Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul: re, Volume 1, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: 2017

Volumes: 16.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Tokyo Ghoul 14. Tokyo Ghoul: re 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the world of Tokyo Ghoul, sometimes the only way to fight monsters is to become one…

The Commission of Counter Ghoul is the only organization fighting the Ghoul menace, and they will use every tool at their disposal to protect humanity from its ultimate predator. Their newest weapon in this hidden war is an experimental procedure that implants human investigators with a Ghoul’s Kagune, giving them Ghoul powers and abilities. But both the procedure and the newly formed Qs Squad are untested. Will they become heroes…or monsters?!

Haise Sasaki has been tasked with teaching Qs Squad how to be outstanding Investigators, but his assignment is complicated by the troublesome personalities of his subordinates and his own uncertain grasp of his Ghoul powers. Can he pull this ragtag group together as a team, or will Qs Squad’s first assignment be their last?

Review:

I took a break after the previous series ended, and I really wasn't sure if I wanted to read more. I was conflicted after the ending.

I've finally decided to continue this series, and after this volume... Well, I'm glad I continued, but now I'm a little confused.

As the volume started, I was very confused by when it was taking place, what all had passed, and who a lot of these people were. It wasn't until the last quarter of the volume, that some things started to make sense. But really, that only connected a couple dots, gave me more questions, but made me a lot more interested to keep reading. So, it did the job, quite well.

The world of the ghouls and the kagune and all that is a little confusing to me. There's a lot to understand, and a lot has seemed to change. Then there's this new squad, with Mutsuki and Haise and Urie and Shirazu. I'm intrigued by each of these characters, but I'm not sure what to think of them yet, or where they're going.

I'm very intrigued by Haise, but I want to know what happened that led him here, how things have changed so much. I will admit that some of this makes sense, because it always seemed like we needed to be inside the CCG, with them to see what they're doing.

I'm confused and intrigued. I'm also impressed with a lot of this. Even just the writing—it leaves you interested, and some of the character and technical choices were really thoughtful and done well, particularly with how Urie speaks and thinks.

I'm intrigued, and look forward to catching up.

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 13, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2017

Volumes: 14 (+ Novels and Spin-Off).

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh.

Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-Ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

Investigators from the 20th Ward launch an initiative to take out the Ghoul known as the One-Eyed Owl, who has possible ties to both Akira and Yoshimura. An all-out assault on the Anteiku café, where the Owl is supposedly hiding, results in full-fledged battle.

Review:

At the beginning of the volume, we get a backstory for Suzuya, then some little interludes for the characters. But all of it is leading up to the big, final fight, and it's happening at Anteiku.

In most of this volume, there's a lot of fighting. It gets messy and bloody, and it also gets complicated. I honestly had a hard time following some of it, as there are a lot of different fights happening, and we only get glimpses, and a lot of it is with new characters. Another part of it might be that I just didn't really care about any of these people. I wanted to know what was happening with Touka and Yoshimura and Kaneki's other friends. We only got to see Kaneki near the end of the volume, and the big fight is being held for the next and last volume. I'm really looking forward to seeing the end and how it wraps up, though there feels like a lot left.

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 12, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2017

Volumes: 14.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 11. 13.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except for their craving for human flesh.

Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-Ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

The 4th Ward falls under attack by Assistant Special Investigator Arima of the Commission of Counter Ghoul. Amon finds a connection between the CCG and an underground lab seemingly designed to research turning humans into Ghouls. And an old partnership that could spell trouble for the 20th Ward reforms.

Review:

Kaneki makes an interesting decision in this volume, and it makes me wonder if he's reverted a little to what he used to be like. I honestly hope not, though I must admit it might be good for him, given his recent change.

Aside from that, it seems like the author chick is up to something. She's snooping around quite a bit, and I wonder what exactly she's after. We also get a new revelation regarding Yoshimura, which I wasn't expecting. Though, to be honest, I haven't really given the smaller mentioned ghouls much thought. Along with that, we finally get to see what has become of Rize. It's a rather sad site.

The more of this series I read, the more interested I am to see how it ends. We're finally getting some answers, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 11, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2017

Volumes: 14.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except for their craving for human flesh.

Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-Ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

Amid clashes between Ghouls and the Commission of Counter Ghoul investigators at Doctor Kano’s underground facility, Kaneki finds himself locked in battle with Special Class Ghoul investigator Yukinori Shinohara. When the battle subsides, the CCG discovers shocking evidence that leads them closer to discovering the truth behind Kano’s sinister plans.

Review:

We get a little history here between Shiro and Kuro, and their surprising relation to Juzo. They're all rather messed up, though I kind of feel bad for Shiro and Kuro. Most of this was done to them, even if they maybe agreed at the beginning. Now, they only have each other.

We also see what has become of Ken. He seems to have reached a breaking point, and he's even more different now. Apparently his decision to only eat and hunt ghouls has changed him, and he doesn't even know himself anymore.

We also get some glimpses of some other characters, and some plot lines moving in the background. Among that, we see a relationship development between Amon and Mado. She usually stays rather stoic and doesn't give anything away, and doesn't have any outside-work relations, but she reveals some deeper feelings here. They have an odd relationship, to say the least.

Violence galor, Ken seems to have snapped and is trying to come back from it. There's an interesting reprieve where Ken and Hinami meet an author they like, though I'm sure more will come of it.

We're getting ever closer to the end, and I'm intrigued by all of it.

Teaser Tuesday[245]: Tokyo Ghoul: Past by Sui Ishida and Shin Towada

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

---------------------------------------------------------

Tokyo Ghoul: Past by Sui Ishida and Shin Towada

Genre: Light Novel.

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2017

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Add on Goodreads.

RightStuf  Synopsis:

The third and final volume in the Tokyo Ghoul novels series is written by Shin Towada.
Explore the world of Tokyo Ghoul with these prose fiction spin-offs!
Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way --except their craving for human flesh.
Before the steel frame incident in the 20th Ward, there were reports of Ghouls lurking among the masses in Tokyo, carefully stalking their prey. This novel covers the events that occurred before the opening act of Tokyo Ghoul: a time when Kaneki was still human, the Kirishimas still lived together, and Rize enjoyed her feasts.

Excerpt:

“'Banjo, if you say anything else, I'll report you to Hagi,' Usu said in a low voice. Banjo said nothing else.” (Paperback, Femme Fatale, pg. 74)

What are you reading?

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 10, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2016

Volumes: 14.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh.

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

While Kaneki and his friends tangle with Ghouls from the Aogiri Tree organization, the Commission of Counter Ghoul’s ongoing investigations bring them dangerously close to discovering Kaneki’s secret.

Review:

Violence. This series is so very violent.

Ken is making progress with his search; he's finding out who might have been in charge of what happened to him, and where to find him. But, at the same time as he discovers the doctor's possible location—so do the ghoul hunters.

There's three teams here. Ken's group, who are helping Ken and trying to find out what happened to Rize and why this happened to him. There are the other ghouls, who contain Naki and Shachi, who are pretty much after Ken, it seems. It also seems they're trying to beat Ken to his goal, though I'm unsure whether they're working with the other bad ghouls or not. Then there are the ghoul hunters—Amon and Mado, and the insane Juzo. I actually rather like Amon and Shinohara, and am intrigued by Mado. I think that Ken could work with them, if possible. 

A lot of fighting happens between these three--a lot of brutality and blood and awfulness.

Near the end of the volume, we finally get to see the fourth group, who are possibly part of Aogiri's team. It's hard to tell who's part of what at this point—because so many different people only know pieces. Ken even gets an interesting clue here, and I'm very intrigued. Then there was that surprising cliffhanger.

This is such an interesting series. I will be reading the next one very soon.

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 9, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2016

Volumes: 14.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh.

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

Six months after their Aogiri Tree Operation, the CCG continues their investigation of the Gourmet and the Binge Eater. Meanwhile, Kaneki and his colleagues search for Rize’s true identity brings them face-to-face with the mysterious Madame A.

Review:

For much of this volume, we get to see the ghoul hunters. They're dealing with the aftermath of the big fight; Juzo gets his new ghoul-made weapon, which he loves. Amon gets a new partner, and she's Mado's daughter, and she's very not-caring of the hierarchy. Nagachika also shows up, in a surprising way.

