Tokyo Ghoul – 09
I’m really shocked it isn’t raining.
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Sometimes being a dirty pirate is tough, because when your favourite downloading sites go down you end up feeling left out of the loop. Fortunately, I got my hands on Tokyo Ghoul without any issues. |
Tokyo Ghoul works in a backwards way that takes some getting used to, but now I think I see what this show is going for. You get a ton of build-up, then a moment that completely changes how you viewed everything that happened before. For example, we had a lot of build-up showing Mado as a homicidal maniac. But then seeing that he was married makes you step back and re-analyze everything you knew (or thought you knew) about him. Nishiki got the same treatment, with a tragic backstory to ostensibly soften the fact that he was such an asshole to Kaneki. It may not completely sell you on these “new versions” of previously unredeemable, evil characters, but it can at least make you pause and consider other options.
In my case, I forgave Nishiki but couldn’t find any reason to change my opinion of Mado. Some of you may not forgive any of them. But in the end, these reveals still succeed in bringing up seeds of doubt. It’s training us to not take everything at face value, as not everything is apparent on the surface. Much like real life, characters won’t just monologue their life stories unprovoked. They all have secret lives that you may not find out about until it’s too late. So although this means we know very little about some very important characters, it also means it’s not quite time to learn these things yet. They are coming though. Now that I’ve gotten a feel for the pattern thus far, I can tell that we’re more likely to see something major happen to someone before we actually get any dirt about who they really are.
So, following this pattern, we learn more about Mado only after he’s gone and kicked the bucket. I was hoping Mado would be a cute guy that slowly turned into a creepy, bug-eyed detective but nope…he’s just always been that weird. Well, I didn’t get to see him transform into Frankenstein, but I did get to see how he began working with Amon. What stood out to me was that their initial dislike for each other was extremely brief. It took only one case for Amon to turn that animosity into pure respect for his partner. Even Mado seems to – at the very least – work well with Amon in an amicable partnership. They were quite close, although Amon was arguably more attached. Mado’s death hits him hard, and he’ll probably be thirsty for justice now. I’d say revenge, but Amon seems more likely to label it as justice and divine retribution than anything sounding as dirty as the word “vengeance.”
I guess most of the genes that made Mado’s unfortunate face were recessive…
I feel bad for Amon, but not for Mado. Seeing his daughter visiting his grave didn’t really add anything to what I was feeling about the issue, and was a bit of overkill. Unless she appears in the story later as some kickass lady, then I really see no point in adding her in to try and lay on the drama even more. At least they’re trying to make the humans look pitiable and kind now, I suppose.
As for the ghouls, they’re preparing for the shit to hit the fan. This episode is clearly setting up a new arc to finish things off with a bang (I can’t believe this is like the third arc already) with the introduction of 2 new characters. We know very little about them as of now so I’ll wait until I actually see them in action so I can say something meaningful. But I won’t deny the fact that it seems like an interesting way to finish things off. Interesting, but once again delving back into the comforting trends of a classic shounen battle manga. Having Touka’s brother suddenly appear seems so cliche I want to bang my head against a wall for not expecting it to happen. I’m sure it will still be cool but…geez…you really couldn’t think of anything else? And now we have a new white-haired weirdo to replace Mado? Is there really no other personality type a villain is allowed to have in this show other than “batshit insane”?
This Is The Shot We Use To Show New Characters
Now, the things that really interest me are Hinami’s recovery and Hide’s role in the story. Hinami’s story is cliche as hell (taking care of a dead animal, cutting her hair to represent a big change…) but still oddly alluring because she’s in such a strange position. She has no mother, but she doesn’t just have the burden of being parentless to carry on. She also has the burden of being persecuted by humans and constantly running from Doves. She has so much to worry about at such a young age. Losing her parents means she is forced to face the gritty reality of where she belongs in the world and what it means to be alive. Whereas ghouls like Touka have had several more years to come to terms with their existence (or come closer to it), Hinami is forced to come to a conclusion in a much shorter span of time. Her mom died simply for being a ghoul and she’s now a target too. It’s no wonder she would question whether she deserves to be alive.
Hide is another story, because amongst all of these cliches he remains the wild card. I have no clue what to expect from him. I don’t even know if he’s actually a ghoul or not. But I enjoy watching Hide because you read everything he’s thinking through his body language, and not through his misleading words. Although Hide claims to be interested in ghouls because he’s reading a cool book, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to see that something else is bothering him. He’s got some beef with ghouls for whatever reason, and he’s not telling anyone yet. Hell, I don’t even know if he’s a ghoul or a human. But I love seeing Hide because he’s a wonderful reminder that normal, ghoul-despising humans do exist.
This may be hopeless but I really, really don’t want Hide to die.
