Tokyo ghoul is a masterpiece even with its flaws and short comings. It is a dark and gruesome world, where the light can still be found, but it is fleeting. For in a world that is wrong can you really do anything to change it.
Story=10
I am not going to bother with a synopsis since that is available already and I will try avoid as many spoilers as possible but i do have to spoil some events so i can talk about them just giving a fair warning. The story of Tokyo ghoul can be a little misleading at first, but I mainly blame this on bad or inaccurate advertising. I am mainly referring to the fact that Tokyo Ghoul falls under the horror genre, but I wouldn't consider it scary what so ever to be completely honest. The horror is of a more disturbing and or gruesome nature. With that out of the way I can get to actually discussing the story. The story starts off particularly well in my opinion. It establishes a interesting and dark world with many interesting characters. It is also interesting to see Kaneki start to adapt to his new life style and deal with the monster he has now become. If it does have a low point it is probably the area around chapter 30-60. These chapters are still interesting, but there isn't really much of a story going on and it is really just there to build up into what is coming next and is also used to introduce characters and in passing mention important plot points for later on in the story.
Now this is where I get into some spoilers so skip ahead to characters if you don't want any spoilers what so ever. Now where the story really picks up and becomes a amazing example of writing is the introduction of Jason. With Jason's introduction the story takes a even darker turn. This leads into Kaneki's torture scene which changes are main character into a much darker MC. It is hard for me to give this scene justice by writing about it, but i could easily use it as one of my favorite parts of a manga ever. What follows afterwards is a amazing story of Kaneki going on an insane trip of murder and relentless investigation into the mysterious Aogiri Tree as he deals his own interpretation of justice and attempts to fix the world he sees as being wrong. This is also filled with numerous unseen and spectacular plot twists that keep you on your toes and always guessing.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This is going to be a super spoiler so seriously don't read this if you haven't finished the manga i will be discussing my opinion on the last chapter.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and so with the last chapter we the readers are left with many many questions unanswered. These questions could always go unanswered it really depends on the if the author wants to write a sequel or not. He is easily could if he wanted to, but at the same time the ending is so well fitting to the world he created in Tokyo Ghoul. As he said the world is wrong and it shouldn't be surprising that the ending it self is wrong and isn't even a true ending. The world keeps going and that's just the way it is. We may never know why Uta did what he did, what Aogiri tree's ultimate goal is, or if Kaneki who we have spent so much time seeing grow is really died. This was a bold and unexpected choice and I think in the end it might have been the best one, but I would be just as happy and not surprised if a sequel where announced.
Characters=10
Ken Kaneki
Kaneki is probably the most interesting MC I have ever seen in manga this is even more amazing considering this is a 14 volume series. We see Kaneki as a normal everyday person become a monster. This transformation is at the core of the entire series as Kaneki constantly deals with psychological problems that only worsen as time goes on. Kaneki's downward spiral and the resolution he makes with himself at the end is really what makes the manga. Even with Tokyo Ghoul's amazing storyi I would consider Kaneki's journey the true story of Tokyo Ghoul and also one of the best stories I have ever read.
Touka Kirishima
The main Female protagonist and a ghoul Touka serves as the Kaneki's window into and as the guide to the life of a ghoul. She starts off the series hating Kaneki and slowly gains more and more feeling for him as the series goes on. by the end Kaneki is the most important person in the world to Touka and this is where her character development throughout the story is rooted. Besides her feeling for Kaneki she doesn't really have much other character development. She like most of the other characters simply matures over time and starts to act more and more like a adult. Her personal growth is shortened because for a chunk of the story doesn't appear very much. While she can in no way shape or form compete with Kaneki as a MC she makes up for it by being a strong female character who evolves in her own way.
Koutarou Amon
I am given Amon his own personal spot, because his main role in the series is to act as the eyes of the other side. He is the viewpoint of the CCG and the humans of the world. He like most of the characters receives a decent amount of character development and even gets multiple chapters that entirely focus on him. He also acts as a kind of rival to Kaneki as they clash multiple times throughout the series.
Side characters
I am not going to get very into this part. I could honestly write a entire paper on all the different side characters of Tokyo Ghoul and how they grew and changed over the course of the story. Tokyo ghoul has a larger cast than normal and some how manages to give all of them a purpose and most of them even get character development. This is once again only done in 14 volumes which is a amazing feat.
Art=9
Now don't misunderstand me Tokyo Ghoul has amazing art work...when it works. The author has some problems with fight scenes at times as he wants to show alot of movement and it just ends up making it hard to follow. The author will also occasionally draw a character and it will just look bad. This is however made up for. The artwork is dark and creepy and has a distinct style to it and when the fight scenes are done well they put most other artist to shame. Also I wanted to make a quick mention of the cover artwork for the volumes. while there few I don't really like a majority of them are a beauty with a amazing look and a original design. So in closing if the author had been a bit more consistent I would have no problem giving the art a 10, but even so the art work is still beautiful.
Enjoyment=10
It is very rare for me to run to my computer after receiving a notification that a new chapter had been posted, but I found my self doing that every time. There are a few slow points that broke up the ride, but they where also very enjoyable so i have no problems giving a 10.
Overall=10
Tokyo ghoul starts off as a dark story of a descension into darkness and it is given a ending that fits it perfectly. I think it will be a long time before anything as interesting and entertaining as Tokyo Ghoul comes out again. I look forward to the author's next work and hope that he decides to grace us with a sequel to this amazing work.
