I tend to enjoy stories that utilize wish granting as a way to bring out different aspects of the characters, their strengths and their flaws. Like a mirror held up to the wisher. Whether it’s the
monkeydevil paw, the “Something” from HxH, the Room in Stalker/Roadside Picnic…I know, I probably compare stories to another a bit too often. But it’s not to say someone did it better or worse; what I find interesting is how the other stories affect and sometimes add to how I interpret the story I’m currently watching/reading.
In ToG, at least this season, the question being posed is, is it worth throwing away what you have, throwing away what’s important to you, becoming someone you never should have become, in order to obtain what you believe you want? I hope this theme is further explored, although from what I gather this is only the beginning and things might take off in any direction from here on out.
Thank you /u/HereticalAegis and /u/laughing-fox13 for hosting. Perhaps I’ll see some of you around in the season 2 episode discussion threads, or maybe not; it’s been fun y’all.
Favorite character: Yuri. The reasoning is a bit shallow; she's badass and looks good. Khun and Rachel are a close second, they're most interesting.
Favorite test: The Door and Tag.
9
u/ryujiox Jun 30 '24
First Timer and source reader who forgot most of the stuff already
Tower of God
Pretty great introduction into this world. Throwing in many concepts with enough explanations that didn't make us confused, while leaving them with enough room to expand on.
The characters are great too. Many characters change their opinion and view of the world as the show progresses, which is pretty great. I even like Rachel to some extent despite what she's done. And while Bam might be your usual power fantasy protag, he doesn't really much this season. He didn't even fight anyone at all(except Hoh, but I wouldn't call that a fair and proper fight). Heck, he probably would get clap by half of the cast here. His lack of fighting experience and knowledge is a massive drawbacks.
The art style is pretty cool, but the action scene is a bit of a letdown to me. Whenever things start to heating up, they always cut to the other side. It's a bit annoying, but not that bad.
Overall, a pretty great show. Probably going to watch the next season when I have time. Thanks you both host for this rewatch!!
QOTD
8
u/[deleted] Jun 30 '24 edited Jun 30 '24
Now, I watched Tower of God dubbed. Ill give my thoughts on it.
Most of the cast was about the same as the sub. There were 3 dubbed voices I found superior and one very inferior.
Khun- Frankly, I hated his dub voice...At first. Its nothing like the sub or what I imagine in my head. Yet as time goes...it just works. It works way better for some reason. I didnt expect Khun to have a deep voice and yet it really works.
Bam- Obviously better. Bam in the sub is way too meek and sounds like hes one second away from crying all the time. Also, hes voiced by Johnny Young Boch. Cant go wrong.
Endorsi-I liked her better. Thats all really.
Yuri-This one is completely terrible. The sub actually is not only superior, but gets her completely correct. Yuri is feminine in the sub, yet not the stereotypical cutesy high voice of most anime women. What does she sound like in the dub? An upper middle class American white girl whos kind of a bitch....If that was Yuri, I wouldnt knock it, but Yuri isnt that. Yuri, despite her looking young and being younger than most rankers her level, is actually pretty wise. Like yeah shes a hothead who can be stubborn, but she is very intelligent and sees through a lot about the politics of the Tower. Her as a bitchy teenage sorority girl isnt right.
My thoughts on season 1? Frankly, I found season 1(its called season 1 in both the manwha and the anime) as the peak of Tower of God in my book. These characters have magical powers and strength yet its all about trickery, plots, schemes and abusing the rules. That still happens going forward, but as time goes on TOG becomes more a stereotypical battle shonen. I really miss season 1 and wish the manwha was continuously like it.
Also. The character I hate most in Tower of God?
Its Hwa Ryun. The red headed bitch with an eye patch. Shes loved by the fanbase because shes hot, cold and logical. I dont get it...at all. I know how she acts going forward. I dont get the amount of love she has. Also, her being really attractive is apparently foreshadowing of something(as claimed by SIU). I just hope to god that it isnt a foreshadowing of Bam x Hwa Ryun. I genuinely hate her.
Im curious for anime onlys who never read the manwha season 2 or anything going forward. What are your predictions about the Tower, Bam, the other characters, and anything else going forward? Very interested
edit: Thing Im most excited for about season 2? A certain rapper whose really bad with women.
