Top 5 Things Tokyo Ghoul √A got Right

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!  Thursday is here and, as promised, I’m here to talk more about the Tokyo Ghoul franchise.  Well, actually, I’ll be talking about a part of the franchise, and thankfully it isn’t Tokyo Ghoul re:.  I mentioned towards the end of my review on re:  that it surprised me that Tokyo Ghoul √A gets a bad rep for being one of the worst anime sequels.  Admittedly, I gave a pretty positive review of the show when I reviewed it two years ago.  There was some good entertainment to be had  as well as the continuation of a great concept in the series despite the plot holes and decisions made by the characters that made no sense.  And in all honesty, even now, there are still some things that I genuinely loved about this reputably awful second season… which leads me into this week’s topic.  If you all remember my “Top 5 Things Wrong with Akira” post back in January, I took an amazing anime film, picked it apart, and discussed elements of the film that I thought were bad or could have been better.  This post will be similar but reversed; I’ll be looking at a reputably bad anime series and talk about things from the show that I thought were good or some of my favorite moments.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s Talkative Thursday as I talk about the actual good or personal favorite moments from Tokyo Ghoul √A.

5. The End Credits

This may be a weird moment to start on, but I find it kind of disappointing that people don’t talk about the ending credit sequence Tokyo Ghoul √A.  While I can agree the opening title sequence was lousy and flat out confusing, the ending was actually kind of nice.  The sequence itself is nothing too spectacular; it’s just a series of watercolor illustrations of the characters or some subplot or backstory related to each episode.  What is unique is that each sequence in each episode is different in what illustrations and stories are shown, with the last episode’s sequence being a compilation of all the sequences from the entire season.  Overall, you have a series of illustrations related to the show presented against some neutral J-Pop song that doesn’t disrupt the overall dark tone of the show.  Despite its simplicity, it’s actually kind of cool and is one of my favorite ending credit sequences in anime.  Plus, compared to the ending credits from season one, it’s actually very similar.   And also compared to the end credits in re:, it’s something that actually fits the franchise perfectly.  Like I said, it’s kind of disappointing to me because this was actually a nice end credits sequence and it definitely deserves more attention.  It was overall a nice way to end each episode.

4. Kaneki

As I stated before in my review on re:, Kaneki is always the best part of the Tokyo Ghoul franchise.  No matter what he does or who’s side he’s on, Kaneki is always at the center.  And in √A, where he decides to play the dark and brooding anime rip off of Batman, it’s no different.  Though speaking of dark and brooding, I completely understand when fans say they wished they would have liked to have seen some semblance of a personality from Kaneki, or at least had him talk more.  But hear me out for a second and think about what this change in character could possibly mean.  One of the reasons why I think Kaneki is such a great character is that he brings up a lot of great questions on humanity and whether or not ghouls are the real monsters.  Here, we see what happens when Kaneki decides to fully embrace his ghoulish nature without any restraints.  And as a result, we see what happens when he goes completely unhinged.  In other words, or as I like to crassly put it, we watch what happens when Kaneki quickly grows a pair of  ten-pound cojones.  This theme of going too far is beautifully shown and I love how they portray it through Kaneki’s struggle of maintaining his humanity.  So, in a way, Kaneki’s complete personality change could arguably be a way to show that there needs to be a balance in maintaining one’s inner demons.  And I love every minute of it.  So even when he’s trying to be the poor man’s Batman, Kaneki is still one character you can’t hate. 

3. Eto’s Entrance

Eto may not be the best villain in anime, and maybe not even one of the most memorable, but good Lord, did she have one of the most terrifying and epic entrances a villain could hope to have!  She flies in in a literal ball of fire and goes to town killing CCG agents left and right!  Not only that, but that transformation she takes on is one of the freakiest things I’ve ever seen. She’s by far one of my favorite monsters because of her appearance.  If you took one of the mass-produced Evas from The End of Evangelion and glued an eyeball to its forehead, you’d get Eto.  Granted, her entrance towards the end of episode ten dies out in the next episode, but even by the end of that episode, she still makes use of her screen time; we not only get the full grasp of her role as leader of Aogiri Tree -seeing that we only see her most of the time in her pink-robed mummy rabbit look-, but we also get the shock of our lives when we learn that she’s the actual One-Eyed Owl the CCG has been after.  Plus, we also get the reveal later that she’s the author Sen Takatsuki as well as Yoshimura’s daughter that he referred to earlier in the season.  It’s a game changing moment to say the least and it’s one moment that’s worth watching over and over again.  Come for the epic entrance and stay for the creepy monster!

