The second volume of Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida continues with Kaneki’s struggle to self-actualize as a ghoul. He still refuses to eat human meat despite his hunger pangs and disgust for “human food.” And while Kaneki continues to struggle with this new side of him, he also gains the opportunity to look into the lives of other ghouls. By the end of the volume, Kaneki gains a new perspective of how fragile life can be for both humans and ghouls.
Kaneki starts working at the Anteiku while also getting lessons on how to behave more normally around humans. He tries to learn how to eat human food without throwing it up due to his altered taste buds; he learns how to make coffee and how to control his hunger without eating human meat; he tries to take note of people’s behaviors to interpret their needs and who they really are; and he also tries to learn how to harness his abilities as a ghoul (his kagune) to protect himself and others.
Kaneki also meets new characters with interesting roles: Uta the mask-maker, a mother-and-daughter pair named Ryoko and Hinami Fueguchi, and a body-collecting ghoul named Renji Yomo. Each of these characters seem to give Kaneki different impressions of ghouls. They’re not all bad as they behave similarly to humans even while around other ghouls. Ishida humanizes the ghouls with small traits. They’re overprotective of each other; they mourn their dead; and they can be shy around unfamiliar people (and ghouls). This is an interesting contrast to Kaneki’s beliefs of ghouls being monsters, which is something that he brings up in the first volume. In this volume, even Kaneki begins to sympathize and seems to accept that he’s part ghoul.
On the antagonistic side of the series, investigators that are tasked with hunting ghouls make an appearance. Mr. Mado and Amon are partners in their investigation of a so-called “Suspect No. 723,” who turns out to be Ryouko Fueguchi. Amon has an interesting idea of justice as he suggests that he, Mado, and the rest of the investigators are the embodiment of justice and morality.
Amon doesn’t question his own actions if it means killing ghouls. Ishida suggests that he and the investigators view the ghouls through a black and white lens in which ghouls are completely evil and the humans, their victims. The random murders that they investigate emphasize this notion, and it would emphasize it for the readers, too, if it weren’t for Kaneki’s experiences and the ghouls he meets. There’s an obvious morally-gray area that Ishida pushes in his story and I’m loving it so far… There are good ghouls and bad ghouls, just like there are good people and bad people.
And that’s where the Fueguchi pair come in. They’re seemingly gentle despite being man-eating ghouls They don’t hunt for themselves, though they eat people that have committed suicide… Yomo’s character in particular is interesting due to his mannerisms when he finds human bodies to take back to the Anteiku. He prays over the dead as if to show respect to them, or thank them, much like a person would pray over their cooked meals before eating.
Another thing that caught my interest is Uta’s comment about Kaneki’s new mask and his ghoulish eye as it seems to perfectly summarize Kaneki’s character arc. Despite their seemingly cold demeanors about Kaneki’s hesitation, they want him to commit and be true to himself and to others. I also think that his character arc will touch on identity and/or self-realizations.
On a final note, vengeance seems to be a typical theme in shōnen and seinen series (at least from what I’ve read). Ryouko’s death comes suddenly as Mado immediately kills her. He and Amon then target Hinami, who ran away from the confrontation. Those involved with Anteiku consider relocating Hinami to “the 20th Ward,” a place that’s rumored to be dangerous for anyone. Touka suggests that they hunt and kill the investigators responsible for Ryouko’s death, but her idea’s shut down as that would attract more investigators. However, she does attempt to kill the investigators, but fails.
It’s no surprise to me that this theme is playing out in Tokyo Ghoul. Touka goes against everyone’s wishes to hunt the investigators down. I wonder if investigators like Amon have any personal grudges against the ghouls due to his twisted views of justice. I wonder if these hunts are personal, or if he’s really that shallow of a character. I hope that there’s a backstory brewing in an upcoming volume…
So far I’m loving Sui Ishida’s series. I think that the story has an interesting plot with even more interesting characters. I’m looking forward to reading the third volume.
Until my next post,
Cassandra D. 🌙
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