Anime Review: Tokyo Ghoul

Type of Review: First Impressions

Review Subject: Anime, Horror

Spoiler Content: Moderate

Personal Enjoyment: High

There is so much to this anime I don't even know where to begin. First off, it definitely wasn't what I had expected going into it. I knew very little about the anime, and had seen some mention of it here and there and decided to check it out because I'm pretty fond of anime horror. My first thought was that it must be some kind of zombie type of show, but that wasn't exactly right. In this world, ghouls do eat flesh but aren't undead creatures. They are more a different type of being altogether. Living, breathing humanoid beings that aren't much different from normal humans except they need to eat human flesh to survive. The other major difference is that they have special powers that they call their kagune, a red "predatory organ" that is unique to ghouls and functions as their weapons. Ghouls are also a lot more sturdy than their human counterparts, and are nearly impossible to kill by any normal means. This caused the humans to open up a special branch of investigators that have trained to kill ghouls using scientifically created weapons called a Quinque that was made from the kagune of ghouls they have killed.

Ken Kaneki is the main protagonist of the story. He is a young college student and bookworm who was nearly killed by a ghoul named Rize in the first episode. He was saved when Rize was crushed to death and he was rushed to a hospital where an unnamed surgeon implants Rize's organs into his body in order to save him. He survives the ordeal, but as he is recovering in the hospital, his body begins its transformation into a human-ghoul hybrid. He then has to figure out a way to go through life craving human flesh, and learning to control his new-found powers. It is readily apparent to other ghouls that he is no normal ghoul due to his single red eye (ghouls have eyes that turn black and red) and a plain human eye. He still manages to find a place with a group of ghouls who are sympathetic to humans and wish to integrate into human society without harming innocent people. It is through him that he learns that not all ghouls are evil and depraved beings to be feared, and is told that only he has the power to change the way that humans and ghouls perceive each other.

[Increase in Spoiler Content from here...]

At first I thought that Kaneki was kind of a boring protagonist because, while he was very kindhearted and empathetic, he also seemed to be very weak-willed and allowed people to kick him around without even trying to fight back for what seems like forever. I applauded his good qualities, but I was beginning to grow tired of watching him get kicked around so much and so often. It never seemed to end. By the end of the first season I began to realize that this was only a setup for what he was going to become and why he needed to become this new Kaneki. In the last few episodes Kaneki was kidnapped by a ghoul-run organization and was held prisoner and viciously tortured to the brink of insanity by a ghoul who went by the nickname Jason (due to his mask that resembled that of Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th). It was during this incessant torture that Kaneki finally faced what was growing inside of him and ultimately embraced the part of him that was a ghoul. This revelation caused a huge change in him: his hair turned snow white and his power increased dramatically. He freed himself from his chains and turned the tables on his tormentor, eventually killing and devouring him.

Strangely enough, when this dramatic transformation occurred in Kaneki, my first reaction was: "Wow, now he's beautiful..." Kaneki fought against what made him kind to a fault and made the decision to do whatever it took to protect the people that he cared about. He made the choice to no longer be a bystander who sits back and watches. He decided that he would fight. I was able to really relate with his inner turmoil, as well as his tragic history that led him up to this point. I too knew what it was like to resent my own kind nature when people took advantage of it, or it prevented me from doing something I knew was right. This story was now taking an incredibly deep and interesting look into some very distressing ethical questions that many of us face on a regular basis. What lengths would we go to in order to protect those most important to us? Is there a such thing as going too far? The show addresses these questions and more in ways I'd never really considered before. If I were in Kaneki's shoes, would I do the same thing, or would I do it differently?

There are only two seasons so far, with a hopeful release of a third season in 2016. I haven't read the manga so I cannot comment on anything more than what I've heard, that the anime does not follow close to the written content. So perhaps I will get a chance to pick up a copy of the books and see how much deeper they go into all of this deliciously gory mayhem and emotional delving. For anyone who loves horror and deep, probing questions, I highly recommend this anime.

Kaneki recommends you go watch this anime...