First however, note that i am reviewing TG as a standalone anime as i have not read the manga.
Ive seen a lot of reviews on this and i felt they were unjust, criticising TG for being too short, and being forced into 12 ep's. I don't want this to deter people from watching this however, because as an anime its one of the top 5 this season.
Story:9
Tokyo Ghoul is one of the more darker anime's this season. Combing both elements of horror and gore and mixing them into a psychological, supernatural drama, TG is an anime that stood out among others this season. It darker atonement worked perfectly and the story could flourish. Starting smooth ad finishing with a epic climax, the story was spectacular.
Art:8
Visually, TG was stunning. While maintaining the standard of art we would all expect in 2014, TG's art was up to scratch. It holds itself visually as a dark anime, and the only reason its not a 10 is that, it was the standard, if it pushed this it would be the 10.
Sound:9
The EP had viewers nostalgic before the show had even started and the OP gave them that moment to reflect on what they had seen, the sound of TG again was up to the standard we all want to see. The voices matched well and the shouts and grunts of pain really portrayed the characters emotions and feelings, creating a very strong drama feel.
Character: 8
There is a broad range of characters, from the humble Kaneki, to the fiery Touka, to the sadistic Jason, many characters make the show their own in this show. The vast range of personalities allows you to fell their struggle but also helps portray the view that ghouls are "human" too, they show the same feelings. The main character is displayed as this hopeless boy who doesn't know who he is, but we see a huge development. The supporting characters also shape this anime well, creating many who will be remembered, whether you hate or love them.
Enjoyment: 10
As i said, i have not read the manga so i am reviewing this purely as an anime, rather than a adaptation, and as an adaptation, it was superb, a masterpiece of this season. The tension and suspense was real, and the i thoroughly enjoyed it. For only being 12 episodes it managed to capture my full attention, and since its only 12 episodes as it stands, i would highly recommend everyone sees this.
Overall: 9
Overall i give TG a 9 out of 10 rating, TG was an eye catcher this season and held me with suspense for 12 weeks straight. It's everything i look for in an anime in that genre and i was definitely not disappointed. If some scenes had been fleshed out a bit more, giving more time to other support characters, and had the MC not seemed so helpless for long, this would have been a guaranteed No 1 this season
