As some of you might know, √A takes a path that the manga did not take in its plot and allows for a different approach on what might have happened in an alternate universe. For some people, (*cough* manga readers *cough*) this might be a huge turn-off. While it's been identified on nearly every corner of the anime universe on the internet that the Tokyo Ghoul anime series is not entirely on equal ground with the manga, it still comes pretty damn close. The impact of the characters' relationships with each other and the different direction their lives are turning at this point in the series becomes incredibly gripping as the story marches on, leading to some incredible revelations and unexpected turns in the plot. I was left gripping whatever was closest to me tightly by the end of every episode lost in wonder as to what would happen next. This anime does not disappoint on the thrill scale, even if there are a few episodes where it's primarily character interaction. Sure, this can occasionally drag on a little long sometimes, but I remained captivated through every second. I didn't want to miss a thing.
The second season builds itself up well with an incredibly promising first episode and great development in the story and action that follow afterwards. From my understanding, there was a lot of resentment toward the way it ended, but I didn't feel resentment toward it at all. If anything, it left me incredibly intrigued seeing that there are hints of a 3rd season and a cliffhanger as well. Who knows? Maybe people will appreciate √A more if there's a good 3rd season to follow it up with.
Now I was left feeling a little bitter towards the opinions people are sharing that say there was no character development in √A. Yes, the show DOES focus on the other characters more than Kaneki himself while the first season focused primarily on Kaneki but still showed good character development for all the others in the series. However, Kaneki did have a bit of character development occur in √A. I wish I could speak about it without spoilers being given, but the most I can say is you do see a change in Kaneki by the end and I'm sure it was more intentional to focus more on the change in atmosphere occurring throughout √A rather than Kaneki himself. Amon and Touka share a LOT of character development this season alone, and we even see changes in Juuzo for crying out loud. It gives more time to connect with the side characters and learn more about what the plot has in store for the future. I personally found myself really connecting with Amon this season and found myself loving his character more and more as it continued. But I do have some gripes to pick with √A, as nothing is without its flaws.
Haters, I do agree that there was some really jumpy messy choices with how everything was pieced together this season, both in character development and plot. Some of the plot choices in episodes made no sense regarding their relation to the overall plot of the anime. While there were certainly many interesting ideas at large here, some of them never seemed to really quite fit well or go into enough detail that would provide a satisfactory cohesion with what the viewer understands is trying to be conveyed. While the first season of Tokyo Ghoul managed to compress the first 7 volumes of the manga into 12 episodes really well, √A did not succeed at making full sense of itself within its own 12 episode span. There were things that needed more elaboration and detail, more explaining on the side of Kaneki, more attention and plot relevance. Instead, we are offered mere glances at it, as if we are on the sidelines each moment Kaneki is with Aogiri as opposed to being right there alongside him. It leaves quite a bit to be answered by the time the final episode is finished, including the changes in Kaneki's character. If you've seen the final episode of the first season of Tokyo Ghoul, imagine something like that which is placed entirely around Kaneki during a scene that occurred in the last episode that had showcased pieces of Kaneki's experience but a lot of everyone else's experience during that same time. That's essentially what a season 3 would seem to have to be in order to give a lot of relevance to Kaneki's infamous decision to join Aogiri at the beginning of this season. That's also where the character development falls a little flat. Kaneki does undergo character development and that's evident by the end of the season, but we're left asking ourselves what exactly happened to cause him to undergo what he did and why it's so significant or why we should care. We were forced to feel it in the first season with how brilliantly it was executed then, but Kaneki is a different person this season and we don't entirely get to see how. There were also a few things left entirely unanswered or abandoned by the end of √A with a couple introductions to new plot points and characters, so hopefully we'll see a season 3 to tie that up and make sense of it.
Now for those who seek action in their Tokyo Ghoul, √A does not disappoint in the very least. While maybe not among the greatest action sequences in anime, it's certainly very far from the worst. The fight sequences executed excited me to the point of where my thoughts were entirely drowned by the action taking place in front of me with their incredibly riveting contributions to the story. There is certainly a lot more action that occurs in √A when compared to its predecessor and I can honestly say nothing felt too forced. The art is fantastic as well, having slightly improved since the first season. Some scenes really brought the grittiness of Tokyo Ghoul to life in ways that hadn't been previously achieved this season which I was happy to find as I continued watching.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed √A and will recommend it to those who enjoyed season 1 and are looking to continue watching. Should there have been more episodes? Yes. Were there some things that could have been done much better? I will not deny that in the least. Were there some plot choices that could be questionable? Most certainly. Was there too much wrong for the show's own good? Maybe not. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, but I love Tokyo Ghoul a lot and look forward with anticipation to what might come next after experiencing all of √A. I am currently reading the manga (though quite slowly because I'm reading it in Japanese for both learning and entertainment) but am in the middle of volume 2, so maybe my opinion will change after I complete the half that √A is different during. But for now, √A gets a light to decent 8 out of 10 from me.
Story: 7/10 (Creative and gripping, but fairly messy and unexplained)
Art: 9/10 (Some improvements since season 1, which already had great art)
Sound: 8/10 (The sound during the episodes was great and the opening grew on me after a while, though it pales in comparison to the incredible opening of season 1 in both song and animation)
Character: 7/10 (Some characters had very strong development and roles throughout the show while others needed more attention, including Kaneki)
Enjoyment: 9/10 (Maybe it's just because I really love Tokyo Ghoul, but I had a lot of excitement and fun watching it and would not mind watching it several more times in the least)
Overall: 8/10
