The Tower of Druaga
Anime DVD Review
Some anime needs to come with "Cliff Notes". You know you're in trouble when you have to STUDY to understand what's going on. This is how I felt when initially faced with The Tower of Druaga, an anime series that is a sequel to long-running video-game franchise. And by long-running, we're talking originally an arcade game from 1984 -- that's longer than most of you reading this have been alive!
And this sequel takes place sixty years after the events of the game -- King Gilgamesh has defeated the monsters of the Tower, but now it seems as if the tower is being reborn again.
 The "Summer of Anu" is a season that comes every few years during which time the supernatural powers of the monsters within the Tower wane, thanks to the grace of the great god Anu. Each Summer of Anu, the armies of the Uruk Kingdom secure their strongholds within the Tower, aiming to eventually conquer the upper floors.
As the DVD series opens, the story begins with the third Summer of Anu (so, add another 9 years at least to how much history you need to soak up before we get into the actual plot!!!).
 The city of Meskia is the first stronghold built on the first level of the Tower. In addition to the Uruk Army preparing for their third campaign against Druaga, innumerable adventurers called "climbers" have been drawn to Meskia by rumors of a legendary treasure believed to be hidden on the top floor of the Tower. Jil, a young guardian, has traveled to the tower and the city of Meskia, the last safe stop on the first floor of the tower.
Jil wants to gain the Blue Crystal Rod, the legendary treasure that resides on the top floor of the tower. However, on the top floor is the evil lord Druaga, and numerous monsters along the way.
If you're an RPG fanatic or an avid Dungeons and Dragons player, this anime series has your name written all over it.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, February 2010
Below: Scenes from The Tower of Druaga.
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