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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Toukyou Kushu

Japanese: 東京喰種トーキョーグール

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 14

Chapters: 144

Status: Finished

Published: Sep 8, 2011 to Sep 18, 2014

Genres: Action, Fantasy, Horror

Themes: Gore, Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Young Jump

Authors: Ishida, Sui (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.53¹ (scored by 274,005 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #137²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #5

Members: 503,654

Favorites: 45,364

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 119 / 131

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Feb 14, 2015

Seryne299

Recommended

At first this manga might not have the most original concept or story. However, the way in which it is executed is excellent. There are no such things as 'black and white' in this manga.

Each important character has proper development and significance to the story, and none of them are there just for the sake of them being there, nor are they useless. The characters have realistic personalities, and none of them are just 'good' or 'bad'. Each character is well developed and continue to develop and none of them are completely innocent just like how it is in real life.

I appreciated the fact ...

Jul 14, 2014

chipathy

Recommended

Preliminary (135/144 chp)

Before I start this review please note that this is an ongoing manga with chapter 135 being the most recent one (the translations are not caught up) and i have read all 135 current chapters, opinions may change later on.

Story= 9/10.
It's hard to pin down the specific story if someone where to ask me what tokyo ghoul is about just because of everything is going on. We have our main protagonist being practically forced to live a new and dangerous life (much like Shinji Ikari). But if I were to try to sum up Tokyo Ghoul's plot in one sentence, it would be about the ...

May 26, 2014

Crugz

Recommended

Preliminary (67/144 chp)

Tokyo Ghoul/Toukyou Kushu - A grotesque and melancholic journey into the psychology of "Ghouls": humans that eat other humans. Also contains some excellent fight scenes and characterization. The more recent chapters (60~66) are some of the best manga work I've ever seen and the author's creepy (in a good way) art style compliments the content in a magnificent way; It gives it a strange finesse. Very highly recommended.

Dec 19, 2014

Anondesuu

Recommended

This is my first review on MAL and I'm pretty excited that it's about my probably favorite finished manga of 2014!

Let's start!

Story - 10

Ken Kaneki, your average shy and bookloving collegestudent gets plunged into the world of the creatures called ghouls - who feed on humans. He learns of the life as a ghoul and being the kind and righteous guy he is, he cannot ignore nor accept the fact that they kill humans to devour them. But little does he know what it feels like to be driven to insanity by your own hunger, and little does he know of what it ...

Dec 22, 2014

Jest

Recommended

Despite the manga's popularity, it wasn't until the anime aired this year that Tokyo Ghoul exploded in sales and became one of the top five best-selling manga in Japan (beating Kuroko's Basketball, Naruto and Magi).

So what is it about this series that attracted such popularity? It’s by no means a perfect series, that's for sure; but it gets a lot of things right.

The story begins by introducing readers to the timid protagonist; Kaneki Ken. Kaneki is an average college student that is forced to come to terms with living as a ghoul after a freak accident results in a ghoul's organs being transplanted into his ... body. Whilst not exactly the most subtle premise, the manga wisely focuses on the duality of Kaneki's life, as he attempts to maintain his normal, human life whilst having to deal with the problems that his ghoul identity incorporates into his lifestyle. The author attempts to question the morality of the world he has created, and encourages the reader to do so as well. As ghouls are required to consume human meat to survive, Kaneki is forced to confront the prospect that he may have to kill humans if he wishes to live. Usually I prefer to avoid elaborating on the story so much, but the moral dilemmas that this manga presents are one of the most interesting aspects of the series, and are one of the driving forces that keep readers engaged in the events that unfold. Unfortunately they tend to lose their significance as the story progresses, and around halfway through the series is an event that drastically alters the story and feels far too ham-fisted compared to the rest of the series, but I'll elaborate on that in the character paragraph. Added to that, the story also ends on a highly unsatisfying note. Regardless of what information is revealed in the sequel manga, this is a review of the 144 chapters that the story spans across, so any information provided externally means naught. As I read the final few chapters, my faith in the series having a gratifying conclusion eroded further and further. As the manga ends, readers are left with the story tying itself together within the last few chapters. Having to process what had happened was jarring when the series had handled its pacing so well throughout the rest of the story, and the author definitely should have reconsidered how he chose to conclude it. With the amount of literary influence in the story, it felt as though the mangaka was trying to structure his story as a classic tale of tragedy, and if that were his intention then it was well-done indeed.