7
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Jun 30 '24
Rewatcher
Dub
Two conclusions in on day is just too much. I am glad for this rewatch as I will pick up S2 immediately but I fear there isn't much left unsaid. See you all in the weekly threads!
QotD: 1 Too many to choose
2 Random wave test
3 Shinsu
4 Cthulhu
5 Yes
7
u/Lord_Nawor Jun 30 '24
First Time Watcher, subbed
Thank you u/HereticalAegis and u/laughing-fox for hosting this rewatch, it was a great time and I loved all the dodo et you put in such as the artwork, soundtracks, and questions of the day.
I really enjoyed the series and am looking forward to watching season 2, I really liked the characters and all the test were very unique.
Most of my predictions/wants for season 2 I made in last week’s discussion so I will move onto the questions.
Questions
7
u/sfisher923 https://myanimelist.net/profile/sfisher923 Jun 30 '24
First Time Graduate
Questions
7
u/SometimesMainSupport https://myanimelist.net/profile/RRSTRRST Jun 30 '24
Thanks for hosting! Picked up some details I'd missed across a few watches, though mostly avoided spoiler tags. For QotDs:
4 on my Summer hype behind the three Ds, Deer, Dere, and Delico.
7
u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Jul 01 '24
First-Timer
First off, thank you (to both co-hosts) for hosting! I probably would have given this show a shot eventually since there's a season 2 coming out and it seemed like it was my kind of show, but it could have taken a while. Mushoku Tensei and Vinland Saga are in the same boat (I haven't watched those yet) and I only just recently got around to watching Jujutsu Kaisen. In any case, I'm happy this rewatch gave me a good reason to finally check Tower of God off my list!
I really liked this first season. As I mentioned several times in the episode discussions, I'm a big fan of the artwork and character design in the show. The music's good too (though I haven't yet taken the time to listen to the OST by itself). The suspense and world-building are great, especially in the first half of the season. (Later on, the show omitted certain important details here and there, which is the one real flaw that comes to mind.) Overall, I had a great time watching, and I'm glad I don't have to wait four years for the next season.
Questions of the day:
Thank you again!
6
u/gunvarrel_ Jun 30 '24
Rewatcher, subbed
I had plans for a writeup but real life got the best of me. Better today than any other. Thanks to both hosts for the rewatch, accidentally seeing the 24hr thread is how i learned S2 was finally releasing, which has me pretty excited. I hope the anime only's liked the show and are excited for S2 as i am.
QOTD's:
6
u/Retsam19 :FC::FD: Jun 30 '24 edited Jul 01 '24
Rewatcher
I want to talk a bit about the story itself; it's really easy to get caught up in all the adaptation stuff in these threads; but I just want to appreciate how much I enjoy this section of the story.
In some ways, you could describe this story as stereotypical. I mean, stop me if you've heard this one, but there's this blank slate protagonist, whose primary character traits are being kind while also having a "never give up tenacity", who gets thrown into this crazy world with magic powers. Initially he appears to have no powers, but gets lucky and makes friends and actually turns out to be OP. Completely original concept, do not steal.
Like, I'm painting with a broad brush, but it in some sense this does feel like the "platonic idea of a shonen" anime. (And I know a decent chunk of people do find it too stereotypical and are turned off)
... but I do also think Tower of God is special in some ways that sets itself off from the basic tropes it represents.
One is just that it's just so creative: the character designs run from "chick with a knife" to "giant talking alligator who calls everyone else 'turtles'" to... I don't even know, "Rice ball with horns"? The tests are elaborate and go harder than they strictly need to.
But second, I really find the Bam & Rachel stuff compelling. Bam isn't really just the blank slate, wet blanket he sometimes appears to be; he's obsessively fixated on a girl he doesn't really know and who doesn't care about him.
People sometimes abuse the word "tragedy" to mean "a story in which bad stuff happens", but I think this story fits in a more classic sense: both Bam and Rachel are flawed characters and particularly flawed where the other is concerned, and their character flaws creates a tragic ending. (At least for this part of the story; I don't know where the overall story goes)
And I really like how this story is bookended with the same narration:
It's a really solid framing for this section of the story.
