On one hand, it was actually pretty badass. I mean the concept itself is something very appealing to many fans in general, and the manga was already quite well received. But then, once you actually watch the show, all the hype turns into...confusion. Well here it goes, Tokyo Ghoul:
The show revolves around Kaneki Ken, an introvert who spends all his free time engrossed in literature. By the miraculous hands of the anime gods, he ends up on a date with Kana Hanaz- I mean Kamishiro Rize, a purple haired beauty with the same tastes as him regarding novels and books. A few plot points later, and our friend Kaneki turns into a ghoul. Now, ghouls are a huge problem in Japan. They essentially live off of eating humans, and they are hunted by various police investigators, known as “Doves,” who aim to end the ghoul threat once and for all. Now this sounds pretty interesting, and at some points during the show, it genuinely is. For a majority of the show, the issue between the ghouls and doves is a point of high contention, as well as the moral boundaries of the ghouls themselves. Other characters include Kirishima Touka, the other purple haired beauty (ha) that acts as Kaneki's superior in a way, and a varied secondary cast that is really not worth mentioning. This leads me into the main issue with the show.
The characterization and characters themselves are what drive this show to the ground. Honestly, nobody really gets fleshed out during the period of the show. 12 episodes is generally enough time for this to happen, but Tokyo Ghoul could not accomplish this at all. It force feeds emotional situations down our throats, expecting viewers to sympathize with whomever is having an issue during any particular episode. The problem is, no character is developed to the point where I'd care about them in the first place. Speaking on Kaneki a bit, his characterization is not particularly weak, however, the way the creators went about it was quite counter productive for a show of this type and length- it was not until very later on in the show did we see some real development for him, and by that point, its effectiveness was little at best.
The characters are not the only seemingly lost aspects of the show, as the direction the show wanted to head in was quite skewed. This is a common problem in anime: the show does not know where it wants to go. At one point it will focus on the Ghouls vs. Doves, then it will jump to deep character relations, etc. The problem is none of these individual parts are fleshed out enough for viewers to really understand motivations and enjoy anything. And the ending. It certainly came as a surprise. I have not read a lick of the manga, (which ironically ended the same day as the anime.) therefore, I have no basis of comparison. However, the ending of Tokyo Ghoul is the largest example the skewed directions I just mentioned. It came out of nowhere. Literally nowhere. Everything about the show changed instantly. To be honest, it would have been enjoyable if the show gave itself time to get to the point. However, it fails in this regard as well.
As a positive, the show for the most part, looks great. Ghoul forms are uniquely designed, and overall quality is medium-high. The show is not consistently good looking however, as many have pointed out. Animation can also be a bit wonky, but for the most part, is solid. This may deter a bit visually, however compared to the story flop, it is quite minimal. Sound wise, the show performs quite well. The OP and ED are simply superb, the OP being one of my favorites for the Summer 2014 season. The BGM did its job well, especially during the final episodes of the show. The sound, and to a lesser extend, animation and art, are strong points for this show.
Finishing Tokyo Ghoul, I really didn't know how to react. Honestly, I liken this show to Evangelion in many ways, for those of you who have seen it. However, this show fails on so many basic levels, that it simply does not deserve a solid score. However, if you do choose to watch regardless, it is highly recommended to wait for the BDS, as the show is quite censored in the visual department for blood and gore. I don't necessarily regret watching this show, but could it have been done better? Hell yes.
Have fun.