The art for the series is pretty decent overall, but there's not much to praise. His character designs are done well, and the inky panels help maintain the dark atmosphere of the series. The art is fairly standard but it definitely has its moments where it shines. That said, the fight scenes can be quite hit or miss; especially in the early parts of the story. The way the mangaka draws the fights occasionally lead me to be confused with what actions were performed in each panel. It’s a very minor issue as it only happened a few times, but it was something that was highly noticeable when the rest of the art flowed relatively smoothly.

The characters in the series are a strong point as well. Kaneki is a particularly strong protagonist in the sense that the ghoul’s violent lifestyle being inflicted on such a mild-mannered person is intriguing to watch. The supporting characters are also written well, and unlike a lot of other stories, they actually continue to serve a purpose after their initial introductions. With a story that raises a variety of moral dilemmas, readers can often question whether the antagonists are truly the 'evil' ones and vice versa for the protagonists. But the characters aren't always handled well. Kaneki in particular undergoes a period of rapid growth about halfway through the story, and it feels far too convenient. Almost as if the event was used as an excuse to fast-track Kaneki's development to allow him to play a more integral role in the story. Whilst this isn't a huge detraction, it’s something that irked me long after I'd finished reading the series.

Tokyo Ghoul has a lot to offer, and its popularity is well-deserved. Those that tend to avoid dark stories would be wise to avoid this too. It’s terrific, but it’s not the series that'll change your mind. Not once was I ever bored while reading, and I often looked forward to doing so to see how the story would develop.

This manga is great, and those interested in a dark, strong story would do well to give the series a try. If some of the characters were developed more subtly, and the ending hadn't raised more questions than it answered, then this manga would definitely be bordering masterpiece territory. As it stands, Tokyo Ghoul is an undoubtedly solid manga that deserves your time.

Apr 28, 2016

LordAxel

Mixed Feelings

Tokyo Ghoul is a seinen manga series serialized in Young Jump, the most prestigious and well-known seinen magazine in Japan. Around 2014, when the anime had started, the fandom increased rapidly and endless screams of the internet community were heard about the "superb" quality and characters of the series. So, being a fan of seinen manga (Berserk, Kingdom, etc.) myself I decided to dig in.

There are MINOR SPOILERS in the following review

What I expected? Maturity, epicness and quality violent fight scenes
What I got? Well..., the above in pretty SMALL proportions, a feeling of pseudo-darkness and worst of all a taste of ... wasted potential.

Let's be more specific..

Plot: Tokyo Ghoul takes place in a world where ghouls and humans live together and explores the usually violent relations between the two sides. The setting of the series is very promising as there is always a hostile "war" atmosphere between the ghouls and the CCG (human organization that kills ghouls in the name of justice) even when there is no direct conflict. The series has two underlying themes: Firstly, is that justice is subjective and one-sided and true righteousness cannot be easily achieved as seen by the devastating losses of both sides. Secondly, if you have had psychological traumas or issues in general as a kid you ARE strong. Guess what... The first theme helps the series climb to the top while the second throws it to the pits of hell. Unfortunately many fights in T.G are resolved when one of the two sides remembers the sadness of the past, gains a power-up and demolishes the other side. This trait removes all the suspense from fights. Moreover, with regards to the "sadness of the past", almost all flashbacks are the same: Ghoul loses his family to humans and vice-versa. As far as the pacing is concerned, it is generally decent with the exception of a CCG-elaborated part where it is somewhat slow. The ending felt satisfying but rushed, however, it should not be criticized negatively as there is a sequel.

Artwork: This is by far the strongest point of this manga. At first it might seem simplistic but as the series continues you start to value the detailed and dark artwork. Despite being a few instances of "vague" panels, the fight scenes are really enjoyable to read, the choreography is well-made and the enjoyment is enforced with the detailed design of most kagune and ghoul masks.

