Architect of the Apocalypse | An Analysis of the Works of Tsutomu Nihei

Comments · 676

• SA

  @Saviour98 · 8 months ago (edited) · pinned

  I'm still getting SO MANY comments on my pronounciation that I thought I'd clear it up. I call it Blam because the name is supposed to be the sound of Killy's gun going off, not the english word blame. The translation was a mistake. This has been confirmed by Nihei himself.

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• OL

  @olivia_jpeg · 9 months ago

  Hi. I’m a speculative architect from London and found this video amazing.  I have exhibited my theses in several galleries and always wished to come across people that aren’t in the field who saw value in what we do, or even other architects who ‘get’ it.  I really hope this video can make the field more accessible to others! Sometimes I worry my peers can come across as intellectual gatekeeping and it hurts rather than harms our cause. But this video made what we do seem important and accessible! Thank you !

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• KA

  @kaakaroott · 9 months ago

  His style has grown so much, you can see how beautiful tower dungeon is.

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• AS

  @ashura4627 · 8 months ago

  One thing I really liked of BLAME! was how Nihiei used man-made structures like natural environments. A forest doesn't make sense to us, it's a foreign entity that grows in whatever direction it pleases, purposeless to our understanding. Just like the city itself. The city is a forest of concrete and metal, and I love that.

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• JO

  @joemono4727 · 9 months ago

  Saw the name, clicked on the video. Blame! Was one of the first mangas i found when I started to look for mangas on my own. This, fire punch and a few others changed the direction of how I thought. So under rated man.

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• UR

  @UrDose0fCats · 9 months ago (edited)

  Saw the thumbnail, immediately clicked on it. Tsutomu Niheis works was what primarily fueled my obsession of mechas, mechanical design and architecture.

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• WI

  @wilderwhim · 9 months ago

  God, it&apos;s so refreshing to see a creator talking about Nihei&apos;s art actually do the research to include some theory and not just say the critical equivalent to &quot;such building, much wow.&quot; Excellent video. Instant subscription. After writing this, I&apos;m off to watch the Godhusk video that I&apos;ve been recommended a lot recently, but never actually clicked on. I&apos;m very much looking forward to what this channel does next.<br><br>Tower Dungeon does stick out in Nihei&apos;s body of work as it seems completely devoid of the dark scifi trappings that are the essence of his early work. I started reading it (and rereading all his work) because of how popular and influential it has become with the trailblazers of contemporary hardcore tabletop roleplaying game design. Many of the indie ttrpg dev sickos have cited it in their works (game books and blogs) as a perfect vehicle for getting one&apos;s brain into the vibe of exploring a deadly Megadungeon. Nihei&apos;s mindbending architecture has become emblematic of the very locations that dungeon crawling ttrpgs have dreamed of since their nascency in the 70&apos;s. Playing these kinds of tabletop games forces your imagination to unbind itself to the laws of science and tradition. Nearly all of the best ttrpg settings contain speculative architecture in some way! It seems that the children really do yearn for the space mines after all. <br><br>For those who are interested in delving into this world to explore architecture in art, I recommend:<br>His Majesty the Worm by Rise Up Comus (pretty sure the new printing mentions Tower Dungeon as required reading in the text)<br>Songbirds by Snow (recommends Tower Dungeon often through &nbsp;blogs)<br>Veins of the Earth by Patrick Stewart<br>Roguelike Megadungeon by David H.K. Jackson<br>And whatever the hell Luka Rejec is currently doing with UVG2E/OGA

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• ER

  @erwinlimawan3158 · 9 months ago

  33. That was how many pages the first volume went before they had any dialogue, iirc. Definitely one of the most eye-catching, unconventional mangas I had ever read, and made me an instant fan.

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• TH

  @TheMaskedMan · 9 months ago

  great job on talking about what makes his style work. Hope this video gets more traction

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• US

  @user-ch8wp4zs7s · 8 months ago

  No AI = instantly interested in viewing and appreciating all of your work

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• GA

  @Galvvy · 9 months ago

  I think one of the reasons I really love Tower Dungeon, almost as much as Blame! or Abara is that I get the impression from the art and design that Nihei has found a sweet spot for the amount of detail, the amount implied without actually showing, and a masterful use of black over white and vice versa. He&apos;s also made some relatively lovable characters, at least moreso than what I felt in Sidonia. It took me a bit before it really clicked with me, but his characters seem even more expressive and their designs speak more from the heart with less detail if that makes sense. Maybe I&apos;m seeing what I personally want to see, but I&apos;ve found more symbolic weight in stylistic choices and simplicity in Tower Dungeon than I have in previous works with more raw detail.

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• TA

  @tausifturja · 3 weeks ago

  This is probably one of my favorite videos on YouTube. It’s presented very well, not just the script but the use of audio too.

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