In the latter half, we finally get to see what Kaneki has been up to. He's on the hunt for information, to find out what is going on and why he was turned like this. What's going on with Rize, and why are there more ghouls like him? He's finding clues, and he's taking out the bad ghouls along his way. He's still wanting to do good things, and still wanting to help out the humans, but he's got bigger problems that he's focusing on right now. I like the way this is presented, too, going back and forth in time.

We're getting close to the end of this series. I'm intrigued to see where it goes from here.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 8, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2016

Volumes: 14.

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way-except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

The newly awakened Kaneki unleashes his monstrous strength to protect his friend Touka and finds himself irrevocably changed. Kaneki sets out on his own, determined to find out the truth behind what's happening to him--and what the Aogiri Tree organization actually is.

Review:

Touka and Ayato's childhood is shown for the first time. We see what happened to their mother and father, how they ended up on their own, what kind of parenting they experienced. How they kind of stuck together when they could, and yet how they separated on such bad terms. Throughout this, we see Ayato beating Touka horribly in the present.

Ugh, it's awful to watch.

We actually see less of Kaneki for most of this volume, until he steps in and fights Ayato. And Kaneki is badass now. That torture has changed him completely, and it's rather fascinating. He separates from everyone at the end of the volume, and I'm interested to see where he's planning to go next. It's a sad parting with Touka, though.

This series is really hard to take at times, it is so violent; and yet I just can't stop.

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 7, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2016

Volumes: 14.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way-except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

Kaneki is captured and then tortured by Yamori, one of Aogiri Tree organization's most sadistic members. To survive the interrogation, Kaneki will have to finally surrender to the Ghoul inside him, but if he does, it will change him permanently and push him even further away from being human.

Review:

It had been so long since I'd read the last volume, that I forgot what was happening in the series. And then I started the volume and immediately remembered.

God, this series is horrifying.

Kaneki is still held captive, and he's being tortured horribly, endlessly, by Yamori. None of the group back home has any idea what has happened to him, but they know where he is, and have decided to go on a mission to save him.

The things that Kaneki goes through in this volume... And the ways his mind twists and breaks and how he comes out... It's horrifying and so harshly done. It's uneasy to watch, all of it.

Meanwhile, Juzo is running around killing people and ghouls and having a fun time of it. Juzo is a terrifying character all on his own.

This series is so very graphic and violent and awful. I'd forgotten how bad it was, and it's really only getting worse the further it goes. I'm really intrigued to read the next one and get caught up with it. I can't wait to see how this changes Kaneki in the long run.

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Volume 6, by Sui Ishida

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 19, 2016

Volumes: 14.

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ghouls live among us, the same as normal people in every way—except their craving for human flesh. Ken Kaneki is an ordinary college student until a violent encounter turns him into the first half-human half-ghoul hybrid. Trapped between two worlds, he must survive Ghoul turf wars, learn more about Ghoul society and master his new powers.

Things heat up in the Ward Eleven as the CCG investigates the high rate of Investigator deaths. Kaneki has an explosive run-in with Aogiri Tree, the Ghoul Gang, run by a Ghoul known only as the Sekigan King.

Review:

Firstly, I appreciate that this volume has a character and previously-on page, and I must say that it’s organized very clearly. I like it, and now it’s easier to find out what everyone’s names are.

Trouble first starts in this volume when a guy, Banjo, shows up looking for Rize. It gets worse when Touka’s brother shows up, looking for Rize and the guy who smells like her—a.k.a. Kaneki. There’s a fight, and then Kaneki is kidnapped, along with the surprisingly nice guy who first showed up.

Apparently there’s been a ghoul takeover, a ghoul organization looking to control the other ghouls, and they’re invading certain wards. They’re interested in Kaneki, and when they find out he’s one-eyed, some new people get even more interested. We also get to hear about another one-eyed ghoul we might meet at some point.

It’s bad and messy and bloody. Kaneki is put in a bad position, not sure who to trust, not sure how to get out of the position he’s in. Then, just as Kaneki and Touka are starting to form a shaky possible friendship, they’re separated, not knowing if the other is even alive. Banjo, though, is a great character. I kind of love him—he’s a sweetheart who feels responsible and just wants to take care of his other ghouls.

I’m just getting more and more attached to this series with every volume. It’s getting higher and higher on my list.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!