2. Hide’s Death

Yeah, y’all saw this one coming.  It’s one of the season’s most memorable moments and also one of the saddest.  After being rescued and taken back to Anteiku, Kaneki walks out of the burning coffee shop with his dying childhood Hide in his arms.  And all the while, an acoustic version of Unravel -the opening title sequence from season one- plays in the background.  If you weren’t crying or on the brink of tears while watching Kaneki walk down the street with his Hide’s corpse in his arms, then you quite frankly have no heart.  This was definitely a powerful scene watching one of the show’s most upbeat characters- not to mention one of the few glimpses of light in Kaneki’s life- die and pretty much have their body carried around.  It’s also one of those moments that pretty much solidifies the overall dark and bleak tone of the series.  Granted, the scene before with both Hide and Kaneki reminiscing in Anteiku is a little dull, but the entire mood changes when you see Hide drop to the floor in a pool of blood.  And it all leads up to the inevitable conclusion, ending the season on a calm and gloomy end.  It overall wasn’t that bad a scene, so it’s kind of a shame that it doesn’t get talked about more.  I mean, if nothing else, it should have at least been talked about as one of the saddest moments in anime!  This was without a doubt a heartbreaking conclusion to √A, and it’s one scene you’ll definitely use some tissues on.

And before I get to my number one pick, here were two honorable mentions:

·         The CCG/Anteiku War; an explosive battle between the CCG and some of the most feared ghouls that you never knew lived in Anteiku, this arc lasts till the very end and was one of the most brutal battles put in anime. 

·         The overall dark theme and tone; much like season one, √A carries an overall dark tone that the Tokyo Ghoul franchise is known for.

1.Kaneki’s Kakuja

This may sound a bit broad in that we see it quite a few times in √A, but these moments are fantastic for a number of reasons.  Remember what I said earlier that one of the running themes for √A was knowing when you’ve reached your limits?  Kaneki’s kakuja exemplifies that moment beautifully.  Kaneki pretty much throws his humanity to the wind in his attempt to protect those closest to him.  And as a result, from episode 5 and onward, we watch Kaneki struggle to keep his kakuja form at bay.  In fact, it’s almost very similar to the struggle he faced in keeping Rise’s soul at bay in season one.  And if the meaning behind Kaneki’s struggle in not unleashing his kakuja weren’t enough to convince you how cool it is, then the animation probably will.  It’s creepy and fascinating all at the same time.  And going back to his kakuja’s first appearance in episode five, the fight between Kaneki in full kakuja versus Shinohara is by far my favorite moment from season two, if not the entire franchise.  What gets me every time is when Kaneki goes down only to come back up regenerating his kagune all while recalling his torture by Yamori out loud.  It’s a moment that always puts me at the edge of my seat!  It just oozes suspense and terror as you’re not really sure what Kaneki will do.  From creating suspense to showing us what one person can go to to keep others safe, this scene-and all of Kaneki’s kakuja moments, period-are flawless.  Like I said, it’s one of my favorite moments from season two, and my number one pick for the one thing Tokyo Ghoul √A got right!

So what do you think?  What was your favorite moment from Tokyo Ghoul √A, if you actually watched the show?  Was there something I missed?  Let me know what you think!  And if you thought this was a cool segment, fear not!  I’ll be doing more of these in the near future…particularly in an event that’s (not) coming in September.  In the meantime, stay tuned for Sunday as I reveal my pick for Character of the Month!

-Hanime on Anime