Characters: Unfortunately, this is the weakest part of the series and mainly due to the main protagonist. Kaneki is a timid 14-year old orphan of medium built; a typical shonen protagonist you could say. Regrettably being "typical" is probably the smallest of the flaws. After his torture and power "awakening" is when what he had built as a character starts being demolished. After being tied to a chair, seeing scenes of sheer brutality and having his finger toes cut off ( FOR GOD'S SAKE they grew back and he still cried, think about poor Guts for an instant) Kaneki finally unlocks his ghoul potential and a sadistic darker part of his personality. Although the "dark counterpart" is a common and generally favorable trait of manga nowadays it is the bad execution that destroys it here. In Kaneki's case he jumps straight from being a shy kid with no backbone to a blood-thirsty, relentless badass (wannabe). Moreover, this doesn't just happen once, it repeatedly throughout the story making you wonder if there is any actual character development. The palindromic state between an irritating crybaby and a psychotic brutal ghoul is by no means considered character development; it is just putting two one-dimensional characters in the same body and changing between them whenever the plot commands. As for the secondary protagonist Touka, she is initially introduced as a cold-hearted and emotionless emo girl but she soon loses her "roughness" and lightens up to the rest of the cast as the series progresses, only to become a side character on the second half. In spite of being a typical tsundere she didn't deserve this lack of screentime. Most ghouls in the series give off a tone of depression, being prejudiced by humans and often having one of their loved ones killed by humans in the past, a trait that makes them quite repetitive. However, there are of course some very decent ones like Yamori, an old ghoul whose past is a mystery and Sachi a muscular man with a macho mustache (and my image of the average ghoul before starting the series).Finally, regarding the CCG investigators, they also come in all shapes and sizes from the stoic badass Arima to the extremely annoying anthropomorphic creature named Juuzo that wanted to know its gender.

Enjoyment: The series surely had a few memorable scenes(mostly from fights) but regrettably left a bad aftertaste as I said in the beginning of the review. It was really miserable seeing your main character going from a berserk mindless animal in one page to an immature wimp in the next. It is even more miserable when he starts having some weird guilts and monologues with himself just to put reason to his previous rage. In general, it was like the ghouls tried to have an edgy and dark attitude that foreshadowed their harsh past just to look cool, without really having any depth whatsoever; a characteristic that made me take the side of the CCG as the series progress

All in all, had it not been for the cast, especially the annoying main character and the edgy, disturbing vibe of ghouls, this series could have reached the top. It has decent story, very good art but it missed a very importatnt ingredient. It seems that the author tried to fit many shonen-ish traits to a seinen manga and still make it dark and mature through Kaneki's unnatural changes from a normal kid to monster. Unfortunately, it was a failed attempt.

Jun 1, 2014

Nowhiteskies

Recommended

Preliminary (72/144 chp)

Story: 9/10
Tokyo Ghoul is about a college freshmen, Ken Kaneki becoming a ghoul due to being the recipient of an organ transplant from the notorious ghoul dubbed "Binge Eater." Becoming a ghoul leads to a series of meeting other ghouls and in some circumstances, getting in difficult situation because of them.

Tokyo Ghoul started out slowly with having short arcs as starters, but quickly began to pick up pace. Bits of information is slowly revealed to you, which is nice compared to when a mass of it is given at once.
The tone of the story is serious and has few comedic moments. It is kept ... at a consistent rate where you won't lose focus of what the story is about, which leads me to say that there are few fillers. When a filler is presented, it is usually to give you needed information before proceeding to the next chapters.
Perspective switches throughout the chapters. You get to see a little insight from each character independently and see the story from their eyes. There are 3 main views: your protagonist, Ken Kaneki, the present antagonist, or the investigators/police force. The view from the story is rotated mostly around these perspectives to get a well rounded look at what is happening in each.

Art: 7/10
Unlike the story, the art can be choppy and inconsistent. It switches from being so well drawn to something i could've drawn with my left hand. The issue of this mainly revolves around side profiles, which are more or less lacking in some panels. It also appears that the faces drawn in certain angles can distort the facial expressions of the characters and completely change how they're supposed to look.
Action scenes tend to get messy. The author/artist likes to draw motion in action scenes, but sometimes overdoes it to the point where you cannot distinguish what is happening. It ends up being smears of black and blurbs. I usually end up quickly skipping the pages where there are no dialogue and only action being shown because of the difficulties in seeing details in them. An upside to the action scenes is that the author/artist does know how to use anatomy to his advantage, making the best out of characters being shown in action. The only complaint in anatomy is when the characters are holding still. Occasionally, the characters will look stiff and unnatural.

Characters: 9/10
The characters are interesting. It is easy to find a favorite among the many ghouls and humans throughout the story. Each has their own background and plays a large role in what determines the character in present time. Every character has a certain theme to them and it's pretty cool to see it being incorporated to the character designs. They're easy to tell apart from each other, with the only exception being the investigators/police force mentioned in the synopsis. The only other issue is that some aspects of the characters' traits are overused.
A great thing about this manga, however is that the characters actually have development. It's pleasant to see the author think about this and give legitimate reason to the changes in each character. They're very well written and i'm very excited to see what developments in characters will be next.

