**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Tower Dungeon volume 1 by Tsutomu Nihei was a different style of manga than I'm used to. It follows a young man basically drafted into a mission to save the princess from this dark lord or whatever. There are a ton of dead people, monsters, and a mixture of both fighting the knights just trying to survive and complete their mission. There were some political aspects that were unaddressed. You're thrown into this world with very little explanation and not a lot of character connection, and I struggled with that. It felt like a worse version of Delicious in Dungeon honestly. The art seemed blurry? Or hazy? I can't say there was anything besides the premise and maybe the young man's character growth that I particularly enjoyed unfortunately. Wasn't for me, and I will not be continuing.

I’ll admit, I decided to read this one because of another SFF Insider review. I was itching for a new manga series, and Noah Isaac’s review made Tower Dungeon seem perfect for my next read. And it was!

I always have trouble reviewing manga volumes, mostly because of how manga stories are structured. The volumes don’t always split as per arcs, so reviewing the plot and narrative comes with a ton of caveats. That is also true in the case of Tower Dungeon Volume 1.

So, with that in mind, let’s dive in!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Tower Dungeon by Tsutomu Nihei
What I liked:

Right from the opening panels, I fell in love with the atmosphere of this world. The setting is familiar enough to remind you of classic fantasy. Yet, it’s broken and dilapidated enough to evoke the grim and bleak setting of Berserk and Elden Ring. I want to say Dark Souls too, but I haven’t yet played those games. Be it the interiors of the Dragon Tower, or the village our protagonist hails from, there is an eerie sense of inadequacy that haunts every environ. This is a world that’s long past its golden age. The structures are crumbling, yet somehow still erect. The society is on the verge of dark times, the threat of which becomes all the more apparent in the first few pages as the Princess is kidnapped. Throughout the 160-something pages of Tower Dungeon, Nihei’s art never lets you forget the daunting reality of this world.

Coming to the protagonist, Yuva is an everyman peasant. He displays some level of extraordinary strength, but that’s the extent of his remarkability. He is chosen as his village’s conscript to join the military efforts in rescuing the Princess. On departure, Yuva’s grandfather gives him his old armor and helmet, which turn out to be repurposed kitchen utensils. That’s how underwhelming Yuva is. But, like most manga protagonists, he has that never-give-up spirit which leads him to take certain risks and prove his mettle when the need for it arises. While he’s not the most interesting character, he was the only character that I was rooting for, and wanted to see more of (backstory, personality, etc.)

The premise doesn’t break any molds, instead using familiar tropes as a framework to let the atmospheric dread and horrific monsters do the heavy lifting. Our characters go up level after level, surviving the environment and fighting monsters straight out of a twisted mind. The ‘bosses’ were unique and creepy, their character designs straight out of a nightmare.

Like I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I won’t be commenting too much about the plot. This is just volume 1, and the story doesn’t progress as much as it just introduces all the key players and rules of this world. Going by just the introduction, I can say without a doubt that I am going to enjoy exploring this dark setting. It’s the perfect blend of creepy and mysterious to keep me hooked.

Lastly, the artwork. Despite not having the finesse of a Murata or a Miura, Nihei’s illustrations do a more than fine job of crafting the atmospheric horror of Tower Dungeon. The fight scenes feel alive. The establishing frames of locations and settings feel expansive and intimidating. I already praised the monster designs. I wish the same details had extended to the human characters as well.

Despite having a few issues, Tower Dungeon’s first volume does a great job of laying the groundwork for the story to kick-off in Volume 2.


What I didn’t like:

My biggest issue with Tower Dungeon—one that I might reevaluate after reading a couple more volumes—is the characters. None of them really stood out to me. Their personalities shine in some moments, but for the large part, I had trouble even distinguishing two characters from one another. Their names too I barely remembered until the very end, when we see who the main trio is (Yuva, Lilicien and Eriquo).

In addition to that, the female characters felt very secondary, lacking agency, and sometimes objectified with gratuitous nudity. Having seen many great examples of diversity representation, I have come to not appreciate this in stories, especially when the story is new and on-going. This might change with future volumes, but for now this was quite a noticeable issue.

While the number of complaints I made are few, they are significant enough to bring down my overall enjoyment of the volume. Again, this being a manga series, I will have to refrain from jumping to conclusions before I’m done reading at least 2-3 more volumes. However, if these issues persist, I might call it quits.

In Conclusion:

A creepy setting that’s hauntingly captivating, Volume 1 of Tsutomu Nihei’s Tower Dungeon’s doesn’t break the mold, but sets things up quite intriguingly.

TL;DR:

What I liked: The protagonist, setting, atmosphere, monster designs

What I didn’t like: Lack of depth and individuality in the characters, poorly written female characters

2.5

I liked Blame! Growing up and saw this was by the same author so figured I would give it a go. The good here is that the fantasy otherworldly feeling is here in abundance, you can FEEL the story here, even if it’s awkward and gross at times. The bad is that the characters are super choppy feeling.. we meet our MC Yuva, but other than he’s strong and kind hearted we know nothing about him. I’m interested enough to pick up the next, but this isn’t an instant classic just yet imo.

Tower Dungeon Volume 1 follows our main character Yuva who joins a group of adventurers to explore a mysterious tower and rescue the princess from some quite gross looking monsters.
After reading the first volume, I felt a little bit lost, I haven't quite figured out the characters or the world, and felt like the pacing of this volume was a bit off. It seemed rushed. and like there wasn't much plot in this volume, as it only contained the first 2 chapters. However, I would be interested in continuing this series, and can see myself enjoying future volumes more.
The art is well done, and I think utilizes shadows and contrast very well in the black and white color pallete to highlight the darkness and tension in the tower.
I would recommend this for those who enjoyed Delicious in Dungeon, but wanted something a little grittier, and fans of Elden Ring.
Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for providing a digital review copy!

Thank you Kodansha Comics, Vertical Comics, and NetGalley for the electronic review copy of this book. This is a start of a new series about rescuing a princess from the dragon’s tower dungeon. It reminds me of Delicious in the Dungeon with a similar premise. So far the characters, and world building are very ambiguous and distant and I was having more and more questions as I read. Who are these characters? What country/place is this story taking place in? Why is the tower there? Overall it was a quick read , albeit somewhat confusing. Hoping that the next volume provides some clarification.

In this volume we follow the story of Yuva who is selected to join the team that must save the kidnapped Princess Ignelia from the dragon tower. This is your classic fantasy story with beautiful art panels and clear cut fight scenes, in this volume we experience certain levels of the tower and the creatures within in hopes of reaching the top to save the princess. We also meet are merry band of characters with emense potential and i can't wait to see how they develop and how their plot lines flesh out, i'm excited to see where the rest of this series goes Tsutomu Nihei has done a phenomenal job so far!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

I am familiar with this author's previous works and have heard nothing but great things about his writing. I decided this series would be the one I check out and so far it seems promising. It has all the makings of a good dungeon series and i'm intrigued to see where the rest of it goes. I recommend giving this a read if you like this author and stories with very dark themes.

This was light on both characterization and plot. It just felt like they were running through the tower levels easily, and even then, they skipped the majority of levels without having to do anything. I was expecting something more epic. It would've helped to at least be made to care about these characters if they're not even doing that much, but none of them were very deep, or at least nothing particularly intriguing was revealed about them, other than the Sorceress gets naked when she does magic?

Thanks to NetGalley, Kodansha and the author for supplying an eARC for review.

I really enjoyed this one. It has a strong Dark Souls meets Dungeons & Dragons vibe. The art style is gritty, which fits the tone of the story perfectly. It follows the classic fantasy “farmboy rises to glory” trope, but it works well here rather than feeling stale.

The progression through the dungeon levels moved faster than I expected, yet the overall pacing still feels like a slow burn with plenty of room for growth. There is a lot of potential here and I am definitely interested in picking up the second volume.

This graphic novel was a very interesting read! The artwork style lended to the eerie atmosphere of this mysterious floating dungeon that has appeared. The idea of the "dragon" holding the princess hostage in the tower is not new but the impelmentation of this trope definitely was. The "dragon" in the story appears to be more like a parasytic mushroom or other entity. I look forward to seeing how our chosen heroes navigate the tower to rescue the princess and defeat this tower that may have been created by a necromancer.

I was really drawn to the art style, which was solid throughout the volume. There are lots of great wide shots and visually interesting creatures. I wish there were more panels dedicated to the set-up and worldbuilding at the beginning. It has an interesting premise that I wish we could have looked at more before diving into the action. The pacing is strange—it moves pretty fast, which makes it seem like you're flying by a story and missing a lot of the build-up, when the reality is it's just going through the intro. I hope this issue is isolated to this volume. As of yet I'm not attached to any of the characters, but found it depressingly unsurprising that two of what I think will be core female characters have already been shown nude. I'm just interesting enough to read the second volume but I probably won't be rushing out to get it.

Sehr viel Action, interessante Charaktere, spannender Plot. Yuva ist ein starker junger Bauer, der sich bereit erklärt, zum »Dragon Tower« aufzubrechen. Die Prinzessin wurde nämlich von einem Nekromanten entführt und somit haben alle die Mission sie zu retten.