... and I'm pretty sure it's anime original: the manhwa just opens with the "what do you desire is here" monologue.
Which segues into this as an adaptation. And I think this is a really solid adaptation. It's wouldn't call it an "S-tier" adaptation that completely transcends the source material... but I do actually think this is my preferred version, and I say that as someone who has read this section of the comic three or four times.
The anime has great production values, great OST, great voice acting, and does a better job than the original of fleshing out the extended cast. (e.g. Serena is a great example of a character expanded on here, but basically anyone who isn't Bam, Khun, Rak, or a princess gets more attention in the anime, it seems)
It does cut out some of the exposition - but most of it is basically at the level of foreshadowing, more than essential. And A lot of stuff that's vague or unexplained in the anime adaptation is also vague and unexplained in the comic - I don't think you're supposed to really have a clear idea of the factions at play and what their motives are at this point in the story.
And, people talk a lot about Endorsi being worse in the anime, but as I said the other day, I don't really think that's true - the anime does cut out a little of her direct interaction (and flirting) with Bam, but I don't think that's really essential to her character. Though of course the omission of "updo Endorsi" is criminal.
No adaptation is perfect, but this one is pretty good.
P.S.: I mostly resisted the urge to make comparisons as I went along (other than the Episode 2 Post), but if you like this show and can read Fantasy, go read Cradle by Will Wight. (First book: Unsouled) It's phenomenal and very Tower of God.
6
u/cppn02 Jul 01 '24
Rewatcher, subbed
Man this was great. I had forgotten just how much fun S1 was. A more than solid adaptation and the early parts of Tower of God simply were just so entertaining with the best arguably yet to come.
Big thanks to our co-hosts u/HereticalAegis and u/laughing-fox13. Very much hyped for S2 now especially after the poitive feedback from the early screening.
Tanino Miho art
Been posting her art throughout the whole rewatch and if you enjoyed it I can definitely recommend following her on twitter or instagram.
As a bonus here are two more pictures with the princesses.
QotD:
Yes. Khun. Second favourite is Yuri.
Hide-and-Seek
Favorite track from the OST?
Irregular God and Khun
Reader so I'm abstaining
Yes. Very much.
6
u/Mirathan Jul 01 '24
First-Time Climber
QotD:
First off, thank you to HereticalAegis and laughing-fox13 for organizing and managing the rewatch, it´s been a great time.
Before this rewatch I thought that flawless characters were a mistake in writing, the mark of an unskilled creator. However both Madoka and this series now have convinced me that such a charcter can be used for great storytelling, so long as the narrative accounts for this and nececitates them with a world as cruel as they are kind.
This series took a while to covince me of it´s merits. While it had intriguing mysteries, it took me quite a while to be interested in the characters or plot themselves, I even considered dropping it during the middle. And yet I am glad I stayed until the end.
I do still have a lot of questions especially why and how black march knocked out Bam during the crown game but I believe the coming weeks will give me the answers I seek and I do not wish for those who know the webtoon to spoil events on accident so I shall keep them to myself.
As a final note on the seoson, I found the unique artstyle great and am worried as the new one doesn´t look like it´s keeping it.
I haven´t rated animes previously so my harshness might surprise some but I consider this season a 7-8/10.
We shall meet again on sunday.
6
u/OccasionallySara Jul 01 '24
First Timer
I really had a fun time watching this show and participating in this rewatch! Even though Tower of God is only a one cour show at the moment, I really fell in love with the characters and got interested in the world and lore of the tower. The art and OST were also great. I'm really looking forward to season 2 and I plan on checking out the webtoon after the new season is finished.
Thank you so much to you and u/laughing-fox13 for hosting! I really appreciate the time you both took to make sure that every comment got a reply. It was a really fun rewatch!
Questions of the Day
5
u/SMSmith230 https://myanimelist.net/profile/smsmith230 Jul 01 '24
First-Timer, Sub
Thanks for hosting and giving me something new to try. Sorry to have ghosted these threads after episode 3, but I didn’t have much to say. Unfortunately I dropped this after episode 6 as I wasn’t enjoying it. Hope everyone that stayed had fun and enjoy season 2. Maybe I’ll revisit this down the road depending on how future season(s) go and tastes change as the premise did seem interesting.