Overall: 9/10
The manga is quite enjoyable from my perspective. I actually binge read this within a week and found myself looking forward to each chapter, wanting to neglect my sleep. I love the uniqueness of this manga. It's a good refresher from the typical and predictable manga i see so often. The story line is phenomenal, the art is still well above average, and the characters are some of my favorites i've read in a manga.
I would definitely recommend this to those looking for a supernatural/horror/dark genre with an overall solemn tone. It can deal with adult ideas such as sadism and cannibalism so be mindful that this is also a gorey manga and contains some disturbing images.

Sep 13, 2014

mugwump

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (Unknown/144 chp)

It makes me cry when I think that something as mediocre and generic as this gets so much attention, whilst TRUE seinen gems are ignored.

Not only is the plot hackneyed and the characters hopelessly dull, but the ART...jesus christ, can it even be called art? It seriously looks like a trashy doujinshi. The characters, expressions, anatomy, backgrounds are SOOOO SHIT.

Admittedly the anime is better. But, avoid this crap.

Okay, so I guess you wanna know whether this is just a "troll" or whether it truly is as bad as all that. Here is a breakdown...the WHY of it.

Story
This is a shounen manga disguised as a seinen ...

Oct 7, 2017

LoPixels

Mixed Feelings

Sorry fangirls, Tokyo Ghoul is bad. Really bad.

The characters are boring, motivations are often unexplained, after the first few arcs there is no tension at all, it has problems with pacing, the drawings are muddy and unclear, there is a Deus Ex Machna lurking behind every corner, plot twists aren't surprising or satisfying, nothing gets done or finished...

God I can list for hours! Really, if you have to, watch the anime and decide if you want to read after that. But in my opinion the source material is weak.

But it's egdy enough to attrack moody teenagers, so it's popular now, somehow...

Oct 12, 2014

monogataris

Recommended

When I first started reading Tokyo Ghoul, I was expecting just another typical action/battle manga with the typical tropes and cliches we've all seen before. Now that I've finished it, I can safely and gladly say that this manga has completely exceeded all my expectations.

Story - 9/10
Tokyo Ghoul has a very character-driven story, centred around the protagonist Kaneki Ken. However, as more events start unravelling in his life, the story starts to develop in several different directions and more mysteries are introduced. The plot is a bit slow at the start, but quickly builds up into a tense story of twists that will keep you ... on the edge of your seat. The general story progression also tends to play against the expected cliches, keeping the reader engaged.

Art - 8/10
The art of this manga is admittedly somewhat average and even inconsistent at the beginning, but as it progresses the art style improves, and we're treated to some very great double-page spreads and some nice fight scenes. And if you're reading the hardcopy, each volume also have some impressive cover art.

Characters - 9/10
For me, this is where Tokyo Ghoul really shines. Because a large part of the story is told from Kaneki's perspective, the reader gets a deep insight into his way of thinking and his personality, and we get to see how his character progresses and changes as the story continues. It's also because of this insight that the reader can sympathise with the protagonist, and over time you slowly become attached to him. The other characters, while they are not given the same amount of exposition, are also handled quite well, and are never handled as stereotypical archetypes. They all have a unique quality to them which keeps the dynamics of character relations interesting, and overall makes the reader care more about how the characters are affected by the events of the story. Another aspect of Tokyo Ghoul that makes it fascinating is the moral ambiguity of all the characters. Not a single character is ever portrayed as simply "good" or "bad"; each person's actions are justified by their motives and reasoning, and this keeps the reader paying attention to all the factions introduced in the story.

Enjoyment - 10/10
Often when I read manga, I'll reach a stage where I won't be motivated to continue because it's not gripping enough to keep me entertained. Sometimes a story might reach a rather dull and slow story arc that makes it hard for the reader to be engaged. Not once did I have a moment like this with Tokyo Ghoul. Every chapter makes you crave for the next, and all the events of the story make you want to know more about it. The author always gives the reader just the right amount of information and exposition needed without overloading the reader or slowing down the story's pace.

Overall - 9/10
Tokyo Ghoul is just a very entertaining ride from start to finish. I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a manga with a diverse range of fleshed-out characters and a story with a nice touch of mystery. If I had to sum up this manga in one phrase, it would be "things are never as simple as they seem".

