Trigger Warnings: Abuse, Gore, Violence, Suicide
About the Author: Ishida Sui is the secretive and incredibly popular author of the flagship series Tokyo Ghoul. With the inclusion of the sequel, Tokyo Ghoul:re, the series has over 34 million copies in print collected into thirty volumes in total. As of July 5th, 2018 the Tokyo Ghoul:re series concluded in Japan and end capped the series as a whole. Ishida-sensei is now taking a well deserved break but will be back to make end card illustrations for the second season of the Tokyo Ghoul:re anime adaptation.
“I pray I’m not dreaming. Is this real?“
A direct follow-up sequel to Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul:re begins anew as it follows the story of CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul) Senior Investigator Haise Sasaki and his squadron of underlings referred to as Qs investigators who have had a surgical operation to enhance their physical abilities to the strength level of ghouls. Haise follows cases of murderous ghouls while trying to lead a happy life and maintain order amongst his subordinates. Among his team is the headstrong and thought-filled Urie Kuki who only thinks of surpassing his old schoolmate in terms of success. There is also the vice-captain Ginshi Shirazu, a delinquent-looking investigator with a lot to learn but with a good heart as he underwent the surgery to pay for his little sister’s medical bills. In addition to Urie and Shirazu, there is Tooru Mutsuki, whose parents were murdered by ghouls and he was taken in by the CCG after the incident and raised up to become an investigator. Lastly, the shut-in of the group, Saiko Yonebayashi, a gamer otaku who stays holed up in her room, playing games and surfing the net while she sleeps in and eats junk food. The beginnings of Tokyo Ghoul:re are humble and simple but gradually slip into a more serious and all-encompassing conflict as Sasaki attempts to find out who he truly is and help his subordinates succeed in their line of work.
If anything, there is infinitely more than meets the eye with this fantastic follow-up series. The themes range from morality, a non-black and white conflict, abuse, mystery, murder, existentialism, literature, and many, many more.
Rating: 5/5 stars
PRR Writer, Chris Winters