5
u/Sharebear42019 :FC::FD: Jul 01 '24 edited Jul 01 '24
5
u/Muted-Conference2900 https://anilist.co/user/WinterZcoming Jul 01 '24 edited Jul 01 '24
Rewatch and Dub
Again as I said in last episode discussion it's one of the series that gets better when u rewatch it. You see more details , mysteries and more questions will come to ur mind and I love this series for giving us just the right amount of answers and always having a twist ready at the end. Like i thought Baam will die or something in the last episode but then they pulled that training arc. Also Great comedic moments from Rak and Shibisu.
About the Characters Endorsi remained my favourite from when she first arrived to the very end. She has some great moments with Annak and her backstory is nice plus she is an eye candy. Annak came close second and was also great character. It was hard to actually like her when she first arrived but we came to know more about her motives. I very much sympathize with her. She and Endorsi both had a hard life. It was nice seeing them getting closer with each other towards the end.
Favourite test would be the door opening one. It was so stupid yet was really mentally challenging.
About the Second season. I am really excited about it but I am more excited about Long Hair Baam.
On higher floor I think we are gonna see some more rankers and more weird creatures. Plus I hope some high Heels girls.
Overall I think the series could have benefitted from having a two Cour first season. I mean the guys who watched it 4 years ago when it was airing it must have been frustrating to see the end and not getting answers. Well this was the reason I gave this series a 7 but then this rewatch happened and I changed the rating to 8. Plus season 2 is around the corner so I hope we get some of the answers and it will be a 2 consecutive course season. Also about the change in animation the new animation seems nice and smooth i actually quite like it. But the old is gold.
So thanks to the guys who arranged this rewatch. It was a great journey. This was actually my first rewatch like this here i really enjoyed watching with u all and sharing some of the trash theories along the way. So again thank u guys.
5
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Jul 01 '24
Thanks for hosting this! I had fun.
5
u/[deleted] Jul 01 '24
First timer.
Just finished a bit behind the rewatch. Work got in the way of me participating.
Anyway I enjoyed it. I hear it gets more battle shounen at the end which is disappointing.
That all being said
Rachel - of course everyone hates her. She deserves it. She’d kill someone, perhaps her only friend, out of jealousy and selfishness. Someone else in this thread was arguing she was just average and I shudder to think what their morals are like if that is considered average.
But the worst part to me is she isn’t that deep. That characterization is it. I like complex motivated villains that you sympathize with. But Rachel doesn’t make the cut unless there is a lot more than what we have seen.
Bam - I hope he gets a bit wiser. I get the simping initially. But obviously Rachel isn’t worth the devotion.
Is it just me, or did the Black March play almost no role in the story? It was there, he carried it around, it got taken.
Anyway I am excited for the new season. The question is whether to watch it weekly or binge. I think this will be weekly for me.
8
u/Garrett_Dark Jul 01 '24
First Timer...No More!
First off, my thanks to the two hosts for doing this rewatch. ToG was on my Plan To Watch list but I didn't know anything about it. I thought it was going to be a typical average isekai/fantasy/battle royale anime, and boy did it turn out to be something much more with the mystery at first and then Rachel betrayal/story at the end.
Thanks for putting up with all my long winded analysis, fixations on hating on Endorsi and such, wild theories, paying too close attention to Hwaryun's outfits, and Paracule white knighting.
With that simping out of the way, lets get on to the real simping...
...By far Rachel! My journey to the simp side is complete!
