Dark and violent, Tokyo Ghoul packs a lot of action and emotional drama in this series.  Fair warning this is not for those who are squeamish or faint of heart.  Beyond this point spoilers abound.  If you want to have a general idea what this anime is about (with relatively little spoilers), check out this fan video:

Video by: Let’swatchanimetrailers on youtube.

I came to Tokyo Ghoul later than most people after hearing so many people applaud the series.  Being someone who loves dark and messed up, I decided to give this anime a go, and I was definitely not disappointed by it in this factor.

Tokyo Ghoul takes place, obviously, in Japan where ghouls are known to exist, and they live side by side with humans.  A ghoul is a creature that, in this series, can only live off of human flesh.  Human food is disgusting to them, and will make a ghoul sick.  Ghouls also have special projections or kagunes, which sprout out of their skin when they are fighting.

The story revolves around a young teenage boy, Kaneki Ken, who was just an average, quiet college student who loved to read books.  He thinks he has met the girl of his dreams at a coffee shop, Anteiku, he frequents, but this illusion is quickly smashed after she attacks them on their first date.  Her name is Rize, and she is an infamous ghoul known by the authorities and other ghouls as the Binge Eater since she loves luring young men into her trap, and ripping them to shreds.  And the same seems to about to happen to Kaneki until a pile of steel beams fall on her, and crush her.

Kaneki, completely mauled by Rize, is rushed to the hospital where the doctor makes a snap decision and transplants Rize’s organs inside Kaneki to save his life.  This decision completely changes the course of Kaneki’s life as he becomes part ghoul, and now hungers for human flesh.

I think what I loved the most about this series is how gray it is.  It is so easy to write a story where things are black and white, good and evil, but in Tokyo Ghoul that is not the case.  As Kaneki is thrown head first into this very violent world of ghouls, he realizes that there are good ghouls (ghouls of Anteiku), and bad ones (Rize, the Gourmet, and Jason) as it is for humans.

And then there is the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghouls). The CCG is a human organization that hunts down and exterminates ghouls.  They are known by ghouls as “doves”.  They hunt ghouls with weapons made from dead ghoul’s kagunes.

At first it seemed that the CCG would be painted as the main antagonist to the ghouls (which they are), and just the “bad guys”, but even members of the CCG are not fully in the wrong in what they do.  We get to see their dark pasts and grief that led them to join the CCG and hate ghouls especially in the case of Amon and Mado.

The same goes with the ghouls as their stories are fleshed out as the series progresses.  I think my favorite ghoul back story is the leader of Anteiku, Yoshimura, also known as the “owl”.  His story is heartbreaking, and it explains why he tried creating a place like Anteiku to bring along a peaceful coexistence between humans and ghouls, and to help out ghouls who could not kill humans whether too feeble or having moral qualms with it.  Because of Anteiku, the 20th ward was considered peaceful until Rize came and stirred things up.  And it is because of Yoshimura and Anteiku that Kaneki learned to deal with his new condition.

The character development in this series is very well done, but I think the best character arc to watch is the main character Kaneki Ken.  In the first season, Kaneki is very gentle and kind, and he is more of a pacifist.  He doesn’t want to hurt or kill anyone, making him a perfect member to join Anteiku. In fact, Yoshimura tells him that his is the only one that can bridge the human and ghoul world as he has a foot in both.  In his encounter with CCG investigator Amon, he tries to reason with Amon, and make him see that ghouls, other than their diet, are not as evil as Amon believes.  He tries to show him that some ghouls are good, and not all are vicious like Rize or Jason.

The pivotal part in his development as a character, his crucible if you will, is when he is captured and tortured by Jason.  This scene is beyond brutal, and is not for those who are faint of heart.  I think this is a clear example of what does not kill you makes you stronger, but I do think the old Kaneki is lost and broken, and a more resilient Kaneki is born even if his soul is broken.

Tokyo Ghoul Season 2 (Tokyo Ghoul Root A)

This is where Kaneki’s transformation gets really dark.  I love this season.  I thought the storylines were more action packed and richer as they built on what has come before in season 1.  It gave more room to really get into the dark path that Kaneki goes on.  I actually really liked season 2 in comparison to season 1.  Season 1 is amazing, but I really liked the dark turn that season 2 takes.

Season 2 we get to see more of Aogiri Tree and of Yoshimura’s back story as well as development of the CCG investigators back stories.  Both seasons did a wonderful job of this, but I feel like more pieces were put together in season 2 as we see why Mado hated ghouls so much with the death of his wife at the hands of a ghoul.

Kaneki’s transformation is awesome in this season as he goes from the meek book reader to a super badass.

The internal conflict he goes through as he tries to maintain his humanity is such a good watch.  He wants to get more powerful to protect those he loves, but with the power he is getting his humanity slips more and more.  I found that this made him such a dynamic and interesting character to watch.

So if you want a really gritty, dark drama, then check out Tokyo Ghoul!  And also check out the bestselling  and amazing manga series Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida.