The story is a continuation of the conflict between the humans and the ghouls. I'm disappointed that the ending had several loose ends. The first season clearly revolves around Kaneki's story, whereas Tokyo Ghoul √A focuses more on the tension of the organization that Kaneki was originally a part of and the civil strife of those he has left behind. Especially since the departure of Kaneki's involvement with the Antieku organization, his so-called love interest, Touka-chan, subconsciously mirrors Kaneki's interests as a college student and even his bookworm nature. The anime never sought to discover or clearly reveal her motivations for Kaneki, but I was satisfied that she, somewhat, achieved her dreams in the end. The plot did express many moments of heart-clenching sacrifices that were truly meaningful. It's frustrating that the humans don't realize that some of "enemy's" actions are purely selfless. There is significantly a larger character development compared to the first season, especially with the characters newly introduced to the second season. Juuzou, a psychopathic and nearly invincible teen, manages to develop into a being with a compassionate heart. He realized the sacrifices that others are willing to do for him and completely changes his outlook on life. The anime didn't explore anymore about Juuzou's new emotions and motives, but his character altered my impression of him. Akira Mado, carries on the legacy of her dead father as Investigator Amon's partner. She developed to understand that sometimes, you need to fight whatever is in front of you. All the characters are strong, but the plots are weak and anti-climatic as another plot is introduced. We discover that there are more one-eyed ghouls like Kaneki, but the anime never continued to explain how there were others existing with a situation like his. The animation and audio effects are very vivid. I preferred the original opening song, but the soundtrack throughout the anime was very expressive. I have to mention that Kaneki's association with the Aogiri group was discarded after CCG was planning to target the coffee shop. The story and it's multiple climaxes were not coherently connecting. A possible reason for the confusing plots is that this anime assumes that viewers have already read the manga and can understand the messages between the lines. Tokyo Ghoul √A, overall, is packed with too many plots and unlike the first season, doesn't have a common single thread that connects throughout the story and fails to convey a proper story line. I would recommend this anime to viewers who have already watched the first season and read the manga. It's worth watching for the internal/external conflict and the graphic animation.
