TOKYO GHOUL ONE SHOT by Urizen

  

 I have had ideas for a while of things I have wanted to talk about other than just movies. I’ve dabbled a little in anime reviews and plan more of those. As soon as TV shows I watch start back up then probably will touch on them. I would do new games if I could afford them, but maybe will try to work on something gaming wise eventually.  Well one thing I thought of is this: talking about different manga. Kind of review, kind of discussion, book club type thing. It would be neat to explore some chapters of a manga and get into thoughts on it. Just me rambling of sorts. Sometimes doing ones I have dealt with previously where I can talk about foreshadowing and different moments that occur in the series. Maybe even various feelings on where the stories go versus where I wish they would have. Then I also might do some that I have never read, saying my initial thoughts and where I hope things go from there.

   Having decided to do this, I figured the best way to start is with one I do know, and know quite well at that. One that I have read, watched the anime for and am a huge fan of, but haven’t read in quite a long time. That manga is Tokyo Ghoul.

   Tokyo ghoul was written and illustrated by Sui Ishida for Weekly Young Jump. The original series ran from September of 2011 until September of 2014. Following that in October, we got the sequel Tokyo Ghoul RE. RE continued on until 2018 when the series was officially brought to an end. Having spanned 30 volumes, numerous light novels, games, an anime series and now two live actions movies, it goes without saying that Tokyo Ghoul was a major success. At least the manga was. The Tokyo Ghoul anime suffered greatly from a low budget, changes in the story, and cutting a lot of content to fit into its twelve episode seasons. It is truly a shame that the anime had such issues, but it is part of why I have decided not to review it, and instead touch on the anime. My original plan was to do maybe 10 chapters or so at a time, but I decided to get started, maybe I should go with what started it all. So let’s dive right in to the Tokyo Ghoul One Shot manga.

   Now before I do get started with it, let me explain. A One Shot is basically the original pilot for the manga. It will get published and depending on popularity and feedback, it decides if the manga gets picked up for a full series. Quite often, as is definitely the case with Tokyo Ghoul, the final product might actually end up being completely different from the final serialized product, leading to an interesting read. Now that that is explained, let’s really begin.

   The chapter begins by showing us a news story, explaining a little as to what ghouls are. We are told how ghouls have the same appearance as humans, yet the only way to satisfy a ghoul's hunger is for them to eat human flesh, which stays true to the classic explanation of ghouls. This is still something I like from the series. It is nice to have a world where the “monsters” are well known. It isn’t a case where you have people confused as to what is happening. It is more like “oh, another ghoul attack. That’s a bit scary. Hope I’m not late for work.” It makes for an interesting world.

   We are then told how a ghoul only needs to feed on one corpse a month, but the one that is killing now has killed 8, meaning it is either young or obese. It is kind of cool to see the evolution of what becomes Rize in here. There is no character for her in this version of the manga, but having that binge eater character there is cool.

   We then pull back to see that we are inside a café. An old man, the manager, says how no one can trust anyone. This is obviously Yoshimura. He doesn’t get a name in this, and looks mostly the same, but for the most part doesn’t have a role in this.  From there we see our protagonist, 19 year old coffee shop employee, Ken Kaneki. It is revealed that he is in fact a ghoul. This whole moment is interesting. For one, while Ishida's artwork isn’t bad, it has improved so much over the years. Kaneki for one looks almost nothing like the character he ends up as at the beginning of Tokyo Ghoul. It really only comes down to having black hair. He looks more like a side villain in another manga which makes me wonder what Ishida’s original plans were for the series. I can’t help but wonder if he wanted to tell the story of a villain. Plus, Kaneki is a full ghoul in this which is a humongous change. In Tokyo Ghoul, Kaneki is a human that gets brought into the world of ghouls by getting forcefully changed into a half ghoul. Having him be a full ghoul would really change the story a lot. Again, makes me wonder what the original idea was for the story.

   Also during this time we see Shinohara. In the manga and anime, he was a tough investigator, but still very kind. This one looks a bit more psychotic, and he seems to be a bit more like Kureo Mado. It is weird to see him in such a way. He is talking with another investigator at the café saying how he was sure that the “8 People Killer" is a young male, because the victims have all been females.

   We then get to see Touka, who honestly looks very much the same. The big difference being that instead of being this tougher, more blunt character, she is very innocent and timid. It is a weird take on her. Touka comments how these investigators are in there quite often, causing Kaneki to say it is because he is a ghoul.  She takes it as him joking though and says that it isn’t funny as she had a traumatic experience the other day where two guys tried to get her and her friend to follow them, then it was revealed that they were ghouls. Kaneki meanwhile thinks how it is because young girls are soft and delicious.

   The manager then offers the two employees lunch, with Touka saying how she’s dieting. Kaneki meanwhile eats a sandwich, thinking how terrible it tastes, as ghouls can’t eat normal human food. To them it tastes absolutely disgusting, making them want to vomit. The scene really gives me Tsukiyama vibes as well since he says how it is the worst harmony as he vomits in the bathroom, passing Shinohara on his way out. The manager then gives Kaneki a cup of coffee, which is the only food ghouls can consume, with Kaneki thinking how the only time he can calm down is when drinking it.

   From here we see Kaneki back home in his room, and man he is ripped. At his strongest, Kaneki in the manga didn’t have abs like this one does. It is a bit unnecessary really. He is eating an arm and we see various jars of eyes and a head in the room. He says how this 8 People Killer is stupid for not being more careful with its meals. 

