But boy, I was not disappointed.
I have not read the manga and therefore, I entered this series completely blank and you may think of me as 'not a real fan of Tokyo Ghoul' for not reading the manga, but it definitely helped me enjoy the anime so I am not complaining.
FACT: You CAN appreciate an anime without a religious standing with the manga. That is something I find in a lot of manga fans who are deluded into thinking that an anime would suck if it did not follow the manga.
Tokyo Ghoul √A is one of the animes that prove this delusional thinking wrong.
Even if the storyline did not completely follow the actual manga, it still delivered the suspense and melancholy of the characters' situations and for me, it was not as rushed as the first season and took its time building on the story of the CCG investigators' lives as well as following Kaneki's brutal growth while in Aogiri. It makes me appreciate both the lives of the ghouls and the humans fighting against them.
And then the ending finished everything perfectly... I won't spoil it but the image of life, death and the struggles of both ghouls and humans were beautifully depicted and it becomes one of my favourite scenes in anime of all time.
As for its art, sound and character, it is mostly consistent and plays along the psychotic melancholic nature of the anime. I have no additional comments other than how I am always captivated by the music of this anime; both this season and the prequel.
My conclusion? To hell with all your gourmet expectations to anime based on the original manga. If an anime is executed well, it becomes amazing. If a manga is total trash, it is still trash. Don't be closed minded and you may be able to appreciate both anime and manga equally.
Tokyo Ghoul √A receives a generous 9/10 from me~!
