Shelf Life

The Ghoul, the Bad, and the Ugly

Kaneki Ken can't catch a break. He finally seems to form a connection with a cute, book-loving young woman, and she turns out to be a serial-killing cannibal monster who's just fishing for his flesh. Lured into a back alley like a dope, it looks like Kaneki's a goner – until a sudden accident kills her mid-attack! Still, he's critically injured, so the doctors implant her organs into his body in a desperate attempt to save him. It works… but he comes back wrong. Normal food is now disgusting and he's tantalized by human flesh. Gradually, Kaneki realizes that he's been transformed into one of those creatures from the news – a Ghoul. Identical to humans in appearance, Ghouls have integrated themselves into society in order to feed. He'd always thought of them as a freakish other, but now as a human-turned-Ghoul, Kaneki is about to get an exhaustive education on the differences between the two species.

Not every piece of entertainment has something to say. Sometimes I can only talk about the formal aspects of a show's narrative (the pacing, plotting, dialogue, etc.) because it's not trying to do anything thematically. Not everything wants to convey some artistic truth about the world, and that's fine – there's absolutely nothing wrong with just plain entertainment. But Tokyo Ghoul is not one of these shows. I bring this up because it makes Tokyo Ghoul complicated to talk about. It's a show with complicated flaws in its formal narrative (breakneck pacing, a non-conclusive ending) and the thematic one. Still, I consider it a successful show on both fronts.

First, some background information. Based on a hit manga, Tokyo Ghoul was adapted into an anime in 2014. This series covers roughly the first sixty chapters of the manga, when Kaneki is first learning to live as a Ghoul. That's a ton of ground to cover in 12 episodes, and the show doesn't excise all that much. Instead, it has breakneck pacing, covering volumes in about two episodes each. This seems like it shouldn't work, but fortunately, the direction is fantastic, and Tokyo Ghoul manages to convey most of its storytelling without too much trouble. This material covers Kaneki's acceptance into a group of pacifist Ghouls, his run-ins with less savory members of the species, and eventually government-sponsored Ghoul hunters. Besides Kaneki, major characters include Touka, Hinami, Tsukiyama, Amon, and Mado. Touka is the female lead, a Ghoul who struggles to integrate into human society. She's tasked with teaching Kaneki how to survive in his new body. Hinami is an innocent young Ghoul whose experiences show Kaneki the extent to which people are put down by human society. Tsukiyama is a Ghoul whose experiences with oppression turned him into the monster that human society believed him to be. Amon is the second protagonist, a Ghoul hunter, and Kaneki's human foil. He wants to protect people, but struggles with the sadistic nature of his job. Mado is a Ghoul hunter who embraced that sadism. Keep in mind that Tokyo Ghoul has a cast of dozens and that these are only a fraction of the most popular characters. Others include Rize, Hide, Yoshimura, Nishiki, Irimi, Koma, Yomo, Uta, Ayato, Yamori, Juuzou, Takezawa, etc. etc. All of these characters have stories to tell. It's pretty much impossible to cover all of this in 12 episodes (or 24, as we'll see later) but the attempt has the strange effect of making (almost) everyone at least somewhat sympathetic. The morality becomes as thoroughly grey as I've ever seen in mainstream anime. Ultimately, there's nobody to root for, and that has the effect of portraying cyclical hate along identity lines as enormous, smothering problems with no easy solutions. “Superpowered people as oppressed minorities” has been done before, but Tokyo Ghoul stands out as an exceptionally evocative example of the genre.

At the same time, this is a narrative torn between two aspects of itself. The first is a story about oppression and isolation that's absolutely dripping with the pathos of human suffering. The second is a high camp gorefest populated with sexy, murderous clowns. Characters can be positioned on a gradient between the two extremes. Himari, for example, is all pathos, while Tsukiyama is entirely camp. Mado is a blend of the two approaches. While some viewers can appreciate a balance, I'm mostly a fan of Tokyo Ghoul when it's making me feel, not laugh. My problem with wacky Tokyo Ghoul is that it tends to dehumanize characters in a show that's otherwise all about humanizing monsters. Shuu, for example, never grows into more than a camp gay stereotype for the sake of tired comedy. This is a disappointing thematic oversight in a show that's otherwise all about empathizing with the oppressed and demonized. These strengths and weaknesses are both magnified in the second season, but it's already a rocky experience.