May 24, 2015

zerogoukki

Recommended

Tokyo Ghoul is really something -- I haven't been so in love with a series in a long time. When the original series (this one) ended, and it wasn't clear that there would be a sequel, I was legitimately distressed. When the sequel was announced, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and excitement. That's how emotionally invested I have gotten with this manga. I don't want to raise a potential reader's expectations to the point where it will be impossible for TG to live up to them, but I have a long list of good things to say about it, so that's going to ... be tough.

Story: 10/10
The story in Tokyo Ghoul is truly outstanding. It seems simple, but the devil is really in the details here. Seriously, there are bits of foreshadowing from the very first chapters that I'm only noticing upon re-reading the manga, because without knowing what happens, these details seem mundane and unimportant. But everything has a meaning in Tokyo Ghoul. Ishida (the mangaka) plants a million seeds in the storyline, and you don't even notice until they grow into major reveals. There is symbolism in the imagery, the dialogue, everything. There are minor events that you forget about until they pop up again in Tokyo Ghoul:RE, the sequel series. The planning, pacing, and buildup of this story is just amazing. Ishida really planned this out beautifully. There are bits of dialogue that read like poetry, especially in the latter half, and I found myself breathless a few times. The best part is that there are so many hidden clues and possible outcomes to unanswered questions that there's always room for theories and analysis, which for me is a lot of fun. It makes the story very engaging, and when questions are answered it makes the reveals all the more satisfying.

Art: 10/10
The art seems mediocre at first glance -- not bad, but nothing special either. However, once the characters start to develop, it becomes apparent that Ishida is a master at nailing characters' emotions and development through gestures and facial expressions. Kaneki especially gets some devastating expressions, and even his body language changes as he develops. Pay attention to how black-haired pre-Aogiri Kaneki fights compared to white-haired post-Aogiri Kaneki -- the difference isn't just that he's stronger; his stance becomes wild, animalistic, desperate. He looks older in the most subtle of ways. It's subtle but explosive, just like the story. Ishida knows just what to show and what not to show for maximum impact. The art isn't perfect standing alone, but it's perfect for Tokyo Ghoul, if that makes any sense.

Character: 10/10
The characters in this manga are almost never what they seem, and I love that. Everyone is complex, and all the characters that count get development. They're very lovable, too, even those that do horrible things. The character development is really great, and it goes both ways -- some characters become better, others become worse, and many pull surprises that no one saw coming. Relationships between characters are all very interesting too. When characters care for each other, they care deeply, and Ishida uses that to tear your heart to pieces with later events.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Honestly, Tokyo Ghoul is depressing. It's absolutely miserable. If you want something happy, or at least a storywith a light at the end of the tunnel, then I don't recommend it.When Kaneki states in an early chapter that a story about his life would surely be a tragedy, he was right. But it's so, so addictive and exciting. The quality of Tokyo Ghoul has carried on into Tokyo Ghoul:RE, and with each weekly chapter of :RE, I find myself on the emotional roller coster again. It just doen't stop surprising me. So if you want to read something dark and gruesome that will give you something to think about, Tokyo Ghoul is my first recommendation.

Feb 12, 2015

Looklook111

Recommended

This is my first review.So don't be so harsh on me

Story
The story starts off with our main protagonist Ken Kaneki an average collage student who loves reading books.His life changes when he is involved in a tragic accident and is forced to to exchange organs with a ghoul(A species that eats humans and only humans).This changes his life forever. The real main theme of the story is about Kaneki's struggle to cling to his human side and as the story progresses we see changes within him that make him question his humanity and his ghoul side.

Art
The art is decent and as the series progresses the ...

Apr 12, 2015

ErnieE

Recommended

Oh Boy OH BOY. Tokyo Ghoul...... Where the hell do I begin. I didn't even know anything about Tokyo ghoul before Season 1 was released. After I watched Episode 1 Season 1 I was hooked to know what happened next so I read the manga. I was expecting a full horror and gore which I got but the story didn't kept me reading so I stopped around Chapter 18. That was my biggest mistake I have ever made in my entire life.

After weeks I've heard people talking about tokyo ghoul and they described it as "Epic" "Tragic" and "Really fucking Cool", I was very confused ... because I could never see a horror genre as "epic" experience so then after I watched the LAST episode of season 12, I was eager to read the manga.

10/10 Story: When reading the first volume, you WILL think that it's a horror genre and you will be expecting blood, flesh, crazy eating ghouls, etc. But it isn't like that after volume 7, it gets more depressing and story gets more compelling and you will glued onto Kaneki Ken (Protagonist) till the end. He's such a unforgettable character and he's the definition of the word "tragedy". Most of the times it's bunch of reading for you people who will be reading Tokyo Ghoul for the first time but most of the dialogues has a meaning to the character and the story and isn't forced just so the character can talk because he/she hasn't talked in a while.

