| The Tower of DRUAGA -the Aegis of URUK-, Episode 3: Before Departure |
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| Wednesday, 23 April 2008 | |
 Another week, another episode of Druaga, and the series continues to get better as we go along. This time out, the assassination of King Gilgamesh leads to a startling revelation from Jil, while the band he's inadvertently putting together to climb the Tower gains another two members. About time they got on their way, then..?Jil barely escapes from the scene of the King’s assassination thanks to Neeba's quick thinking, but he's distraught at the thought that he wasn't able to save the King's life. The next day, though, the review of troops by the King goes on as scheduled, and Jil's dumbstruck when King Gilgamesh is there, and very much alive. Just what is going on? Later, a giant slime appears in the city. A young girl is trapped within it - Ahmey's able to free her, and after expressing her thanks and learning that Jil and the others are planning to climb the Tower, the girl (named Coopa) insists on joining the party along with her master, a Mage named Melt. But while Coopa's certainly not lacking in enthusiasm, Melt's motivations appear to be all wrong...   The Tower itself takes on a bit more of a role this episode, with the climbing season approaching. That apparently coincides with a steady rain of monsters falling into the city from the Tower's upper levels - you would think that would be a problem that would have persuaded the city builders not to bother, but apparently not, and it's one of those falling monsters that leads to the appearance of the gang's two newest members, Coopa and Melt. Coopa fills the show's moe girl quota (once you stop thinking "King Coopa", anyway - I think I played too much Super Mario Bros when I was younger), and as well as being cute she also has an attitude. I like her, even if Kaaya wins in the adorableness stakes. Melt is at the other end of the scale - hard drinking and hard fighting, when pushed, he packs the magical firepower that the group are so far lacking (Kaaya's magic is more defensive), and should be a useful addition. What we really want to see, though, is the ascent of the Tower and our heroes finally dealing with the vile lord Druaga, and as the episode ends the gang head out of the city to begin their climb. There's the potential for some competition there, as Neeba and his team are ahead of Jil's - a little bit of sibling rivalry can never hurt, especially when Jil has a point to prove. The more I see of Druaga. the more I like it - at the moment I'd be quite happy to shell out for the DVDs if they ever get an English-language release. Hopefully the series continues to be this entertaining as we head up the tower.  |