I believe that Tokyo Ghoul most succeeds as a story about a young man spiraling into despair in a way reminiscent of – and perhaps with the same expressive strength as – that seasoned classic Neon Genesis Evangelion. Like that show, Tokyo Ghoul succeeds less as an argument for an artistic worldview and more as an articulation of a type of adolescent ennui. Kaneki comes to see the world as a cruel and unfair place and changes himself as a response. Each viewer will have a different stance on the ultimate validity of how Kaneki (and thus Tokyo Ghoul) perceives humanity. Some people will relate, and thus value the show highly, while others will be left cold. Personally, I understand the emotions on display and find value in their expression while also not agreeing with them as truths about the world. Like Evangelion, this is a story about a depressed person getting worse, and a part of depression is a skewed vision of the world. Either way, I don't think that anyone can deny the mastery with which this story culminates. What'd otherwise been a slick if conventional action show with good character beats suddenly turns into a surreal, direct interrogation of Kaneki's pathology as he sits locked in a room for an entire episode. This is, of course, a direct Evangelion riff, but it contains all of that ending's power alongside some striking artistry. Story-wise there's absolutely no closure, but at least the second season is already out. For fans of artistic and thematic ambition in anime, this conclusion may justify the entire show.

Besides all that, it's good, creative action horror. Who knew that combining the tragic romance inherent to vampires with a zombie's carnal nastiness would result in the next big beastie? The most unique aspect of Ghouls is their kagune, deadly battle organs that extend from their torsos for combat. Generally looking like multicolored tentacles, kagune can take on a multitude of forms, from blades to wings to tails. This variety results in exciting mix-and-match combat scenarios. The sound design in particular is excellent – you're treated to every crunch of bone and gnaw on mangled flesh. It's disgusting in the best way. Visually, Tokyo Ghoul mostly stands out due to its fantastic direction. Director Shuhei Morita, who also storyboarded every episode, is a rising star. It did a lot to compensate for the often slipshod animation. Note that this is also the uncensored version of the show, so you can finally see that close-up on a dude's leg twisting 360° in its natural glory.

There's a lot to like about Funimation's dub, but also some issues. Liberal scripting messes up the tone sometimes. While I'd buy Mado making a “wascally wabbit” reference, his confrontation with Touka – a tense, climactic moment that has longstanding consequences for the rest of the show – wasn't the best time for it. Generally it's entertaining when the scene calls for lightheartedness but distracting when it's a serious, straightforward conversation. The performances are strong overall. The standout one comes from Austin Tindle as Kaneki. He's an inspired choice, both distinct from the average anime protagonist and a different type than the Japanese voice. While male voices in Japanese can be quite high (many male anime characters are even voiced by women) you can't do the same in English. Coming off of the original, Tindle's voice is surprisingly deep and guttural. It sounds like Kaneki is half-whimpering most of his lines, which fits great with the show's visceral, squicky nastiness. Most importantly, it ties together the two versions of Kaneki's character – the reticent wallflower we see throughout this season and his… uh… transformation in season two. Other standouts include Monica Rial as Rize and Christopher Sabat as Yamori. Their performances feature heavily in the conclusion and contribute greatly to the maddening atmosphere. Overall it's a good, entertaining dub with a bad habit of deviating from the original tone for the sake of camp. I wish that this were less common than it is.

After some 1500 words, it's fair to say that I'm a fan of Tokyo Ghoul. While my opinions on its quality are complicated, my enthusiasm isn't. If you're into horror, action, or weird little attempts at art in a mainstream product, check this out. But don't blame me if you find yourself developing some mysterious cravings…
-Gabriella[TOP]