10/10 Art: If story won't please you then I assure you that the art will keep you reading because the art in the manga is unique and far better than any other mangas I've read. That may be because Ishida Sui was making tattoos before writing Tokyo Ghoul. Since the manga has 144 chapters, the art gets better after each volume. The masks, the facial expression, the CCG weapons, there's so much details in the pictures that sometimes Ishida Sui hides secret messages that most of us probably have missed. (I've only found two)

10/10 Character: AHH the character development, it's so beautiful. Like I said before, Kaneki Ken is a very memorable character. After you've read the manga, and someone mentions Tokyo Ghoul to you, Kaneki Ken will be the name that comes first in your head. Every single character has a role to the story and not just a "filler" character or forced into the story. Kaneki Ken motivations to protect the ones he loves becomes stronger and stronger and it will drag you into the story and care for him.

Enjoyment: Can't explain my enjoyments for this manga. Just hands down. Best manga of the year and possibly best manga of the decade.

If you want a serious, depressing, compelling, Worth-reading, life changing (depends on you) and tearful story. Then Tokyo Ghoul is the one for you. The end is just a smack in the face for all fans and NO WORRIES. There's a sequel.

Tokyo Ghoul Manga might aswell be written into a novel. Just sees this as a novel with pictures.

Sep 13, 2014

dudepersian

Recommended

Tokyo Ghoul is a worthwhile read because of the fact that the reader becomes so involved with the individual characters emotionally, and struggles to discern which side of the conflict is fighting for the right reasons. For me this was exceptional because it is synonymous with conflicts in the real world; nothing is black and white. We just have varying shades of gray.

The story is dark one, and may not be for the feint of heart. The art expands upon the story as a whole does a great job of adding another dimension for the reader's enjoyment because it truly resounds with the mood of ...

May 18, 2015

Centipede143

Recommended

"I’m not the protagonist of a novel or anything…I’m a college student who likes to read, like you could find anywhere. But… if, for argument’s sake, you were to write a story with me in the lead role, it would certainly be… a tragedy."
~Ken Kaneki

Story:
===
The story of Tokyo Ghoul is a mystery, a tragic mystery. the story pretty much goes like this : Tokyo is filled with man-eating people called 'Ghouls'. The main character Ken Kaneki finds himself in a difficult situation when he encounters a ghoul. That is when he finds himself immersed in the fine line between Ghouls and Humans. Thus, the tragedy ...

Jun 18, 2017

Cyokie

Not Recommended

Preliminary (39/144 chp)

And so I commence with my unpopular opinion of this extremely popular manga.

Obviously, Tokyo Ghoul gets on quite well with the darker portion of anime/manga fans, and I am definitely part of that darker portion. Due to several other people's knowledge of this (both online and in real life), Tokyo Ghoul was heavily suggested to me, the manga over the anime because of how drastically the anime strayed from the manga during the second season. I decided it couldn't hurt to give the manga a try.

For a long time, I wasn't sure what to think of Tokyo Ghoul. I kind of liked it, ... but there was something I couldn't name about it that kept making me put out while I was reading. Later, I realized it was Tokyo Ghoul's vibe.

For better or worse, Tokyo Ghoul is incredibly cynical, the key line/lesson of the manga being: "This world is wrong." I think that, for many people on "this" side of the anime/manga fandom, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. And that's fine. But I'm pretty sure your enjoyment of Tokyo Ghoul relies heavily on the philosophies you believe in and your view of the world.

Because I tend to believe the world is both terrible and utterly beautiful, Tokyo Ghoul's all-or-nothing "this world sucks" attitude was just not for me, and it got progressively worse as I continued to read.

I have actually only read four volumes of Tokyo Ghoul, but I looked up spoilers to become aware of everything that happened next in hopes that what I found would change my mind from wanting to drop the manga.

It didn't. It actually made Tokyo Ghoul even MORE infuriating to me. I don't want to give a very long rant on everything I hate about what eventually happens in Tokyo Ghoul, but long story short, I hate what becomes of Kaneki, and I hate what becomes of everyone else.

