I prefer ships that can stand as friends and ships without weird dynamics in play, thank you very much. I loathe that that paired with the fast pacing of Season 2 not only kills the investigators’ chemistry, but it renders Akira a passive-aggressive woman (which at least makes some sense) who doesn’t want to be treated as a replacement for Koutarou’s deceased love, his ‘Doujima girl’ (which comes out of nowhere). Akira has a cool design and personality, but because so much of Tokyo Ghoul: Root A (Season 2) is devoted to her coping with Kureo’s death by giving Koutarou a hard time, the ‘romance’ that blossoms between them feels lifeless. The main point I wish to make about Akira Mado is the fact that her growth and overall story are often overshadowed by her father’s legacy, which is a darn shame. Or perhaps, it was meant to contrast and highlight recurring antagonist/deuteragonist Koutarou’s by-the-book morality. Regardless, for a show that boasts so many layers, the way in which Kureo Mado was handled seemed like a misstep. Was this Ishida’s plan all along? To show how tenuous the ties that bind all of us really are? And yet, that single moment of cruelty was enough for me to lose any sympathy I had mustered for him. In hindsight, Kureo is said to have been a good father to his daughter Akira and we, as an audience, get to see his sincere mentorship of Koutarou for ourselves. Instead, we get the man’s maniacal laughter as he attempts to kill Hinami with her own parents’ kagune. Yes, his instability comes from the loss of his wife, but you’d think that a man with a daughter would show a glimmer of something other than hate, even for a moment, for the young ghoul Hinami whom he and Koutarou are sent to hunt down. With that said, First Class Ghoul Investigator Kureo Mado, a major human character from the first season alongside his apprentice and partner Koutarou Amon, was way too unsympathetic.Īs is often the case with Tokyo Ghoul, there is more to the man than meets the eye, but it doesn’t help that the shorthand being used for his instability is right in front of our eyes. There are tragic backstories abound among heroes and villains alike, most of them grounded in anti-ghoul violence. Now, Tokyo Ghoul may dabble in black and white from time to time, but it mostly deals with moral grays. When you want your anime to be taken seriously, as in, you have a complex and heavy story you wish to tell, select tropes must be used with care. I have the same exact problem with most of the cast in the dark fantasy anime Akame ga Kill! as I do with these three characters. So, what exactly did Studio Pierrot’s anime adaptation do wrong ? Not to mention ghouls having organ-weapons called ‘kagune’ is just a cool idea in general. With that said, perhaps we’re meant to read Tokyo Ghoul as Ishida’s twist on zombies.īut instead of equating his ‘zombies’ to traditional fears associated with consumerism and environmentalism, Ishida tackles a different kind of consuming and changing world altogether. To make up for their otherwise unassuming looks, the ghouls were given a horrifying dependence on human flesh. This idea of enemies or ‘monsters’ hiding in plain sight for the sake of turning people against each other is something all too relevant in today’s political climate. Yes, the ‘monsters’ of Tokyo Ghoul look human, but Ishida likely made this decision so as to create a sense of ‘otherness,’ of paranoia in the world he’d built. While fanservice and pretty designs have their time and place, this writer can’t tell you how many times she’s been disappointed by ‘aliens’ and/or fantasy races that turn out to be nothing but cute, humanoid girls. The stakes always feel high, and the worldbuilding truly brings the ghouls to life in a way that doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of society. What made Tokyo Ghoul so interesting is the constant, grounded tension between humans and ghouls. The story deals with themes of identity, trauma, and thinly veiled race issues without being too edgy… for the most part. I was first introduced to the anime adaptation of the manga during an Anime Club horror night, and while I wouldn’t consider it a true work of horror, Tokyo Ghoul is harrowing. To this day, Sui Ishida’s dark fantasy manga Tokyo Ghoul (2011-2018) remains the kind of story I wish I’d come up with.
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