I do think Tokyo Ghoul doesn´t get the appreciation in the comunity it deserves. Yes there are Animes with a lot more story and heart, yes there Animes with better or at least more versatile artstyle and yes there are Animes that have better character developping.
As everyone agrees the soundtrack is great and leaves not much to be desired.
So my Ratings are:
Story 7:
So i watched the Anime first and because I didn´t want to wait until Season 3 aired, i started to read the manga. TL;DR The Manga is at least 10 times better, but tell me any book whose film or adaption isn´t mediocre in comparison. You could go as far as to mention Lord of the Rings, although the films were great the books were better.
So why am I writing about LotR, books and movies? Because Tokyo Ghoul is nothing but a small adaption. SMALL, should be the word you highlight because it leaves out a lot of stuff, a lot of stuff u have to leave out to not get Anime with 100+ episodes. It is a small Anime to watch if you have a weekend off and nothing to do.
The Story while lacking some parts is quiet nice if you are into supernatural, vampires etc.
Art 6:
So I really tried to be fair with my rating, so while I really enjoy Tokyo Ghouls Art and Artstyle and a little love for the detail with Food f.e. , the diversity is just not existing, as every character has only 2 Outfits at max and it´s based in a mostly not to detailed City. But once again; it has only 12 episodes+ 12 of the next Season. What can you expect?
Sound 9:
So tbh there is nothing much to say then listen to the in- and Outs.
Character 8:
So while browsing threw the Reviews I always saw low numbers at character development, which is just ununderstandable for me.
Kaneki is finally a not superstereotype, heroe. He himself doesn´t even want to be it and this fact alone makes Kaneki a superintresting character who develops from a shy boy who ignores the rest of the world to someone who is ready to take a step into darkness. His internal struggle is really deep and makes him even more intresting. While the most other character really aren´t special, Kaneki is the reason you should watch the Anime.
I touched on the stereotype a little, with what i mean; a always friendly openhearted sometimes a bit dum maincharacter you kinda fall in love with because he is the typical shonen guy. People do like this Kind of heroes a lot more because they can dream of being this one chosen guy that can beat everyone with enough Training and the will or heart or power or something like this. People do love these kinda heroes because they dream of being speical being the one chosen one. Kaneki in fact states he is no protagonist and mixes the always repeating brave developping somehow special maincharacter-stereotype up.
In fact Tokyo Ghoul goes really deep in psychological routes, but to get a glimpse of that you have to really "WATCH" the Anime and try to understand and try to make conections not just watch it because you are bored. You should think about the characters and how similiar you might be to one or another.
Enjoyment 10:
Tokyo Ghoul may not be the best show out there but it is far away from the worst. It is a small Anime, one that invites you to read the manga. One you can easily finish on one Weekend and a refreshing different one and a very good entrance into the deep animeworld if you haven´t set a step yet, apart from the big ones.
If you want a deeper meaning in an Anime you can find it here as well. If you want to see an actionloaded Anime, you have some things in here. If you wanna see some blood; OPEN THE GATES.
Overall 8:
So once again a last time: SO (yes i am aware of my overuse): Afterall Tokyo Ghoul is a good show to enter the deep-sea of not-mainstream Animes. If you are anoyed by the typical stereotype superheroe Kaneki will be a great refreshment, in whom a lot of People can seek and find themselves and not their dream.
