If you ever have seen tragedies such as Macbeth the main character is known as the tragic hero who gets changed by an event that ultimately leads to his demise. As likely my favorite Manga Tokyo Ghoul is true to being a tragedy to its core elements. Just to note the Manga Is not like the anime which skips a lot of arcs and ignores developing the characters. So if you are a fan of the Anime you should read this Manga as the anime skipped a bunch of important arcs that focus on the main character who is the center of this series.
The story follows Ken Kaneki who lives in a world where these man eating beings called ghouls live amongst humans in disguise. After an unusual accident he finds himself as the first ghoul human hybrid. The story follows Kaneki as he gets more used to the ghoul society while trying to maintain his life as a Human. However this series as a tragedy does not allow Ken to have it easy. Every story that is a tragedy has two key scenes known as the fall of the hero and the true tragedy. The anime has the fall of the hero but not the true tragedy which is the reason people should read this Manga as the true tragedy will either make you give this series a 10 or a 0.
The art in this Manga is good and brutal. The series has lots of fights scenes that go to levels of brutality that make a reader think "ouch" . I rate it highly for its use of symbolism however. As a psychological series there are going be things that are not really there which are used for symbolism such as flowers for example or numbers that foreshadow events. Character designs are great especially the ghoul characters who are wearing all different crazy outfits to hide their identity.
The characters in this series leave you to sometimes question who is the good guy or the bad guy. The series has a bunch of groups most having characters that are mixed bags between good and evil. The main protagonist is probably the only true neutral good guy in this series. Some characters who believe they are doing things that are for the greater good are really just using that to hide their sense of revenge and bloodlust. Some characters who have done bad things in the past with regrets are continually questioning can they do better. These characters who know they were in the wrong are always the more likeable in the series because they are not trying to hide it from themselves. There is other groups of characters who are in the most true sense villains.
The main character Kaneki suits his role as the tragic hero. As the series progresses he develops more and more. The tragic hero is usually a character the audience and other members of the cast hate because he is a good guy turned bad amonst all the good guys. However in this series where everyone is pretty bad the tragic hero is a guy who is the one true good amonst them all making the viewer like him instead of hate him for what he does.
This series is a bit of a roller coaster, the enjoyment of a tragedy is different for everyone as tragedy are not popular compared with mainstream writing where the characters are always winning but its not a continuous series of Ls the characters get a couple of wins to even it out. I will just Say Tokyo Ghoul is the tragedy I had the most enjoyment reading.
Overall score 10/10