The next day, Kaneki is at a coffee shop drinking and lost in thought when he runs into Shinohara. Shinohara asks to join him and the two talk about how Shinohara uses the cafes to observe people and find ghouls. He then says how he watches to see if people are making faces while eating or running to the bathroom to vomit immediately after eating, showing his suspicion towards Kaneki. He tells Kaneki how he used to be a normal investigator until his daughter was killed and eaten by one. Kaneki seems very upset at the idea of a child being killed and Shinohara starts to let his anger show more, saying how all ghouls should be destroyed.  This fits even more with Mado rather than Shinohara.

   Investigator Shinohara then insists on ordering Kaneki food and won't take no for an answer. He is clearly keeping his eye on Kaneki who is doing his best to force himself to eat the food, eventually vomiting though. Shinohara apologizes saying that he guesses he forced himself. Kaneki then sets out that night to kill Shinohara. He tails him for a while, with Touka at one point seeing.  

   What’s interesting here is, we aren’t specifically told ghouls all wear masks as they do in the final story, but we do see Kaneki with one on to hide his appearance. Unlike his normal eye patch mask, this is a full mask that is more of a combination of Noro's with a clown vibe. Considering the role the clowns play in the series, especially when it comes to Kaneki becoming a half ghoul, the idea that Ishida had something clown related in here from the beginning is pretty neat.

   Finally getting the chance to attack, Kaneki leaps at Shinohara, only to have his attack blocked.  Instantly Shinohara knows it’s Kaneki and the fight begins. Shinohara is completely ruthless in this fight, showing more of the character that eventually turns into Mado. He enjoys seeing Kaneki suffer in pain as he is being beaten. Kaneki comments how he doesn’t like taking lives to eat and survive. He wants to live just like humans do.

   This is also an interesting thing. Touka and Kaneki seem to have switched roles in this. Touka killed to survive, but ultimately she wanted to go to school, she wanted to be able to eat cake, she hated what she was. In this, that character is one hundred percent Kaneki. Meanwhile Touka in this is more timid and nervous, but can be a bit tougher, showing a bit more of the black haired Kaneki, mixed with a bit of her normal self.

   Speaking of Touka, she shows up and tells Shinohara to leave Kaneki alone. Kaneki takes the opportunity to hold Touka in front of him as a shield, making me wonder if anyone is worth rooting for in this. Shinohara claims that sacrifices have to be made, and charges forward to attack anyway, only to have his punch blocked by Touka. Touka hits him then flips him off, revealing she is not only a ghoul but the 8 People Killer. Shinohara and her fight a bit before Kaneki thrusts his hand through Shinohara's heart saying that he takes his life with the utmost respect. Then Kaneki tells him it would be nice if Shinohara could see his daughter again.  It kind of shows that Kaneki isn't a bad guy necessarily, just doing everything possible to survive.  Unfortunately, with his actions in this,  it makes it hard to root for him still.

   Back at the coffee shop, the manager tells the two he is going to go clean the pantry. Touka and Kaneki talk about how she killed that many people because she couldn't control her hunger.  Kaneki is willing to teach her, further cementing the switch in roles in this hunger. The two practice eating sandwiches while we jump to the back of the café, seeing the manager. He comments that Touka and Kaneki should handle their meals more deliciously as he bites into a body, confirming he too is a ghoul and knows the others are.

   That is the Tokyo Ghoul original one shot manga.  There is a bit to unpack here other than what I have already tackled. I can't help but wonder,  how did Yoshimura know that Kaneki and Touka were ghouls? I’m assuming it was because they just did a terrible job hiding it, but how did it come to be that all three of them were working at the same coffee shop for who knows how long, and neither of them knew other ghouls were there? It just seems very unlikely.

   We also see that the fight between the duo and Shinohara is all hand to hand combat.  This means that kagune and quinque aren't a thing in this. That also would lead me to assume RC cells aren't either.  Given those have a lot to do with the story, I wonder if they were going to go with a more supernatural element to them.  Without all of that though,  things would have gotten a bit stale pretty quickly. The uniqueness of the kagune and kakuja really adds to the story and art. It makes the fight scenes even better and allows for some crazy stuff.

   Do I dislike the one shot? No. In fact I find it pretty interesting and entertaining. Though I can't help but think a lot of that is due to the existence of the serialized series and my ability to look back and compare the two. To get the chance to see how things could have possibly ended up had it continued down this path. 

   Part of what makes Tokyo Ghoul great is the story of Kaneki. It is a tragic tale of an innocent student who just wanted a date, but ultimately gets thrust into the world of ghouls by being forcefully turned into one.  It has Kaneki’s struggle between his ghoul half and his humanity.  It has him having to deal with the fact that he is a selfish person, and his actions have consequences. He deals with a lot on his journey, and while he is flawed,  those flaws are what make him relatable and likeable.  While only one chapter, this Kaneki comes off as a creepy jerk.  We are supposed to feel bad for him,  but it is hard to. While it is interesting to see how Shinohara ultimately was split into the Shinohara we love and Kureo Mado, and Touka splitting into herself, Kaneki, and a small bit of Rize.

Ultimately,  I think it is safe to say that unless some major twists were to occur,  I don't think the series would have been anywhere near as successful with the Kaneki we got in this story. It ends up being a case of wondering who to even root for in a story full of seemingly terrible people. I’m thankful for this one shot though, because ultimately it is what led to the creation of the story we know and love in Tokyo Ghoul and the divisive Tokyo Ghoul RE.