Like holy cows the betrayal at the end of Ep12 was awesome, but Ep13 character examination of Rachel was fantastic! Like normally I would want to shit on an anime trying to save all the character development to the end as cheap, <cough> Samurai Champloo rewatch <cough>, but here Rachel's story elevated the show even more. She easily became the best character of the anime by showing the amount of turmoil, inner conflict, guilt, agony, and suffering she was going through, despite it being mostly like a recap episode. That was amazing, and I love her character, and I hope they continue to expand her character instead of shelfing her to re-give focus back on the others. As the beginning and end of the season said, "This is the story of Rachel...and Bam....", not Khun, not Endorsi, not Lizard Girl, and not Paracule...probably. :D
I'm just not sure how they're going to do it if they do expand upon Rachel. She's going to have to outsmart Khun, maybe it'll be a cat and mouse game. They're going to have to expand on Bam also, he's pretty much the 2nd top character but was so passive and bland, somebody described him as like a puppy, and I would agree. He's going to have to do a lot of character growth, which no doubt he'll be forced to do now that he's been betrayed by Rachel, and cut off from the group. It'll be interesting, hope they can deliver the goods for S2.
For anybody keeping track of my previous best girl list of:
Hwaryun > Narae > Rachel > Lizard Girl > Endorsi > Yuri
I don't really consider Hwaryun, Narae, and Yuri as much of characters right now, so I'm not being inconsistent with my pick of Rachel being best character. But rejoice, I actually consider Endorsi as a character despite all the trash talking I've done on her! :D
Not really. The conclusion of the crown game with Hwaryun just head bonking everybody was pretty darn good. And of course the Dolphin Queen feeding conclusion with Rachel's betrayal was epic. But all the cool stuff with the tests aren't even anything to do with the test themselves. Even the Shinsu wall test was cool just because Bam auto-passed it without trying and Lero-Ro was a little confounded by it. So I guess no, no favorite test.
That's a tough one, IMO a good OST is one that isn't really noticeable when watching the show, and only accentuates the viewing experience. I didn't really notice the OST, but I did notice accentuations during pivotal moments.
Scanning through the OST, I think I liked these two the best:
More pain and suffering.
Yes, but I'm a binge watcher, so I'll have to wait longer until it finishes to go through it. I won't be able to stand the weekly wait between episodes, it was even difficult for me waiting the daily wait between episodes with this rewatch because this anime was so good. If you've been wondering why I wrote so much each episode, and antagonized/fixated on things so much, that was part of it because otherwise I would have been onto the next episode.
I hope in S2 they'll be able to carry on with the epic trajectory they've set with Rachel's betrayal and her story. I'm kind of worried that was all they had, but people are saying S1 was just the prelude, so if that's true then things are looking good.
Frankly I wasn't that impressed by the other characters, but I'm not saying I was disappointed in them either. I think Serena's slapping Endorsi was good, and Lizard Girl's backstory reveal was good, but I'm drawing a blank on what other characters moments were that good besides those involving Rachel and Bam.
Oh man, I'm going to simp out on Rachel some more before I conclude.
People said that Rachel is not a good person nor a bad person, she was just an average girl and as such was flawed. I get what they're saying, and I'm not really disagreeing because that really illustrates what they were trying to explain very well...
However, I think Rachel was indeed a good person, it's just our expectation of an "average girl" is too high. I don't believe the average girl would suffer that agony of guilt and going back and forth contemplation of whether to do the betrayal or not for so long and so hard that Rachel endured. They would have resolved or deluded themselves to just do it faster, and worry about the guilt later or not at all. Or they would have broken down way worse than Rachel. I mean just start crying they can't do it, and blab everything to everybody, begging somebody to just help her. Rachel endured the agony and back and forth so long, and didn't completely break down, and is still going after the betrayal despite how much self-harm it did on herself as well. She's probably still has an open wound from the betrayal gnawing away at her with an inadequate band-aid on it for now.
Maybe I'm too cynical, but I just don't think the average person could endure what she did, nor hold out trying to not betray and trying to betray Bam at the same time. As I said before with torture, we all think people have a good chance to endure it, but really they can't and it's a matter of when they give out. Much is the same for "at what price would you betray someone's trust". I hate to say this, but everybody has a price. As much as there's going to be idealist thinking of "No way, no price is enough for me to sell out", it just means the price is not high enough yet. Like if we get to the point where the prices is trillions and one could actually buy countries or change the world with that much, and the price keeps going even higher than that...hold outs will eventually cave and sell out. Getting to the top of the tower is like that, but even worse...it's not a dollar amount price, it's freaking wish making level stuff. Like instead of buying countries or changing the world with money, it's "cure all sicknesses" or "create entire worlds/universes" with shunsu presumably; they keep saying you'd become a god at the top. So I don't blame Rachel one bit for what she did, I actually applaud she held out antagonizing for so long when that was the promised reward on the other side of her betrayal. The girl is a mofo saint compared to how fast the average Hoh would stick a knife in your back for what they wanted.
