Treat it as a standalone title. Tokyo Ghoul √A is a beautiful series that caters to the wrong audience. Gore is painted in quiet, atmospheric and enigmatic imagery. There is essentially no protagonist. It revels in holding back tiny details to make the viewers think. In short, Tokyo Ghoul √A is a regular tale told unconventionally. And yes, that is why everyone hates it—√A is unconventional.
Opinions on this show is very polarizing. The debate is pretty much the same as unravel vs Munou. You'll like Munou if you are into the lyrical and thematic relevance. You'll like unravel if you are into the beats and... yeah, beats.