Being a dark/horror fantasy, this anime does a wondering job of capturing its audience. There are bloody fight scenes, and wonderful animation to go along with them.
Hanae, Natsuki, Kaneki's voice actor, is a surprisingly rare voice in the anime industry, but no less talented. He's probably most known for his role of Sakishima, Hikari (the main character in Nagi no Asukara). Out of the few roles he's had, he has voiced many characters, each of their voices differing. Hanae can be anyone from the unemotional robot in Kaizuka, Inaho (Aldnoah.Zero) to the wimpy mess that is Kaneki, Ken. He plays Kaneki to a 'T', and makes our fragile character loveable. Other mentionable people are Amamiya, Sora (Kirishima, Touka) and Hanazawa, Kana (Kamishiro, Rize). Amamiya is another rare gem to have. She is also the voice of Akame (Akame ga Kill) and Fujimiya, Kaori (Issuukan Friends). Her heartfelt and tough portrayal of Touka, a strong but insecure ghoul, is beautiful. Amamiya also plays the role perfectly. Hanazawa also did a great job, but it's a bit odd to have the sweet Moriyama, Shiemi (Blue Exorcist) become this cold blooded binge eater of a ghoul. However, when Hanazawa goes dark, the voice suddenly fits Rize's character and sends chills down the back.
For such a hyped anime, "Tokyo Ghoul" certainly lived up to its expectations. The animation quality knocked out all other animes out of the park. It was unfortunate some of the more brutal scenes had to be censored. Moving onto the characters, they were diverse and believable. Kaneki was wimpy at points, but was not unbearable. Other characters like Rize and Touka were the perfect addition to the series. They held some strong female roles! There are many other characters, but watching the series would be better than reading about them from this review. But even the story was good! Ghouls were carefully thought out with how strong they could be, and the type of powers they held. It was even shown than humans could stand a fighting chance. Humans are no longer the weak and defenseless creature they're normally portrayed to be. The only problem with "Tokyo Ghoul" was its pacing. To my chagrin, the anime decided to skip important arcs located in the manga. This greatly disturbed the pace and made the show a little more than confusing at times. This anime really should have been two, twenty-five episodes seasons.
"Tokyo Ghoul" is not an anime for the faint of heart. It is bloody, and it is violent. But those who have a strong mind and a love for fantasy will love it. I have mixed feelings about "Tokyo Ghoul", but I'm going to go ahead and say it will be one I never will forget. It has truly captivated my heart.
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Story - 8
The story is very well scripted. It just flows like an anime should. However, the pacing is a little off and it's concerning that the anime skips arcs from the manga.
Art - 10
The artwork was actually one of the best this season. The character were detailed, and very pretty. The fighting scenes were excitingly horrific, in that they had blood, gore, and all things a good fight scene could have. Too bad stuff like decapitated bodies were censored.
Music - 10
From the OP to the ED, the music is just a work of brilliance. I practically have the song "Unravel" memorized, it was so good. And even though the ending song can't even compare to the opening song, that was also good in its own respect. But the OSTs are what really made the anime. The music fit so much that I can't even remember what kind of songs were playing. Very well done.
Character - 8
There was lots and lots of character development, as well as character reinforcement. I do wish that I had gotten to see more of side characters like Mr. Uta (Mask Guy) and Hide (Kaneki's best friend).
Enjoyment - 10
Every week, I would eagerly anticipate the next episode. "Tokyo Ghoul" never let me down -- not even once.
Overall - 9.2
This anime was a great addition to my 2014 Summer lineup. It reminds me a lot of a story I am working on, but holds a certain charm that keeps me hooked. This anime has everything a dark fantasy horror needs.