I know that, for many people, this manga is an incredibly emotional ride. Plenty of tears have been spilled over Tokyo Ghoul, I'm aware. Unfortunately, Tokyo Ghoul has failed at making me sympathize with any of the characters. It has, however, succeeded hugely at making me annoyed at all of them. Again, I think your personal system of beliefs contributes heavily to your enjoyment of Tokyo Ghoul--but, more specifically, your connection to the characters.

Kaneki started out as a startlingly boring protagonist. Even after he turned into a ghoul, there was nothing remarkable about him that allowed me to root for him, or even feel something towards him. I know what happens to Kaneki near the end of the manga and completely disagree with what the Tokyo Ghoul fandom apparently calls "character development"; I'd hardly call going straight from a sobbing, pitiful-but-merciful character to an absolute beast "character development." You could argue there's a journey on his way there, but in my opinion, I just don't think there is. He switches, and that's it. No matter how much he gets tortured, it doesn't make up for that in my eyes. (Also, for me, in contrast to what appears to be the rest of this fandom, I despise Kaneki turning into a do-evil-unto-evil ghoul.)

Touka is a stereotypical dark anime tsundere. She's not as lighthearted as the regular stereotypical anime tsunderes are, but she's just like every other dark anime tsundere. I couldn't decide if I liked her or not for a long time. There were times when I could feel for her and times when I only wanted her to shut up. She's nothing all that fascinating, either.

Ultimately, I found myself sympathizing with side characters because the main characters infuriated me so much. Which, obviously, isn't good.

Compared to the other things I've mentioned, this one is minor, but it still matters. Something that annoyed me about Tokyo Ghoul was the way the manga introduced new information, characters, etc. There were things that would seem as if you were supposed to pay close attention to them that ended up meaning nothing. But even more often than that was when the manga simply sprung something on you and expected you to remember it or immediately know it was important in spite of the fact that it literally came out of nowhere, and then you ended up being confused later when it was brought up again.

Honestly, I have no problem with the Tokyo Ghoul fandom, but I must say I've developed a strong disliking for Tokyo Ghoul itself and was supremely disappointed by this manga. The only compliment I can give it is on its art, which is actually quite good.

Sep 13, 2014

vorumzo

Recommended

"If for argument's sake you where to write a story with me in the lead role. It would certainly be...a tragedy."

Tokyo ghoul is a masterpiece even with its flaws and short comings. It is a dark and gruesome world, where the light can still be found, but it is fleeting. For in a world that is wrong can you really do anything to change it.

Story=10
I am not going to bother with a synopsis since that is available already and I will try avoid as many spoilers as possible but i do have to spoil some events so i can talk about them just giving a ...

Sep 23, 2015

BohemianRhapsody

Mixed Feelings

First off, I have to say, this manga is not my cup of tea. I probably would have never read this, but some friends convinced me to. Since it's also a manga that recently got very popular, I decided to give this a shot hoping it was actually gonna be the masterpiece everyone says it is. Boy, I was so wrong. Now, where do I begin...

Story
First off, let's start with the story. I have to say, the story is pretty generic, the kind edgy teens to crazy for. Have some Shinji Ikari-type teenage wimp become a human-eating ghoul and then start writing about his dilemmas ... about distinguishing good and evil, his human and his monster side. So far, it's okay. The story has been done countless of times before in fiction (with Parasyte being the first manga that comes in mind). Add some Kafka-esque philosophy to make it look a bit more mature. Now, after you did all this, mess everything up.
Yeah, you read it right. Tokyo Ghoul had a good setup. Maybe not the most original, but it was acceptable. The problem is, it messes everything up afterwards. I don't know what caused this. If I had to guess, I'd say the author's inexperience was the downfall of Tokyo Ghoul. Instead of focusing on the main storyline, the author choose to stray several times from it, focusing on side characters that, in the end, are irrelevant. Such is the case of the ghoul investigators. We have countless scenes of them talking to each other and "investigating" ghoul activity, especially the actions of Kaneki and his ghoul friends. The question is: do we need all this dialogue? Let me answer that for you: No, we don't. We already know what Kaneki and his ghouls are doing. We don't need the investigators' deductions, because we already know what has happened. That makes everything irrelevant. That's it for now. I will address the problem of irrelevance later on in the "Character" part.

Art
The art is mediocre. For a manga as popular as this, I expected something better. Well, I didn't expect the author to rival the art of Kentaro Miura or Hirohiko Araki in his first try, but he could at least try to be better than your average doujinshi. He could get away with bad art if the story was good, but unfortunately, it isn't. I guess that's another thing the author has to improve.