Das Artwork ist recht markant, passt aber wunderbar zum Setting. Die Charaktere sind teils sehr unterschiedlich, allerdings gibt es auch ein paar, die sich recht ähneln. Yuva sticht mit seinem Charakterdesign aber sowieso ziemlich raus. Bisher wirkt er noch etwas unbeholfen, allerdings denke ich, dass da noch einiges in ihm steckt. Der Plot verspricht noch viel Action und Spannung - es gab schon ein paar packende Einblicke, da geht aber definitiv noch mehr! Ja, Band 1 überzeugt vielleicht noch nicht komplett, aber ich bin guter Dinge, dass sich da noch ordentlich was tut! 🔥

Tower Dungeon vol. 1

by Nihei Tsutomo

Published in English by Vertical Comics

It’s no surprise to discover that Tower Dungeon’s creator Nihei Tsutomo has a background in architecture. The manga, which centers around a young farmboy conscripted into a nation’s desperate mission to rescue a princess from a horrible creature, basks in the beauty of the ornate and meticulously designed world.. The characters, at least in this first volume, are fairly nondescript, and the plot straight forward. The star of the book is the setting and architecture, which is intricately and meticulously illustrated. Nihei’s work is light on dialogue, allowing his visuals to tell the story and communicate mood and tone. Multiple pages will go by without a word of dialogue spoken–We are invited to dive into and explore this fully realized world. 

The art is riveting, with its breathtaking detail and scope even as the thin plot gets dragged beyond what it can really hold. The manga is fairly episodic, with the adventurers battling their way up more and more floors of the dungeon where the princess is being held. The way the story unfolds, with characters venturing deeper into the unknown, doubling back and regrouping, and facing new and frightening challenges, reads like a Metroid game or a Zelda dungeon–both of which are stated influences for the creator’s approach to manga storytelling. 

Like the heroes of those games, our hero Yuva is largely a cypher, a mild-mannered but well-meaning farmboy with no experience in combat but a natural physical strength. Yuva does not speak much which allows the reader to respond to the visuals and happenings on their own. The characters have interesting armor and costume design but outside of distinguishing features of their clothing are fairly interchangeable. 

Nihei throws us into the existing cast and their mission with no real background aside from a glimpse of the princess’s abduction at the start of the volume. Everything else is from Yuva’s perspective, which leaves the book feeling curiously disorienting. That’s accentuated by the gothic armor of the soldiers and guards, with its stark white expressionless faces adorning helmets atop flowing black robes. The “good guys” speaking for the king are as eerie as the guards in the mysterious tower. As Yuva ventures into the wide world the page opens up around him, opening up to beautiful vistas and imposing towers. We are witness to wide long shots of the eponymous tower, stretching far into the clouds, the sprawling landscapes, and crumbling barracks.

Nihei uses the layout of the page to add to the setting–as Yuva travels across the countryside, the book opens up to a double page spread, as the band of warriors enter the tower we are treated to multiple full-page vertical views of the imposing and massive columns and endless staircases. The artwork is breathtaking and we can’t help but marvel at the ornate construction even as you feel the tension mount between the heavy blacks  of the cavernous interiors hiding macabre creatures deep inside.

The mounting tension of the imposing surroundings is paid off by the truly grotesque creature designs that are as offputting as the architecture is absorbing. You cannot take your eyes off of the horribly contorted figures with their pulsing veins and sores and ghastly features. Nihei forces us to gaze at them as they taunt our heroes, popping out in stark white against the inky shadows. The horror is as arresting as the beauty.

That sense of place overcomes any deficiencies in the story or in the characterization. Tower Dungeon beckons you deep into its pages to experience its frights and feel its implied history. To read this manga is to bask in the virtuosic work of an artist more concerned with making you feel something with each line and screentone patch than with creating a complex or intricate story. It succeeds in that effort, leaving readers restless to return to the endless tower dungeon.

This manga was incredibly engaging, with well-developed characters and absolutely incredible art. Perfect for fantasy fans.

I initially wanted to pick this up because I love Blame!. However, this had much more character development early on (not a negative), but it wasn't as inventive. I found the premise boring by the end and wished I was rereading Blame! instead. I would still probably recommend it.

Captivating art style, great world-building, incredibly atmospheric backgrounds and characters' design – looking forward to reading next volumes!

For fans of medieval type fantasy. I found the characters interesting and am looking forward to hearing more about their pasts with further volumes. The story has a new character joining the Kingdoms army, while he has abilities that set him apart, and his party also has unique traits. Thank you to netgalley for the arc!

I liked the art and the story.
The ending was a good cliffhanger, and if I were in the right space at the moment, I would already have Tower Dungeon 2 in my hands. I hope to continue the story eventually.

Blame! is one of my all time favorite manga and I loved Nihei's other work but this fell flat to me. I'm hoping it picks up in the second volume but the art isn't as crisp as his usual style and I'm a little confused about the plot.

Tower Dungeon Volume 1 by Tsutomu Nihei begins in the middle of a battle that immediately immerses the reader into the story's world. The main character Yuva is friendly and charismatic. Additionally, the rest of the cast is supportive of Yuva and have shown a strong sense of dedication to their mission of rescuing the Princess. However, there are scenes of unnecessary fan service, particularly focus on the female characters, that make these characters feel less powerful which is quite distracting when the narrative implies that they are powerful.


I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.