It was like the studio found a closet with the dolls of beloved characters and great visuals of an old anime that gripped the heart of many fans... then proceed to force their hands up through the fabric, tearing through the stuffing, letting each character lose all of their internal substance until all that was left was the visual resemblance of something you used to love.
-I'm not done.
THEN the studio proceeds to put on a puppet show with these mangled remnants of characters you once held dear and dance them in front of you in some sick play, copying the visuals to confuse your mind into continuing to watch, playing music that triggers something reminiscent in your memory...
The original Tokyo Ghoul captured some primal feelings and played with the heart strings of the viewer. You were conflicted between sympathy for a side you knew to be viscious and ruthless and the "good" guys who never quite seemed to evoke the same feelings as watching the ghouls. It brought the MC through a complex, emotional character arc and left the viewer with a mix of happiness and sadness. I'll never forget the feeling I had when "Unravel" plays during a key scene (you know what I'm referring to). To this day I can watch that scene and get goosebumps through my arms.
The reason I spend so much time revisiting the original series is the make the contrast between it and these seasons abundantly clear:
There is no tug-of-war between good or evil.
There is no anxiousness when trouble arises.
There is no sadness when someone is injured.
The wounds inflicted feel pointless and boring.
The Tokyo Ghoul-esque music plays and I feel no stir inside me.
All i'm left with is the horror with what they have done to an anime I once loved... the horror...
...the horror.