Characters
The bane of Tokyo Ghoul: it's characters. I have to say, my favorite character in this manga was Kureo Mado. Yeah, he was your average psycho villain, but at least, he had a purpose, something other characters don't have. Almost every character is there without a clear purpose. Now, it would be okay if they were only there as side characters for just a bunch of chapters, but no, they converse throughout the whole manga. In fact, there are so many characters, that around the middle part of the manga Kaneki, the main character, becomes irrelevant too. He appears just in the main fights to fight strong villains, but apart from that, nothing else happens with him. Your average ghoul investigator probably has more lines than Kaneki, which is a problem.

Overall
This manga is a bit better than average, but nothing more than that. It has so many character that it loses its focus and makes the whole plot a mess. The art could have been better, especially in the violent scenes. An okay read, which is doomed by the author's inexperience.

P.S. If you want to enjoy this manga more and read it faster, skip almost every lengthy dialogue between the investigators. You won't miss anything.

Jul 27, 2014

Raisukai

Recommended

Preliminary (85/144 chp)

One might find themselves picking this up because of the anime adaptation that has recently started airing. I am no exception when it comes to this. With that mentioned, I am excited to share my review with you all for this totally awesome and unique story.

Let's get into it, shall we? I'll keep this spoiler free, so don't hesitate to continue reading! I'm going to refrain from mentioning actual content (since the synopsis covers it rather well), and instead focus more on the general quality of everything.

Story: 10/10
Tokyo Ghoul / Toukyou Kushu takes place in a world where "ghouls" (flesh-eating monsters who resemble humans at ... first glance) murder to survive and hide from investigators who specialize in their termination. In order to live more comfortable lives, some ghouls choose to blend in with society and try not to cause any more trouble than necessary. There's a lot going on in Tokyo Ghoul, so it's pretty fast paced. There are hardly any dull moments to speak of, so, expect great things when reading this! You might find yourself rooting for both sides at some point due to the fact that you'll probably end up liking the majority of the characters involved.

Art: 8/10
The drawing for Tokyo Ghoul is quite exceptional. I had no complaints while reading through it. Though, I did notice that some scenes were drawn significantly better than others, it was mostly action and climactic moments. (which is fairly common) For the most part, the quality is consistent and neat. The style itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but it's awfully far from being bland. Don't expect to be disappointed with it or anything.

Character: 10/10
Alright... Here is where I personally feel like Tokyo Ghoul shines the most. The character development is top notch. Over time, you will learn extensively about their daily lives and background histories. The author did an excellent job at being informative and detailed in this area. Any questions you might have about a certain character is bound to be covered at some point.
Now, for the variety of characters in this! You'll see that pretty much everyone has something unique about them. Anything ranging from tattoos, piercings, interesting hair styles, quirks, eclectic personalities, hidden talents, and so much more. Anyone who reads this is certain to find a character they favor, if not many of them!

Enjoyment: 10/10
As I mentioned before, this is a well paced story. It's hard to stop at just one chapter because there's always something to look forward to in the next. Some parts are funny, some sad... Plenty gruesome. :)
There's a very choice mixture of comedy and tragedy in Tokyo Ghoul. You'll witness lighthearted moments that will bond you with the struggles of the characters and then there is a ton of bloody, psychotic natured action to look forward to. This manga truly has it all.
If you're a fan of horror, psychological, and/or mystery, this is a MUST READ/WATCH!

Overall: 9/10
It was hard for me to not give this series a 10. Honestly, it is so deserving of that score. I haven't completed the entirety of it, though (since it's not finished, obviously), so I'm leaving some room for error in the event that it may occur. I have confidence that Tokyo Ghoul will continue for a long time and likely finish with a nice ending. When that happens, I'll be sure to either type up a new review or tweak this one a bit.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope it encourages you and many others to start reading soon!

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc... Let me know! I'm open to critique as long as you're serious and polite about it. This is my first full manga review on this site, so I hope I did well.

Jul 13, 2014

ikasama-shoujo

Recommended

Preliminary (77/144 chp)

Story: 9/10

"Is it like Shingeki no Kyojin?" At first that was the first impression it gave me since I have this idea that Ghouls eat humans just like how Titans eat humans and I thought it would be just the same setting.

Well I guess they do both have the same theme of "eating humans" and "main protagonist turning into ghoul/titan" but Tokyo Ghoul is abit unique because it always makes me think "Do I side with the ghouls or with the humans?" and that's what I love about it.

You'll get what I mean when you start reading it.

Art: 8/10

I'm actually kind of torn between ...