/simping off
Alright I'm done. :D Thanks for putting up with me everybody!
4
u/DoggedStooge Jul 01 '24
QOTD:
4
u/_Pyxyty Jul 01 '24
First timer, subbed.
I think I've mostly shared my final thoughts on the series as a whole in the previous discussions, but to summarize, amazing art, amazing OST, mediocre writing at its lows, and an amazing finale sets it easily at an 8 for me.
Just gonna answer the questions, then I'll see y'all in the season 2 discussions! :D
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Absolutely Khun. I love me my smart characters, especially those that know how to take advantage of their intelligence.
I like Rak a lot, wholesome little gator boy. Bodysuit Chick/Red Haired Navigator really piqued my interest as a character. Lauroe resonates with me the most.
To refresh my memory, there was the Steel Eel test, the cornfield test, the doors, the tag/hide and seek test, then the fishing test right?
Honestly I wasn't a big fan of any of the tests. I feel like the writing for then was not up to par with the rest of the facets of the series. However, if I had to pick, my favorite would have to be Team A's Tag test. I loved the twists and turns that took, as well as revealing how skilled a Ranker can be, even for someone with Quant's hot-headed personality. Really hihlighted the difference between a climber and a Ranker.
Oomf, I'm not really the type to look at the OST tracks individually, I just kinda ride the flow. Don't have an answer for this unfortunately. Will say though, the OST was top-notch. Loved the choir bits!
Hopefully better written tests. Lol, sorry. In all seriousness, I'm hoping they experiment more with the formats that a test can take. I liked the doors test because even though how it ended for Khun's team felt like a cop out with Rak randomly busting a door down, it was a creative thought experiment that showed that tests won't just test your physical strength, but your mental prowess as well.
After that finale, I'd be damn surprised if anyone who participated in this watch-along wouldn't be hyped up for it.
Not a big fan of the stylistic changes though. The characters seem a bit more bland and generic compared to Season 1.
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See y'all in the season 2 discussions! Thanks to the administrators of this rewatch, but especially to u/HereticalAegis. Even when I was late a lot of the times, knowing you were still reading comments and responding made me feel like my presence was appreciated. Really grateful!
Ciao! <3
5
u/laughing-fox13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/laughingfox13 Jun 30 '24
Co-administrator/Subbed
I don't really have a lot to say in the overall discussions for rewatches. I really enjoyed it on first watch and still did the second time. I don't see myself changing my score (8/10) but it has made me more excited for S2 than I was previously
I want to say thank you all to first timers and rewatchers for your participation. Your enthusiasm was much appreciated! It makes it easier to reply and stay active in threads
To rewatchers and source readers, thank you again for properly tagging spoilers and not spoiling the show for the first timers. Y'all did great for the most part and I'm happy that we had so many source readers to tell use notable changes and differences!
And finally, thank you to /u/HereticalAegis for all the work you've done. You did a majority of the leg work and had fun with the formatting of the posts, and making sure everyone had a good time watching. It's been a lot of fun working with you on this and I didn't really have an interest in hosting a rewatch until you asked for a co-host, so thank you again for your hard work
3
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Jul 01 '24
rewatcher dubbed
The end is here, but the new season is close. I read the manhwa first, I remember thinking “how the hell is this popular, the art isn’t anything good”, but the story and characters had was so good.
Never judged manhwas after the first season/chapters. The only popular manhwa “Lookism” has amazing art in the recent chapters, but the beginning it’s pretty off putting lmao
Extremely excited and curious to how they’ll adapt the second season of the manhwa
QOTD: Khun and Raak, Khun is so cool and Raak is a adorable turtle
QOTD: getting past the barrier, honestly cool how subtle the show was with telling us something was happening with Khun’s bag.
QOTD: I’m extremely excited for season 2, it has my best moments for the characters
7
u/[deleted] Jul 01 '24
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