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: 400-499 with 445 comments
i had seen some comments asking why a guy like Amon wouldnt show sympathy at Mado being so sadistic with Ghouls (seeing that they look just like humans) and i think this ep kinda sheds light on why this is so. Amon’s naivete almost got him killed; he believed that this innocent looking old lady couldnt possibly be a monster and he almost paid the price. From then on, it’s pretty easy to see why Amon would not really feel sympathy towards the ghouls Mado would sadistically kill, even if they have the face of a child (though there is that small ounce of Amon’s conscience that does show doubt)
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Experience is a great teacher. You learn not to make the same mistake twice.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
It’s hard to be sympathetic towards something that’s trying to kill you, so I guess after being attacked by little old ladies he stopped caring about being “nice” to ghouls. That’s probably what’s kept him alive this long.
But it’s still weird for me to see a relatively nice guy like Amon not even blink when his partner is being a sadistic creepazoid, even though it makes sense…
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 140 comments
You are so right about the shit about to hit the fan. What happens next was a pretty universal shock for those who read the manga. Since you went ahead to already say it in the post, yeah, that was Mado’s daughter. We won’t see her anymore in the anime. She is awesome. The more you learn about Mado’s backstory, the easier it is to pity him.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Oh maaaannnn, things are about to really get crazy then…
I assume Mado’s daughter gets more screentime in the manga later on then.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I think the only real complaint I have for this episode is what I find a hamfisted transition from Touka’s brother as a little boy, to a ghoul warlord. Bury that stuff folks, reveal it piecemeal.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Yeah, that was definitely poorly planned. BY THE WAY, Touka has a brother who was nice. NO WAIT, now he’s an evil prick coming to get everyone. Having the two things revealed at the same time really muddled my view of him.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hahaha!! No one said being a pirate was easy. I have a suggestion for your anime downloading concern. If your site at times isn’t up to speed, try cyber12.com out. It’s the primary site I visit. The LQ video quality is 720p and video size ranges between 82 and 85 MB. It’s how I’m able to store the series I watch every season on my external hard drive. They have a new Tokyo Ghoul episode ready every Thursday.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Noted =w=
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Happy to help out…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Ack! Just when I thought I wouldn’t have to see Mado’s bug-eyed face again. Even if it was a flashback, this is way too much. That naïveté clearly shows Amon was a green horn. If a suspect is a ghoul, no matter what age they are, it’s more than enough cause for concern.
For me, among the antagonists, Nishiki was the most redeemable of the lot and now fits in nicely with the rest of Anteiku. You’d never think he and Kaneki had it out before. He didn’t do much, at least we haven’t seen him do anything appalling and after the reveal of his relationship with Kimi, it became easy to forgive him. Mado, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. So whatever attempts are made to change his perspectives, even if he was indeed a family man, I don’t see myself changing my opinion of him anytime soon. What he did to Hinami made sure of that.
Kaneki turning out to be an orphan makes sense when steps are taken back. Before his encounter with Rize, he was alone and after it, had no visitors at his hospital bed. And it was weird that no one except Hide questioned him about suddenly working at Anteiku. This is probably why he’s so determined to protect Hide because before he met Touka and the others, he was the closest possible thing to a family member. And He’s 19 years old? Certainly doesn’t look his age.
Things aren’t looking good for Hide right now. I thought him having correct guesses on the 20th Ward was getting him too close to trouble but boy, he went from the frying pan into the fire unfortunately showing up in the same place as a couple bloodthirsty Ghouls. Hopefully, he’ll be lucky enough to stay alive.
The change in Touka’s brother Ayato. My guess is he was left in hostile territory and had to fight to survive and became battle hardened because there’s no one the cream puff that he was would’ve lasted otherwise. I’m sure you can who his seiyuu is by listening to his voice. Yep, it’s none other than Yuki Kaji.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I agree, Nishiki is a lot easier to forgive. At least we actually saw Nishiki being nice at one point whereas they’re just implying Mado is a good guy because he has a wife and a kid. Hinami is still traumatized by what happened but Kaneki is fine now from Nishiki’s attack.
Anime ages never make sense. Anyways, I hope Kaneki and Hide can remain friends throughout this miss without Hide dying, finding out Kaneki is a ghoul and trying to kill him, or some other horrible event that tears them apart. I…kind of doubt there will be a happy ending though. :/ Poor Hide…
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
I have this nagging feeling that Touka’s brother is going to lose an arm in this arc when the fights begin. It has something to do with his seiyuu. Kaji Yuki characters have the tendency to lose an arm in an action show. Eren Jaeger, Haruyuki/Silver Crow, Ouma Shu, Satomi Rentarou.
I’m just making a wild guess but I’m 75% sure it will happen.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Those odds do seem biased in that direction. Maybe this will be the series that breaks the curse.
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
Oh boy…
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POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’ve written myself about this phenomena. Does his agency look out for potential limb lose characters, or does the industry create these sort of characters with him in mind. This is an awesome conspiracy.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
No one can mention Yuki Kaji without mentioning his propensity for losing arms. It’s ridiculous!!!
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 167 comments
Manga Spoiler
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POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Oh, he’ll lose more than arms. Is Kaji Yuki Losing an Arm a trope already? It should be