Tokyo Ghoul Vol. 1by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 7 Ken Kaneki lands a date with a beautiful girl, who he seems to have so much in common with. The problem? She's a ghoul who wants to eat his flesh. In a twist of fate, she's killed while attacking him, and the doctor transplants her organs into him to save him. Now Ken struggles to find his place as either human or ghoul. Thankfully, he gets some help.I wasn't sure about this title, but once I started reading, I really got into it and had to finish it. At first glance it's sort of a zombie story, a vampire story, or some combination therein. Ghouls crave human flesh; all human food tastes like barf or worse, and only those with a strong stomach and will can even fake eating anything before throwing it up later. They have super strength and speed, but they also have a "kagune," which is some kind of claw-like appendage that they can call forth and use like a deadly prehensile tail. The twist of having Ken become part ghoul / part human is not original. What caught my attention is how, and the potential ramifications that may have in the future. I'm also curious how much of a role the doctor's actions (in doing the transplant without parental consent on either end) will play in the story besides Ken's physical changes. Even though he appears to be only partially "awakened" as a ghoul, it surprised me that there was no middle ground or transition period, physically. Ken's body should be mostly human still, with the body struggling with wanting to reject the foreign organs while the medication tries to get the body to accept them. That means he should still be able to do some human things, like eating some foods, but instead, it switches over 100 percent to flesh or nothing (except coffee beans, strangely enough) and is already demonstrating physical abilities of a ghoul and a kagune, specifically the one belonging to his organ donor. If the human side of him is that weak -- to succumb so quickly and easily to those ghoul aspects -- then why hasn't he changed completely? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he's a boy with a girl ghoul's organs (another male ghoul thinks Ken smells like a female ghoul). Or perhaps it has to do with the fact that the ghoul whose organs he now has was really, really strong. Whatever the reason, Ken is thrown immediately into the fray. On top of fighting the hunger, he's also dealing with turf wars and trying to protect his best friend from becoming a meal. He can't even kill himself because of his new regenerative powers. Most of this volume is about Ken's struggle with not wanting to give in to eating human flesh, and trying to convince himself that he's human and not a "monster." The end has a group of ghouls willing to help him learn about them. From the characters we've seen, there are definitely ghouls that enjoy killing and causing fear in their prey, and some that take a more gentle approach and / or choose their prey for reasons other than taste. I like that Touka is willing to make use of a corpse killed by another ghoul rather than let it go to waste. Also, I love the little bonus two-page story at the end about the ghoul who gets interrupted by Ken and killed by Nishiki -- I love it because he's just an average guy, and he picks his food based on the way the food treats women and the fact that he flakes on payments. I also like how upset Touka is at being called a monster and seeing her way of life so rejected by Ken, when it's just how she's been her whole life. The art is well done, with nice use of dark shading to really set certain scenes and provide atmosphere. The characters are all fairly realistic in their designs, which allows the ghoul side, when exposed, to really stand out. The deaths and feeding are not overly gorey, but are still horrific, especially as we see it partially through Ken's point of view. The movements of the ghouls when they are attacking each other are drawn in such a way that it really emphasizes their strength and speed. I'm curious enough to read more. However, my curiosity is more on the effects of a female ghoul's organs on a male, Touka's role, Ken's best friend, and why coffee tastes good to ghouls ... and not so much about Ken's personal struggle. His struggle is very well portrayed, but it's also a trope I've seen before, so it's the other details and differences that interest me. Written: May 22, 2015
|
|
|
Home |
Features |
Columns |
Culture Vultures |
Report Card
Indicia | Contact | Archives © Sequential Tart, 1998 – 2021 |
